Nigel Wingrove
Encyclopedia
Nigel Wingrove is the founder of the horror film company Redemption Films and the Salvation Group
and creator of the online alternative female collective, Satanic Sluts. He is also a film director
and the only director to have had a film banned in the UK on the grounds of blasphemy
.
, Jess Franco, Dario Argento
and Peter Walker
. Redemption’s logo features a white, eyeless face, which is of Wingrove's former girlfriend, the actress and scream queen
, Eileen Daly
.
, Wingrove has written and directed a number of low budget films including Sacred Flesh
(2000), "Red Kiss" (2004) and three titles in the Satanic Sluts range. Wingrove's early film work included the short erotic film "Visions of Ecstasy
" in 1989, which is an interpretation of the writings of Carmelite nun Saint Teresa of Avila with a soundtrack by Steven Severin
of Siouxsie and the Banshees and would go on to be banned from distribution on the grounds of blasphemy
. Wingrove is currently working on a nunsploitation
film, "Sisters of Armageddon", and a new Satanic Sluts title - "PURE: Life Unworthy of Life".
, which has refused to grant a distribution certificate for his short film "Visions of Ecstasy
" on the grounds that it was blasphemous, at the European Court of Human Rights
in Strasbourg
. He claimed that the ban breached Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights
and was disproportionate. Wingrove's case was supported by the notable figures such as authors Salman Rushdie and Fay Weldon
, and film director Derek Jarman
, however The Court dismissed the claim and accepted that the criminal law of Blasphemy, as it was applied in England, did not infringe the right to freedom of expression under Article 10. In 1994, Wingrove had also contested the BBFC’s refusal to grant a certificate to the films "Bare Behind Bars
", "Demoniacs" and "Sadomania
" at the Video Appeals Committee
, though without success.
and, from 1992 to 1996, he was involved with the emerging Black Metal
band Cradle of Filth
, who licensed a number of Wingrove’s images for use as their artwork on albums and t-shirts including the infamous "Jesus is a Cunt
" design. Wingrove went on to art direct three albums for the band, the last being Dusk... and Her Embrace, though a great many of Wingrove’s conceived images can be found in the definitive book on the band, "Gospel of Filth" (Fab Press, 2009), written by Gavin Baddeley
.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/celestial-orgasm-that-went-too-far-1343757.html
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/law/columnists/article3003316.ece
http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2008/apr/06/news.religion
Salvation Group
Salvation Group is a UK based media company, specialising in exploitation film and alternative music. The company's original name and current trading name is Redemption Films.-History:...
and creator of the online alternative female collective, Satanic Sluts. He is also a film director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
and the only director to have had a film banned in the UK on the grounds of blasphemy
Blasphemy
Blasphemy is irreverence towards religious or holy persons or things. Some countries have laws to punish blasphemy, while others have laws to give recourse to those who are offended by blasphemy...
.
Redemption Films
Wingrove founded the film distribution company Redemption Films in 1992, which was the first UK company to specialize in releasing obscure European films by directors such as Jean RollinJean Rollin
Jean Michel Rollin Roth Le Gentil was a French film director, actor, and novelist best known for his films in the fantastique genre such as the vampire film Le Viol du Vampire and the first French gore film Les Raisins de la Mort .-Early life:Jean Rollin was born in Neuilly-sur-Seine , France to...
, Jess Franco, Dario Argento
Dario Argento
Dario Argento is an Italian film director, producer and screenwriter. He is best known for his work in the horror film genre, particularly in the subgenre known as giallo, and for his influence on modern horror and slasher movies....
and Peter Walker
Pete Walker (director)
Pete Walker is an English film director, writer and producer, specialising in horror and sexploitation films, frequently combining the two....
. Redemption’s logo features a white, eyeless face, which is of Wingrove's former girlfriend, the actress and scream queen
Scream queen
A scream queen is an actress who has become associated with horror films, either through an appearance in a notable entry in the genre as a frequent victim or through constant appearances as the female protagonist...
, Eileen Daly
Eileen Daly
Eileen Daly is an English actress, film producer, writer, model, poet and singer/songwriter. She is also a well-known contemporary scream queen starring in numerous cult movies.-Early life:...
.
Films
Separate to his work as CEO of the Salvation GroupSalvation Group
Salvation Group is a UK based media company, specialising in exploitation film and alternative music. The company's original name and current trading name is Redemption Films.-History:...
, Wingrove has written and directed a number of low budget films including Sacred Flesh
Sacred Flesh
Sacred Flesh is a 1999 British nunsploitation film. It is set in an indeterminate past, and consists of a series of loosely connected vignettes that depict pseudo-lesbian sexuality and some sado-masochistic activity.-Synopsis:...
(2000), "Red Kiss" (2004) and three titles in the Satanic Sluts range. Wingrove's early film work included the short erotic film "Visions of Ecstasy
Visions of Ecstasy
Visions of Ecstasy is a 1989 short film directed by Nigel Wingrove.It was refused certification by the British Board of Film Classification because of scenes featuring a sexualised representation of Saint Teresa of Ávila caressing the body of Jesus on the cross...
" in 1989, which is an interpretation of the writings of Carmelite nun Saint Teresa of Avila with a soundtrack by Steven Severin
Steven Severin
Steven Severin , is an English musician, composer, bassist and co-founding member of Siouxsie and the Banshees....
of Siouxsie and the Banshees and would go on to be banned from distribution on the grounds of blasphemy
Blasphemy
Blasphemy is irreverence towards religious or holy persons or things. Some countries have laws to punish blasphemy, while others have laws to give recourse to those who are offended by blasphemy...
. Wingrove is currently working on a nunsploitation
Nunsploitation
Nunsploitation is a subgenre of exploitation film which had its peak in Europe in the 1970s. These films typically involve Christian nuns living in convents during the Middle Ages. The main conflict of the story is usually of a religious or sexual nature, such as religious oppression or sexual...
film, "Sisters of Armageddon", and a new Satanic Sluts title - "PURE: Life Unworthy of Life".
Anti-Censorship
In 1996, Wingrove challenged the British Board of Film ClassificationBritish Board of Film Classification
The British Board of Film Classification , originally British Board of Film Censors, is a non-governmental organisation, funded by the film industry and responsible for the national classification of films within the United Kingdom...
, which has refused to grant a distribution certificate for his short film "Visions of Ecstasy
Visions of Ecstasy
Visions of Ecstasy is a 1989 short film directed by Nigel Wingrove.It was refused certification by the British Board of Film Classification because of scenes featuring a sexualised representation of Saint Teresa of Ávila caressing the body of Jesus on the cross...
" on the grounds that it was blasphemous, at the European Court of Human Rights
European Court of Human Rights
The European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg is a supra-national court established by the European Convention on Human Rights and hears complaints that a contracting state has violated the human rights enshrined in the Convention and its protocols. Complaints can be brought by individuals or...
in Strasbourg
Strasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
. He claimed that the ban breached Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights
European Convention on Human Rights
The Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms is an international treaty to protect human rights and fundamental freedoms in Europe. Drafted in 1950 by the then newly formed Council of Europe, the convention entered into force on 3 September 1953...
and was disproportionate. Wingrove's case was supported by the notable figures such as authors Salman Rushdie and Fay Weldon
Fay Weldon
Fay Weldon CBE is an English author, essayist and playwright, whose work has been associated with feminism. In her fiction, Weldon typically portrays contemporary women who find themselves trapped in oppressive situations caused by the patriarchal structure of British society.-Biography:Weldon was...
, and film director Derek Jarman
Derek Jarman
Michael Derek Elworthy Jarman was an English film director, stage designer, diarist, artist, gardener and author.-Life:...
, however The Court dismissed the claim and accepted that the criminal law of Blasphemy, as it was applied in England, did not infringe the right to freedom of expression under Article 10. In 1994, Wingrove had also contested the BBFC’s refusal to grant a certificate to the films "Bare Behind Bars
Bare Behind Bars
Bare Behind Bars is a 1980 sexploitation film directed and written by Oswaldo de Oliveira and starring Maria Stella Splendore, Marta Anderson and Danielle Ferrite...
", "Demoniacs" and "Sadomania
Sadomania
Sadomania – Hölle der Lust is a 1981 German-Spanish women in prison film directed by Jesus Franco, starring Ajita Wilson.-Plot:A couple of newlyweds, Olga and Michael, are traveling along the desert and accidentally trespass on the property of Magda Urtado , who is the director of a boot camp of...
" at the Video Appeals Committee
Video Appeals Committee
The Video Appeals Committee was a body set up by the United Kingdom's Video Recordings Act. If a video or video-game distributor's work is rejected by the British Board of Film Classification , preventing it from being legally sold in the UK, the distributor can appeal to the VAC, which has the...
, though without success.
Designs
Wingrove is also known for his design work, which has a dark erotic style. He has worked on the fetish magazine Skin TwoSkin Two
Skin Two is a fetish magazine covering aspects of the worldwide fetish subculture.The name is a reference to fetish clothing as a "second skin".The magazine was founded in 1983 by the publisher Tim Woodward and the photographer Grace Lau....
and, from 1992 to 1996, he was involved with the emerging Black Metal
Black metal
Black metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include fast tempos, shrieked vocals, highly distorted guitars played with tremolo picking, blast beat drumming, raw recording, and unconventional song structure....
band Cradle of Filth
Cradle of Filth
Cradle of Filth are an English extreme metal band, formed in Suffolk in 1991. The band's musical style evolved from black metal to a cleaner and more "produced" amalgam of gothic metal, symphonic black metal, and other extreme metal styles, while their lyrical themes and imagery are heavily...
, who licensed a number of Wingrove’s images for use as their artwork on albums and t-shirts including the infamous "Jesus is a Cunt
Cradle of Filth
Cradle of Filth are an English extreme metal band, formed in Suffolk in 1991. The band's musical style evolved from black metal to a cleaner and more "produced" amalgam of gothic metal, symphonic black metal, and other extreme metal styles, while their lyrical themes and imagery are heavily...
" design. Wingrove went on to art direct three albums for the band, the last being Dusk... and Her Embrace, though a great many of Wingrove’s conceived images can be found in the definitive book on the band, "Gospel of Filth" (Fab Press, 2009), written by Gavin Baddeley
Gavin Baddeley
Gavin Baddeley is an ordained Reverend in the Church of Satan, and an experienced journalist who has worked for The Observer and Metal Hammer. He is the occult authority for the BBC and Channel 4, has addressed Cambridge University, and has been profiled in The Independent and The London Evening...
.
Publications
Wingrove has two books published; "The Art of the Nasty", co-authored with Marc Morris, and "Blood and Dishonour: The Dark, Bloody and Peversely Erotic World of the Satanic Sluts - Satan’s True Sirens". Wingrove also edits both the printed and online versions of the magazine "Nihilista", writes a regular blog and runs the quasi arts and politics site "Scum Nation". Wingrove is writing his first novel "Dum Dum", and developing a major reference work, "Strength Through Design - Hatred as Art" which marries extreme politics and ideological ideas with design aesthetics.Filmography
- AxelAxelAxel is a Scandinavian and German male given name, which is also used in parts of the English-speaking world. A French feminine form is Axelle...
(1988), a title inspired by a short story by symbolist writer Auguste Villiers de l'Isle-AdamAuguste Villiers de l'Isle-AdamJean-Marie-Mathias-Philippe-Auguste, comte de Villiers de l'Isle-Adam was a French symbolist writer.-Life:Villiers de l'Isle-Adam was born in Saint-Brieuc, Brittany, to a distinguished aristocratic family...
- Visions of EcstasyVisions of EcstasyVisions of Ecstasy is a 1989 short film directed by Nigel Wingrove.It was refused certification by the British Board of Film Classification because of scenes featuring a sexualised representation of Saint Teresa of Ávila caressing the body of Jesus on the cross...
(1989), an interpretation of the writings of Carmelite nun Saint Teresa of Avila with a soundtrack by Steven SeverinSteven SeverinSteven Severin , is an English musician, composer, bassist and co-founding member of Siouxsie and the Banshees....
of Siouxsie and the Banshees, and the only film to be banned by the BBFC on the grounds of blasphemyBlasphemyBlasphemy is irreverence towards religious or holy persons or things. Some countries have laws to punish blasphemy, while others have laws to give recourse to those who are offended by blasphemy...
- Faustine (1990), a short interpretation of SwinburneAlgernon Charles SwinburneAlgernon Charles Swinburne was an English poet, playwright, novelist, and critic. He invented the roundel form, wrote several novels, and contributed to the famous Eleventh Edition of the Encyclopaedia Britannica...
's poem "Faustine"
- Sacred FleshSacred FleshSacred Flesh is a 1999 British nunsploitation film. It is set in an indeterminate past, and consists of a series of loosely connected vignettes that depict pseudo-lesbian sexuality and some sado-masochistic activity.-Synopsis:...
(1999), an independent NunsploitationNunsploitationNunsploitation is a subgenre of exploitation film which had its peak in Europe in the 1970s. These films typically involve Christian nuns living in convents during the Middle Ages. The main conflict of the story is usually of a religious or sexual nature, such as religious oppression or sexual...
film.
- Satanic Sluts: The Black Order Cometh (2007), the first in a series of films depicting the online female collective, Satanic Sluts
- Satanic Sluts II: The Black Masses (2008), a documentary including footage of live performances by Satanic Sluts held at Wingrove's alternative night club night, Black Mass
- Satanic Sluts III: Scandalized (2009), the latest in the Satanic Sluts series, featuring Georgina Baillie and Michelle ThorneMichelle ThorneMichelle Thorne is a British porn actress, glamour model and erotic actress. Her adult film career began in 1999 with All Amateur: Girls of the UK....
Further reading
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/arts-visions-of-redemption-1344278.htmlhttp://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/celestial-orgasm-that-went-too-far-1343757.html
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/law/columnists/article3003316.ece
http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2008/apr/06/news.religion
External links
- nigelwingrove.com - Wingrove's personal website
- salvation-films.com - The Official Redemption Films website
- satanic-sluts.com - The Official Satanic Sluts website
- nihilistamag.com - The Official Nihilista Magazine website
- Nigel Wingrove at the IMDb.com database