Back in Ibiza 1998-2003 | Dean Chalkley | FULL DOCUMENTARY by DOGMA85

Back in Ibiza follows acclaimed photographer Dean Chalkley as he returns to the island over twenty years after documenting its legendary club scene for Mixmag during the late 90s and early 2000s.

Returning to the sites of iconic venues like Space, Privilege and Bora Bora, Dean reflects on Ibiza’s golden era between 1998 and 2003. He discusses shooting on medium format film, getting into the heart of the crowd with a fixed-lens Fuji camera, and why he was always more interested in the people than the superstar DJs.

Along the way, he shares unforgettable stories from those years, including being stranded on a gantry above 10,000 people during Manumission, and reconnects with some of the characters who shaped the island’s nightlife. The film follows his reunions with Margot, whom he first photographed outside Ibiza Port at 7am in 1998; Vaughn, a local club owner fighting to preserve the island’s original spirit; and Howard, remembered by many as the flamboyant Helvis of the 90s dancefloors.

More than a film about clubbing, Back in Ibiza is a conversation about memory, photography and how nightlife has changed, from a world of uninhibited freedom to one shaped by camera phones, social media and constant self-awareness.

After more than two decades in storage, Dean’s medium format negatives offer a remarkable portrait of British youth culture, analogue photography and a version of Ibiza that has almost disappeared.