This is a film still from GAIA (2021), screening at this year's Frightfest (26 to 30 AUG).

AUGUST 2021: What’s on in London this month

Explore what’s on in London this month with our regular epic roundup of repertory film seasons & festivals.

By RADIANT CIRCUS // Twitter @radiantcircus / Instagram @radiantcircus

BOOKING NOW: Event sponsored by our monthly subscribers at Patreon to help indie exhibitors #ReviveTheDark.

[apologies for the delay in posting these listings… RCx]

It’s the start of a new month (pinch and punch if you fancy…) which means a bunch of new seasons, particularly at BFI where screen stars BETTE DAVIS and EARL CAMERON get their own retrospectives, as does music maestro ENNIO MORRICONE. Elsewhere, you get TARKOVSKY x3 at Close-Up, ICA and The Prince Charles, with the latter continuing their retrospectives for ROHMER, TARANTINO, WES ANDERSON, PT ANDERSON and WENDERS (with plenty of 35MM!). Carrying over from last month, both BFI and ICA continue to add extra screenings in their WONG KAR WAI seasons (check directly with venues for latest updates) and the CHARLIE CHAPLIN season at The Prince Charles comes into focus with four screenings this month.

Irish Film London continues their return to in-venue screenings with a new season of screenings at both Rio Cinema and Bertha DocHouse. THE IRISH FOR HOPE is part of a UK-wide cinema season Film Feels Hopeful, supported by the National Lottery and BFI Film Audience Network. KOREAN FILM NIGHTS return in collaboration with Bertha DocHouse for a blended short season of docs.

Just making it into this monthly roundup, all-nighters resume at The Prince Charles with both DISNEY and JOHN CARPENTER variants (31 JUL to early on 01 AUG…). There’s a second chance to join the Carpenter crew later in the month when they’ll be joined by THE LORD OF THE RINGS TRILOGY (28 AUG).

Heading outdoors, we like the look of the lineup at Archlight Cinema on the Coaling Jetty, Battersea which offers a host of Film4 titles and some summer tentpoles. Barbican too breaks into the great outdoors, showing a number of films in their Sculpture Court including Wim Wenders’ PINA (sadly not in 3D) and Sally Potter’s ORLANDO. There’s also a pretty rare screening of David Lean’s SUMMERTIME. Sunset Screening Sessions continues a unique outdoor programme of British films at Beckenham Park Place.

Our festival lineup is pretty slim at this stage – we’ll update these listings with new events as we discover them – but Sundance London just about squeezes into the month and S.O.U.L. Fest from The New Black Film Collective, The British Blacklist, We Are Parable and S.O.U.L Film always offers a fascinating programme.

Partly driven by self-indulgence but also testimony to their extraordinary fan following, our Featured Attraction Of The Month is FrightFest 2021 which takes places this year at Cineworld Leicester Square (26 to 30 AUG). Self-indulgence…? Well, this month is a big birthday for me and I’ve booked myself (and my slowly evolving queer horror alter ego…) a weekend pass so that I can finally pop my FrightFest cherry. Go easy on me guys…

See you in the darkness,

Richard // RADIANT CIRCUS

Featured image: GAIA d. Jaco Bouwer, 2021 at FrightFest.

35MM PRESENTATIONS at The Prince Charles

70MM PRESENTATIONS at The Prince Charles

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY 70MM d. Stanley Kubrick, 1968 ‘unrestored print’ (01 AUG 14:00 / 10 AUG 20:15 / 15 AUG 17:00 / 21 AUG 20:15 / 22 AUG 17:15 / 25 AUG 20:00).

1971: THE YEAR HOLLYWOOD WENT INDEPENDENT at ICA

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): TWO-LANE BLACKTOP d. Monte Hellman, 1971 (19 AUG 18:30 / 26 AUG 16:15); KLUTE d. Alan J. Pakula, 1971 (20 AUG 18:25 / 27 AUG 16:00); MCCABE & MRS. MILLER d. Robert Altman, 1971 (21 AUG 13:30 / 31 AUG 16:00); THE LAST PICTURE SHOW d. Peter Bogdanovich, 1971 (22 AUG 20:45 / 01 SEP 16:00); FIVE EASY PIECES d. Bob Rafelson, 1971 (24 AUG 18:30 / 02 SEP 16:00).

AGNÈS VARDA at ICA

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): THE GLEANERS & I d. Agnès Varda, 2000 (08 AUG 13:40).

THE ALAN WHICKER CENTENARY at BFI Southbank

ANDREI TARKOVSKY at ICA

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): THE SACRIFICE d. Andrei Tarkovsky, 1986 (03 AUG 15:20); STALKER d. Andrei Tarkovsky, 1979 (06 AUG 15:15).

ANDREI TARKOVSKY at The Prince Charles

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): STALKER d. Andrei Tarkovsky, 1979 (08 AUG 14:10, 17:30 & 20:45 / 10 AUG 14:15); IVAN’S CHILDHOOD d. Andrei Tarkovsky, 1962 (17 AUG 13:00); NOSTALGHIA d. Andrei Tarkovsky, 1983 (22 AUG 14:30); THE SACRIFICE d. Andrei Tarkovsky, 1986 (05 SEP 14:20).

ANIME SCREENINGS at The Prince Charles

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): AKIRA d. Katsuhiro Ôtomo, 1988 (01 AUG 20:45 – SUB); PAPRIKA d. Satoshi Kon, 2006 (05 AUG 12:15 / 15 AUG 20:45 – SUB); JOSEE, THE TIGER AND THE FISH d. Kôtarô Tamura, 2020 (daily 13 to 19 AUG various times – SUB); SPIRITED AWAY d. Hayao Miyazaki, 2001 (22 AUG 11:30 – SUB).

AN INTRODUCTION TO KRYSZTOF KIESLOWSKI at Genesis Cinema

ANNIVERSARY SCREENINGS at The Prince Charles

A TERRIFYING UPRISING at Picturehouse Cinemas

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): CENSOR d. Prano Bailey-Bond, 2021 preview (from 13 AUG); SAINT MAUD d. Rose Glass, 2019 (from 23 AUG); RAW d. Julia Ducournau, 2016 (from 31 AUG).

BEST OF CÉSAR 2021 at Ciné Lumière

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): BYE BYE MORONS aka Adieu les cons d. Albert Dupontel, 2020 (26 AUG 16:20 / 26 AUG 18:15 / 29 AUG 20:30 / 30 AUG 145:00 / 01 SEP 14:00 / 03 AUG 11:00).

BETTE DAVIS: HOLLYWOOD REBEL at BFI Southbank

BIG SCREEN CLASSICS: TOGETHERNESS at BFI Southbank

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): THELMA & LOUISE d. Ridley Scott, 1991 (01 AUG 18:00 / 14 AUG 20:35 / 28 AUG 20:20); BOB & CAROL & TED & ALICE d. Paul Mazursky, 1969 (02 AUG 20:40 / 13 AUG 20:45 / 23 AUG 14:30); BRIGHT STAR 35MM d. Jane Campion, 2009 (03 AUG 20:30 / 27 AUG 17:50 / 30 AUG 18:10); BOYZ N THE HOOD d. John Singleton, 1991 + Recorded intro by film critic Leila Latif (04 AUG 17:45); LES DEMOISELLES DE ROCHEFORT 35MM aka The Young Ladies of Rochefort, d. Jacques Demy , 1967 (05 AUG 17:50 / 26 AUG 17:40); THE BIG LEBOWSKI 4K d. Joel Coen, 1998 (06 AUG 20:45 / 16 AUG 20:50 / 25 AUG 14:15); ONLY ANGELS HAVE WINGS 4K d. Howard Hawks, 1939 (07 AUG 12:00 / 24 AUG 14:15 / 31 AUG 20:30); A FAREWELL TO ARMS d. Frank Borzage, 1932 (08 AUG 12:20 / 20 AUG 14:30); MATEWAN 4K d. John Sayles, 1987 (10 AUG 14:15 / 15 AUG 18:20 / 21 AUG 12:20); CUTTER’S WAY d. Ivan Passer, 1981 + Recorded Intro by Geoff Andrew, Programmer-at-Large (11 AUG 17:50); THE NEW WORLD d. Terrence Malick, 2005 (12 AUG 14:30 / 22 AUG 12:00); CUTTER’S WAY d. Ivan Passer, 1981 (17 AUG 14:30 / 20 AUG 20:50 / 27 AUG 20:50); BOB & CAROL & TED & ALICE d. Paul Mazursky, 1969 + Recorded Intro by Julie Lobalzo Wright, University of Warwick (18 AUG 17:50); BIG WEDNESDAY 35MM d. John Milius, 1978 (19 AUG 17:50 / 29 AUG 18:10); A FAREWELL TO ARMS d. Frank Borzage, 1932 + Recorded Intro by Geoff Andrew, Programmer-at-Large (25 AUG 18:00).

CHARLIE CHAPLIN at The Prince Charles

CLOSE-UP ON ANDREI TARKOVSKY at Close-Up

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): STALKER d. Andrei Tarkovsky, 1979 (01 AUG 19:15 / 13 AUG 19:15); IVAN’S CHILDHOOD d. Andrei Tarkovsky, 1962 (06 AUG 20:15); SOLARIS d. Andrei Tarkovsky, 1972 (08 AUG 17:00); MIRROR d. Andrei Tarkovsky, 1974 (14 AUG 20:00); ANDREI RUBLEV d. Andrei Tarkovsky, 1966 (15 AUG 16:30); THE SACRIFICE d. Andrei Tarkovsky, 1986 (27 AUG 19:30); NOSTALGHIA d. Andrei Tarkovsky, 1983 (28 AUG 20:00).

EARL CAMERON at BFI Southbank

ENNIO MORRICONE at BFI Southbank

FEMALE LEADS at Everyman Broadgate

THE FIGHT FOR WOMEN’S RIGHTS at Bertha DocHouse

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): WRITING WITH FIRE d. Rintu Thomas & Sushmit Ghosh, 2021 (daily 06 to 12 AUG various); SOLDIER’S WOMAN d. Patricia Wiesse Risso, 2020 (from 13 AUG 18:20); SABAYA d. Hogir Hirori, 2021 (from 20 AUG 18:20).

THE FILMS OF DAVID LYNCH at The Prince Charles

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): BLUE VELVET 35MM d. David Lynch, 1986 (02 AUG 21:00 / 03 AUG 14:40); WILD AT HEART d. David Lynch, 1990 (13 AUG 15:15 / 14 AUG 20:00 / 16 AUG 12:15 / 17 AUG 15:15 / 18 AUG 20:30); MULHOLLAND DR. 35MM d. David Lynch, 2001 (daily 10 to 14 SEP various).

THE FILMS OF ÉRIC ROHMER at The Prince Charles

THE FILMS OF PAUL THOMAS ANDERSON at The Prince Charles

THE FILMS OF QUENTIN TARANTINO at The Prince Charles

THE FILMS OF WES ANDERSON at The Prince Charles

THE IRISH FOR HOPE at Rio Cinema & Bertha DocHouse

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): WOLFWALKERS d. Tomm Moore & Ross Stewart, 2020 at Rio Cinema (07 AUG 16:15); DATING AMBER d. David Freyne, 2020 at Rio Cinema (08 AUG 15:45); SONGS FOR WHILE I’M AWAY d. Emer Reynolds, 2020 + Zoom Q&A with the director at Bertha DocHouse (17 AUG 18:20); THE 8TH d. Aideen Kane, Lucy Kennedy & Maeve O’Boyle, 2020 at Rio Cinema (21 AUG 16:15); SHORT FILM FEELING HOPEFUL short film programme at Rio Cinema (22 AUG 15:45).

JAMAICAN INDEPENDENCE DAY WEEKENDER at Screen25 Cinema

JAMES BOND 007 at The Prince Charles

JOIN THE #BONGHIVE at The Prince Charles

KOREAN FILM NIGHTS: IN TRANSIT at Bertha DocHouse (live & online)

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): THE SEA OF ITAMI JUN d. Jung Da-woon, 2019 (01 AUG 18:00); SOUND OF NOMAD d. Kim So-young, 2016 + Recorded Q&A (online from 05 AUG 19:00 to 07 AUG 23:59 – FREE!); TIME TO READ POEMS d. Lee Soojung, 2016 (10 AUG 18:30).

KRZYSZTOF KIESLOWSKI’S THREE COLOURS TRILOGY at The Prince Charles

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): THREE COLOURS: RED 35MM d. Krzysztof Kieslowski, 1994 (10 AUG 17:40 / 12 AUG 13:30).

L.A. NIGHTS at Backyard Cinema

  • Continues at Capital Studios (check venue for listings).

MIAMI BEACH at Backyard Cinema

  • Continues at Capital Studios (check venue for listings).

MOVIE MARATHONS at The Prince Charles

STUDIO GHIBLI at The Prince Charles

TALES OF TOMORROW: SCI-FI SELECTIONS at The Prince Charles

TEEN MOVIES at The Prince Charles

THAT’S KINO, BABY! at The Prince Charles

SPLASH, SCRATCH, DUNK! FILMS MADE BY HAND at Barbican Cinema

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): HAS THE FEATURE STARTED YET? d. Maurice Lemaître, 1951 + Recorded Intro by Professor Nicole Brenez (05 AUG 18:30).

WIM WENDERS ON 35MM at The Prince Charles

WONG KAR WAI at BFI Southbank

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE 4K aka Fa yeung nin wah d. Wong Kar Wai, 2000 (01 AUG 13:00 / 04 AUG 20:30); FALLEN ANGELS 4K aka Do lok tin si d. Wong Kar Wai, 1995 (02 AUG 20:50); HAPPY TOGETHER 4K aka Chun gwong cha sit d. Wong Kar Wai, 1997 (03 AUG 20:50); 2046 4K d. Wong Kar Wai, 2004 (05 AUG 14:45).

WONG KAR WAI at Picturehouse Cinemas

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): AS TEARS GO BY aka Wong Gok ka moon d. Wong Kar Wai, 1988 (from 11 AUG); DAYS OF BEING WILD aka Ah Fei jing juen d. Wong Kar Wai, 1990 (from 15 AUG); CHUNGKING EXPRESS aka Chung Hing sam lam d. Wong Kar Wai, 1994 (from 20 AUG); FALLEN ANGELS aka Do lok tin si d. Wong Kar Wai, 1995 (from 29 AUG).

THE WORLD OF WONG KAR WAI at ICA

Archlight Outdoor Cinema on the Coaling Jetty, Battersea

Cycle-In-Cinema presented by Stow Film Lounge

  • Includes (check promoter for full listings): THE IRON GIANT d. Brad Bird, 1999 at Pimp Hall Park, Chingford E4 (19 AUG 15:30+ – FREE!/No booking required); DONNIE DARKO d. Richard Kelly, 2001 at Pimp Hall Park, Chingford E4 (19 AUG 18:30+ – FREE!/No booking required); WALL-E d. Andrew Stanton, 2008 at Pimp Hall Park, Chingford E4 (20 AUG 15:30+ – FREE!/No booking required); SILENT RUNNING d. Douglas Trumbull, 1972 + Q&A with Stuart Wright at Pimp Hall Park, Chingford E4 (20 AUG 18:30+ – FREE!/No booking required); BABE d. Chris Noonan, 1995 at Pimp Hall Park, Chingford E4 (21 AUG 15:30+ – FREE!/No booking required); MYSTERY FILM voted for by the public at Pimp Hall Park, Chingford E4 (21 AUG 18:30+ – FREE!/No booking required); SECRET GARDEN d. Agnieszka Holland, 1993 at Pimp Hall Park, Chingford E4 (22 AUG 15:30+ – FREE!/No booking required); MISBEHAVIOUR d. Philippa Lowthorpe, 2020 at Pimp Hall Park, Chingford E4 (22 AUG 18:30+ – FREE!/No booking required); THE PERSONAL HISTORY OF DAVID COPPERFIELD d. Armando Iannucci, 2019 at Forty Hall Gardens EN2 (25 AUG 19:30+); JURASSIC PARK d. Steven Spielberg, 1993 at Pymmes Park N18 (27 AUG 19:30+); THE LADYKILLERS d. Alexander Mackendrick, 1955 at Enfield Market Place EN2 (29 AUG 19:30).

Deeper Into Movies at Dalston Roof Park

  • Includes (check promoter for full listings): I AM DIVINE d. Jeffrey Schwarz, 2013 (02 AUG 20:00); BEASTIE BOYS STORY d. Spike Jonze, 2020 (09 AUG 20:00).

Film & Food Fest South London at Beckenham Place Park

The Luna Cinema at various venues

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): KNIVES OUT d. Rian Johnson, 2019 at Wimbledon Park (01 AUG 21:00); NOTTING HILL d. Roger Michell, 1999 at Westminster Abbey (01 AUG 21:00); ROMEO + JULIET d. Baz Luhrmann, 1996 at Victoria Tower Gardens, Westminster (03 AUG 20:45); SISTER ACT d. Emile Ardolino, 1992 at Victoria Tower Gardens, Westminster (04 AUG 20:45); KNIVES OUT d. Rian Johnson, 2019 at Dulwich Park (05 AUG 20:45); MOULIN ROUGE! d. Baz Luhrmann, 2001 at Victoria Tower Gardens, Westminster (05 AUG 20:45); DIRTY DANCING d. Emile Ardolino, 1987 at Dulwich Park (06 AUG 20:45); THE GREATEST SHOWMAN SING-A-LONG d. Michael Gracey, 2017 at Dulwich Park (07 AUG 20:45); ROMEO + JULIET d. Baz Luhrmann, 1996 at Dulwich Park (08 AUG 20:45); TOP GUN d. Tony Scott at Kensington Palace (11 AUG 20:30); BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY d. Bryan Singer, 2018 at Kensington Palace (12 AUG 20:30); PRETTY WOMAN d. Garry Marshall, 1990 at Kensington Palace (13 AUG 20:30); NOTTING HILL d. Roger Michell, 1999 at Kensington Palace (14 AUG 20:30); SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN d. Stanley Donen & Gene Kelly, 1959 at Kensington Palace (15 AUG 20:30); ROMEO + JULIET d. Baz Luhrmann, 1996 at Chiswick House (18 AUG 20:15); KNIVES OUT d. Rian Johnson, 2019 at Chiswick Houe (19 AUG 20:15); GREASE d. Randal Kleiser, 1978 at Chiswick House (20 AUG 20:15); THE GREATEST SHOWMAN d. Michael Gracey, 2017 at Chiswick House (21 AUG 20:15); MOULIN ROUGE! d. Baz Luhrmann, 2001 at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre (22 AUG 20:15).

Outdoor Cinema at Barbican Sculpture Court

Rooftop Film Club, Peckham

Rooftop Film Club, Stratford East

Summer Outdoor Cinema at Watermans

Sunset Screening Sessions at The Homestead Cafe at Beckenham Place Park (02 JUL to 06 AUG):

Hold the date: BITE ME! A Queer Horror Double Bill at the Filly Brook (19 SEP 16:00+) // Free! // Booking opens soon.

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*THE SMALL PRINT: Opinions author’s own. // As accurate as we could make it. Apologies for any errors. Updates & corrections will be made to the online version only. // Event dates/times/formats are subject to change by the venue/organiser. Events may already be sold out at the time of posting, so please click quickly. // We try to list as many original format screenings as we can (8 to 70MM), but sometimes formats change due to age of the print, availability, logistics etc, so please check ahead with your venue if the format is your thing. // All images are used in the spirit of fair use for reporting & review – no ownership is implied or intended / unless otherwise credited to RADIANT CIRCUS as the original rights holder. We will remove any images immediately upon request – just get in touch. // We don’t filter our listings by age/certification: all readers & subscribers should therefore be 18+. // Finally, we always try to follow The Carny Code by “not screwing up anyone else’s game”, but everyone can make mistakes… If something does go wrong, we will always do our best to put it right. //.