NOW SHOWING: LONDON SCREEN GUIDE w/c 24.02.17

To help your hunt for adventurous moving pictures, RADIANT CIRCUS hand-picks screen highlights for the week ahead*. This week, we have a bunch of stunning films about fitting in – youth, disability, migration – as well as several outstanding films by and about women. Our featured film of the week is both: THE FITS.

FRIDAY 24 FEBRUARY 2017, 14:25, ICA

Anna Rose Holmer’s debut film THE FITS tells of a tomboy’s battles to belong and the mysterious fainting that affects the girls she wants to be. This brief but beautiful portrait of adolescence runs at ICA until TUESDAY 28 FEBRUARY.

Looking for an alternative? Tate continues its excellent artist film series with the UK premiere of EDUARDO WILLIAMS: THE HUMAN SURGE (19:00). Connecting young people from Argentina, Mozambique and the Philippines, the film is followed by discussion with the artist.

SATURDAY 25 FEBRUARY 2017, 19:30, CLOSE-UP

Close-up hosts WELCOME TO BRITAIN, a montage of archival footage and artist films about home, homelessness and hospitality. The evening is curated by Lucy Harris and includes her own work (SIDEWAYS) as well as new short films from Sarah Wood (BOAT PEOPLE, AZURE), Anthea Kennedy (THE BAG OF A THOUSAND POCKETS) and Alia Syed (POINTS OF DEPARTURE).

Looking for an alternative? Deptford Cinema – in cahoots with Korean Cultural Centre UK – screens ultra-violent PRINCESS AURORA (18:00) for FREE! Or, how about FEAR ITSELF + Q&A WITH DIRECTOR CHARLIE LYNE (21:00) at Picturehouse Central, a horror movie collage that really gets under your skin?

SUNDAY 26 FEBRUARY 2017, 14:00, CINE LUMIERE

Ciné Lumière screens François Truffaut’s LA NUIT AMERICAINE (14:00) on 35mm as part of their SUNDAY FRENCH CLASSICS strand. Followed by a Ciné Salon with Nick Walker.

Looking for an alternative? If you dallied with Divine last week (and we hope you loved MULTIPLE MANIACS as much as we did), check her out in this week’s wild western LUST IN THE DUST, BFI (20:10).

MONDAY 27 FEBRUARY 2017, 20:00, STOW FILM LOUNGE

Winner of this year’s EE BAFTA for Outstanding Debut, UNDER THE SHADOW (20:00) is that all too rare thing: a British horror film in Farsi.

Looking for an alternative? Pay tribute to John Hurt as Mark Kermode introduces ELEPHANT MAN at BFI (20:35). Or, head to Moth Club for Cine-Real‘s 16mm screening of Italian neorealist classic THE BICYCLE THIEVES (19:45).

GUERRILLAS IN OUR MIDST screens at the Whitechapel Gallery, THURSDAY 2 MARCH, 19:00.
GUERRILLAS IN OUR MIDST, Whitechapel Gallery, THURSDAY 2 MARCH, 19:00.

TUESDAY 28 FEBRUARY 2017, 20:40, BFI

BFI continue their outstanding commitment to experimental film (under the EXPERIMENTA strand) with an evening of cosmic abstraction: FILMS SACRED AND PROFANE: JORDAN BELSON RETROSPECTIVE.

Looking for an alternative? The Frontline Club and DocSupper follow undocumented immigrant activist Angy Rivera’s journey from the shadows to the frontline in DON’T TELL ANYONE + Q&A (20:00).

WEDNESDAY 1 MARCH 2017, 20:50, BFI

EDGE OF AMERICA: THE FILMS OF KELLY REICHARDT begins a month-long retrospective of the American screenwriter and director’s films with RIVERS OF GRASS. BFI has the words: “Reichardt’s cinema is a quiet howl for the American land and its people.” REICHARDT IN CONVERSATION (16:30) is on SATURDAY 4 MARCH and is selling fast.

THURSDAY 2 MARCH 2017, 19:00, WHITECHAPEL GALLERY

GUERRILLAS IN OUR MIDST (19:00) screens alongside EAT THE KIMONO to celebrate the work of women arts activists in anticipation of International Women’s Day. Includes an introduction from Sophie Mayer and Selina Robertson, Club des Femmes.

Looking for an alternative? RAY HARRYHAUSEN SPECIAL EFFECTS TITAN (19:00) at Deptford Cinema reminds us of the handmade magic at the heart of moving pictures.


alois_nebel
ALOIS NEBEL + SCREENTALK with Director Tomáš Luňák (TUESDAY 28 FEBRUARY, 18:15), part of Barbican’s THE CRAFT OF FILM season.

FESTIVALS / LONGER RUNS

THE CRAFT OF FILM: continuing Barbican’s brilliant series about the artistry of cinema, each film is accompanied by a talk from one of its creators. This is also selling really fast.

MARTIN SCORSESE CURATES: Get your last SCORSESE DOUBLES (2 films for £17) fix at BFI with the groundbreaking LITTLE FUGITIVE (FRIDAY 24 FEBRUARY, 20:30) and possibly Scorsese’s most unusual film, KUNDUN (SUNDAY 26 FEBRUARY, 19.50).

THE LONDON FILM CLUB SUNDAY SCREENINGS at Rich Mix (SUNDAY 26 FEBRUARY, 13:00) begin a brand new quarterly film festival by filmmakers for film fans.

Ciné Lumière plays host to Istituto Luce Cinecittà’s annual exploration of Italian cinema: CINEMA MADE IN ITALY 2017 (1-5 March). All screenings include added-value extras.

A WORLD VIEW: JOHN LATHAM opens at Serpentine Galleries on THURSDAY 2 MARCH. Their complementary group show – SPEAK – features various international artists.


More places to shelter from the storm in next week’s GUIDE.


*As accurate as we could make it. Apologies for any mistakes.

Featured image: THE FITS (2015).