NOW SHOWING: LONDON SCREEN GUIDE w/c 28.04.17

To help your hunt for adventurous moving pictures, RADIANT CIRCUS hand-picks London’s screen highlights for the week ahead*.

This week there’s another strong showing of black and white features, some old and some, well, reimagined.

Our featured film of the week is Louis Malle’s groundbreaking LIFT TO THE SCAFFOLD.

FRIDAY 28 APRIL 2017, 18:30 – 22:00, TATE MODERN

JONAS MEEKAS: DIARIES, NOTES & SKETCHES aka WALDEN screens at Tate Modern throughout the evening as part of their latest Uniqlo Tate Late extravaganza. Drop in at anytime during the 3hr screening for this “most epic portrait of the 60s New York art scene”. It’s your chance to rub up alongside John Lennon, Yoko Ono, Allen Ginsberg, Andy Warhol and Edie Sedgwick.

Looking for an alternative? For anyone that missed yesterday’s free screening at Bertha Dochouse, there’s another chance to catch the brilliant documentary 5 CAMERAS + Q&A (19:00) with director Emad Burnat at Frontline Club.

SATURDAY 29 APRIL 2017, 14:00, TATE BRITAIN

If you loved DAVID HOCKNEY at Tate – or are still queuing to get in – it’s as good a time as any to watch Jack Hazan’s brilliant faux documentary about the man, A BIGGER SPLASH WITH JACK HAZAN. We recently spent a lazy Sunday browsing through the special features of the excellent BFI blu-ray if you fancy a quick read before you go.

Looking for an alternative? WRONG ELEMENTS + Q&A with French-American director Jonathan Littell (18:00) at Ciné Lumière is a powerful documentary about Uganda’s former child soldiers trying to rebuild a normal life.

SUNDAY 30 APRIL 2017, 16:10, CINE LUMIERE

Celebrate INTERNATIONAL JAZZ DAY with Louis Malle’s stunning debut film, LIFT TO THE SCAFFOLD + LIVE JAZZ + Q&A (16:10) at Ciné Lumière. The 1958 crime film features a stunning score from Miles Davis and will be preceded by live music from jazz multi-instrumentalist Julien Alour and followed by a Q&A with jazz specialists Selwyn Harris (Jazzwise Magazine) and Kevin Le Gendre (Jazzwise Magazine and BBC Radio 3).

Looking for an alternative? Spend an evening with the FREE CINEMA MOVEMENT (19:00) at Close-Up. Introduced by esteemed academic Peter Hames, screenings include Lindsay Anderson’s EVERYDAY EXCEPT CHRISTMAS, Robert Vas’ REFUGE ENGLAND and Karel Reisz’ WE ARE THE LAMBETH BOYS.

MONDAY 01 MAY 2017, 18:25 & 21:00, PRINCE CHARLES CINEMA

There’s a gentle trend of releasing violent movies in glorious black and white editions. We feel Frank Darabont’s masterful Stephen King adaptation, THE MIST, is one that benefits the most from this treatment, but MAD MAX FURY ROAD: BLACK AND CHROME EDITION gets suitably dark and moody. The film runs at the Prince Charles all week and can also be found at various Picturehouses as part of their Culture Shock strand.

Looking for an alternative? For more black and white violence, join the beautiful people at the Moth Club for LA HAINE (19:00).

TUESDAY 02 MAY 2017, 20:45, BARBICAN

As Barbican puts it, “the success of Moonlight revealed the scarce representation for queer black men and the hunger to see their complex images on the big screen”. Head to THE BATTLE FOR REPRESENTATION: TONGUES UNTIED + UN CHANT D’AMOUR for a trio of short films that tackle the topic in very different ways. Alongside the two headline films there’s a screening of KAREEM REID, a film portrait of the artist and founder of club night Body Party.

Looking for an alternative? A matter close to our community-minded, beer-loving hearts, PUBLIC HOUSE + Q&A with director Sarah Turner (18:15) at Bertha Dochouse focuses on a community’s efforts to save their local meeting place.

the_company_of_wolves
THE COMPANY OF WOLVES starts a new Cigarette Burns short season at Barbican.

WEDNESDAY 03 MAY 2017, 20:45, BARBICAN

CIGARETTE BURNS CINEMA starts a new short season – INTO THE WOODS – at Barbican with THE COMPANY OF WOLVES, including an introduction from producer Stephen Wooley. Forthcoming attractions include LEMORA – A CHILD’S TALE OF THE SUPERNATURAL (8 MAY), EYES OF FIRE (17 MAY) and, our favourite of the bunch, VIY (25 MAY).

Looking for an alternative? THE SECOND MOTHER (20:00) at Deptford Cinema continues their season of Latin American films directed by women. Along similar lines, there’s also a nationwide screening of XX (20:30) – “the first and only all-female horror anthology” – from The Final Girls at Prince Charles Cinema.

THURSDAY 04 MAY 2017, 19:30, REGENT STREET CINEMA

WISCONSIN DEATH TRIP gets a very rare screening c/o The Heavenly Films Night and BBC Arena. James Marsh’s masterpiece of creative television “tells the haunting tale of murder, madness and suicide that took place behind the thin veil of respectability in small-town America at the end of the 19th century”.

Looking for an alternative? Just when we were complaining about the lack of Greek films on our screens, along comes the ‘coming of middle-age’ drama SUNTAN (18:25) at ICA. There’s also a Q+A with the director on 2 MAY (18:15). Further fuelling our appetite for all things Hellenic, the LONDON GREEK FESTIVAL runs 14 – 20 MAY.


fantastic-beasts-and-where-to-find-them
Master prop maker, Pierre Bohanna, talks about his work at the BFI (03 MAY, 18:30) as part of LONDON CRAFT WEEK 2017.

FESTIVALS / LONGER RUNS / TALKS

CHINESE VISUAL FESTIVAL opens at BFI (02 MAY, 18:10) with artist and filmmaker JU ANQI IN CONVERSATION with Tony Rayns. The evening includes the UK premier of his latest film, DRILL MAN.

LONDON CRAFT WEEK features a fascinating talk MAKING PROPS FOR FILM: PIERRE BOHANNA ON FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM (03 MAY, 18:30) at BFI.

ICA continues their new documentary fest FRAMES OF REPRESENTATION until 29 APRIL.

And finally…

SCI-FI LONDON continues at venues across town until 06 MAY.


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: LIFT TO THE SCAFFOLD (1958).