This is a film still from PHAIDROS dir Mara Mattuschka 2018, screening at Close-Up Film Centre (06 MAR).

MARCH 2022: What’s on in London this month

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

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

One of those months where the WordPress dog ate my blogging homework, so apologies for the delay and some possible gaps! I’ll update as we go…

This month, BFI launches THE CAMERA IS OURS: BRITAIN’S WOMEN DOCUMENTARY MAKERS and transitions their regular big screen classics strand into an examination of the art of PUTTING ON A SHOW. OTHER MODERNISMS, OTHER FUTURES opens at Barbican with a really distinctive programme of global art cinema from 1960 to 1980. Whilst OSCAR & BAFTA NOMINEES at The Prince Charles, BEST OF CÉSAR at Ciné Lumière and REWARDING DOCS at Bertha DocHouse focus on the race for success. Along similar lines, but not listed here, you can also enjoy IN THE RACE FOR THE OSCARS at Genesis and AWARDS SEASON at Everyman.

Other significant new seasons this month include CLOSE UP ON WONG KAR WAI, another overview of what is probably London’s favourite director (given how rich and widespread the rep seasons have been…?) at Close-Up, where it’s joined by MARA MATTUSCHKA: DIFFERENT FACES OF AN ANTI-DIVA, a director probably far fewer Londoners have heard from… And finally, ONE AND DONE at Genesis Cinema reaches BOILING POINT with a smorgasbord of “real and appearing as real” one-take films.

Several new festivals come to London this month, including Glasgow Film Festival at venues across town (02 to 13 MAR), BFI Flare on the Southbank and online (16 to 27 MAR), and Essay Film Festival at ICA, Birkbeck Cinema, Bertha DocHouse, Goethe Institute and online (19 MAR to 23 APR). National cinemas get several great showcases too, with Cinema Made in Italy at Ciné Lumière (03 to 07 MAR), Nordic Focus Film Festival presented by South Social at Riverside Studios (12 MAR), and multiple venue events for St. Patrick’s Day Film Festival on Trafalgar Square and in cinemas (11 to 14 MAR), Hong Kong Film Festival (19 to 27 MAR) and Kinoteka Polish Film Festival which you can also find online c/o BFI Player (09 MAR to 03 APR).

For my Featured Attraction of the Month, it was a toss-up between two compact yet perfectly formed seasons. My asthma tends to render me breathless when it comes to cinema’s one-take (one-breath?) wonders, so I’ll give Genesis’ ONE AND DONE an honourable mention. Which just leaves me with Close-Up’s MARA MATTUSCHKA: DIFFERENT FACES OF AN ANTI-DIVA, because I love the chance to discover someone completely new (to me, and maybe to you…).

In light of the terrifying darkness descending upon Ukraine, I’ll change my usual sign off for just one message, said from the heart: #StandWithUkraine.

Richard // RADIANT CIRCUS

Mara Mattuschka.

MARA MATTUSCHKA: DIFFERENT FACES OF AN ANTI-DIVA at Close-Up:

“For more than 35 years, Mara Mattuschka has been among Austria’s most eminent experimental filmmakers. In addition to her film work, the Bulgarian-born artist is also an actress, painter, professor, performance artist and film producer. Mara Mattuschka’s first ‘painted’ films were made as part of Maria Lassnig’s animation studio. From the 1980s on, Mattuschka shot numerous short experimental films using her alter ego: Mimi Minus. Since 2005 she has been collaborating with the performance collective Liquid Loft lead by Chris Haring, constantly trying out new cinematic forms. This 5 parts programme presents her short and feature films as well as Elisabeth M. Klocker’s documentary on the artist.” (Close-Up).

35MM PRESENTATIONS at The Prince Charles

70MM PRESENTATIONS at The Prince Charles

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): THE MASTER 70mm d. Paul Thomas Anderson, 2012 (06 MAR 20:30 / 09 MAR 20:30 / 15 MAR 20:30 / 21 MAR 14:50 / 26 MAR 12:40 / 28 MAR 20:30).

007 SEASON at The Prince Charles

70S CINEMA LATE NIGHTS 35MM at Everyman Screen On The Green

1982 SEASON at The Prince Charles

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): BLADE RUNNER: THE FINAL CUT d. Ridley Scott, 1982 (04 MAR 14:20 4K / 05 MAR 21:00 4K / 07 MAR 18:00 / 08 MAR 15:25 4K / 10 MAR 20:30 / 27 MAR 17:05 4K); E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL d. Steven Spielberg, 1982 (18 MAR 15:20 / 20 MAR 15:30 / 22 MAR 15:35 / 24 MAR 18:15).

THE ABC OF ASTA NIELSEN at BFI Southbank

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): IN THE EYES OF THE LAW 35mm aka Nach dem Gesetz d. Willy Grunwald, 1919 + Live piano accompaniment by Costas Fotopoulos (01 MAR 20:50 / 07 MAR 18:15 – Piano by Stephen Horne); HAMLET d. Sven Gade, 1921 + Live piano accompaniment by Cyrus Gabrysch (02 MAR 18:15); EARTH SPIRIT aka Erdgeist d. Leopold Jessner, 1923 + Intro by season curator Pamela Hutchinson & Live piano accompaniment by Stephen Horne (05 MAR 12:10); THE DECLINE aka Downfall aka Der Absturz d. Ludwig Wolff, 1923 + Intro by season curator Pamela Hutchinson & Live piano accompaniment by John Sweeney (05 MAR 14:30); HAMLET d. Sven Gade, 1921 + Intro by Prof Judith Buchanan & live piano accompaniment by Meg Morley (05 MAR 17:00); THE JOYLESS STREET aka Die freudlose Gasse d. GW Pabst, 1925 + Intro by BFI Inclusion Team Coordinator, Miranda Gower-Qian & Live piano accompaniment by John Sweeney (06 MAR 17:40); EARTH SPIRIT aka Erdgeist d. Leopold Jessner, 1923 + Live piano accompaniment by Meg Morley (09 MAR 20:50); IMPOSSIBLE LOVE aka Unmögliche Liebe d. Erich Waschneck, 1932 (09 MAR 18:20 / 15 MAR 20:45); THE DECLINE aka Downfall aka Der Absturz d. Ludwig Wolff, 1923 + Live piano accompaniment by Cyrus Gabrysch (15 MAR 18:20). THE JOYLESS STREET aka Die freudlose Gasse d. GW Pabst, 1925 + Live piano accompaniment by Costas Fotopoulos (16 MAR 18:00).

AKIRA KUROSAWA at The Prince Charles

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): IKIRU 35mm d. Akira Kurosawa, 1952 (06 MAR 17:25); SEVEN SAMURAI d. Akira Kurosawa, 1954 (19 MAR 17:05).

ANIME at The Prince Charles

ANNIVERSARY SCREENINGS at The Prince Charles (not listed in other seasons!)

BEST OF CÉSAR at Ciné Lumière

BIG SCREEN CLASSICS: PUTTING ON A SHOW at BFI Southbank

BLACK & WHITE MOVIES at The Prince Charles

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): THE CRANES ARE FLYING d. Mikhail Kalatozov, 1957 (01 MAR 18:15); BELFAST d. Kenneth Branagh, 2021 (02 MAR 13:00 4K / 04 MAR 13:00 4K / 09 MAR 18:15); THE TRAGEDY OF MACBETH d. Joel Coen, 2021 (02 MAR 15:35 / 03 MAR 18:25 / 04 MAR 16:00 / 05 MAR 12:15 4K / 08 MAR 15:10 / 09 MAR 13:00 / 13 MAR 12:10 / 17 MAR 12:15); THE THIRD MAN 35mm d. Carol Reed, 1949 (06 MAR 12:00); THE AWFUL TRUTH d. Leo McCarey, 1937 (12 MAR 12:00); IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT d. Frank Capra, 1934 (14 MAR 18:00); UGETSU d. Kenji Mizoguchi, 1953 (15 MAR 18:10); CASABLANCA 35mm d. Michael Curtiz, 1942 (28 MAR 18:00).

BRENDAN FRASER at The Prince Charles

THE CAMERA IS OURS: BRITAIN’S WOMEN DOCUMENTARY MAKERS at BFI Southbank

CHER ON SCREEN at The Prince Charles

DAVID ROBERT MITCHELL at The Prince Charles

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): IT FOLLOWS d. David Robert Mitchell, 2014 (17 MAR 18:05); UNDER THE SILVER LAKE d. David Robert Mitchell, 2018 (17 MAR 20:30).

DENIS VILLENEUVE: IN REVERSE at The Prince Charles

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): ENEMY d. Denis Villeneuve, 2013 (03 MAR 18:15); DUNE d. Denis Villeneuve, 2021 (04 MAR 12:45 / 25 MAR 17:15 4K); BLADE RUNNER 2049 4K d. Denis Villeneuve, 2017 (27 MAR 19:45); INCENDIES 35mm d. Denis Villeneuve, 2010 (30 MAR 20:45).

CLOSE UP ON WONG KAR WAI at Close-Up

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): AS TEARS GO BY d. Wong Kar Wai, 1988 (04 MAR 20:15 / 25 MAR 20:15); CHUNGKING EXPRESS d. Wong Kar Wai, 1994 (05 MAR 20:15 / 20 MAR 20:15); DAYS OF BEING WILD d. Wong Kar Wai, 1990 (06 MAR 20:15 / 12 MAR 18:30); FALLEN ANGELS d. Wong Kar Wai, 1995 (11 MAR 20:15 / 24 MAR 20:15); HAPPY TOGETHER d. Wong Kar Wai, 1997 (12 MAR 20:15 / 26 MAR 18:30); IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE d. Wong Kar Wai, 2000 (13 MAR 20:15); 2046 d. Wong Kar Wai, 2004 (18 MAR 20:15 / 26 MAR 20:15).

FOUR BY EDGAR WRIGHT at The Prince Charles

FOUR BY PENNY MARSHALL at The Prince Charles

FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA at The Prince Charles

FRANÇOIS TRUFFAUT REVISITED at Ciné Lumière

GENERATION AFRICA at Bertha DocHouse

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): ZINDER d. Aïcha Macky, 2021 (11 MAR 18:20 / 15 MAR 20:40 / 17 MAR 16:10 / 20 MAR 16:00 / 21 MAR 14:00 / 24 MAR 20:20); THE LAST SHELTER d. Ousmane Samassekou, 2021 (12 MAR 16:00 / 14 MAR 18:20 / 18 MAR 18:20 / 22 MAR 20:20 / 23 MAR 16:10); DOWNSTREAM TO KINSHASA d. Dieudo Hamadi, 2021 (13 MAR 18:45 / 16 MAR 16:10); MAKONGO d. Elvis Sabin Ngaibino, 2020 (15 MAR 14:00 / 19 MAR 16:00 / 20 MAR 18:00 / 22 MAR 18:20).

INGMAR BERGMAN SELECTROSPECTIVE at The Prince Charles

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): THE SEVENTH SEAL d. Ingmar Bergman, 1957 (13 MAR 17:35); PERSONA d. Ingmar Bergman, 1966 (27 MAR 15:00).

LETTERBOXD HIGH RISERS at The Prince Charles

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): BELLY d. Hype Williams, 1999 (02 MAR 18:00); LEGALLY BLONDE 35mm d. Robert Luketicm 2001 (08 MAR 18:05 – £1 Members’ Screening); 13 GOING ON 30 d. Gary Winick, 2004 (11 MAR 18:25);

MARA MATTUSCHKA: DIFFERENT FACES OF AN ANTI-DIVA at Close-Up

MOVIE MARATHONS at The Prince Charles

NORA EPHRON at The Prince Charles

ONE AND DONE at Genesis Cinema

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): BOILING POINT d. Phillip Barantini, 2021 (03 MAR 15:00 / 23 MAR 21:00); BIRDMAN d. Alejandro G. Iñárritu, 2014 (22 MAR 20:55); ROPE d. Alfred Hitchcock, 1948 (27 MAR 16:35); VICTORIA d. Sebastian Schipperm, 2015 (29 MAR 20:45); ONE CUT OF THE DEAD d. Shin’ichirô Ueda, 2017 presented & Introduced by The Evolution of Horror podcast (30 MAR 21:00).

OSCAR & BAFTA NOMINEES at The Prince Charles

  • Includes (check venue for listings): DRIVE MY CAR d. Ryûsuke Hamaguchi, 2021 (01 MAR 12:00 / 02 MAR 20:00 / 03 MAR 14:45 / 06 MAR 14:05 / 14 MAR 20:05 / 16 MAR 14:45); BELFAST d. Kenneth Branagh, 2021 (02 MAR 13:00 4K / 04 MAR 13:00 4K / 09 MAR 18:15); THE POWER OF THE DOG d. Jane Campion, 2021 (02 MAR 15:20 4K / 03 MAR 12:45 4K / 07 MAR 12:15 4K / 10 MAR 12:45 / 14 MAR 14:50); THE TRAGEDY OF MACBETH d. Joel Coen, 2021 (02 MAR 15:35 / 03 MAR 18:25 / 04 MAR 16:00 / 05 MAR 12:15 4K / 08 MAR 15:10 / 09 MAR 13:00 / 13 MAR 12:10 / 17 MAR 12:15); LICORICE PIZZA 35mm d. Paul Thomas Anderson, 2021 (until 19 MAR various); DUNE d. Denis Villeneuve, 2021 (04 MAR 12:45 / 25 MAR 17:15 4K); TITANE d. Julia Ducournau, 2021 (08 MAR 13:00 / 09 MAR 20:45); PETITE MAMAN d. Céline Sciamma, 2021 (14 MAR 18:10 / 15 MAR 12:35 / 16 MAR 12:45 / 21 MAR 18:10).

OTHER MODERNISMS, OTHER FUTURES: GLOBAL ART CINEMA 1960-80 at Barbican

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): JULY RAIN d. Marlen Khutsiev, 1967 + Intro by Professor Ian Christie (03 MAR 18:00); DOWNPOUR d. Bahram Beyzaie, 1972 (05 MAR 15:00); BLOOD OF THE CONDOR d. Jorge Sanjinés & the Ukamau Collective, 1969 (06 MAR 18:15); INTERVIEW d. Mrinal Sen, 1971 (16 MAR 18:15); FAD’JAL d. Safi Faye, 1979 (27 MAR 15:00); DE CIERTA MANERA d. Sara Gómez, 1974 (31 MAR 18:30).

REWARDING DOCS at Bertha DocHouse

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): THE RESCUE d. Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi & Jimmy Chin, 2021 (02 MAR 15:50 – Free Online Q&A 01 MAR 18:30); COW d. Andrea Arnold, 2021 (02 MAR 18:30 + Q&A with the director / 03 MAR 15:50); SUMMER OF SOUL d. Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, 2021 (03 MAR 18:10 / 04 MAR 18:10 / 06 MAR 20:15 / 07 MAR 13:45 / 09 MAR 20:40); ASCENSION d. Jessica Kingdon, 2020 (04 MAR 13:50 / 05 MAR 20:30 / 07 MAR 20:50 / 08 MAR 13:30 / 09 MAR 18:30); BECOMING COUSTEAU d. Liz Garbus, 2021 (05 MAR 16:20); KEYBOARD FANTASIES d. Posy Dixon, 2021 (08 MAR 18:20).

SCREWBALL COMEDY at The Prince Charles

SEEN & HEARD at BFI Southbank

STUDIO GHIBLI at Picturehouse Cinemas

STUDIO GHIBLI FOREVER at The Prince Charles

THREE BY F. GARY GRAY at The Prince Charles

  • Includes (check venue for listings): SET IT OFF d. F. Gary Gray, 1996 (28 MAR 18:15).

THREE BY SATYAJIT RAY at The Prince Charles

  • Includes (check venue for listings): PATHER PANCHALI d. Satyajit Ray, 1955 (30 MAR 18:00).

THE TWISTED TALES OF GUILLERMO DEL TORO at The Prince Charles

TWO BY RYÛSUKE HAMAGUCHI at The Prince Charles

  • Includes (check venue for listings): DRIVE MY CAR d. Ryûsuke Hamaguchi, 2021 (01 MAR 12:00 / 02 MAR 20:00 / 03 MAR 14:45 / 06 MAR 14:05 / 14 MAR 20:05 / 16 MAR 14:45).

THE WORLD OF WONG KAR WAI at The Prince Charles

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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. //.