NOW BOOKING: FEBRUARY SCREENS 2018
RADIANT CIRCUS hunts out the best independent movie nights, film events & gallery screenings in London. Find out what’s booking this month with our FEBRUARY roundup*.
SINGLE-O EXHIBITS // EXHIBITIONS // SEASONS & FESTIVALS // GRIND SHOWS
Welcome to our second monthly roundup of 2018. February can be over all-too quickly, so it’s time to get clicking…
It’s a month with some special diary dates. Celebrate Valentine’s with Cigarette Burns Cinema’s screening of LA PRISONNIÈRE at Barbican (13 FEB) – don’t linger as it’s selling fast. Then there’s Chinese New Year which you can mark with doc CHINA’S VAN GOGHS about a Chinese peasant-turned-painter at BFI (24 FEB 18:00). Oh, and don’t forget GROUNDHOG DAY (02 FEB) which gets multiple screenings (naturally) at The Prince Charles and a late night double-bill at Everyman Screen On The Green (23:30).
Elsewhere there’s an excellent monthlong HANEKE retrospective at Close-Up (see below) and the enticing Japanese Foundation Touring Programme 2018 at ICA (which we’ll cover in its own guide HERE).
Our FEATURED ATTRACTION of the month is a brace of fundraisers for The Cinema Museum because our shared screen heritage – really – matters (17 FEB). All proceeds go to the Save The Cinema Museum Campaign Fund. Details below.
> Tell us what you’re seeing in the comments.
#SCREENGUIDE: Each month we highlight a number of SINGLE-O EXHIBITS by indie venues and promoters – check our LONDON EVENTS listings for more. Then there’s a summary of MUSEUM SHOWS – divided into EXHIBITIONS & SEASONS & FESTIVALS – and our pick of February’s GRIND SHOW runs. Follow section links to find what you want. Use your ‘back’ button to return here.
NOW BOOKING: SINGLE-O EXHIBITS
ANIMAL FARM + INTRO by Vivien Halas, daughter of Halas and Batchelor screens at BFI Southbank (04 FEB 13:00):
In this groundbreaking animated feature it soon becomes clear that the pigs aren’t to be trusted… Part of: ANIMATION 2018 – THE FILMS OF HALAS AND BACHELOR which includes special events THE LEGACY OF HALAS & BATCHELOR featuring Vivien Halas in conversation (09 FEB 18:10) and COMING OF AGE: A NEW HISTORY OF BRITISH ANIMATION PART TWO (20 FEB 18:15).
THE BRIDE OF GLOMDAL screens at The Cinema Museum (07 FEB 19:30):
Kennington Bioscope presents Carl Theodor Dreyer’s 1926 adaptation of a novel by Jacob Breda Bull, THE BRIDE OF GLOMDAL (aka Glomdalsbruden). A beautiful rural setting frames the story of Tore, a young farmer, who is determined to build up his family’s dilapidated farm and win the hand of lovely neighbour Berit, who is promised in marriage to another. A programme of silent shorts precedes the main film along with some freshly restored shorts & newsreels of Suffragettes to mark 100 years since the first level of women’s suffrage was achieved.
D.C. CAB aka Street Fleet screens at The Cinema Museum (28 Feb 19:30):
The Celluloid Sorceress brings her look at the career of Joel Schumacher to the Cinema Museum with a rare screening of one of THE LOST BOYS director’s pre-breakthrough hits. D.C. CAB is a “must-see” for fans of ‘80s American comedies. The Sorceress speaks: “The humour is ribald and must sometimes be viewed in the context of its era.” Consider yourselves warned…
DOVE CADONO LE OMBRE + Q&A with director Valentina Pedicini screens at Genesis Cinema (11 FEB 15:30):
CinemaItaliaUk presents the story of Anna, a young nurse in charge of a nursing home in the forests of Switzerland. The arrival of the old Gertrud starts the recovery of dreadful memories. Inspired by the Jenisch ethnic cleansing and successfully presented at 2017 Venice Film Festival, DOVE CADONO LE OMBRE is a powerful drama about a forgotten tragedy.
THE GOLDEN VOYAGE OF SINBAD + Q&A with Caroline Munro screens at Regent Street Cinema (25 FEB 15:00):
Sinbad and his crew intercept a flying homunculus carrying a golden tablet. But this is one third of a puzzle that leads to untold riches, and the evil magician Koura is hell-bent on being the first to solve it… Featuring a Q&A with Margiana herself, Caroline Munro.
LOVE YOU TO DEATH + DISCUSSION screens at The Institute of Light (26 FEB 20:00):
The People’s Film Club presents a special screening of LOVE YOU TO DEATH: A YEAR OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, a doc which sheds light on an incredibly important and under-reported issue – the continuing violence experienced by women in the UK. Afterwards, there will be a Q&A with director Vanessa Engle. All proceeds will be split between LAWA and Sister Space, two charities who support survivors of domestic violence in London.
MOONSTRUCK 35MM + PANEL with Ruby Tandoh screens at Genesis Cinema (25 FEB 14:30):
The Bechdel Test partners with Ruby Tandoh to present an afternoon of “film, food and thoughtful chatter”. Following a 30th Anniversary presentation of MOONSTRUCK in 35mm –a film with food and love at its core – a panel will discuss our relationships with food. Tandoh will sign copies of her new book, Eat Up!
NIGHT AND DAY screens at Regent Street Cinema (03 FEB 14:00):
NIGHT AND DAY is sourced entirely from the archive of ARENA, the world’s longest running arts documentary series. It has no beginning, no middle and no end, simply the time you choose to start watching, how long you stay watching and the time you choose to leave. This is a new, abbreviated, version, tailored exactly to GMT on 03 FEB 2018. The sun will go down in London at 16.53, so too on the Regent Street Cinema screen and twilight will end at 17.35 inside and outside the cinema. FREE.
NOVA NIGHTS: EPISODE #9 – EMMA DARK PRESENTS ‘SALIENT MINUS TEN’ AND OTHER TALES OF DREAD screens at The Horse Hospital (07 FEB 19:00):
SALIENT MINUS TEN, the new sci-fi/horror short film from award-winning filmmaker Emma Dark, is a cerebral foray into the darker, more disturbing, side of science fiction. Emma Dark will discuss her work with Billy Chainsaw before a screening of Emma’s personal movie choice, THE QUIET EARTH (1985).
LA PRISONNIERE + INTRO by Virginie Sélavy screens at Barbican (13 FEB 20:45):
Cigarette Burns Cinema presents an ‘alternative’ Valentine’s offering, the final film by director Henri-Georges Clouzot (LES DIABOLIQUES) which us into a kinky love triangle set in the Paris art world of the Swinging Sixties. Critic Virginie Sélavy will unpick the film’s tangled tale of love, voyeurism and domination/submission.
THIRTEENTH FLOOR + TALK ‘MIND UPLOADING’ screens at The Institute Of Light (19 FEB 19:15):
Science Fiction Theatre presents “One of the most beautiful science fiction thrillers ever filmed, and one of the most absorbing” (San Diego Union-Tribune). The film will be preceded by a talk from Murray Shanahan, Professor of Cognitive Robotics at Imperial College London and a Senior Research Scientist at DeepMind, who will consider whether consciousness really can be transferred from one medium (such as the human body) to another (such as a computer).
NOW BOOKING: MUSEUM SHOWS
EXHIBITIONS (by show)
BL CK B X: Alia Syed – WALLPAPER shows at LUX Moving Image (until 10 FEB – FREE, check for times):
Alia Syed’s WALLPAPER, a double screen film that was originally commissioned by the Glynn Vivian Art Gallery in 2011, screens alongside other works.
BL CK B X: SEAMUS HARAHAN – SHINEY WET STONES screens at LUX Moving Image (14 FEB to 10 MAR 2018 – FREE, check for times):
For the second in the series of monthly exhibitions of artists’ moving image, BL CK B X, LUX presents SHINEY WET STONES, a body of video works by 2015 Jarman Award-winning artist, Seamus Harahan. The exhibition will officially launch on 17 FEB with a special opening event.
IAN GILES: AFTER BUTT screens at Chelsea Space (until 02 MAR):
Chelsea Space presents a new film by Ian Giles exploring the cultural and social legacy of BUTT magazine (2001-2011); a publication made by and for gay men, noted for its iconic pink pages and candid interviews.
PATRICK HOUGH, JOHN SKOOG, and ØRJAN AMUNDSEN screens at The Whitechapel Gallery (until 01 APR – FREE, check for times):
A new selection of artists from The Whitechapel’s ARTISTS’ FILM INTERNATIONAL partnership of moving image galleries. The 2018 edition focuses on the theme of truth. Each of the selected artists explore the relationship between fact and fiction.
patten: 3049 shows at Tenderpixel (31 JAN to 03 MAR):
London duo patten reconfigures fragmentary background elements of film, literature, sound and set design collected from the world of modern sci-fi into a hallucinogenic and immersive audiovisual environment. The resulting space sets the stage for a positive collective future, asking; ‘how do we make it to 3049?’.
SEASONS & FESTIVALS (by event)
ANDREY ZVYAGINTSEV screens at BFI Southbank (01 to 12 FEB):
BFI begins a new short season about the Russian Director which also launches a new “Close Up” strand focused on “some of the most compelling names in contemporary cinema”. Given our fond coverage of Close-Up Cinema, we wonder if the celluloid mothership might have picked a different title…? First up is ELENA (01 & 05 FEB) followed by: THE RETURN (02 & 12 FEB); THE BANISHMENT (03 & 04 FEB); and, LEVIATHAN (01 FEB 20:25). His most recent film, LOVELESS, gets a regular grind show run (09 to 22 FEB).
As we write, there are a few tickets left to see the director IN CONVERSATION (02 FEB 20:40) and for the later SALON (12 FEB 18:30). Zvyaginstev will also be nipping out to introduce some Bergman (03 FEB – see below).
For completeness, Andrey Zvyagintsev and producer Alexander Rodnyansky will give one of Barbican’s excellent SCREEN TALKS along with a preview screening of LOVELESS (03 FEB 15:20). It was looking pretty booked when we checked…
CLAIRE DENIS screens at Deptford Cinema (11 FEB to 18 MAR):
The community cinema starts a new season dedicated to the French filmmaker with: 35 SHOTS OF RUM (11 FEB 15:30); BEAU TRAVAIL (18 FEB 19:30); and, TROUBLE EVERY DAY (23 FEB 19:30).
FOCUS ON BELGIAN CINEMA screens at Ciné Lumière (22 to 25 FEB):
This short season lifts the lid on Belgium’s “multicultural, environmentally conscious, at times cynical society, to portray an altogether modern view on the world we live in”. Films include: LET THE CORPSES TAN + Q&A with directors Hélène Cattet & Bruno Forzani (22 FEB 18:30); A WEDDING + Q&A with director Stephan Streker (23 FEB 20:45); BELGICA + Q&A with actor Tom Vermeir (24 Feb 18:15); and, VINCENT & THE END OF THE WORLD + Q&A with screenwriter Jean-Claude van Rijckeghem (25 FEB 18:30).
GIRLFREINDS screens at BFI Southbank (FEB & MAR):
Launching a new season, BFI invites you to “revisit cherished classics and discover trailblazing women filmmakers in our season celebrating female friendships.” Every title screens with a suitable short and there’s a good smattering of 35mm events: THE GIRLS (01 & 04 FEB); MURIEL’S WEDDING (10 & 28 FEB); COME BACK TO THE 5 & DIME, JIMMY DEAN, JIMMY DEAN (10 & 16 FEB); and, DANCE GIRL DANCE (24 & 26 FEB).
Special events include: a ‘Galantines Day’ screening of ROMY & MICHELE’S HIGH SCHOOL REUNION + Skype Q&A with screenwriter Robin Schiff + PROM PARTY (13 FEB 18:15); a SILENT CINEMA screening of DOUBLE TROUBLE: EARLY FEMALE COMEDY DOUBLE ACTS with live piano by Costas Fotopoulos (04 FEB 15:30); and, an EXPERIMENTA screening of Sally Potter’s debut feature, THE GOLD DIGGERS (05 FEB 18:20) which is followed by a SALON (05 FEB 20:10).
INGMAR BERGMAN screens at BFI Southbank (until end MAR):
Celebrating 100 years since the master filmmaker’s birth, this ‘definitive’ season continues through FEB / MAR and covers both big and small screen outings. This month, the grind show run of PERSONA – 04 & 17 FEB – comes to an end whilst THE TOUCH gets screening – 23 FEB to 08 MAR (“a happily-married woman embarks on a passionate love affair in this fine Bergman drama”).
Elsewhere, FEB’s screenings are divided into strands reflecting Bergman’s preoccupations: THE HUMAN CONDITION (“how humans cope with suffering, injustice, mortality and uncertainty”); and, WOMEN IN LOVE (“the experiences and emotional lives of women”). To help get your head around the maestro’s life and career, there’s a paid talk – BERGMAN AND THE CINEMA OF EXISTENCE (10 FEB 12:00) – followed by a freebie – BERGMAN’S PORTRAITS OF WOMEN (20 FEB 18:30). Always fond of a double-bill, we like the look of docs FÅRÖ DOCUMENT & FÅRÖ DOCUMENT 1979 which get back-to-back outings on 18 & 21 FEB – there’s a discount for doing the double.
If original formats are your thing, there are 35mm screenings of EVE (07 & 12 FEB) and DIVORCED (08 & 11 FEB). Finally, for an epic immersion, why not try all 293min of made-for-TV SCENES FROM A MARRIAGE (03 FEB 13:00 + intervals) which get a special intro from Andrey Zvyaginstev?
THE JAPAN FOUNDATION TOURING PROGRAMME 2018: (Un)true Colours – Secrets & Lies in Japanese Cinema screens at ICA (02 to 11 FEB).
We’ll be publishing a separate guide HERE.
MICHAEL HANEKE screens at Close-Up (01 to 28 FEB):
Close-Up begins a new monthlong season dedicated to the Austrian auteur. We figure Haneke has done a Cronenberg, replacing his earlier, edgier work with well-made but not quite so adventurous fare. You might not agree, but we’d make a beeline for the following (which includes a lot of 35mm if formats float your boat): debut feature THE SEVENTH CONTINENT (01 & 08 FEB); BENNY’S VIDEO (02 & 11 FEB); CODE UNKNOWN (03, 07 & 18 FEB); 71 FRAGMENTS OF A CHRONOLOGY OF CHANCE (03 & 27 FEB); FUNNY GAMES (04, 16 & 25 FEB); THE PIANO TEACHER (04, 09 & 18 FEB); TIME OF THE WOLF (10 & 20 FEB). Needless to say, you should ignore us and carry on booking at Close-Up for the whole month. Haneke is, after all, “one of cinema’s most original, daring and controversial filmmakers.”
ORBITAL COMICS screens at Genesis Cinema (from 08 FEB):
Orbital Comics and Genesis Cinema start a new collab with series of films that celebrate the art of the comic book. First up is a 35mm screening of BATMAN (08 FEB 20:50) followed by BLACK PANTHER + PANEL (17 FEB 18:00). The East London venue is home to several events looking at the latest Marvel film from different perspectives – check their website for details.
THE SOUND OF MUSIC screens at Ciné Lumière (03 to 25 FEB):
Never shy of a good season, the South Ken home of francophile film launches a new series of screenings featuring film scores by French composers. This is as good a reason as any to bring THE SHAPE OF WATER into our listings. We didn’t entirely love it when we saw it at the London Film Festival, but the score is absolutely beautiful. A frontrunner at this year’s Academy Awards, there’s a SPECIAL SCREENING here preceded by a discussion with composer Alexandre Desplat (18 FEB 14:00). Of the rest of a fine bunch, we’d pick À NOUS LA LIBERTÉ aka Freedom For Us (04 FEB 14:00)and PEAU D’ÂNE aka Donkey Skin (18 FEB 17:00) – both screening from rare 35mm prints.
There’s a similar emphasis on film music over at BFI where their always-on SCREEN CLASSICS strand focuses on films notable for their original soundtracks.
#WOMENINFILM2018 screens at Genesis Cinema (until 31 DEC):
The season dedicated to films that have a female director/co-director, a female writer/co-writer, or a strong/iconic female lead continues with: BARBARELLA + INTRO + SHORTS (03 FEB 18:30) presented with DISPATCH Feminist Moving Image; and, MOONSTRUCK 35mm (25 FEB 14:30) – see above.
FEATURED ATTRACTION
THE CINEMA MUSEUM FUNDRAISER (17 FEB)
JACK L. WARNER: THE LAST MOGUL screens at The Cinema Museum (17 FEB 15:00):
With the generous permission of filmmaker Gregory Orr, The Cinema Museum presents a rare screening of his feature length 1993 documentary about the man whose studio created many of Hollywood’s timeless classics.
THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD screens at The Cinema Museum (17 FEB 18:15):
Follow on from JACK L. WARNER: THE LAST MOGUL, another rarity: one of Warner Bros’ timeless classic projected from a 35mm film print. Errol Flynn stars as Nottingham’s favourite son in Michael Curtiz’s swash-buckling epic, co-starring Olivia de Havilland, Basil Rathbone and Claude Rains, with a rousing score by Erich Wolfgang Korngold. A technicolor delight.
All proceeds from the screenings go to the Save The Cinema Museum Campaign Fund.
NOW BOOKING: GRIND SHOWS
REGULAR RUNS & MAINSTREAM MARVELS (by title)
SHALOM BOLLYWOOD: THE UNTOLD STORY OF INDIAN CINEMA screens at JW3 (22 to 28 FEB):
UKJF presents a feature length documentary about the all singing, all dancing history of the world’s largest film industry. When Indian cinema began 100 years ago it was taboo for Hindu and Islamic women to perform on screen, so Indian Jewish women took on female lead roles. However, because of their stage names people thought they were Muslims or Christians. Until now….
SHIRAZ: A ROMANCE OF INDIA screens at BFI Southbank (02 to 15 FEB):
This epic silent film tells the ravishing, romantic story behind the Taj Mahal. Now fully restored with a new score by Anoushka Shankar. There’s a special introductory screening 02 FEB 18:00 which features a Q&A with the composer.
YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW MUCH I LOVE YOU screens at ICA (16 to 22 FEB):
In a therapist’s office, an estranged mother and daughter slowly begin to speak. As the conversation continues, old wounds and deeply buried emotions gradually surface. The therapist guides them carefully throughout, bridging the distance between them.
HUNGRY FOR MORE?
Check our weekly SCREEN GUIDES – where we recommend adventurous moving pictures that might excite you – and our new LONDON EVENTS listings for more places to #shelterfromthestorm.
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*THE SMALL PRINT: As accurate as we could make it. Apologies for any mistakes. Updates & corrections will be made to the online version. We don’t filter by age/certification: all readers & subscribers should be 18+.
Featured image: THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD (1938).