As community cinemas & film clubs across Greater London make their new season announcements, we gear up for a yearlong tour of #32BoroughsOfFilm starting with Richmond Film Society’s 57th sensational season.

By RADIANT CIRCUS

Twitter @radiantcircus | Instagram @radiantcircus

August has been a darker if not quieter month for community cinemas and film clubs across Greater London, many of whom – but not all! – have taken the time away from running events to plan their new season screenings. As new programme announcements are being made, so the potent community ritual of gathering together in darkness returns.

Keen to explore more of London’s DIY screen culture, RADIANT CIRCUS will be trying to visit as many of London’s community cinemas and film clubs as we can over the next 12 months. We’ll bring you write-ups, interviews and more as we meet the volunteers who devote their passion to bringing intelligent, affordable indie cinema to London’s boroughs.

We’ll be tagging our socials with #32BoroughsOfFilm so you can follow our adventures across Greater London. Head to our Screen Diary for our latest writeups and reports. And please invite us to your screen. We’d really love to come!

RICHMOND FILM SOCIETY

First up is the 57th sensational season at Richmond Film Society (10 SEP 2019 to 16 JUN 2020). The 19-film season commences with Pawel Pawlikowski’s acclaimed COLD WAR and (save for the Christmas/New Year break) continues on alternate Tuesdays until the end of the run (we’ve listed all of 2019’s screenings below). RADIANT CIRCUS favourites coming up in 2020 include ONE CUT OF THE DEAD (18 FEB), RAFIKI (31 MAR), and THE BREADWINNER (14 APR).

For those (like us) that love a special feature, the Society arranges for some films to be introduced by a local academic – expect news about this season’s talks soon. The Society’s contribution to the Twickenham Festival (16 JUN 2020) – and the closing film of the 57th season – will also be confirmed nearer the time.

All films screen at The Exchange, 75 London Road Twickenham, TW1 1BE (directly opposite Twickenham Railway Station) and the pricing is keen: members go free and non-member tickets are £5 (£3 for full-time students).

Memberships for the current season costs £40, the equivalent of £2.11 per film (reduced further to £25/£1.32 for full-time students). However, the membership cap of 250 has been reached for this year, which means you’ll probably be buying single film tickets (which the Society reassures us will be abundant!). With almost 85% of last year’s members renewing, they are clearly doing something very right…

You can download the Season 57 brochure HERE.

Richmond Film Society’s 57th Season screens at The Exchange (10 SEP 2019 to 16 JUN 2020).

FULL PROGRAMME 2019

COLD WAR d. Paweł Pawlikowski, 2018 at The Exchange (10 SEP 20:00):

A passionate love story between two people of different backgrounds, who are fatefully drawn to each other. Set during the Cold War in the 1950s, the film depicts an impossible love story in impossible times.

SHOPLIFTERS d. Hirokazu Koreeda, 2018 at The Exchange (24 SEP 20:00):

After shoplifting, Osamu and his son run into a homeless girl shivering with cold. Osamu’s wife is not keen to take her in, but she eventually feels sorry for her. Then an incident unveils a secret that tests their bond.

BIRDS OF PASSAGE d. Cristina Gallego & Ciro Guerra, 2018 at The Exchange (08 OCT 20:00):

A tale of power and greed, Birds of Passage tells of the rise and fall of a revered Wayuu family deep in the Colombian countryside. Reminiscent of ‘The Godfather’, this beautifully shot portrayal of a dynasty of drug traffickers is as poetic as it is exhilarating.

LOVING VINCENT d. Dorota Kobiela & Hugh Welchman, 2017 at The Exchange (22 OCT 20:00):

The world’s first fully painted animated feature film is a biographical drama about the final days of Vincent van Gogh. Oscar-nominated and a Golden Globe and BAFTA winner for Best Animated Feature.

THE HAPPIEST DAY IN THE LIFE OF OLLI MÄKI d. Juho Kuosmanen, 2016 at The Exchange (05 NOV 20:30):

Based on a true story, Olli is unexpectedly given the chance of a bout with the current American champion. To win would establish Finland’s global prestige but his romantic life begins to prejudice his preparations. Involving and moving, with hints of Truffaut and Kaurismaki.

EVERYBODY KNOWS d. Asghar Farhadi, 2018 at The Exchange (19 NOV 20:00):

Laura, a Spanish woman living in Buenos Aires, returns to her hometown outside Madrid with her two children to attend her sister’s wedding. However, the trip is upset by unexpected events that bring secrets into the open.

WAJIB d. Annemarie Jacir, 2017 at The Exchange (10 DEC 20:00):

In Palestine’s Christian community, a son accompanies his father in delivering his sister’s wedding invitations. Gentle but thought provoking insights into generationaldifferences, including the Palestine/Israel relationship and a son coping with a father’s desire to find him ‘a nice local girl’.

RICHMOND FILM SOCIETY

Members go free. Tickets for non-members £5 (£3 full-time students) and can be purchased in advance from The Exchange’s Box Office 020 8240 2399, online or on the night (cash only!).

Web richmondfilmsoc.org.uk | Twitter @Richmond_Film | Facebook @RichmondFilmSociety

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