NOW SHOWING: LONDON SCREEN GUIDE w/c 02.02.18
RADIANT CIRCUS hunts out the best independent movie nights, film events & gallery screenings in London for the week ahead*. Here’s our SCREEN GUIDE for 02 to 08 FEB 2018.
FRI 02 // SAT 03 // SUN 04 // MON 05 // TUE 06 // WED 07 // THU 08
Welcome to our weekly screen guide where we recommend moving pictures that might excite you.
This week, we’re feeling the centenary of the Representation Of The People Act which started the process of giving women in Great Britain the vote. To mark the occasion, the lovely folk at ArtHouse Crouch End are projecting a free screening of SUFFRAGETTE (06 FEB) whilst purveyors of sensational silents, Kennington Bioscope, have added shorts & newsreels of the Suffragettes in action to their screening of THE BRIDE OF GLOMDAL (07 FEB). If you’re in the activist mood, head to Deptford Cinema for their CULTURES OF RESISTANCE (07 FEB), a short season about creative change-making.
Elsewhere, kickstart your weekend with some Friday night encounters with the talent behind the screens, including: ANDREY ZVYAGINTSEV IN CONVERSATION at BFI Southbank; A FANTASTIC WOMAN + Q&A with director Sebastián Lelio at Curzon Bloomsbury; and, SHIRAZ: A ROMANCE OF INDIA + Q&A with composer Anoushka Shankar at BFI (see GRIND SHOWS). These events are (really) popular, so please click quickly. Other Q&As available.
Given the recent celestial activity, our featured attraction of the week is NIGHT AND DAY at Regent Street Cinema (03 FEB). Time-matched to GMT for this special screening, its epic runtime is bold, ambitious and will cost you nothing. Grab a coffee and we’ll see you there.
> Tell us what you’re seeing in the comments below.
#SCREENGUIDE: We highlight up to three SINGLE-O EXHIBITS (one-off events) each day and link to others in our LONDON EVENTS listing. There’s a summary of MUSEUM SHOWS (divided into exhibitions and seasons & festivals) and GRIND SHOWS (regular runs) below the line. Follow date & section links to find what you want. Use your ‘back’ button to return here.
We check ticket availability for everything listed before we post: please click quickly!
NOW SHOWING: SINGLE-O EXHIBITS
ONE-OFF MOVIE NIGHTS, FILM EVENTS & GALLERY SCREENINGS (by date/event)
FRI 02
ANDREY ZVYAGINTSEV IN CONVERSATION screens at BFI Southbank (20:40):
As we write, there are very few tickets left to see the acclaimed Russian director in conversation but this is pretty much essential. Part of the BFI’s new short season of his works (see MUSEUM SHOWS).
A FANTASTIC WOMAN + Q&A with director Sebastián Lelio screens at Curzon Bloomsbury (18:30):
GLORIA director Sebastián Lelio returns with A FANTASTIC WOMAN, a groundbreaking, captivating and deeply humane story about a trans woman’s fight for acceptance. Anchored by a powerhouse central performance from rising star Daniela Vega, this is an urgent call for compassion towards a community that faces bigotry and hostility on a daily basis.
GROUNDHOG DAY loops at The Prince Charles & Everyman Screen On The Green (various):
It’s Groundhog Day. As Everyman puts it: “To commemorate its 25th anniversary, relive your favourite Bill Murray classic and relive your favourite Bill Murray classic”. They’ll be serving up a late night double (23:15) whilst the Prince Charles fills their downstairs screen with repetitious delights (screenings at 13:30, 15:50 & 18:10).
> Looking for an alternative? Find more great screens in our LONDON EVENTS listing.
SAT 03
BLINKING BUZZARDS screens at The Cinema Museum (16:00):
The UK Buster Keaton Society holds its quarterly meeting dedicated to the appreciation of the silent comedian. A couple of Keaton shorts will be followed by THE SAPHEAD (1920). In his first starring role, Buster plays the simple-minded son of a rich financier, who has to deal with his unscrupulous brother-in-law, who plans to claim the family fortunes. Entry is free to members; £10 annual membership is available at the door for everyone else.
NIGHT AND DAY screens at Regent Street Cinema (from 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 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.
LE PÉRIL JEUNE aka Good Old Daze + INTRO screens at Ciné Lumière (20:40):
1985, in the waiting room of a maternity hospital, four buddies meet again after ten years. The father of the baby recently died from an overdose. The friends share their golden memories, their aspirations, their good laughs and pranks. Ten years on, what has become of this frivolous youth? The screening celebrates the publication of Romain Duris’ new book Pulp and will be preceded by a book signing (19:30) and short film, PULP INSIDE, about Duris and his drawings. There’s an exhibition of Duris’ drawings at Caravanserail.
> Looking for an alternative? Find more great screens in our LONDON EVENTS listing.
SUN 04
ANIMAL FARM + INTRO by Vivien Halas, daughter of Halas and Batchelor screens at BFI Southbank (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).
LOVE EXPOSURE screens at Deptord Cinema (14:45):
Third Window Film Club presents a 10th Anniversary screening of Sion Sono’s film. Ordinary teenager Yu is forced by his Catholic priest father to confess to being a sinner. As the only sins his father recognizes involve sexual perversion, Yu attempts to appease him by becoming the king of Tokyo’s photo voyeurs, at least until he meets the Maria of his religious fantasies. The first part of a trilogy including COLD FISH (10 FEB 19:30) and GUILTY OF ROMANCE (18 FEB 17:00).
FILMS FROM THE FALL: IT’S NOT REPETITION, IT’S DISCIPLINE + NORTHERN CREAM screens at Moth Club (19:00):
Moth Club pays respect to the late Mark E. Smith with a night of Fall music, documentaries and live films. IT’S NOT REPETITION is probably the nearest you will ever get to an official documentary on Mark E. Smith and The Fall. Put together over a period of 13 years by three Danish Fall fans, the film gives a real insight into the band and features many live clips and rehearsals. NORTHERN CREAM is “hands down the best document of The Fall in the eighties” and features newly discovered footage of the band in action. There will be DJs.
> Looking for an alternative? Find more great screens in our LONDON EVENTS listing.
MON 05
THE GOLD DIGGERS screens at BFI Southbank (18:20):
BFI’s EXPERIMENTA strand presents a sci-fi-musical extravaganza starring Julie Christie, the very first feature by legend of the independent scene, artist and filmmaker Sally Potter. Shot in black and white by Babette Mangolte with an all-female crew and written with dancer Rose English and musician Lindsay Cooper, THE GOLD DIGGERS shows how feature filmmaking and experimentation can work together. Followed by a SALON (05 FEB 20:10) which is free to ticket holders for the film.
LEAN ON PETE + Q&A with Willy Vlautin author of the novel screens at Curzon Bloomsbury (18:15):
Andrew Haigh’s follow up to 45 YEARS features a breakout performance from Charlie Plummer, whose character finds solace from his turbulent home-life in his summer job working for a horse trainer, finding a particular connection with the titular horse Lean on Pete.
> Looking for an alternative? Find more great screens in our LONDON EVENTS listing.
TUE 06
THE GREAT DEBATERS CLUB: THE FINAL YEAR + DEBATE screens at Picturehouse Central (18:30):
THE FINAL YEAR tracks the foreign policy team assembled by Barack Obama over the course of 2016, as they travel the world attempting to “lock-in” policies that they believe will define their legacy, promote diplomacy and alter how the US government confronts questions of war and peace. Following the screening there will be a debate organised by social enterprise The Great Debaters Club. Part of Picturehouse Docs.
NORDIC NIGHTS: DEAD SNOW aka Død Snø screens at Genesis Cinema (19:00):
Nazi Zombies. Genesis continues screening free Scandi horrors to see you through the cold winter nights – booking required. Bake yourself some Skoleboller and munch along with the mayhem.
SUFFRAGETTE screens at ArtHouse Crouch End (20:20):
FREE SCREENING to celebrate the centenary of the Representation Of The People Act which started the process of allowing women to vote. Director Sarah Gavron and writer Abi Morgan track the story of the foot soldiers of the early feminist movement, women who were forced underground to pursue a dangerous game of cat and mouse with an increasingly brutal state.
> Looking for an alternative? Find more great screens in our LONDON EVENTS listing.
WED 07
THE BRIDE OF GLOMDAL screens at The Cinema Museum (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.
GOOD LUCK + Q&A with Ben Russell screens at Tate Modern (18:30):
Artist-filmmaker Ben Russell presents the UK premiere of his feature film GOOD LUCK, which premiered as a multi-room installation at documenta 14 in 2017. Beginning with a 600-metre descent into the depths of the earth, Russell’s film explores two mining communities operating on opposite sides of a hostile world: the state employees of a copper mine in Serbia, and the labourers of an illegal gold mine in the tropical landscape of Suriname. Eleven black-and-white portraits of miners in both sites are woven through the film, shining a light on the human face of capital.
NOVA NIGHTS: EPISODE #9 – EMMA DARK PRESENTS ‘SALIENT MINUS TEN’ AND OTHER TALES OF DREAD screens at The Horse Hospital (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 – host and creator of all things NOVA NIGHTS – before a screening of Emma’s personal movie choice, THE QUIET EARTH (1985).
> Looking for an alternative? Find more great screens in our LONDON EVENTS listing.
THU 08
DARK RIVER + Q&A with director Clio Barnard, producer Tracy O’Riordan & actors Ruth Wilson & Mark Stanley screens at BFI Southbank (20:30):
A brother and sister come to blows over the family farm. Writer-director Clio Barnard’s new film incorporates gothic landscapes and stunning performances, and received its European premiere at the BFI London Film Festival 2017.
REFUGE screens at The Whitechapel Gallery (19:00):
Marking Britain’s historic status as a place of sanctuary for threatened European artists, this evening of films, sound-works and readings marks the creative contributions to the UK of film-makers Robert Vas and Werner Kissling, artist Kurt Schwitters and poet Ivan Blatny, with special appearances by film-maker and cultural activist Andrea Luka Zimmerman, poet and translator Stephen Watts, curator and film-maker Peter Todd and poet and co-organiser of ‘Refugee Tales’, David Herd.
THE VILLAINESS screens at Deptford Cinema (19:30):
Arrow Video Club presents Byung-gil Jung’s kinetic flurry of hyper-stylised action, THE VILLAINESS, a stunning female-led vengeance film that draws its inspiration from western classics including NIKITA and KILL BILL.
> Looking for an alternative? Find more great screens in our LONDON EVENTS listing.
NOW SHOWING: MUSEUM SHOWS
EXHIBITIONS (by event/venue)
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 to launch a new series of monthly exhibitions of artists’ moving image, BL CK B X.
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 INTERNATIONALpartnership 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 (until 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?’.
NOW SHOWING: MUSEUM SHOWS
SEASONS & FESTIVALS (by event/venue)
ANDREY ZVYAGINTSEV screens at BFI Southbank (until 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”. Next up are: THE RETURN (02 FEB 18:20); THE BANISHMENT (03 & 04 FEB); and, ELENA (05 FEB 20:50). There’s a preview screening of his latest work LOVELESS + Q&A with the man himself (03 FEB 20:00). Zvyaginstev will also be nipping out to introduce some Bergman (SCENES FROM A MARRIAGE, 03 FEB 13:00 – 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…
CULTURES OF RESISTANCE screens at Deptford Cinema (07 to 21 FEB):
Deptford Cinema presents a series of 3 screenings exploring how art, creativity and cinema can be ammunition in the battle for peace and justice. First up is filmmaker Iara Lee’s titular doc CULTURES OF RESISTANCE (07 FEB 20:00) which asks: “Does each gesture really make a difference? Can music and dance be weapons of peace?”. Go find out.
GIRLFREINDS screens at BFI Southbank (until end 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. Next up are: a SILENT CINEMA screening of DOUBLE TROUBLE: EARLY FEMALE COMEDY DOUBLE ACTS with live piano by Costas Fotopoulos (04 FEB 15:30); THE GIRLS (04 FEB 19:50); and, an EXPERIMENTA screening & salon for Sally Potter’s debut feature, THE GOLD DIGGERS (05 FEB – see above).
INGMAR BERGMAN screens at BFI Southbank (until end MAR):
Celebrating 100 years since the master filmmaker’s birth, this ‘definitive’ season covers both big and small screen outings. The grind show run of PERSONA (04 FEB 13:30) starts to wrap up. Elsewhere, 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”). If original formats are your thing, there are 35mm screenings of EVE (07 FEB 20:40) and DIVORCED (08 FEB 20:40). 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’ve posted a separate guide HERE.
MICHAEL HANEKE screens at Close-Up (until 28 FEB):
Close-Up begins a new monthlong season dedicated to the Austrian auteur, “one of cinema’s most original, daring and controversial filmmakers.”. We’d make a beeline for his brilliant earlier works (which include a lot of 35mm if formats float your boat): BENNY’S VIDEO (02 FEB 19:30); CODE UNKNOWN (03 & 07 FEB); 71 FRAGMENTS OF A CHRONOLOGY OF CHANCE (03 FEB 17:00); THE PIANO TEACHER (04 FEB 17:00); FUNNY GAMES (04 FEB 20:00); and, debut feature THE SEVENTH CONTINENT (08 FEB 20:00).
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).
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, including a bunch of rare 35mm prints. Screening this week are: RUST & BONE (03 FEB 16:00); À NOUS LA LIBERTÉ aka Freedom For Us (04 FEB 14:00); THE KING’S SPEECH (04 FEB 18:30); and, THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL (07 FEB 18:30).
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 (02 FEB 18:30) presented with DISPATCH Feminist Moving Image.
NOW SHOWING: GRIND SHOWS
REGULAR RUNS & MAINSTREAM MARVELS (by title)
AROUND INDIA WITH A MOVIE CAMERA screens at BFI Southbank (04 to 11 FEB – various dates/times):
Drawn exclusively from the BFI National Archive, AROUND INDIA features some of the earliest surviving film from India as well as gorgeous travelogues, intimate home movies and newsreels from British, French and Indian filmmakers. Around India boasts a superb new score that fuses western and Indian music from composer and sarod player Soumik Datta.
LIES WE TELL screens at The Prince Charles Cinema (02 to 04 FEB):
Stars of PULP FICTION and MILLER’S CROSSING are brought together for Mitu Misra’s award-winning LIES WE TELL, a northern noir. Filmed in Bradford, LIES WE TELL is an unflinching British thriller about loyalty, betrayal, and revenge.
ROMAN J. ISRAEL ESQ. screens at Stratford Picturehouse (02 to 08 FEB):
Academy Award winner Denzel Washington delivers a striking performance as idealistic defence attorney Roman J. Israel, Esq. in Dan Gilroy’s dramatic thriller. Fighting the good fight in the heart of the Los Angeles criminal court system, Israel finds his strong morals challenged when his legal partner suffers a heart attack and dies, leaving him to take the reins on a complicated murder case.
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.
Join the hunt for adventurous moving pictures.
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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+. We only include events you can book for at the time of posting. Please click quickly!
Featured image: NIGHT AND DAY (2015).