NOW SHOWING: LONDON SCREEN GUIDE w/c 26.01.18
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 26 JAN to 01 FEB 2018.
FRI 26 // SAT 27 // SUN 28 // MON 29 // TUE 30 // WED 31 // THU 01
Welcome to our weekly screen guide where we recommend moving pictures that might excite you.
This week, we’re pleased to see the continued trend of home cinema restorations triggering outings on the big screen. Ahead of their limited edition re-release of THE COLOUR OF POMEGRANATES, Second Sight Films pairs up with ICA for a special screening (27 JAN). The BFI follows suit by showing their already released dual-format edition of WHEN THE WIND BLOWS (28 JAN), a film that, for anyone who was old enough in the 1980s, will recall the clammy night sweats of nuclear dread (#protectandsurvive).
Our featured attraction of the week is THE CINEMA TRAVELLERS which gets a regular run at Bertha DocHouse (see GRIND SHOWS below). We ended last year by saying we wanted to learn more about travelling cinema screens, and this is our chance. We’d pair it with ED WOOD (26 JAN, BFI) for a DIY double about our enduring love affair with the possibilities of films and filmmaking.
> Tell us what you’re seeing in the comments below.
#SCREENGUIDE: We highlight up to three SINGLE-O EXHIBITS (one-off screen events) each day and link to others in our LONDON EVENTS listing. There’s a summary of MUSEUM SHOWS (exhibitions // seasons & festivals) and GRIND SHOWS (regular runs & mainstream marvels) 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: please click quickly!
NOW SHOWING: SINGLE-O EXHIBITS
ONE-OFF MOVIE NIGHTS, FILM EVENTS & GALLERY SCREENINGS (by date/event)
FRI 26
ED WOOD screens at BFI Southbank (20:40):
Tim Burton’s affectionate take on the cross-dressing, bumbling B-movie director.
FIRST TIME TRAGEDY, SECOND TIME FARCE screens at The Cinema Museum (19:30):
To celebrate Australia Day, this 1989 doc follows the theatrical a re-enactment of the voyage of the first fleet of British ships that settled Australia in 1788, and the ensuing shoreside protests.
GABRIEL MORENO AND THE QUIVERING POETS + TETRO screens at Genesis Cinema (19:30):
Head to Genesis for another evening of performance followed by a FREE screening of Francis Ford Coppola’s TETRO. Gabriel Moreno is a published poet and singer songwriter from Gibraltar. Booking advised.
> Looking for an alternative? Find more great screens in our LONDON EVENTS listing.
SAT 27
NANA + Q&A with filmmaker Serena Dykman & associate producer Larissa Foulon screens at JW3 (19:30):
The UK premiere of Serena Dykman’s superb documentary about her remarkable grandmother Maryla Michalowski-Dyamant, a Polish Jew who was forced to translate for Josef Mengele in Auschwitz. She dedicated her post-war life to publicly speaking of her survival to younger generations. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with Dykman.
THE COLOUR OF POMEGRANATES + INTRO by Daniel Bird screens at ICA (16:15):
“Watching Sergei Parajanov’s THE COLOUR OF POMEGRANATES… is like opening a door and walking into another dimension, where time has stopped and beauty has been unleashed” – Martin Scorsese. One of cinema’s most revered and beautiful films, Sergei Parajanov’s celebrated masterwork paints a portrait of the 18th century Armenian poet Sayat Nova, the ‘King of Songs’. Presented by Second Sight Films.
VIBRANT HIGHLAND, COMMERCIAL LOVE screens at Deptford Cinema (19:00):
Far up in Vietnam’s remote mountains, once a year, a secretive Love Market is held. Delving beyond the ambiguous myths, this adventure doc discovers a reality much more fascinating, even if more painful, than the legends told.
> Looking for an alternative? Find more great screens in our LONDON EVENTS listing.
SUN 28
CHAMELEON + SKYPE Q&A with writer-director Jorge Riquelme Serrano & lead actor Gastón Salgado screens at ICA (14:30):
This psychological thriller offers an unflinching look at Chilean society, exploring inequality, class conflict and attitudes towards race, gender and sexuality. The debut feature from writer-director Jorge Riquelme Serrano, CHAMELEON was a Sutherland Award nominee for the most original and innovative first feature at the BFI London Film Festival.
FRINGE! PRESENTS A PROGRAMME OF FILMS CURATED BY LIZ ROSENFELD screens at The Cinema Museum (18:30):
Fringe! welcome back festival alumnus Liz Rosenfeld for a special event in two parts, featuring a new film made during her recent Goethe at LUX alongside a curated programme of works from the LUX film archive based on research on her forthcoming feature film, FOXES. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with Liz Rosenfeld. A selection of works will be shown on 16mm.
WHEN THE WIND BLOWS + Q&A with producer Iain Harvey screens at BFI Southbank (15:20):
A moving animated feature based on the graphic novel by Raymond Briggs (THE SNOWMAN). This is the launch of a new BFI dual-format (Blu-ray & DVD) home cinema edition.
> Looking for an alternative? Find more great screens in our LONDON EVENTS listing.
MON 29
LOVE & DEATH ON LONG ISLAND + Q&A with director Richard Kwietniowski screens at BFI Southbank (18:10):
This delightful comedy stars John Hurt as a widowed novelist man drawn to a heartthrob actor. Part of the JOHN HURT season – see MUSEUM SHOWS for more.
TUE 30
BONTOC EULOGY + PANEL screens at Genesis Cinema (19:15):
Using a mix of live-action footage and archival images of colonial Philippines, BONTOC EULOGY examines the intersection of identity, history and the implication of forgotten pasts on our present. The screening will be followed by a panel discussion with film archivist Manons Schwich and publisher RJ Fernandez.
KINO LONDON: OPEN-MIC SHORT FILM NIGHT screens at Candid Arts (19:00):
Kino London is back with #94, another chance to experience a night packed full of short films introduced by their makers (and free popcorn).
MAKALA + Q&A with director Emmanuel Gras screens at Ciné Lumière (18:30):
This doc follows the steps of a young charcoal-maker as he struggles to offer a better future for his family. When he sets out on an exhausting and perilous journey to sell the fruit of his labour of love, he discovers the true value of his efforts and the price of his dreams. There’s another chance to see the film + Q&A at DocHouse (01 FEB 18:30) where the film will also enjoy a grind show run.
> Looking for an alternative? Find more great screens in our LONDON EVENTS listing.
WED 31
CITIZEN KANE in 16mm screens at The Castle Cinema (18:30):
When a reporter is assigned to decipher newspaper magnate Charles Foster Kane’s dying words, his investigation gradually reveals the fascinating portrait of a complex man who rose from obscurity to staggering heights. Presented by Ciné-Real, one of the only film clubs in the UK to exclusively play films in their original 16mm format. You can also CITIZEN KANE – this time in 35mm – as part of the continuing Orson Welles season at Close-Up (see MUSEUM SHOWS below).
IN CONVERSATION WITH CECILIA STENBOM screens at Regent Street Cinema (19:30):
The new film by artist filmmaker, Cecilia Stenbom tells the stories of Jack, Robin and Nadia through a mix of dramatic re-enactment and chamber play of encounter and emotion. The film explores the innate human desire to ‘belong.’
TOKYO GHOUL screens at The Prince Charles Cinema (18:10):
This live action adaptation of a manga and anime is set in an alternate reality where ghouls, individuals who can only survive by eating human flesh, live among the normal humans in secret, hiding their true nature to evade pursuit from the authorities.
> Looking for an alternative? Find more great screens in our LONDON EVENTS listing.
THU 01
QUEERBEE – FAITH screens at Genesis Cinema (18:30):
QueerBee is a platform for LGBTQI shorts, established to help queer filmmakers bring authentic queer stories directly to new audiences.. The same programme about ‘faith’ also screens at Screen25 (formerly known as Stanley’s Film Club) 31 JAN 19:45.
THE VOICE + INTRO by Sarah Cook screens at Genesis Cinema (20:50):
A mentally unhinged factory worker must decide whether to listen to his talking cat and become a killer, or follow his dog’s advice to keep striving for normalcy. Part of #WOMENINFILM2018.
NOW SHOWING: MUSEUM SHOWS
EXHIBITIONS (by event/venue)
BL CK B X: Alia Syed – WALLPAPER shows at LUX Moving Image (from 10 JAN to 10 FEB 2018 – 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.
LUIS LAZARO MATOS + ZHENG MAHLER + NGUYEN PHUONG LINH screens at The Whitechapel Gallery (until 28 JAN – FREE, check for times):
A selection of moving image works from the gallery’s Artists’ Film International partnership. A new selection screens from 30 JAN (until 01 APR) including works from Patrick Hough, John Skoog, and Ørjan Amundsen.
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/venue)
ANDREI TARKOVSKY screens at ICA (until 28 JAN):
Another month, another ANDREI TARKOVSKY retrospective. Not that we’re complaining. This week you can see: MIRROR (26 & 30 JAN); STALKER (28 JAN 20:30); NOSTALGIA (31 JAN 20:20); SOLARIS (01 FEB 20:35);
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… but never mind. First up is ELENA (01 FEB 18:10).
FOCUS MARCEL PAGNOL screens at Ciné Lumière (until 28 JAN):
This season concludes with LA FEMME DU BOULANGER (28 JAN 14:00).
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.” First up is THE GIRLS aka Flickorna (01 FEB 20:30): a film Simone de Beauvoir called “the best movie ever made by a woman.”
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 week there’s another chance to get going with the introductory ‘trilogy of silence’ for all you Bergman novices out there: THROUGH A GLASS DARKLY (29 JAN); WINTER LIGHT (29 & 30 JAN); THE SILENCE (30 & 31 JAN).
Elsewhere, JAN’s screenings are divided into strands reflecting Bergman’s preoccupations: LOVE, PAIN AND THE WHOLE DAMN THING (“the complications of sexual and romantic passion”); and, ALL IN THE FAMILY (“emotional turmoil begins at home…”). For an epic immersion into the Swedish master’s voice, why not try all 311min + interval of the TV version of FANNY & ALEXANDER (27 JAN 14:30)? Finally, if original formats are your thing, there are 35mm screenings of THE BEST INTENTIONS (26 & 28 JAN).
We’ll outline FEB’s attractions in our next monthly roundup.
JOHN HURT screens at BFI Southbank (until 31 JAN):
A season dedicated to the late, great actor, there are many film and TV titles here you will know and love. In addition to LOVE & DEATH ON LONG ISLAND + Q&A (above) we’d recommend THE PROPOSITION (26 & 31 JAN), because we love a modern western. HELLBOY (28 & 29 JAN) screens as part of BFI’s always huggable CULT strand. Other great performances available.
LONDON SHORT FILM FESTIVAL screens at ICA (27 to 30 JAN):
If you missed the festival itself (12 to 21 JAN 2018), there’s a chance to catch up with two of its most popular programmes on The Mall: AWARD WINNERS and FUNY SHIT – various dates/times.
MICHAEL HANEKE screens at Close-Up (01 to 28 FEB):
Close-Up begins a new monthlong season dedicated to the Austrian auteur. We’re bigger fans of his more abrasive earlier works which is why we’re excited to see his debut feature THE SEVENTH CONTINENT (01 & 08 FEB 19:30), a disturbing portrait of familial disintegration. We’ll cover more of this season in our next monthly roundup and ensuing weekly guides.
ORSON WELLES screens at Close-Up (15 to 30 JAN):
The retrospective of eleven of Welles’ films and some juicy doubles continues. This week you can enjoy: CITIZEN KANE (26 JAN 19:30); THE TRIAL (27 & 30 JAN 19:30); TAKE TWO: MACBETH + THRONE OF BLOOD (28 JAN 16:30 & 19:30); and, CHIMES AT MIDNIGHT (29 JAN 19:30).
PAUL THOMAS ANDERSON 35mm TOUR screens at Prince Charles Cinema (until 01 FEB):
One of several London venues playing host to this retrospective where everything screens in 35mm. This week’s films are: THERE WILL BE BLOOD (28 JAN 20:15); INHERENT VICE + DAYDREAMING (01 FEB 20:30).
NOW SHOWING: GRIND SHOWS
REGULAR RUNS & MAINSTREAM MARVELS (by title)
THE CINEMA TRAVELLERS screens at Bertha DocHouse (26 JAN to 01 FEB):
Across the world, film projection is becoming a dying art. Following three different stories of travelling Indian cinemas and projectionists, this is a magical documentary. Meet the entranced audiences and the staff working behind the scenes, determined to keep these touring cinemas going as digital technology threatens their very existence.
GET OUT screens at Whirled Cinema (29 JAN to 04 FEB):
A speculative thriller from Blumhouse (producers of THE VISIT, the INSIDIOUS series and THE GIFT) and the mind of Jordan Peele, when a young African-American man visits his white girlfriend’s family estate, he becomes ensnared in a more sinister real reason for the invitation.
GUN CRAZY – REMEMBERING PEGGY CUMMINS screens at Rio Cinema (30 JAN to 01 FEB):
She was not the most famous of film stars, but Peggy Cummins, who died on December 29 2017 at the age of 92, unquestionably deserves to be remembered as the trigger-happy femme fatale in Joseph H. Lewis’s 1949 B-Movie masterpiece and much-loved noir classic, GUN CRAZY. Made for Poverty Row studio Monogram Pictures, it is a manic tour-de-force of technique and deadly eroticism.
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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: THE CINEMA TRAVELLERS (2016).