RADIANT CIRCUS is your handcrafted guide to London’s DIY, indie & alternative movie nights, film events & gallery screenings. Our DAILY UPDATE helps you find great films in London today*.

Find films in London today by: SINGLE-O EXHIBITS (one-off attractions) // MUSEUM SHOWS (several exhibits under one roof – seasons & festivals) // GRIND SHOWS (a selection of regular runs).

FEATURED ATTRACTION

ART & MIND d. Amélie Ravalec, 2019 + Q&A with the director at Arthouse Crouch End (05 MAY 15:20):

“A journey into art, madness and the unconscious. An exploration of visionary artists and the creative impulse, from the Flemish Masters of the Renaissance to the avant-garde movement of Surrealism and the unsung geniuses of Art Brut and Outsider Art.”

NEW AT RADIANT CIRCUS

MIDNIGHT EXCESS: Interview with Ben Turner about Vanity & VHS.

We chatted with artist Ben Turner about classic 80s movie posters, lurid VHS aesthetics & his design for MIDNIGHT EXCESS #2, Ranjit S. Ruprai’s late night collab with The Celluloid Sorceress (11 MAY 23:00+, Rio Cinema).
We’re partnering with Screen25 to celebrate their new Spring/Summer programme. All RADIANT CIRCUS subscribers, friends & followers get a juicy discount when booking for this exciting lineup.
Thanks to our friends at Birkbeck University, we’ll be discussing “independent exhibition at a time of crisis” & screening Joe Dante’s MATINEE (21 MAY 18:00, Birkbeck Cinema – FREE!).

FILMS IN LONDON TODAY

SINGLE-O EXHIBITS

MY BROTHER NIKHIL d. Onir, 2005 + FOOD/HIV TESTING at The Cinema Museum (05 MAY 18:00):

The Vito Project & Naz Project present: “In this groundbreaking Indian drama, a famous swimmer, Nikhil Kapoor (Sanjay Suri) deals with the repercussions of announcing the fact that he has HIV/AIDS. The focus of this event is to raise the serious issue of HIV in the LGBTQ+ South Asian Communities.”

More films in London today (A – Z):

A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS 35mm d. Sergio Leone, 1964 at The Prince Charles (05 MAY 15:45).
AT ETERNITY’S GATE d. Julian Schnabel, 2018 at Whirled Cinema (05 MAY 18:00).
BORDER d. Ali Abbasi, 2018 at ICA (05 MAY 14:50).
CINEMA PARADISO d. Giuseppe Tornatore, 1988 at Picturehouse Central (05 MAY 15:30 – Other Picturehouses available!).
DANGEROUS WHEN WET d. Charles Walters, 1953 presented by Kennington Vintage at The Cinema Museum (05 MAY 14:30).
GERMINAL d. Claude Berri, 1994 at Ciné Lumière (05 MAY 14:00).
HAPPY AS LAZZARO d. Alice Rohrwacher, 2018 at ICA (05 MAY 17:00).
LORO d. Paolo Sorrentino, 2018 at Barbican (05 May 17:20).
MID90S d. Jonah Hill, 2018 at The Prince Charles (05 MAY 21:00).
PERSEPOLIS d. Vincent Paronnaud & Marjane Satrapi, 2007 + A GIRL WALKS HOME ALONE AT NIGHT d. Ana Lily Amirpour, 2014 presented by Deeper Into Movies at The Five Bells (05 MAY 15:00).
UNDER THE CRANES – SAVE RIDLEY RD d. Emma-Louise Williams, 2011 + PANEL with the director + campaigners at Rio Cinema (05 MAY 15:45).

MUSEUM SHOWS 1 // SEASONS

Films in London today: LOVE & BASKETBALL, part of 20TH BIRTHDAY at Genesis Cinema (05 MAY).

BEYOND YOUR WILDEST DREAMS: WEIMAR CINEMA 1919-1933 at BFI Southbank (MAY to JUN):

DR. MABUSE, THE GAMBLER d. Fritz Lang, 1922 (05 MAY 12:15).
NOSFERATU d. FW Murnau, 1922 (05 MAY 18:10).
THE GOLEM d. Paul Wegener, 1920 + LIVE PIANO ACCOMPANIMENT (05 MAY 20:45).

BIG SCREEN CLASSICS: THE MEANINGS OF LIFE at BFI Southbank (MAY):

LIVING 35mm d. Akira Kurosawa, 1952 (05 MAY 13:30).

CLOSE-UP ON SCOTT WALKER at Close-Up (24 APR to 31 MAY):

THE LEOPARD d. Luchino Visconti, 1963 (05 MAY 18:30).

THE FILMS OF JEAN-MARIE STRAUB AND DANIÈLE HUILLET Goethe-Institut & partners’ epic season continues at Birkbeck Cinema, Ciné Lumière, Close-Up, Goethe-Institut, ICA & Whitechapel Gallery (MAR to JUN):

OPERAI, CONTADINI (05 MAY 12:30, ICA).

GENESIS 20TH BIRTHDAY at Genesis Cinema (03 to 12 MAY – Tickets £2.50 + FREE PINT!!):

LOVE & BASKETBALL d. Gina Prince-Bythewood, 2000 (05 MAY 15:20).
PERSEPOLIS d. Marjane Satrapi & Vincent Paronnaud, 2007 (05 MAY 18:10).
PAN’S LABYRINTH d. Guillermo Del Toro, 2006 (05 MAY 20:30).

HAL ASHBY DOUBLE BILLS at Regent Street Cinema (05 to 19 MAY):

BEING THERE/HAROLD & MAUDE d. Hal Ashby, 1980/1971 (05 MAY 15:00 + 17:30).

KORE-EDA RETROSPECTIVE at Phoenix Cinema (28 APR to 19 MAY):

AFTER LIFE d. Hirokazu Kore-eda, 1998 (05 MAY 14:00).

KUBRICK at BFI Southbank (APR to MAY):

2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY 70mm d. Stanley Kubrick, 1968 (05 MAY 17:45 SOLD OUT!).
A CLOCKWORK ORANGE d. Stanley Kubrick, 1971 (05 MAY 20:20).
“Inspired by Kubrick”: ENTER THE VOID d. Gaspar Noé, 2009 (05 MAY 19:10).

OF FLESH AND BLOOD: THE CINEMA OF HIROKAZU KORE-EDA at BFI Southbank (APR to MAY):

LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON d. Hirokazu Kore-eda, 2013 (05 MAY 16:30).
MABOROSI d. Hirokazu Kore-eda, 1995 enjoys a grind show run (26 APR to 09 MAY).

OF FLESH AND BLOOD: THE CINEMA OF HIROKAZU KORE-EDA at The Prince Charles (27 APR to 12 MAY):

NOBODY KNOWS d. Hirokazu Kore-eda, 2004 (05 MAY 12:40).

STUDIO GHIBLI FOREVER at The Prince Charles (until 21 APR):

HOWL’S MOVING CASTLE 35mm d. Hayao Miyazaki, 2004 (05 MAY 12:15).

> Plan ahead with our monthly roundup of London’s rep seasons & film festivals.

MUSEUM SHOWS 2 // FESTIVALS

Films in London today: BEING FRANK: THE CHRIS SIEVEY STORY at The Half Moon, part of Herne Hill Free Film Festival (05 MAY 20:00).

Film festivals in London today include:

Chinese Visual Festival (02 to 09 MAY).
Herne Hill Free Film Festival (29 APR to 01 JUN).
New Cross & Deptford Free Film Festival (26 APR to 05 MAY).
SERET International: The UK Israeli Film & Television Festival (29 APR to 12 MAY).

> Read our guide to this year’s Chinese Visual Festival (02 to 09 MAY).

GRIND SHOWS

Films in London today: EXTREMELY WICKED, SHOCKINGLY EVIL AND VILE at The Prince Charles (03 to 09 MAY).

EXTREMELY WICKED, SHOCKINGLY EVIL AND VILE d. Joe Berlinger, 2019 at The Prince Charles (05 MAY 14:55 & 20:45):

“Ted (Zac Efron): handsome, smart, charismatic, affectionate. Liz (Lily Collins): a single mother, cautious, but smitten. A picture of domestic bliss, the two seem to have it all figured out. That is until Ted is arrested and charged with a series of increasingly grisly murders.”

MERATA: HOW MUM DECOLONISED THE SCREEN d. Heperi Mita, 2018 at DocHouse (05 MAY 16:00 & 19:45):

“Pioneering Maori filmmaker Merata Mita is the subject of this rich and personal portrait by her son. Juggling motherhood, activism and filmmaking, she was the first Maori woman to make a feature film.”

VOX LUX at ArtHouse Crouch End (05 MAY 12:40 & 17:30):

“The second feature from writer-director Brady Corbet (THE CHILDHOOD OF A LEADER), VOX LUX is a stylish and absorbing modern portrait of a troubled pop star’s rise from the ashes of a major national tragedy to pop superstardom, featuring a remarkable performance from Oscar-winning actress Natalie Portman.”

More films in London this week (A – Z):

ART & MIND d. Amélie Ravalec, 2019 at ICA (until 09 MAY). ASH IS PUREST WHITE d. Jia Zhangke, 2018 at ICA (until 09 MAY). BENJAMIN d. Simon Amstell, 2018 at Whirled Cinema (06 to 12 MAY). DRAGGED ACROSS CONCRETE d. S. Craig Zahler, 2018 at The Prince Charles (03 to 08 MAY). EIGHTH GRADE d. Bo Burnham, 2018 at Moving Pictures (03 to 09 MAY). ELLA FITZGERALD: JUST ONE OF THOSE THINGS d. Leslie Woodhead, 2019 at DocHouse (06 to 09 MAY). GIRL d. Lukas Dhont, 2018 at JW3 (06 to 08 MAY). HIGH LIFE d. Claire Denis, 2018 at Ciné Lumière (08 to 23 MAY). IRENE’S GHOST d. Iain Cunningham, 2018 at DocHouse (03 to 09 MAY). KNOCK DOWN THE HOUSE d. Rachel Lears, 2019 at ICA (until 08 MAY). HEARTBOUND d. Janus Metz & Sine Plambech, 2018 at DocHouse (until 08 MAY). LORO d. Paolo Sorrentino, 2018 at Watermans (03 to 09 MAY). MABOROSI d. Hirokazu Kore-eda, 1995 at Rio Cinema (until 09 MAY). MID90S d. Jonah Hill, 2018 at Moving Pictures (until 09 MAY). RED JOAN d. Trevor Nunn, 2018 at ArtHouse Crouch End (03 to 09 MAY). THE SISTERS BROTHERS d. Jacques Audiard, 2018 at The Prince Charles (03 to 09 MAY). THE WHITE CROW d. Ralph Fiennes, 2018 at JW3 (03 to 09 MAY). WILD ROSE d. Tom Harper, 2018 at The Lexi Cinema (03 to 09 MAY). WOMEN AT WAR d. Benedikt Erlingsson, 2018 at Phoenix Cinema (03 to 09 MAY).

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*THE SMALL PRINT: As accurate as we could make it. Apologies for any errors. Apologies if we have missed your event. Updates & corrections will be made to the online version. Event dates/times are subject to change by the venue/organiser. We try to only list events you can book for at the time of posting: however, some events may still be sold out. Please click quickly! We don’t filter by age/certification: all readers & subscribers should be 18+.