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

NO HOME MOVIE d. Chantal Akerman, 2016 + Intro by Silver Press at Close-Up (09 OCT 20:15):

“Marking their publication of Akerman’s final book, My Mother Laughs, we invite Silver Press to present the Belgian auteur’s final film, NO HOME MOVIE. My Mother Laughs is translated by Daniella Shreir, with an Introduction by Eileen Myles and Afterword by Frances Morgan. Silver Press is a feminist press established in 2016 by Joanna Biggs, Sarah Shin and Alice Spawls.”

NEW AT RADIANT CIRCUS

LUNCHTIME FILM SOCIETY is a brand new popup cinema screening daily programmes of bitesize films for busy City workers at the Bridewell Theatre in the City Of London (22 OCT to 01 NOV 2019).

> See our new trailer: HERE!

> Book here: sbf.org.uk/whats-on

Online at radiantcircus.com: BFI London Film Festival (02 to 13 OCT) is well underway – we pick our top ten best of the rest of the fest // Ranjit S. Ruprai aka SUPAKINO has announced a new season of MIDNIGHT EXCESS at Rio Cinema. // Two venues are under threat – read appeals from Screen25 in South Norwood and The Horse Hospital & lend support where you can.

FILMS IN LONDON TODAY

SINGLE-O EXHIBITS

AMERICAN WOMAN d. Jake Scott, 2018 + Q&A with actor Sienna Miller at Curzon Bloomsbury (09 OCT 18:15):

“A long overdue showcase for the full range of Sienna Miller’s talents, American Woman is the story of Debra, a working class woman in Rust Belt America. Having become a mother at sixteen and then watched her daughter (Sky Ferreira) do exactly the same, she is distraught when she fails to return home from a night out. We follow Debra in her desperate search for the truth, across the weeks and years that follow.”

COLD CASE HAMMARSKJÖLD d. Mads Brügger, 2019 + Q&A with lead investigator & producer Andreas Rocksén at Frontline Club (09 OCT 19:00):

“Days after its UK premier at the BFI London Film Festival, The Frontline Club, Doc Society and BBC Storyville invite you to a special screening of this captivating, unusual and intriguing political thriller by Danish filmmaker Mads Brügger. A controversial investigation into the mysterious plane crash over Zambia that killed idealistic U.N. General Secretary Dag Hammarskjöld in 1961 as he was attempting to negotiate a ceasefire in the Congo.”

HELENA WITTMANN: DRIFT AND ADA KALEH + Q&A with the director at Tate Modern (09 OCT 18:30):

“Artist Helena Wittmann joins us to present a special screening of her debut feature DRIFT alongside the London premiere of her short film ADA KALEH. Showcasing Wittmann’s exquisite cinematography, the works explore relationships between intimacy and absence, spaces and emotions, movement and stillness, inside and outside.”

More films in London today (A – Z):

Black History Month: PRESSURE d. Horace Ové, 1976 presented by Screen25 at Harris Academy South Norwood (09 OCT 19:45 – Use our exclusive voucher code “CIRCUS19” to book & help save Screen25 Community Cinema!).
HONEYLAND d. Tamara Kotevska, Ljubomir Stefanov, 2019 at ICA (09 OCT 17:00).
HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING d. David Swift, 1967 at Regent Street Cinema (09 OCT 12:00 & 15:30).
INNA DE YARD d. Peter Webber, 2019 for Black History Month at The David Lean (09 OCT 19:30).
ONCE UPON A TIME IN… HOLLYWOOD 35mm d. Quentin Tarrantino, 2019 at Genesis Cinema (09 OCT 20:35).
PAIN & GLORY d. Pedro Almodóvar, 2019 at ICA (09 OCT 20:40).
SEA OF SHADOWS d. Richard Ladkani, 2018 at DocHouse (09 OCT 16:20).
THE SOUVENIR d. Joanna Hogg, 2019 at Ciné Lumière (09 OCT 19:10).

> SIGN UP for free Friday emails highlighting 7 days of sensational screens.

MUSEUM SHOWS 1 // SEASONS

Films in London today: AMERICAN PSYCHO at The Prince Charles (09 OCT).

ONCE UPON A TIME WITH TARANTINO at The Prince Charles (ongoing):

ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD 35mm d. Quentin Tarantino, 2019 (09 OCT 17:40).

THRILLERS & KILLERS & MONSTERS, OH MY! at The Prince Charles (27 SEP to 01 NOV):

AMERICAN PSYCHO 35mm d. Mary Harron, 2000 enjoys a grind show run (09 OCT 12:45 – LAST CHANCE!).
CONSTANTINE 35mm d. Francis Lawrence, 2005 (09 OCT 21:00).

> SUBSCRIBE to get our full listings emailed & support #LDNindieFILM.

MUSEUM SHOWS 2 // FESTIVALS

BFI London Film Festival (02 to 13 OCT 2019): HOUSE OF HUMMINGBIRD aka Beol-sae d. Bora Kim, 2018 (08 OCT 18:00 – Vue West End / 09 OCT 12:30 – Odeon Tottenham Court Road). — Films in London today: HOUSE OF HUMMINGBIRD aka Beol-sae, part of BFI London Film Festival (02 to 13 OCT).

Film festivals in London today include:

BFI London Film Festival (02 to 13 OCT – read our RADIANT CIRCUS top ten best of the rest of the fest).
Black Cultural Archives Film Festival (04 to 14 OCT).
London Surf / Film Festival (09 to 12 OCT).

GRIND SHOWS

Films in London this week: JUDY at Phoenix Cinema (04 to 10 OCT). — Films in London today: JUDY at Phoenix Cinema (04 to 10 OCT).

HITSVILLE: THE MAKING OF MOTOWN d. Gabe Turner & Benjamin Turner, 2019 + Pre-recorded Intro at DocHouse (09 OCT 14:00 & 18:30):

“With a soundtrack that will have you dancing in your seat, if not in the street, HITSVILLE: THE MAKING OF MOTOWN celebrates the astronomical success and enduring cultural impact of Motown Records. Founder of Motown Berry Gordy and his long-standing friend and co-creator Smokey Robinson recall the beginnings of the company that had a radically progressive approach and was way ahead of its time.”

JOKER d. Todd Phillips, 2019 at The Lexi (09 OCT 18:20 & 20:50):

“This origin story for Batman’s arch nemesis suggests that Arthur Fleck – indelibly portrayed here by Joaquin Phoenix – is a man struggling to find his way in Gotham’s fractured society. A clown-for-hire by day, he aspires to be a stand-up comic at night, but finds the joke always seems to be on him.”

JUDY d. Rupert Goold, 2019 at Phoenix Cinema (09 OCT 11:00 P&B, 14:45, 18:00 & 20:40):

“Winter 1968 and showbiz legend Judy Garland (Renée Zellweger) arrives in Swinging London to perform in a sell-out run at The Talk of the Town. It is 30 years since she shot to global stardom in THE WIZARD OF OZ, but if her voice has weakened, its dramatic intensity has only grown.”

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

AMERICAN PSYCHO 35mm d. Mary Harron, 2000 at The Prince Charles (until 09 OCT). BAIT d. Mark Jenkin, 2019 at The Castle Cinema (until 10 OCT). CURTIZ d. as Yvan Topolanszky, 2018 at JW3 (until 10 OCT). THE FAREWELL d. Lulu Wang, 2019 at Barbican (until 10 OCT). FOR SAMA d. Waad Al-Khateab & Edward Watts, 2019 at The Castle Cinema (until 10 OCT). GOOD POSTURE d. Dolly Wells, 2019 at Rio Cinema (04 to 10 OCT). HUSTLERS d. Lorene Scafaria, 2019 at Genesis Cinema (until 10 OCT). THE LAST TREE d. Shola Amoo, 2019 at Peckhamplex (until 10 OCT). NORMAL d. Adele Tulli, 2019 at ICA (until 08 OCT). ONE CHILD NATION d. Nanfu Wang & Jialing Zhang, 2019 at DocHouse (04 to 09 OCT). PHOENIX d. Camilla Strøm Henriksen, 2018 at Whirled Cinema (07 to 13 OCT). ROJO d. Benjamín Naishtat, 2019 at Watermans (04 to 10 OCT). THE SOUVENIR d. Joanna Hogg, 2019 at The Prince Charles (until 03 OCT).

Subscribe & support

RADIANT CIRCUS – “Home of alternative screen culture in London” (Film London) – is supported entirely by readers’ monthly subscriptions. Subscribers get our listings emailed directly as well as other great rewards. With enough subscribers backing us, we will be able to: 1) establish RADIANT CIRCUS as a permanent resource; 2) fund a full site rebuild to make our listings more social and searchable; and, 3) stage free events for subscribers as our way of saying a huge thank you! Our target? One thousand passionate film fans sharing what they love so that many more can discover it. Subscribe at patreon.com/radiantcircus

“I love everything you’re doing with RADIANT CIRCUS, the output is brilliant. And just so great to see it grow. Kudos to you.” (A fan via email!).

#LDNindieFILM

*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+.