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

FRIENDSHIP’S DEATH d. Peter Wollen, 1987 + Talk: “Morbid Symptoms” by Prof Laleh Khalili at The Castle Cinema (12 MAR 19:00):

Science Fiction Theatre presents: “When an extra-terrestrial peace envoy named Friendship (Tilda Swinton) is sent on a mission to Earth, she misses her intended destination of MIT and lands in Amman, Jordan, during a conflict between the Jordanian Armed Forces and the Palestinian Liberation Organisation. Trapped inside a hotel, Friendship meets British war correspondent Sullivan (Bill Paterson), and the pair begin a series of touching and insightful conversations on the human condition…”

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NEW AT RADIANT CIRCUS

THE VIEW FROM ROW E: The price of (queer) inclusion.

In the first of an occasional series of opinionated posts, we look at the price of a ticket at BFI Flare.

FILMS IN LONDON TODAY

SINGLE-O EXHIBITS

What to see in London today: BHAJI ON THE BEACH at The Ritzy (12 MAR).

BHAJI ON THE BEACH + Short: BALCONY d. Gurinder Chadha/Toby Fell-Holden, 1993/2015 + Q&A with the directors at The Ritzy (12 MAR 19:30):

First Film Club presents: “Gurinder Chadha’s debut BHAJI ON THE BEACH, plus Toby Fell-Holden’s award-winning short film BALCONY. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with the directors, who will discuss their creative process, the struggles and successes that come with the art of filmmaking, and what happens after the all-important debut.”

TONI MORRISON: THE PIECES I AM d. Timothy Greenfield-Sanders, 2019 + Panel Q&A at Bernie Grant Arts Centre (12 MAR 19:30):

gal-dem presents: “The film offers an artful and intimate meditation on the life and works of the legendary storyteller and Nobel Prize winner – from her childhood in the steel town of Lorain, Ohio to ’70s era book tours with Muhammad Ali – from the front lines with Angela Davis to her own riverfront writing room. Toni Morrison leads an assembly of her peers, critics and colleagues on an exploration of race, America, history and the human condition as seen through the prism of her own literature.”
Also: TONI MORRISON: THE PIECES I AM d. Timothy Greenfield-Sanders, 2019 + Panel Q&A presented by Birds’ Eye View #ReclaimTheFrame at DocHouse (12 MAR 18:20).

More films in London today (A – Z):

A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE d. Elia Kazan, 1951 at Olympic Studios (12 MAR 14:30).
CUNNINGHAM d. Alla Kovgan, 2019 + Q&A with the director at Curzon Mayfair (12 MAR 18:30).
Golems, Dybbuks & other Movie Monsters: The Search for a Jewish Horror Film Talk by Mikel J Koven presented by Miskatonic Institute at the Swedenborg Society (12 MAR 19:00).
HONEY BOY d. Alma Har’el, 2019 at The David Lean (12 MAR 14:30 & 19:30).
JIHAD JANE d. Ciaran Cassidy, 2019 at Regent Street Cinema (12 MAR 20:50).
MIDNIGHT FAMILYd. Luke Lorentzen, 2019 at Ciné Lumière (12 MAR 17:40).
THE ROOM d. Tommy Wiseau, 2003 at The Prince Charles (12 MAR 21:00).
THIS IS SPINAL TAP d. Rob Reiner, 1984 presented by Stow Film Lounge at Signature Brew (12 MAR 19:30).
TOURIST TRAP d. David Schmoeller, 1979 presented by Terror Vision at BFI (12 MAR 20:50).
THE TRUE HISTORY OF THE KELLY GANG d. Justin Kurzel, 2019 + Intro by actor George MacKay at Olympic Studios (12 MAR 20:30).
WITHNAIL & I Bruce Robinson, 1987 presented by Truman’s at Genesis Cinema (12 MAR 21:00 – with a FREE! pint of something Truman’s).

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MUSEUM SHOWS 1 // SEASONS

What to see in London today: WERCKMEISTER HARMONIES, part of BÉLA TARR at Deptford Cinema (12 MAR).

1999 – 2019: EXPLORING 20 YEARS OF SCI-FI at The Prince Charles (2020):

COLOR OUT OF SPACE d. Richard Stanley, 2019 (until 19 MAR/Check venue to details).

BÉLA TARR at Deptford Cinema (13 FEB to 30 MAR):

WERCKMEISTER HARMONIES d. Béla Tarr, 2000 (12 MAR 19:30).

BIG SCREEN CLASSICS: MAN VS NATURE at BFI Southbank (MAR):

DELIVERANCE d. John Boorman, 1972 (12 MAR 20:45).

CLOSE UP: CÉLINE SCIAMMA at BFI Southbank (MAR):

New Releases: PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE d. Céline Sciamma, 2019 (until 18 MAR/Check venue to details).

ESSENTIAL CINEMA at Close-Up (DEC to MAR):

FUNNY GAMES d. Michael Haneke, 1997 (12 MAR 20:15).

RIGHTS AT RISK: YESTERDAY / TOMORROW at DocHouse (FEB to MAR):

PUSH d. Fredrik Gertten, 2019 (until 19 MAR/Check venue for details).

ROBERT EGGERS at The Prince Charles (FEB to MAR):

THE LIGHTHOUSE d. Robert Eggers, 2019 (until 19 MAR/Check venue to details).

TILDA SWINTON at BFI Southbank (MAR):

THE GARDEN d. Derek Jarman, 1990 + Intro by Tilda Swinton (12 MAR 18:15 – Currently looking SOLD OUT!/Check venue).

WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH at DocHouse (MAR):

TONI MORRISON: THE PIECES I AM d. Timothy Greenfield-Sanders, 2019 (until 19 MAR/Check venue for details).

WOMEN IN FILM at House Of Vans (08 to 29 MAR – FREE!/No booking required):

THE HELP d. Tate Taylor, 2011 (12 MAR 17:00 – FREE!).

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MUSEUM SHOWS 2 // FESTIVALS

Film festivals in London today include:

Banff Mountain Film Festival (10 to 23 MAR).
Black Creators Matter: Short Movie Festival (12 MAR).
Crystal Palace International Film Festival (05 to 28 MAR).
Human Rights Watch Film Festival (12 to 20 MAR).
Kendal Mountain Festival UK Tour (11 MAR).

GRIND SHOWS

What to see in London today: WOMEN'S DAY at DocHouse (08 to 12 MAR). — What to see in London today: WOMEN’S DAY at DocHouse (08 to 12 MAR).

TONI MORRISON: THE PIECES I AM d. Timothy Greenfield-Sanders, 2019 at ArtHouse Crouch End (12 MAR 12:15 & 17:50 – LAST CHANCE!):

“An artful and intimate meditation on the life and works of the legendary storyteller and Nobel Prize winner – from her childhood in the steel town of Lorain, Ohio to ’70s era book tours with Muhammad Ali – from the front lines with Angela Davis to her own riverfront writing room. Toni Morrison leads an assembly of her peers, critics and colleagues on an exploration of race, America, history and the human condition as seen through the prism of her own literature.”

WOMEN’S DAY d. Dolya Gavanski, 2019 at DocHouse (12 MAR 16:20 – LAST CHANCE!):

“As an actress in London, director Dolya Gavanski has played a dizzying array of Russian stereotypes from spies to prostitutes and oligarchs’ wives. But the women she remembered from her Soviet days were different. Gavanski sets out to hear the stories of the women who shaped the narrative of 20th century USSR, including the Nobel Prize for Literature winning author Svetlana Alexievich, internet sensation Elena Krygina and exiled feminist dissident Natalya Malakhovskaya.”

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

COLOR OUT OF SPACE d. Richard Stanley, 2019 at The Prince Charles (until 12 MAR). DARK WATERS d. Todd Haynes, 2019 at Genesis Cinema (until 12 MAR). EMMA d. Autumn de Wilde, 2020 at Catford Mews (until 12 MAR). ESCAPE FROM PRETORIA d. Francis Annan, 2020 at JW3 (06 to 12 MAR). THE FAREWELL d. Lulu Wang, 2019 at Whirled Cinema (09 to 15 MAR). THE LIGHTHOUSE d. Robert Eggers, 2019 at The Prince Charles (until 12 MAR). LITTLE JOE d. Jessica Hausner, 2019 at ICA (06 to 12 MAR). PARASITE d. Bong Joon-ho, 2019 at Rich Mix (until 12 MAR). PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE d. Céline Sciamma, 2019 at ArtHouse Crouch End (until 12 MAR). PUSH d. Fredrik Gertten, 2019 at Rio Cinema (until 12 MAR). QUEEN & SLIM d. Melina Matsoukas, 2019 at Genesis Cinema (until 12 MAR). THE TRUE HISTORY OF THE KELLY GANG d. Justin Kurzel, 2019 at Catford Mews (06 to 12 MAR). WAITING FOR ANYA d. Ben Cookson, 2019 presented by UKJF at JW3 (until 12 MAR).

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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+.