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

MISHIMA: A LIFE IN FOUR CHAPTERS 35th Anniversary Screening d. Paul Schrader, 1985 at Deptford Cinema (17 FEB 19:15):

“Paul Schrader’s visually stunning portrait of the legendary Japanese author and playwright Yukio Mishima (played by Ken Ogata) investigates the internal turmoil and fascinating contradictions of a man who attempted the impossible task of finding harmony among self, art, and society.”

RADIANT CIRCUS is creating an alternative screen guide for London with the help of our monthly subscribers. We’ve set a 2020 target of 100 new subscribers to keep us listing far into the future. Join us to get great rewards & help our unique site continue to build & grow.

NEW AT RADIANT CIRCUS

SCREEN DIARY: HER SKETCHBOOK, part of Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme at ICA (02 FEB).

Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme (31 JAN to 16 FEB) has just wrapped for another year at ICA. Read our writeups of HER SKETCHBOOK + Intro/Q&A with director Masaya Ozaki (02 FEB 2020) & TEN DARK WOMEN (01 FEB 2020) from the opening weekend.

FILMS IN LONDON TODAY

SINGLE-O EXHIBITS

COME TO DADDY d. Ant Timpson, 2019 + Intro by Alan Jones at The Prince Charles (17 FEB 21:00):

“An urban hipster faces major daddy issues in a coastal Oregon town in a deliciously edgy stunner. 30-something Norval (a career best performance by Elijah Wood) receives a surprise invitation to visit his estranged father’s remote cliff house. Nervous and desperate to impress his uncaring dad, Norval stretches the truth about his life until finally his father’s growing animosity reaches a dark fever pitch.”

More films in London today (A – Z):

1917 d. Sam Mendes, 2020 at Rich Mix (17 FEB 15:30).
The Comedy of Chris Morris – A Lecture By David Stubbs presented by Deeper Into Movies at Moth Club (17 FEB 19:30).
GREED d. Michael Winterbottom, 2019 previews at BFI (17 FEB 18:20).
THE MAN WHO KILLED DON QUIXOTE d. Terry Gilliam, 2018 at Regent Street Cinema (17 FEB 20:30).
Playing Gay in the Golden Age of British TV Talk by Stephen Bourne at BFI (17 FEB 18:30).

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MUSEUM SHOWS 1 // SEASONS

Films in London today: ACCATONE, part of ESSENTIAL CINEMA at Close-Up (17 FEB).

AFRICAN IDENTITIES REBORN at DocHouse (31 JAN to 16 FEB):

TALKING ABOUT TREES d. Suhaib Gasmelbari, 2019 (17 FEB 14:30).
WHEN LAMBS BECOME LIONS d. Jon Kasbe, 2018 (daily 14 to 20 FEB 18:30/Check venue for details).

BEST OF 2019 at Ciné Lumière (FEB to MAR):

APOLLO 11 d. Todd Douglas Miller, 2019 (17 FEB 18:20).

BEST OF THE DECADE at The Prince Charles (FEB to JUN):

LITTLE WOMEN d. Greta Gerwig, 2019 (14 to 20 FEB/Check venue for details).

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

KOYAANISQATSI d. Godfrey Reggio, 1982 (17 FEB 20:50).

ELIA KAZAN: THE ACTORS’ DIRECTOR at BFI Southbank (FEB to MAR):

Re-release: A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE d. Elia Kazan, 1951 (17 FEB 18:00 & 20:25).

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

ACCATTONE d. Pier Paolo Pasolini, 1961 (17 FEB 20:15).

FELLINI at BFI Southbank (JAN to FEB):

INTERVISTA 4K d. Federico Fellini, 1987 (17 FEB 18:10).

GALENTINES & VALENTINES CELEBRATIONS at The Prince Charles (13 to 20 FEB):

FIRST LOVE aka Hatsukoi d. Takashi Miike, 2019 (14 to 20 FEB/Check venue for details).
AMELIE 35mm aka Le fabuleux destin d’Amélie Poulain d. Jean-Pierre Jeunet, 2001 (14 to 20 FEB/Check venue for details).
BLUE VALENTINE 35mm d. Derek Cianfrance, 2010 (17 FEB 20:45).

JOIN THE #BONGHIVE at The Prince Charles (JAN to FEB):

MOTHER 35mm aka Madeo d. Bong Joon-ho, 2009 (17 FEB 18:00).

THE OSCARS – AND THE NOMINEES ARE… at The Prince Charles (FEB to MAR):

JOJO RABBIT d. Taika Waititi, 2019 (until 20 FEB/Check venue for details).

RIGHTS AT RISK: YESTERDAY / TOMORROW at DocHouse (06 FEB to 01 MAR):

SOLIDARITY d. Lucy Parker, 2019 (14 to 20 FEB/Check venue for details).

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MUSEUM SHOWS 2 // FESTIVALS

Film festivals in London today include:

North Europe International Film Festival (16 to 21 FEB).

GRIND SHOWS

Films in London today: FIRST LOVE at ArtHouse Crouch End (14 to 20 FEB).

A PARIS EDUCATION d. Jean-Paul Civeyrac, 2018 at Ciné Lumière (17 FEB 20:15):

“Jean-Paul Civeyrac’s partly autobiographical drama, gorgeously shot in black and white, tells the story of Etienne, a young impressionable man who goes to Paris to study filmmaking at the Sorbonne. He meets Mathias and Jean-Noël who share his passion for films, and soon falls under the thrall of the seductive Mathias.”

FIRST LOVE d. Takashi Miike, 2019 at ArtHouse Crouch End (17 FEB 15:30 & 20:45):

“The film is the prolific auteur, Takashi Miike, at his most fun and anarchic, a noir-tinged yakuza film blending genres in the story of a young boxer and a call girl, who fall passionately in love while getting innocently caught up in a drug-smuggling scheme over the course of one night in Tokyo.”

THE SHARKS d. Lucía Garibaldi, 2019 at ICA (17 FEB – Not screening today/Returns 18 FEB 21:25 / 20 FEB 16:20):

“The first feature-length film from Uruguayan director Lucía Garibaldi is a study of romantic fumbling and youthful obsession. Fourteen-year-old Rosina lives in a beach resort rumoured to be plagued by sharks. Upon meeting the older Joselo, she feels a desire to bridge the distance between their bodies and begins to circle him, as if inspired by the mysterious predators.”

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

A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD d. Marielle Heller, 2019 at Watermans (14 to 27 FEB). BAIT 35mm d. Mark Jenkin, 2019 at The Prince Charles (until 19 FEB). EMMA d. Autumn de Wilde, 2020 at Phoenix Cinema (14 to 20 FEB). FARMING d. Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, 2018 at Whirled Cinema (17 to 23 FEB). FOR SAMA d. Waad al-Kateab & Edward Watts, 2019 (15 to 20 FEB). LITTLE WOMEN d. Greta Gerwig, 2019 at The Castle Cinema (until 20 FEB). MR. JONES d. Agnieszka Holland, 2019 at Ciné Lumière (until 20 FEB FEB). THE OTHER STORY d. Avi Nesher presented by UK Jewish Film at JW3 (16 to 20 FEB). PARASITE d. Bong Joon-ho, 2019 at Rich Mix (until 20 FEB). THE PERSONAL HISTORY OF DAVID COPPERFIELD d. Armando Iannucci, 2020 at The Castle Cinema (until 18 FEB). QUEEN & SLIM d. Melina Matsoukas, 2019 at Genesis Cinema (until 20 FEB). SONIC THE HEDGEHOG d. Jeff Fowler, 2020 at The Castle Cinema (14 to 23 FEB). TALKING ABOUT TREES d. Suhaib Gasmelbari, 2019 at DocHouse (until 19 FEB).

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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+.