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

FAUST d. F. W. Murnau, 1926 + Intro at The Lord Palmerston (17 DEC 20:00):

Tufnell Park Film Club presents: “Drawing on older traditions of the Faust legend as well as on Goethe’s classic version, Murnau’s FAUST stars Emil Jannings as the demon Mephisto, who wagers with an Archangel that he can corrupt a mortal man’s soul. Mephisto sets his sights on the thoughtful old alchemist Faust (Gösta Ekman), who is desperately trying to save his village from a plague… FAUST saw Murnau return to the dark supernatural elements of his 1922 classic, NOSFERATU, and was his last German film before moving to Hollywood.”

NEW AT RADIANT CIRCUS

#32BoroughsOfFilm: Following our report from their last screening of 2019 – NINOTCHKA (03 DEC) – we’re delighted to announce the new Spring/Summer 2020 programme at Wimbledon Film Club.

FILMS IN LONDON TODAY

SINGLE-O EXHIBITS

DESIGN FOR LIVING d. Ernst Lubitsch, 1933 + Intro/Discussion at The Cinema Museum (17 DEC 19:30):

Women & Cocaine presents: “Bring ALL your boyfriends and girlfriends along because what better way to spend your Christmas than joining Women & Cocaine as we screen you the ground breaking DESIGN FOR LIVING. A daring movie that satirises sexual mores by heaping irony upon irony.”

Double-Bill: SHADOWING THE THIRD MAN + THE THIRD MAN d. Frederick Baker, 2004 + d. Carol Reed, 1949 + Intro by Angela Allen & Anthony Wall at Regent Street Cinema (17 DEC 18:30 + 20:25):

SHADOWING THE THIRD MAN: “This Arena doc reveals the many parallels between the on and off-screen action. Narrated by John Hurt, the film follows members of the original crew – Guy Hamilton (assistant director) and Angela Allen (script) – as they take us to the original locations in Vienna, and let us relive the on-set dramas and improvisations that make THE THIRD MAN so authentic and so compelling.” THE THIRD MAN: “Pulp novelist Holly Martins travels to a shadowy postwar Vienna only to find himself investigating the mysterious death of an old friend, black-market opportunist Harry Lime.”

More films in London today (A – Z):

BAD SANTA d. Terry Zwigoff, 2003 presented by Deeper Into Movies at Peckham Levels (17 DEC 19:30 – FREE!).
THE BIGGEST LITTLE FARM d. John Chester, 2018 at DocHouse (17 DEC 14:40).
FOR SAMA d. Waad al-Kateab & Edward Watt, 2019 at ICA (17 DEC 16:25).
HARRIET d. Kasi Lemmons, 2019 at Catford Mews (17 DEC 20:50).
HEIMAT IS A SPACE IN TIME d. Thomas Heise, 2019 at ICA (17 DEC 14:25).
HONEYLAND d. Tamara Kotevska & Ljubomir Stefanov, 2019 at ICA (17 DEC 20:30).
THE IRISHMAN d. Martin Scorsese, 2019 at Rich Mix (17 DEC 19:30).
LAST CHRISTMAS d. Paul Feig, 2019 + Short: LIBERTÉ d. Dora Paphides at The David Lean (17 DEC 19:30).
SHOOTING THE MAFIA d. Kim Longinotto, 2019 at ICA (17 DEC 14:30).
SHOOTING THE MAFIA d. Kim Longinotto, 2019 at DocHouse (17 DEC 16:30).
SINGING IN THE RAIN! d. Stanley Donen & Gene Kelly, 1952 at Ciné Lumière (17 DEC 18:20).
THE STREET d. Zed Nelson, 2019 at DocHouse (17 DEC 18:30)

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MUSEUM SHOWS 1 // SEASONS

Films in London today: ORDET, part of BIG SCREEN CLASSICS at BFI (17 DEC).

A WORM’S TAIL VIEW IS OFTEN THE TRUE ONE: FILMS BY PERE PORTABELLA at ICA, Whitechapel Gallery, Close-Up, Cafe Oto & Brixton Prison (26 NOV 2019 to 15 FEB 2020):

Acció Santos: The Works Of Carles Santos (17 DEC 19:30 – Cafe Oto).

BIG SCREEN CLASSICS: GETTING TOGETHER at BFI Southbank (DEC):

ORDET aka The Word d. Carl Theodor Dreyer, 1955 (17 DEC 18:10).

CHRISTMAS AT GENESIS at Genesis Cinema (08 to 17 DEC):

DIE HARD d. John McTiernan, 1988 presented by Truman’s (17 DEC 21:00 + Free pint of something Truman’s).

CHRISTMAS AT THE PCC at The Prince Charles (NOV to DEC):

Grind shows: IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE 35mm d. Frank Capra, 1946 (01 to 24 DEC – some digital/check venue); ELF d. Jon Favreau, 2003 (04 to 24 DEC – various formats/check venue); and, HOME ALONE d. Chris Columbus, 1990 (06 to 24 DEC – check venue).
HOME ALONE 2: LOST IN NEW YORK d. Chris Columbus, 1992 (17 DEC 15:45).
THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS Sing-A-Long d. Henry Selick, 1993 (17 DEC 20:45).
THE HOLIDAY d. Nancy Meyers, 2006 (17 DEC 21:00 – with sparkling wine!).
The Naughty List: GREMLINS d. Joe Dante, 1984 (17 DEC 15:45); and, JINGLE ALL THE WAY 35mm d. Brian Levant, 1996 (17 DEC 18:35).

MUSICALS! THE GREATEST SHOW ON SCREEN at BFI Southbank (OCT to DEC):

DREAMGIRLS d. Bill Condon, 2006 (17 DEC 20:30).
Vincente Minnelli: AN AMERICAN IN PARIS d. Vincente Minnelli, 1951 (17 DEC 18:15).
Re-releases: THE UMBRELLAS OF CHERBOURG aka Les Parapluies de Cherbourg d. Jacques Demy, 1964 (06 to 30 DEC).

TRIBUTE TO DELPHINE SEYRIG – ACTRESS, DIRECTOR AND ACTIVIST at Ciné Lumière (01 DEC 2019 to 04 FEB 2020):

PEAU D’ÂNE aka Donkey Skin d. Jacques Demy, 1970 (17 DEC 18:30).

MUSEUM SHOWS 2 // FESTIVALS

We don’t think there are any film festivals in London today… but we might have missed something! Let us know…

GRIND SHOWS

Films in London today: ALVA at ICA (13 to 19 DEC).

ALVA d. Ico Costa, 2019 at ICA (17 DOC 18:25):

“After committing a crime, a man hides in the forest. Shot in the Portuguese highlands, in 16mm, the film follows Henrique, a solitary man running away from his life and from the world. In a progressively immersive style, you are transported into this space of solitude, in search of what really moves the protagonist.”

AQUARELA d. Victor Kossakovsky, 2018 at DocHouse (17 DEC 12:50):

“Set to the backdrop of an original soundtrack by the Finnish symphonic metal band Apocalyptica, AQUARELA’s roving lens takes you on a visceral global journey, allowing you to feel the raw power and beauty of water in startling visual detail.”

FIDDLER: A MIRACLE OF MIRACLES d. Max Lewkowicz, 2019 at JW3 (17 DEC 12:20 & 14:25):

“When Fiddler on the Roof opened on Broadway in 1964, it explored themes of tradition, religion, and anti-Semitism against a modern backdrop of radical social change that addressed gender roles, sexuality, and race. Rare archival footage and interviews with musical luminaries explore the legacy of this long-running, award-winning musical.”

THE KINGMAKER d. Lauren Greenfield, 2019 at ArtHouse Crouch End (17 DEC 19:15):

“Documentary centring on the controversial political career of Imelda Marcos, the former first lady of the Philippines whose behind-the-scenes influence of her husband Ferdinand’s presidency rocketed her to the global political stage.”

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

THE CAVE d. Feras Fayyad, 2018 at DocHouse (until 19 DEC). CITIZEN K d. Alex Gibney, 2019 at ArtHouse Crouch End (13 to 19 DEC). HONEY BOY d. Alma Har’el, 2019 at The Castle Cinema (until 24 DEC). THE IRISHMAN d. Martin Scorsese, 2019 at Ciné Lumière (14 DEC to 05 JAN). KNIVES OUT d. Rian Johnson, 2019 at The Lexi (until 18 DEC). LA BELLE ÉPOQUE d. Nicolas Bedos, 2019 at Ciné Lumière (until 03 JAN). THE NIGHTINGALE d. Jennifer Kent, 2018 at Watermans (13 to 19 DEC). PHOTOGRAPH d. Ritesh Batra, 2019 at Whirled Cinema (16 to 18 DEC). PINK WALL d. Tom Cullen, 2019 at Catford Mews (13 to 19 DEC). SO LONG, MY SON d. Wang Xiaoshuai, 2018 at ArtHouse Crouch End (until 19 DEC). THE STREET d. Zed Nelson, 2019 at The Lexi (15 to 18 DEC). THE UMBRELLAS OF CHERBOURG aka Les Parapluies de Cherbourg d. Jacques Demy, 1964 at Ciné Lumière (until 07 JAN). THE WOLF’S CALL d. Antonin Baudry, 2019 at Watermans (13 to 19 DEC).

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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+.