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

CARMEN JONES d. Otto Preminger, 1954 + Dance Performance/Workshop at West Norwood Library & Picturehouse (18 JAN 17:00):

Rhythm & Views + Black Stock Films present: “Dorothy Dandridge and Harry Belafonte are electrifying in this Oscar Hammerstein and Otto Preminger musical, based on Georges Bizet’s opera Carmen, with its iconic music score and passionate story adapted to an African-American wartime setting. Followed by a dance workshop of pioneering dances of the ’40s and ’50s.”

FILMS IN LONDON TODAY

SINGLE-O EXHIBITS

BE NATURAL: THE UNTOLD STORY OF ALICE GUY-BLACHÉ d. Pamela B. Green + Panel at DocHouse (18 JAN 16:00):

Birds’ Eye View #ReclaimTheFrame presents: “Alice Guy-Blaché was a prolific filmmaker and a cinematic pioneer, yet she has largely been erased from the history books. In this entertaining and enlightening documentary, Pamela B. Green goes on an eventful journey to discover the astonishing scope of Guy-Blaché’s career, and probe just why she has been forgotten.”

Blinking Buzzards – The UK Buster Keaton Society at The Cinema Museum (18 JAN 16:00):

“Quarterly meeting of the society dedicated to the appreciation of the silent comedian. After a selection of Keaton shorts and a break, the second half will be a screening of SEVEN CHANCES (1925), which is based on a play produced in 1916. Buster plays Jimmy Shannon, who is on the brink of bankrupcy when he is told that his grandfather’s will leaving him seven million dollars. In order to inherit the money, Jimmy must marry before 7 pm on his 27th birthday – which is today!”

More films in London today (A – Z):

ALIEN [Theatrical Version] + ALIENS [Director’s Cut] d. Ridley Scott, 1979 + James Cameron, 1986 at The Prince Charles (18 JAN 20:45).
Behind The Scenes Of BEAST TYPE SONG at Tate Britain (18 JAN 18:30).
BE NATURAL: THE UNTOLD STORY OF ALICE GUY-BLACHÉ d. Pamela B. Green at BFI (18 JAN 14:45).
DUCK SOUP d. Leo McCarey, 1933 at The Prince Charles (18 JAN 12:15).
French Impressions: NON-FICTION d. Oliver Assayas, 2019 + Talk by Jon Davis at Watermans (18 JAN 13:00).
Jenny Holzer 2 Documentary Portraits presented by Deeper Into Movies at Moth Club (18 JAN 19:00).
LA DOLCE VITA 4Kd. Federico Fellini, 1960 at Ciné Lumière (18 JAN 18:15).
LULLABY aka Chanson Douce d. Lucie Borleteau, 2019 at Ciné Lumière (18 JAN 16:00).
SO LONG, MY SON d. Wang Xiaoshuai, 2019 at Ciné Lumière (18 JAN 18:00).

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MUSEUM SHOWS 1 // SEASONS

Films in London today: THE WHITE SHEIK part of Viva Fellini! Weekender at BFI (18 JAN).

70mm PRESENTATIONS at The Prince Charles (ongoing):

2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY 70mm d. Stanley Kubrick, 1968 (18 JAN 17:00).

ALTERNATE REALITIES at The Barbican (13 to 19 JAN):

TROUGH THE WARDROBE Installation (13 to 19 JAN – FREE! Check venue for timings).
ECHO Installation (13 to 19 JAN – FREE! Check venue for timings).
SHELTER – FAREWELL TO EDEN d. Enrico Masi, 2019 (18 JAN 15:30).

BIG SCREEN CLASSICS at BFI Southbank (DEC to JAN):

FREAKS 35mm d. Tod Browning, 1932 (18 JAN 18:00).

BLOOD ON EARTH: FILMS FROM THE AFRICAN & CARIBBEAN DIASPORA at Deptford Cinema (until 16 MAY 2020):

CITY OF GOD d. Kátia Lund & Fernando Meirelles, 2002 (18 JAN 19:30).

CAROLE LOMBARD: THE BRIGHTEST STAR at BFI Southbank (JAN):

SWING HIGH, SWING LOW 35mm d. Mitchell Leisen, 1937 (18 JAN 15:50).

DÒRA MAURER & THE BÉLA BALÁZS STUDIO at Tate Modern (17 to 18 JAN):

Space Painting (18 JAN 17:00).

FELLINI at BFI Southbank (JAN to FEB):

Weekender: Viva Fellini! (18 to 19 JAN – check venue for programme).
Walkers & Wanderers: LA STRADA 4K d. Federico Fellini, 1954 (18 JAN 13:00); and, NIGHTS OF CABIRIA d. Federico Fellini, 1957 + Intro by Carol Morley (18 JAN 18:20).
Society & Spectacle: THE WHITE SHEIK 4K aka Lo Sceicco Bianco d. Federico Fellini, 1952 (18 JAN 21:00).
Re-release: LA DOLCE VITA 4K d. Federico Fellini, 1960 Previews (06 to 23 JAN).

HAPPY B-DAY JIM! at House Of Vans (16 JAN to 02 FEB – FREE!/No booking required):

THE MASK d. Chuck Russell, 1994 (18 JAN 15:00 & 17:30).

IN HARM’S WAY: THE FILMS OF MAJED NEISI at Close-Up (18 JAN & 08 FEB):

Programme 1 (18 JAN 18:00 – Currently looking SOLD OUT!/Check venue).
Programme 2 (18 JAN 20:30 – Currently looking SOLD OUT!/Check venue).

STUDIO GHIBLI FOREVER at The Prince Charles (forever!):

LAPUTA: CASTLE IN THE SKY 35mm d. Hayao Miyazaki, 1986 (18 JAN 12:00).
Dubbed versions also screening – check venue.

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MUSEUM SHOWS 2 // FESTIVALS

Film festivals in London today include:

London Short Film Festival (10 to 19 JAN).

GRIND SHOWS

Films in London today: BE NATURAL: THE UNTOLD STORY OF ALICE GUY-BLACHÉ at Ciné Lumière (17 to 23 JAN).

BE NATURAL: THE UNTOLD STORY OF ALICE GUY-BLACHÉ d. Pamela B. Green, 2018 at Ciné Lumière (18 JAN 14:00):

“When Alice Guy-Blaché completed her first film in 1896 Paris, she was not only the first female filmmaker, but one of the first directors ever to make a narrative film. Narrated by Jodie Foster, this documentary follows her rise from Gaumont secretary to her appointment as head of production a year later, and her subsequent illustrious 20-year international career.”

WAVES d. Trey Edward Shults, 2019 at BFI (18 JAN 14:40, 17:30 & 20:25):

“Tyler (Kelvin Harrison Jr) is a high-school senior with a star spot on the wrestling team, an adoring girlfriend and an affluent middle-class home. Yet bubbling pressures slowly cause his bright future to unravel. This complex and devastating family melodrama is fuelled by an array of raw and intense performances. An eclectic soundtrack fused with vivid camerawork firmly establishes Shults (IT COMES AT NIGHT) as one of contemporary cinema’s most exciting new voices.”

WEATHERING WITH YOU d. Makoto Shinkai, 2019 at ICA (18 JAN 12:20):

“The summer of his high school freshman year, Hodaka runs away from his remote island home to Tokyo and quickly finds himself pushed to his financial and personal limits. The weather is unusually gloomy and rainy every day, as if to suggest his future. Then one day, Hodaka meets Hina on a busy street corner. This bright and strong-willed girl possesses a strange and wonderful ability: the power to stop the rain and clear the sky…”

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

1917 d. Sam Mendes, 2019 at The Lexi (17 to 23 JAN). ADVOCATE d. Rachel Leah Jones & Philippe Bellaiche, 2019 at DocHouse (until 23 JAN). A HIDDEN LIFE d. Terrence Malick, 2019 at ArtHouse Crouch End (17 to 23 JAN). BOMBSHELL d. Jay Roach, 2019 at Rio Cinema (17 to 23 JAN). BUDDHA IN AFRICA d. Nicole Schafer, 2019 at DocHouse (17 to 23 JAN). EL TOPO d. Alejandro Jodorowsky, 1970 at Rio Cinema (17 to 20 JAN). THE GHOST OF PETER SELLERS d. Peter Medak, 2018 at DocHouse (until 23 JAN). JOJO RABBIT d. Taika Waititi, 2019 at Rich Mix (17 to 23 JAN). LITTLE WOMEN d. Greta Gerwig, 2019 at The Castle Cinema (until 30 JAN). LONG DAY’S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT d. Bi Gan, 2018 at ICA (until 23 JAN). MIDNIGHT TRAVELER d. Hassan Fazili, 2019 at DocHouse (17 to 23 JAN). THE SUN IS ALSO A STAR d. Ry Russo-Young, 2019 at Whirled Cinema (20 to 26 JAN). UNCUT GEMS d. Benny Safdie & Josh Safdie, 2019 at ICA (until 23 JAN).

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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+.