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

MATINEE d. Joe Dante, 1993 + DISCUSSION: “How am I going to sell it?” Independent exhibition at a time of national crisis at Birkbeck Cinema (21 MAY 18:00 – FREE!):

RADIANT CIRCUS presents: “An exploration of alternative screen culture in London. We’ll explain our site’s growth & development before discussing how indie exhibitors are making movies matter, drawing parallels between contemporary practice & classic exploitation cinema. The evening will conclude with Joe Dante’s affectionate B movie homage, MATINEE (1993).”

NEW AT RADIANT CIRCUS

Screen25 Spring/Summer Season 2019: RAFIKI (29 MAY 19:45).

RADIANT CIRCUS is partnering with Screen25 to celebrate their new Spring/Summer programme. All RADIANT CIRCUS subscribers, friends & followers get a juicy discount when booking for this exciting lineup. First up: RAFIKI (29 MAY).
South Social Film Festival is collaborating with Instituto Cervantes to celebrate Spain at Moving Pictures Cinema (08 JUN). RADIANT CIRCUS subscribers can unlock a juicy discount for this thrilling event.

FILMS IN LONDON TODAY

SINGLE-O EXHIBITS

Agnès Varda: DAGUERRÉTYPES + DIARY OF A PREGNANT WOMAN + THE SO-CALLED CARYATIDS d. Agnés Varda, 1975/1958/1984 + INTRO by Isabelle McNeill at Barbican (21 MAY 18:30):

Architecture on Film presents: “A triple bill presenting Agnès Varda’s cinematic explorations of her (animate and inanimate) Parisian neighbours. Includes three landmark, yet lesser screened, films from Agnès Varda’s singular oeuvre, that journey from the lives of the silent majority to Baudelaire, via the magic of film.”

AUDITION d. Takashi Miike, 1999 + INTRO at The Castle Cinema (21 MAY 21:00):

Zodiac Film Club presents: “One of the original J-horrors, Takashi Miike’s AUDITION (1999) tells the story of Aoyama (Ryo Ishibashi), a widower who holds a fake audition for a made-up film role to pick a potential new wife out of the hopeful starlets.”

I’M NO ANGEL d. Wesley Ruggles, 1933 + INTRO at The Cinema Museum (21 MAY 19:30):

Women & Cocaine presents: “This month we celebrate the most scandalous woman of all time, she was an actress, playwright, screenwriter, and sex symbol, famous for her bawdy double entendres. The month of May belongs to Mae West as we screen her classic I’M NO ANGEL.”

More films in London today (A – Z):

3 FACES d. Jafar Panahi, 2018 at The David Lean (21 MAY 19:30).
THE BEATLES: EIGHT DAYS A WEEK – THE TOURING YEARS d. Ron Howard, 2016 presented by Richmond Film Society at The Exchange (21 MAY 20:00).
DIAMANTINO d. Gabriel Abrantes & Daniel Schmidt, 2018 at Barbican (21 MAY 20:45).
FREEDOM FIELDS d. Naziha Arebi, 2018 + Q&A with the director at Picturehouse Central (21 MAY 18:30).
FUNNY COW d. Adrian Shergold, 2017 + Q&A with producer Kevin Proctor presented by Wimbledon Film Club at Curzon Wimbledon (21 MAY 20:30).
THE GOONIES Restoration d. Richard Donner, 1985 presented by Truman’s Brewery at Genesis Cinema (21 MAY 21:00 – Free print of something!).
JOHN MCENROE: IN THE REALM OF PERFECTION d. Julien Faraut, 2018 + Q&A with the director at Curzon Soho (21 MAY 18:30).
LUCANIA d. Gigi Roccati, 2019 + Q&A with the director presented by CinemaItaliaUK at Regent Street Cinema (21 MAY 19:30).
MID90S d. Jonah Hill, 2018 at The Prince Charles (21 MAY 16:00 & 21:00).
MY DEATH IS A MOCKERY d. Anthony Young, 1952 + INTRO by Vic Pratt at BFI Southbank (21 MAY 18:30).
NOBODY KNOWS d. Hirokazu Kore-eda, 2004 at Picturehouse Central (21 MAY 18:30 – Other Picturehouses available!).
Nova Nights: Episode #17 – M W Daniels’ Psychodramatic horror films + IAMWARFACE videos at The Horse Hospital (21 MAY 19:00).
QUIZ SHOWd. Robert Redford, 1994 presented by Tufnell Park Film Club at The Lord Palmerston (21 MAY 20:00).
ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY d. Gareth Edwards, 2016 + IFTAR FEAST + Q&A with Riz Ahmed presented by Welcome Cinema + Kitchen at Amnesty International (21 MAY 17:30).
TOMORROW + DISCUSSION presented by The People’s Film Club at Grow, Hackney (21 MAY 19:00)

MUSEUM SHOWS 1 // SEASONS

Films in London today: DIAMONDS OF THE NIGHT, part of CZECH NEW WAVE at Close-Up (21 MAY).

70mm PRESENTATIONS at The Prince Charles (ongoing):

FLATLINERS 70mm d. Joel Schumacher, 1990 (21 MAY 20:45).

AGNÈS VARDA: GLEANING TRUTHS at The Prince Charles (until 03 JUN):

VAGABOND d. Agnès Varda, 1985 (21 MAY 18:20).

CELEBRATING 80 YEARS OF THE BATMAN! at The Prince Charles (06 to 27 MAY):

BATMAN d. Tim Burton, 1989 (17 to 27 MAY).

CLOSE-UP ON THE CZECHOSLOVAK NEW WAVE at Close-Up (until 21 MAY):

Take Two: DIAMONDS OF THE NIGHT d. Jan Němec, 1964 + JOSEF KILIAN d. Pavel Jurácek & Jan Schmidt, 1965 (21 MAY 20:15).

KUBRICK at BFI Southbank (APR to MAY):

A CLOCKWORK ORANGE d. Stanley Kubrick, 1971 (21 MAY 18:10).
DR. STRANGELOVE OR: HOW I LEARNED TO STOP WORRYING AND LOVE THE BOMB d. Stanley Kubrick, 1963 enjoys a grind show run (18 to 30 MAY).

OF FLESH AND BLOOD: THE CINEMA OF HIROKAZU KORE-EDA at BFI Southbank (APR to MAY):

LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON d. Hirokazu Kore-eda, 2013 (21 MAY 20:40).

MUSEUM SHOWS 2 // FESTIVALS

Films in London today: MIRACLE DESERT at Sci-Fi-London, Stratford Picturehouse (21 MAY).

Film festivals in London today include:

Everyman Music Film Festival (09 to 26 MAY).
Herne Hill Free Film Festival (29 APR to 01 JUN).
Sci-Fi-London (15 to 22 MAY).

GRIND SHOWS

Films in London today: TUCKED at Rio Cinema (17 to 23 MAY).

AMA-SAN d. Cláudia Varejão, 2016 at ICA (21 MAY 18:40):

For over 2,000 years, female shellfish divers, known as ama-san, have fished for abalone off the coast of Japan. Focusing on three women who have spent decades diving together near a small fishing village on the Shima peninsular, AMA-SAN is a unique portrait of an ancient custom which is at risk of disappearing.

MARTY d. Delbert Mann, 1955 at Whirled Cinema (21 MAY 20:00):

“The Bronx, New York. While his extended family are all getting married, Marty (Ernest Borgnine) remains a stay-at-home bachelor in his mid 30’s. On the verge of accepting a quiet life with his mother, he heads out one evening to the Stardust Ballroom, and tries not to ruin what could be his last chance at finding love.”

TUCKED d. Jamie Patterson, 2018 at Rio Cinema (21 MAY 14:30 & 21:00):

“Gender non-conforming Jackie Collins is an 80+ years old drag queen with an acerbic nightclub comedy act. Diagnosed with cancer but determined to keep on performing and boozing, but between a surprising new friendship with young, non-binary newcomer Faith and unfinished business with his estranged daughter, he may just have the most eventful month and a half of his life.”

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

AMAZING GRACE d. Alan Elliott & Sydney Pollack, 2018 at DocHouse (until 23 MAY). THE ARCTIC CAMELS d. Karl Emil Rikardsen, 2019 at DocHouse (17 to 23 MAY). ASH IS PUREST WHITE d. Jia Zhangke, 2018 at ICA (until 23 MAY). BATMAN d. Tim Burton, 1989 (17 to 27 MAY). BEATS d. Brian Welsh, 2019 at ArtHouse Crouch End (17 to 23 MAY). BIRDS OF PASSAGE d. Cristina Gallego, 2018 at Barbican (17 to 23 MAY). DR STRANGELOVE OR: HOW I STOPPED WORRYING & LEARNED TO LOVE THE BOMB d. Stanley Kubrick, 1964 at ArtHouse Crouch End (18 to 23 MAY). ELLA FITZGERALD: JUST ONE OF THOSE THINGS d. Leslie Woodhead, 2019 at DocHouse (until 22 MAY). FERRANTE FEVER d. Giacomo Durzi, 2017 at DocHouse (17 to 23 MAY). HIGH LIFE d. Claire Denis, 2018 at Ciné Lumière (until 23 MAY). MADELINE’S MADELINE d. Josephine Decker, 2018 at Barbican (until 22 MAY). MARTY d. Delbert Mann, 1955 at Whirled Cinema (20 to 26 MAY). PICK OF THE LITTER d. Don Hardy & Dana Nachman, 2018 at ArtHouse Crouch End (17 to 23 MAY). THE SISTERS BROTHERS d. Jacques Audiard, 2018 at The Prince Charles (until 23 MAY). THE TESTAMENT d. Amichai Greenberg, 2017 presented by UKJF at JW3 (19 to 23 MAY). VOX LUX d. Brady Corbet, 2018 at The Castle Cinema (until 23 MAY). WOMEN AT WAR d. Benedikt Erlingsson, 2018 at The Castle Cinema (17 to 23 MAY).

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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+.