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

LES PROSTITUÉES DE LYON PARLENT + Intro by Molly Smith at Close-Up (23 JUL 19:00):

“A documentary made on 2 June 1975 during the occupation of Saint-Nizier Church in Lyon by 200 sex workers by Carole Roussopoulos and Vidéo Out. Molly Smith, co-author with Juno Mac of Revolting Prostitutes (Verso, 2018) and member of SCOT-PEP, a sex-worker led organisation committed to campaigning for sex workers’ rights, will introduce the film.”

NEW AT RADIANT CIRCUS

Our friends Fringe! Queer Film & Arts Fest have teamed up with The People’s Film Club and Genesis Cinema to support LGBTQ+ crisis shelter The Outside Project with a special fundraiser (25 JUL 21:00).

Japan Foundation London returns with their annual series of summer film screenings. This year, the programme projects a weekend of live action Japanese films based on manga at The British Library (27 to 28 JUL 2019).

Following a screening of BLADE RUNNER earlier in the year, Gerry Maguire’s DAYS OF FUTURE PAST continues with two more sci-fi cult classics: THE RUNNING MAN (24 JUL) + THE ANIMATRIX (08 AUG) at Regent Street Cinema.

FILMS IN LONDON TODAY

SINGLE-O EXHIBITS

FORBIDDEN PLANET d. Fred M. Wilcox, 1956 + Talk: Inviting Worlds by Dr Glyn Morgan at The Castle Cinema (23 JUL 19:00):

Science Fiction Theatre presents: “A rescue team from Earth travels to the distant planet Altair IV to discover the fate of a missing scientific expedition sent there decades earlier. But when Commander John J. Adams (Leslie Nielsen) and his crew arrive, they discover only two people – Dr. Morbius (Walter Pidgeon) and his daughter, Altaira (Anne Francis), who was born on the remote planet. Soon, Adams and his men are attacked by an invisible intruder, and he begins to unravel the mystery of what happened on Altair IV, and why Morbius and Altaira are the sole survivors…”

Goodnight Seattle: A Night Of FRASIER at Genesis Cinema (23 JUL 18:30):

“To commemorate 15 long years since the gut-wrenching final episode of Frasier was aired, The Doctors Crane are taking over Bar Paragon to celebrate Seattle’s finest shrink-based-spinoff-farce. Hand-picked episodes will be screened in their full-length unabashed glory, on exclusive licence from CBS, alongside thoroughly over-analysed thoughts and discussions with your dutiful party hosts.”

MARIANNE & LEONARD: WORDS OF LOVE d. Nick Broomfield, 2019 + Recorded Q&A with the director & Jools Holland at Rich Mix (23 JUL 20:30):

“A beautiful yet tragic love story between Leonard Cohen and his Norwegian muse Marianne Ihlen. The film follows their relationship from the early days on Hydra, a humble time of ‘free love’ and open marriage, to how their love evolved when Leonard Cohen became a successful musician.”
Also at: Picturehouse Central (23 JUL 18:20 – Other Picturehouses available!); Curzon Aldgate (23 JUL 18:30 – Other Curzons available!); DocHouse (23 JUL 18:30); Lexi Cinema(23 JUL 19:00); JW3 (23 JUL 20:00); Phoenix Cinema (23 JUL 20:00); Genesis Cinema (23 JUL 21:00).

More films in London today (A – Z):

AFTER LIFE d. Hirokazu Koreeda, 1998 at The David Lean (23 JUL 19:30). THE BRINK d. Alison Klayman, 2019 at Picturehouse Central (23 JUL 18:30 – Other Picturehouses available!). BULL DURHAM 35mm d. Ron Shelton, 1988 at The Prince Charles (23 JUL 18:10 – £1 Members’ Screenings). DIRTY GOD d. Sacha Polak, 2019 at Regent Street Cinema (23 JUL 18:30). EMPIRE RECORDS d. Allan Moyle, 1995 presented by Deeper Into Movies at Peckham Levels (23 JUL 19:30 – FREE!). FORCE OF NATURE NATALIA d. Gerald Fox, 2019 at Regent Street Cinema (23 JUL 20:45). MY FRIEND THE POLISH GIRLd. Ewa Banaszkiewicz & Mateusz Dymek, 2018 at The Prince Charles (23 JUL 18:30). OUR TIME d. Carlos Reygadas, 2018 at ICA (23 JUL 15:00). ROMEO & JULIET d. Franco Zeffirelli, 1968 presented by Tuffnel Park Film Club at The Lord Palmerston (23 JUL 20:00). TELL IT TO THE BEES d. Annabel Jankel, 2019 presented by Stow Film Lounge at Mirth, Marvel & Maud (23 JUL 19:45). THE WORLD IS YOURS d. Romain Gavras, 2018 at Ciné Lumière (23 JUL 18:15)

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MUSEUM SHOWS 1 // SEASONS

Films in London today: THE DUKE OF BURGUNDY, part of CINEMATIC OBSESSIONS at Deptford Cinema (23 JUL).

BACKYARD CINEMA: L.A. NIGHTS at Roundhouse (19 JUL to 24 AUG):

“CRAZY RICH ASIANS (23 JUL 20:00).

BIG SCREEN CLASSICS: OBSESSIONS at BFI Southbank (JUL):

POINT BLANK 35mm d. John Boorman, 1967 (23 JUL 18:15).
THE CONVERSATION d. Francis Ford Coppola, 1974 (23 JUL 20:45).

CINEMATIC OBSESSIONS at Deptford Cinema (11 JUN to 29 JUL):

THE DUKE OF BURGUNDY d. Peter Strickland, 2014 + Q&A with Anton Bitel (23 JUL 19:00).

CLOSE-UP ON CLAIRE DENIS at Close-Up (08 to 31 JUL):

PARIS, TEXAS d. Wim Wenders, 1984 (23 JUL 20:15);

MARTIN SCORSESE SELECTROSPECTIVE at The Prince Charles (until 23 JUL):

THE AGE OF INNOCENCE 35mm d. Martin Scorsese, 1993 (23 JUL 20:40).

MOVIES ON THE RIVER departing from Tower Millennium Pier (until 03 AUG):

PRETTY WOMAN (23 JUL 20:00).

NINETIES: YOUNG CINEMA REBELS at BFI Southbank (JUL to AUG):

THE WATERMELON WOMAN d. Cheryl Dunye, 1996 (23 JUL 18:30).
THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT d. Daniel Myrick & Eduardo Sanchez, 1999 + Intro by Mike Muncer (23 JUL 20:30).

ROOFTOP FILM CLUB various roofs (until 31 JUL):

DIRTY DANCING (23 JUL 21:00 – Shoreditch).
BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY (23 JUL 21:00 – Peckham).
BACK TO THE FUTURE (23 JUL 21:00 – Stratford).

TRIBUTE TO AGNÈS VARDA at Ciné Lumière (until 26 JUL):

Includes: VARDA BY AGNÈS d. Agnès Varda, 2019 (23 JUL 20:30).

WE’RE GONNA PARTY LIKE IT’S 1999! at The Prince Charles (02 MAY to 26 NOV):

THE MATRIX d. Lana Wachowski & Lilly Wachowski, 1999 (23 JUL 12:45 & 20:50).

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MUSEUM SHOWS 2 // FESTIVALS

Film festivals in London today include:

CASA Festival of Latin American Arts (16 to 27 JUL).
Rainbow Film Festival (21 to 28 JUL).

GRIND SHOWS

Films in London today: GWEN at ArtHouse Crouch End (19 to 25 JUL).

FRAMING JOHN DELOREAN d. Don Argott & Sheena M. Joyce, 2019 at The Prince Charles (23 JUL 15:40):

“A story so shocking it reads like the plot of a Hollywood movie. John DeLorean was a maverick who defied the industry to create the DeLorean Motor Company, and realise his vision of a futuristic car, which was plagued with disaster from the start. In an effort to keep his business and jet setting lifestyle afloat, he became embroiled in an FBI sting operation and appeared to be caught red handed, exchanging millions for the transportation of cocaine.”

GWEN d. William McGregor, 2018 at ArtHouse Crouch End (23 JUL 15:45 & 18:10):

“Gwen (Eleanor Worthington-Cox) lives on a farm in the beautiful hills of Snowdonia with her mother Elen (Peake) and little sister Mari. Like nearly all the local men, Gwen’s father is away at war. As she struggles to cope with her mother’s mysterious illness, her father’s absence and a ruthless mining company encroaching on their land, darkness begins to take a grip on Gwen’s home, and the suspicious local community turn on her.”

VARDA BY AGNÈS d. Agnès Varda, 2019 at Rio Cinema (23 JUL 16:00):

“Packed with moving stories, amusing anecdotes and illuminating wisdom VARDA BY AGNES is the final dazzling, witty and highly original film from a great director, uncompromising pioneer, photographer, installation artist, visual storyteller and institution of world cinema – but never a supporter of institutional thinking.”

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

APOLLO 11 d. Todd Douglas Miller, 2019 at DocHouse (until 24 JUL). BOOKSMART d. Olivia Wilde, 2019 at The Prince Charles (until 25 JUL). THE BRINK d. Alison Klayman, 2019 at DocHouse (until 25 JUL). THE DEAD DON’T DIE d. Jim Jarmusch, 2019 at Genesis Cinema (until 25 JUL). THE GREAT HACK d. Karim Amer & Jehane Noujaim, 2019 at ICA (25 to 31 JUL). LISBON BEAT d. Rita Maia & Vasco Viana, 2019 (20 to 25 JUL). THE MATRIXd. Lana Wachowski & Lilly Wachowski, 1999 at The Prince Charles (until 25 JUL). MIDSOMMAR d. Ari Aster, 2019 at Rich Mix (until 24 JUL). MY FRIEND THE POLISH GIRL d. Ewa Banaszkiewicz & Mateusz Dymek at ICA (19 to 25 JUL). NEVER LOOK AWAY d. Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, 2019 at ICA (until 25 JUL). ONLY YOU d. Harry Wootliff, 2018 at ArtHouse Crouch End (until 25 JUL). PAVAROTTI d. Ron Howard, 2019 at Phoenix Cinema (19 to 25 JUL). TAMPOPO d. Jûzô Itami, 1985 at Whirled Cinema (22 to 28 JUL). TEL AVIV ON FIRE d. Sameh Zoabi, 2018 at JW3 (21 to 28 JUL).

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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+.