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

THE CELLULOID CLOSET 35mm d. Rob Epstein & Jeffrey Friedman, 1995 + Panel Debate at The Cinema Museum (26 JAN 18:30):

The Vito Project presents: “A 25th anniversary screening of the ground-breaking documentary THE CELLULOID CLOSET (1995). Based on Vito Russo’s 1981 book of the same title, Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman’s doc provides an essential examination of LGBT+ representation in Hollywood movies. Followed by discussion of changes in queer representation in film since the film’s release.”

FILMS IN LONDON TODAY

SINGLE-O EXHIBITS

More films in London today (A – Z):

BAIT d. Mark Jenkin, 2018 at ICA (26 JAN 14:50).
BE NATURAL: THE UNTOLD STORY OF ALICE GUY-BLACHÉ d. Pamela B. Green, 2018 at DocHouse (26 JAN 13:50).
COINCOIN AND THE EXTRA-HUMANS: THE APOCALYPSE d. Bruno Dumont, 2018 at ICA (26 JAN 12:30).
FOR SAMA d. Waad al-Kateab & Edward Watts, 2019 at Catford Mews (26 JAN 14:30).
FOR SAMA d. Waad Al-Kateab & Edward Watts, 2019 presented by Pitshanger Pictures at St Barnabas Church (26 JAN 18:00).
JEWISH BRITAIN ON FILM d. Jon Spira, 2019 at JW3 (26 JAN 13:00 & 16:30).
LA DOLCE VITA 4K d. Federico Fellini, 1960 at Regent Street Cinema (26 JAN 19:00).
MIDNIGHT TRAVELER d. Hassan Fazili, 2019 at Ciné Lumière (26 JAN 13:50).
THE SUN IS ALSO A STAR d. Ry Russo-Young, 2019 at Whirled Cinema (26 JAN 18:00).
TURTLE ROCK d. Xiao Xiao, 2017 at DocHouse (26 JAN 16:00).

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MUSEUM SHOWS 1 // SEASONS

Films in London today: INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS x2 at Deptford Cinema (26 JAN).

ACADEMY AT REGENT ST. at Regent Street Cinema (JAN to FEB):

LETTER FROM AN UNKNOWN WOMAN d. Max Opuls, 1945 (26 JAN 14:30).

ALEJANDRO JODOROWSKY at The Prince Charles (JAN to FEB):

THE HOLY MOUNTAIN d. Alejandro Jodorowsky, 1973 (24 to 30 JAN).

AMERICAN NEW WAVE at The Prince Charles (2020):

THE PAKULA PARANOIA TRILOGY d. Alan J. Pakula, 1971-1976 (26 JAN 11:45).

A WORM’S TAIL VIEW IS OFTEN THE TRUE ONE: FILMS BY PERE PORTABELLA at Close-Up & BFI Southbank (26 NOV 2019 to 15 FEB 2020):

TREN DE SOMBRAS d. Jose Luis Guerin, 1997 (26 JAN 18:00).
VIRIDIANA d. Luis Buñuel, 1961 (26 JAN 20:00).

BEFORE THE NIGHT at Ciné Lumière (24 to 29 JAN):

NOSTALGIA FOR THE LIGHT d. Patricio Guzmán, 2010 (26 JAN 16:00).
UNCLE BOONMEE WHO CAN RECALL HIS PAST LIVES d. Apichatpong Weerasethakul, 2010 (26 JAN 18:15).

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

DAY FOR NIGHT 35mm aka La Nuit Américaine d. François Truffaut, 1973 (26 JAN 20:00).
JOHNNY GUITAR 4K d. Nicholas Ray, 1954 (26 JAN 19:50).

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

MY MAN GODFREY 4K d. Gregory La Cava, 1936 (26 JAN 14:40).
TRUE CONFESSION 35mm d. Wesley Ruggles, 1937 (26 JAN 17:30).

CHINESE NEW YEAR at BFI Southbank (19 to 26 JAN):

FOUR SPRINGS d. Qingyi Lu, 2017 + Intro (26 JAN 14:20).

FELLINI at BFI Southbank (JAN to FEB):

Society & Spectacle: FELLINI’S CASANOVA 4K aka Il Casanova di Federico Fellini d. Federico Fellini, 1976 (26 JAN 16:45).

MELODIA!: DISCOVERING MUSICALS FROM RUSSIA & THE CAUCASUS at Ciné Lumière (07 to 31 JAN):

HIPSTERS d. Valeriy Todorovskiy, 2008 (26 JAN 18:00).

PRE-CODE AT REGENT ST. at Regent Street Cinema (JAN to FEB):

BABY FACE d. Alfred E Green (26 JAN 16:30).

THE SAFDIE BROTHERS at The Prince Charles (JAN):

UNCUT GEMS 35mm d. Josh Safdie & Benny Safdie, 2019 (until 30 JAN).

SCI-FI SUNDAYS: IS THIS YESTERDAY? at Deptford Cinema (2020):

Double Bill: INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS d. Don Siegel, 1956 + d. Philip Kaufman, 1978 (26 JAN 15:30).

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

JOHANNA D’ARC OF MONGOLIA d. Ulrike Ottinger, 1989 + Q&A with the director (26 JAN 14:00 – Ciné Lumière).

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MUSEUM SHOWS 2 // FESTIVALS

We didn’t find any film festivals in London today… what are we missing?

GRIND SHOWS

Films in London today: THE HOLY MOUNTAIN at Rio Cinema (24 to 30 JAN).

CHINA LOVE d. Olivia Martin-McGuire, 2018 at DocHouse (26 JAN – Not screening today! Check back tomorrow):

“Love is an $80 billion industry in China. It’s not just the wedding itself that brings in the money – a booming trade in pre-wedding photography places the burden on couples to spend thousands on elaborately staged photos depicting lives of luxury.”

CYRANO DE BERGERAC d. Jean-Paul Rappeneau, 1990 at BFI Southbank (26 JAN 14:30, 16:50 & 19:40):

“The story of Cyrano de Bergerac has existed in many forms over several centuries but Rappeneau’s adaptation (now celebrating its 30th anniversary) is a delightful, tragi-comic tour de force with Gérard Depardieu’s Cyrano offering romantic tips to young Christian, a suitor with designs on Roxanne, whom Cyrano himself is keen to woo.”

THE HOLY MOUNTAIN d. Alejandro Jodorowsky, 1973 at Rio Cinema (26 JAN 15:00).

“Hypnotising, unsettling, transgressive, dazzling and decadent, THE HOLY MOUNTAIN also takes satirical bites into a corrupt, greed-fuelled world with attacks on religion, consumerism, fascism, and authority in general. So not just a nostalgia trip then…”

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

A HIDDEN LIFE d. Terrence Malick, 2019 at ArtHouse Crouch End (until 30 JAN). AKIRA 35mm d. Katsuhiro Ôtomo, 1988 at ICA (26 to 31 JAN). BOMBSHELL d. Jay Roach, 2019 at Rio Cinema (until 30 JAN). BRIGHTBURN d. David Yarovesky, 2019 at Whirled Cinema (27 JAN to 02 FEB). BUTTERFLY at DocHouse (24 to 30 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 30 JAN). MIDNIGHT TRAVELER d. Hassan Fazili, 2019 at DocHouse (until 28 JAN). MY POLISH HONEYMOON d. Élise Otzenberger, 2018 presented by UK Jewish Film at JW3 (26 to 30 JAN). PRESENT. PERFECT d. Zhu Shengze, 2019 at ICA (24 to 30 JAN). PINK WALL d. Tom Cullen, 2019 at Watermans (24 to 29 JAN). UNCUT GEMS d. Benny Safdie & Josh Safdie, 2019 at ICA (until 30 JAN). WEATHERING WITH YOU d. Makoto Shinkai, 2019 at ICA (until 29 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+.