Films in London this week: CITIZEN JANE: BATTLE FOR THE CITY at The Green Nunhead (07 DEC).
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SCREEN GUIDE: Films in London this week [06 to 12 DEC 2019]

RADIANT CIRCUS is your handcrafted guide to London’s DIY, indie & alternative movie nights, film events & gallery screenings. Our latest SCREEN GUIDE helps you find great films in London this week*.

FRI 06 // SAT 07 // SUN 08 // MON 09 // TUE 10 // WED 11 // THU 12

Find films in London this week by:

SINGLE-O EXHIBITS (one-off attractions – by date) // MUSEUM SHOWS (several exhibits under one roof – by seasons & festivals) // GRIND SHOWS (a selection of new releases & regular runs).

FEATURED ATTRACTION

CITIZEN JANE: BATTLE FOR THE CITY d. Matt Tyrnauer, 2017 + Intro at The Green Nunhead (07 DEC 19:00 – FREE!/Food bank donation requested):

  • Films for Food present: “Jane Jacobs, author of The Death and Life of Great American Cities, helped change the way we look at urban living. The recent documentary CITIZEN JANE focuses on Jacobs’ most consequential battle in the 1960s: when she went up against New York City’s ruthless power broker, Robert Moses–and won. FREE screening but please bring a donation for Southwark Food Bank.”

FILMS IN LONDON THIS WEEK

SINGLE-O EXHIBITS

ONE-OFF MOVIE NIGHTS, FILM EVENTS & GALLERY SCREENINGS (by date/event)

FRI 06

Radiant Circus #ScreenGuide - Films in London this week: HOUSE OF DRACULA at The Cinema Museum (06 DEC).
Films in London this week: HOUSE OF DRACULA at The Cinema Museum (06 DEC).

FRENCH FILM d. Jackie Oudney, 2009 + Q&A with the director at Ealing Green Church (06 DEC 19:30):

  • Classic Cinema Club – Ealing presents: “A dissatisfied journalist suffers through an assignment to interview a pretentious Gallic filmmaker, who subjects him to his life philosophy and unwanted advice about amour. To his surprise, he starts to apply this foreign worldview to his rapports with his partner and friends, as they wade through dysfunction, couples counselling, and keeping that special spark alive.”

HOUSE OF FRANKENSTEIN + HOUSE OF DRACULA d. Erle C. Kenton, 1944 + 1945 + Intro at The Cinema Museum (06 DEC 19:00):

  • The Gothique Film Society presents: HOUSE OF FRANKENSTEIN: “Universal ‘monster mash’, in which an evil scientist escapes from prison and encounters Dracula, the Wolf Man and Frankenstein’s Monster. Starring Boris Karloff, Lon Chaney Jr, J. Carrol Naish.” HOUSE OF DRACULA: “In this sequel, Dracula and the Wolf Man seek cures, while the Monster and everyone else also have problems! Starring John Carradine, Lon Chaney Jr, Lionel Atwill.”

Nina Danino: I DIE OF SADNESS CRYING FOR YOU – Screening & Study Day at Birkbeck Cinema (06 DEC to 07 DEC – FREE!):

  • “Following its recent premiere at the 63rd BFI London Film Festival and the Seville European Film Festival, LUX, BIMI and the London Instituto Cervantes are delighted to present a screening of Nina Danino’s film I DIE OF SADNESS CRYING FOR YOU (2019) on Friday 6 December which will be expanded and contextualised by a study-day on Saturday 7 December.”

More films in London today (A – Z):

  • ATLANTICS d. Mati Diop, 2019 at ICA (06 DEC 16:00). BUSBY d. Joe Pearlman, 2019 presented by Screen25 at Harris Academy South Norwood (06 DEC 19:45 – Use promo code “CIRCUS19” to book & save). THE CAVE d. Feras Fayyad, 2019 + Panel at Curzon Soho (06 DEC 18:20). JAY & SILENT BOB REBOOT d. Kevin Smith, 2019 at The Prince Charles (06 DEC 12:55). THE LOBSTER d. Yorgos Lanthimos, 2015 + Live Score by Solem Quartet at Picturehouse Hackney (06 DEC 20:30). MARRIAGE STORY d. Noah Baumbach, 2019 + Intro by the director at Curzon Soho (06 DEC 20:45). THE NIGHTINGALE d. Jennifer Kent, 2019 at ICA (06 DEC 15:50). RENT d. Chris Columbus, 2005 presented by Fringe! at Bernie Grant Arts Centre (06 DEC 19:00). SHOOTING THE MAFIA d. Kim Longinotto, 2019 at Barbican (06 DEC 18:15). YVES SAINT LAURENT: THE LAST COLLECTIONS d. Olivier Meyrou, 2018 at Ciné Lumière (06 DEC 16:30).

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SAT 07

Films in London this week: MA COSA CI DICE IL CERVELLO aka Don't Stop Me Now at Genesis Cinema (07 DEC).
Films in London this week: MA COSA CI DICE IL CERVELLO aka Don’t Stop Me Now at Genesis Cinema (07 DEC).

CITIZEN JANE: BATTLE FOR THE CITY d. Matt Tyrnauer, 2017 + Intro at The Green Nunhead (07 DEC 19:00 – FREE!/Food bank donation requested):

  • Films for Food present: “Jane Jacobs, author of The Death and Life of Great American Cities, helped change the way we look at urban living. The recent documentary CITIZEN JANE focuses on Jacobs’ most consequential battle in the 1960s: when she went up against New York City’s ruthless power broker, Robert Moses–and won. FREE screening but please bring a donation for Southwark Food Bank.”

The Live Ghost Tent – Quarterly Meeting Of The Laurel & Hardy Society at The Cinema Museum (07 DEC 15:00):

  • “The films we intend to show are: BIG BUSINESS (1929), short directed by James W. Horne and Leo McCarey; BELOW ZERO (1930), short directed by James Parrott; THE FIXER UPPERS (1935), short directed by Charles Rogers; and BABES IN TOYLAND (1934), directed by Gus Meins and Charles Rogers.”

MA COSA CI DICE IL CERVELLO aka Don’t Stop Me Now d. Riccardo Milan, 2019 + Q&A with the director & actor Paola Cortellesi at Genesis Cinema (07 DEC 18:00):

  • CinemaItaliaUK presents: “Giovanna is a low-profile woman with a boring life, split between her accounting job, her daughter Martina and the teases of her exuberant mother. But behind this dull façade, Giovanna is actually a secret agent, engaged in extremely dangerous and thrilling international missions. During a reunion with her former high school classmates, Giovanna listens to her friends’ stories realizing that all of them, just like her, are forced to suffer daily absurd vexations. She can’t stand it any longer!”

More films in London today (A – Z):

SUN 08

Films in London this week: THE ADVENTURES OF PRINCE ACHMED at Deptford Cinema (08 DEC).
Films in London this week: THE ADVENTURES OF PRINCE ACHMED at Deptford Cinema (08 DEC).

THE ADVENTURES OF PRINCE ACHMED d. Lottie Reiniger, 1926 + Discussion with Tashi Petter at Deptford Cinema (08 DEC 14:30):

  • Deptford Cinema Film & Book Club presents: “Today considered the earliest animated feature-length in cinema history, in this hour-long fantasy spectacle, Reiniger’s intricate silhouettes come to life on screen to perform Middle Eastern folk tales from One Thousand and One Nights. Embodying the role of Scheherazade, the female storyteller of the Arabian Nights tales, Reiniger employs her scissors to snip and stitch together her own version of the source material.”

DISPOSSESSION: THE GREAT SOCIAL HOUSING SWINDLE d. Paul Sng, 2017 + Short: LONDON’S ANCIENT MARKETS d. Sandra Shevey, 2018 + Intro at Bolivar Hall (08 DEC 11:00).

  • London Socialist Film Co-op presents: DISPOSSESSION: “This doc explores the agenda behind the neglect, demolition and regeneration of council estates in the U.K. over the past thirty years.” LONDON’S ANCIENT MARKETS: “This doc about the demise of London’s traditional street markets challenges the cult of globalisation and gentrification of urban food areas and of food economy.”

EERIE TALES aka Unheimliche Geschichten d. Richard Oswald, 1919 + Intro by Miranda Gower-Qian + Live Accompaniment by Stephen Horne at BFI Southbank (08 DEC 13:10):

  • “An anthology film of five gothic, ghostly or macabre tales from the greats of the genre, including Edgar Allan Poe and Robert Louis Stevenson. They’re narrated by the Harlot, The Devil and even Death himself.”

More films in London today (A – Z):

MON 09

Films in London this week: HONEY BOY at Picturehouse Central (09 DEC).
Films in London this week: HONEY BOY at Picturehouse Central (09 DEC).

HONEY BOY d. Alma Har’el, 2019 + Q&A with the director at Picturehouse Central (09 DEC 18:30):

  • “From a screenplay by Shia LaBeouf, based on his own experiences, award-winning filmmaker Alma Har’el brings to life a young actor’s stormy childhood and early adult years as he struggles to reconcile with his father through cinema and dreams. Fictionalizing his childhood’s ascent to stardom, and subsequent adult crash-landing into rehab and recovery, Har’el casts Noah Jupe and Lucas Hedges as Otis Lort, navigating different stages in a frenetic career. LaBeouf takes on the daring and therapeutic challenge of playing a version of his own father, an ex-rodeo clown and a felon.”

More films in London today (A – Z):

  • CHICAGO d. Rob Marshall, 2002 at Dulwich Picture Gallery (09 DEC 19:30). THE DIRTY WAR ON THE NHS d. John Pilger, 2019 at Catford Mews (09 DEC 18:30). THE DIVE d. Yona Rozenkier, 2018 presented by UKJF at JW3 (09 DEC 17:30). GREMLINS d. Joe Dante, 1984 at TT Liquor (09 DEC 18:30). HUMAN NATURE d. Adam Bolt, 2019 at DocHouse (09 DEC 20:30). THE IRISHMAN d. Martin Scorsese, 2019 at The Prince Charles (09 DEC 12:00). THE IRISHMAN d. Martin Scorsese, 2019 at Rich Mix (09 DEC 19:30). JAY & SILENT BOB REBOOT d. Kevin Smith, 2019 at The Prince Charles (09 DEC 16:05). SHOOTING THE MAFIA d. Kim Longinotto, 2019 at Barbican (09 DEC 18:15). TV Preview: DRACULA d. Jonny Campbell, 2019 + Q&A with writers Steven Moffat & Mark Gatiss, actors Claes Bang & Dolly Wells, director Jonny Campbell & exec producer Sue Vertue at BFI Southbank (09 DEC 18:15). WILLIAM CHRISTIE, THE ART OF GIVING d. Jarmila Buzkova, 2019 in the presence of William Christie, Paul Agnew and director Jarmila Buzkova at Ciné Lumière (09 DEC 20:00).

TUE 10

Films in London this week: ALICE IN WONDERLAND at The Lord Palmerston (10 DEC).
Films in London this week: ALICE IN WONDERLAND at The Lord Palmerston (10 DEC).

ALICE IN WONDERLAND d. Jonathan Miller, 1966 Tribute Screening at The Lord Palmerston (10 DEC 20:00):

  • Tufnell Park Film Club presents: “Jonathan Miller’s BBC adaptation of Lewis Carol’s classic novel is unique among Alice films in that not only was it intended for an adult audience, but most of the Wonderland characters are played by actors in standard Victorian dress (including a real cat used to represent the Cheshire Cat). Miller justified his approach as an attempt to return to what he perceived as the essence of the story.”

PARASITE d. Bong Joon-ho, 2019 + Q&A with the director at Picturehouse Hackney (10 DEC 18:00):

  • “A tense and satirical thriller from director Bong Joon-ho, winner of the Palme d’Or at Cannes Film Festival 2019. PARASITE follows the Kim family, all four live in a tiny basement flat and all four are unemployed. One day they get a stroke of luck when their son, Ki-woo – though unqualified – manages to secure a lucrative tutoring job for the wealthy Park family. Slowly, the Kim family begin to infiltrate the Park household, but as their deception unravels events begin to get increasingly out of hand.”

THE SOUVENIR d. Joanna Hogg, 2018 + Q&A with the director at Curzon Soho (10 DEC 18:15):

  • “A young, quietly ambitious film student (Honor Swinton Byrne) embarks on her first serious love affair with a charismatic and mysterious man (Tom Burke). She tries to disentangle fact from fiction as she surrenders to the relationship, which comes dangerously close to destroying her dreams.”

More films in London today (A – Z):

WED 11

Films in London this week: MOULIN ROUGE 35mm at The Cinema Museum (11 DEC).
Films in London this week: MOULIN ROUGE 35mm at The Cinema Museum (11 DEC).

KNOCK DOWN THE HOUSE d. Rachel Lears, 2019 + Panel Discussion at Deptford Cinema (11 DEC 19:00 – FREE!/Booking advised):

  • Doc Society presents: “Fatigued by Brexit and the unequal state of British politics? This film is a refreshing antidote! Join Doc Society for a FREE screening of the inspiring and award-winning documentary film, KNOCK DOWN THE HOUSE. The film will be accompanied by a lively post film conversation with special guests about ways to #KnockDownBarriers in politics and what you can do to get involved.”

LONDON FIELDS [THE SECRET DIRECTOR’S CUT] d. Mathew Cullen, 2013/19 + Q&A with the director & actor Jim Sturgess at Rio Cinema (11 DEC 18:00):

  • “LONDON FIELDS is based on Martin Amis’ much-celebrated novel of the same name, considered by many to be an unfilmable masterwork along the lines of Naked Lunch or Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas. Two different groups within the film’s thirty-eight credited producers completed two different edits of the film behind director Mathew Cullen’s back while Cullen used his personal finances to complete his own cut. Cullen’s cut has since been buried and seen by few. Until now!”

MOULIN ROUGE 35mm d. E.A. Dupont, 1928 + Intro by Michelle Facey + Live Piano Accompaniment by Meg Morley at The Cinema Museum (11 DEC 19:30):

  • “Let the Kennington Bioscope light up your winter nights with a blaze of glamour as the backdrop of the Parisian dance hall sets the scene for a strange and dramatic love triangle… Jean Bradin plays Andre, the young aristocrat in love with Margaret, played by Eve Grey, but as they watch the Moulin Rouge’s stage extravaganza together, he falls hard for Parysia, the star of the show, played by Russian-German actress Olga Tschechowa, who just happens to be the younger woman’s mother…”

PARASITE d. Bong Joon-ho, 2019 + Q&A with the director at Barbican (11 DEC 18:10):

  • “A tense and satirical thriller from director Bong Joon-ho, winner of the Palme d’Or at Cannes Film Festival 2019. PARASITE follows the Kim family, all four live in a tiny basement flat and all four are unemployed. One day they get a stroke of luck when their son, Ki-woo – though unqualified – manages to secure a lucrative tutoring job for the wealthy Park family. Slowly, the Kim family begin to infiltrate the Park household, but as their deception unravels events begin to get increasingly out of hand.”

More films in London today (A – Z):

  • ALL ABOUT EVE d. Joseph L. Mankiewicz, 1950 presented by Pitshanger Pictures at St Barnabas Church (11 DEC 14:00). THE BIGGEST LITTLE FARM d. John Chester, 2019 at Regent Street Cinema (11 DEC 18:30 & 20:30). Bounce Film Night at The Castle Cinema (11 DEC 19:00). CASABLANCA d. Michael Curtiz, 1942 + Supper + Panel presented by Welcome Cinema + Kitchen at Amnesty International UK (11 DEC 18:00). FITZWILLY d. Delbert Mann, 1967 at Regent Street Cinema (11 DEC 12:00 & 15:30). HONEYLAND d. Tamara Kotevska & Ljubomir Stefanov, 2019 at The David Lean (11 DEC 19:30). HUMAN NATURE d. Adam Bolt, 2019 at DocHouse (11 DEC 15:15). THE IRISHMAN d. Martin Scorsese, 2019 at The Prince Charles (11 DEC 11:50). THE LOBSTER d. Yorgos Lanthimos, 2015 + Live Score by Solem Quartet at Picturehouse West Norwood (11 DEC 20:00). MILES DAVIS: BIRTH OF THE COOL d. Stanley Nelson, 2019 at ICA (11 DEC 14:15). MOONSTRUCK d. Norman Jewison, 1988 + Intro by Adrian Wootton at Barbican (11 DEC 20:35). THE NIGHTINGALE d. Jennifer Kent, 2019 at ICA (11 DEC 15:45). Odyssey Film Club: PHOTOGRAPH d. Ritesh Batra, 2019 + Short presented by Screen25 at Harris Academy South Norwood (11 DEC 19:45 – Use promo code “CIRCUS19” to book & save). TV Preview: MARTIN’S CLOSE d. Mark Gatiss, 2019 + Q&A with Mark Gatiss and cast members Simon Williams, Sara Crowe, Fisayo Akinade and Wilf Scolding at BFI Southbank (11 DEC 18:15).

THU 12

Films in London this week: E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL at The Castle Cinema (12 DEC).
Films in London this week: E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL 16mm at The Castle Cinema (12 DEC).

E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL 16mm d. Steven Spielberg, 1982 + Intro at The Castle Cinema (12 DEC 19:30 + 15 DEC 13:45):

  • Ciné-Real 16mm Film Club presents: “This tearjerking tale of a young boy’s friendship with a stranded space alien may technically be a sci-fi movie, but it also represents a very personal account of director Steven Spielberg’s down-to-earth feelings of childhood isolation and anxiety following his parents’ divorce. A wonderful script by Melissa Mathison and a surging score by John Williams help this to pack a mighty emotional punch. (Mark Kermode)”

SISTERS d. Petra Bauer, 2011 + Intro at Peckhamplex (12 DEC 20:30):

  • DISPATCH FMI presents: “Celebrating 40 years of service, the Southall Black Sisters were founded in 1979 in order to support Black (Asian and African-Caribbean) women threatened by gender-based violence. This 2011 film by Swedish artist Petra Bauer documents the life of the organisation over one week and poses questions about feminism and the political landscape in contemporary society.”

Things from Other Worlds: Adapting, Transforming and Translating The Thing with Instructor Laura Mee at The Horse Hospital (12 DEC 19:00):

  • The Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies presents: “This lecture explores the rich narrative universe of The Thing, using its various iterations to examine the multi-platform and serial nature of contemporary genre storytelling. While John Carpenter’s 1982 film remains the best-known (and most widely celebrated) version, the tale of the eponymous alien ‘thing’ which invades and imitates its host body has its origins in a 1938 novella (John W. Campbell, Jr.).”

More films in London today (A – Z):

  • ALVA d. Ico Costa, 2019 + Q&A with the director at ICA (12 DEC 18:30). ATLANTICS d. Mati Diop, 2019 at ICA (12 DEC 20:55). Election Night at Catford Mews (12 DEC 21:00 – FREE!). FIRST A GIRL 35mm d. Victor Saville, 1936 + Intro by John Oliver at BFI Southbank (12 DEC 18:00). HARRIET d. Kasi Lemmons, 2019 at Genesis Cinema (12 DEC 20:45). I AM (NOT) A MONSTER d. Nelly Ben Hayoun-Stépanian, 2019 Preview at BFI Southbank (12 DEC 20:20). OFFICIAL SECRETS d. Gavin Hood, 2019 at The David Lean (12 DEC 14:30 HOH & 19:30). PARASITE d. Bong Joon-ho, 2019 + Intro by actor Song Kang-ho at Picturehouse Ritzy (12 DEC 18:00). THE STREET d. Zed Nelson, 2019 + Q&A with the director at Regent Street Cinema (12 DEC 20:00).

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MUSEUM SHOWS PART 1

SEASONS (by event/venue)

Films in London this week: SILENT NIGHT, DEADLY NIGHT, part of CHRISTMAS AT GENESIS at Genesis Cinema (08 to 17 DEC).
Films in London this week: SILENT NIGHT, DEADLY NIGHT, part of CHRISTMAS AT GENESIS at Genesis Cinema (08 to 17 DEC).

70mm PRESENTATIONS at The Prince Charles (ongoing):

“Bringing regular 70mm presentations back to the West End with”:

  • DIE HARD 70mm d. John McTiernan, 1988 (08 DEC 20:45 / 12 DEC 21:00).

A HISTORY OF THE AMERICAN MOVIE MUSICAL at Deptford Cinema (21 OCT to 09 DEC):

“Deptford Cinema joins in the BFI’s nationwide three-month celebration of the musical film genre with our own special and spectacular season! Expect short films and programme notes at all screenings, and even some special guest speakers.” Includes:

  • LA LA LAND d. Damien Chazelle, 2017 + Short (09 DEC 19:00).

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):

“The most ambitious, creative and complete retrospective of works by ‘the most important living director you’ve never heard of’—Pere Portabella—will tour London’s most engaged cultural institutions from November 2019 until February 2020.” Includes:

BAFTA SCREENWRITERS LECTURE SERIES at Curzon Cinemas (30 NOV to 12 DEC):

“The Screenwriters’ Lecture Series exists to celebrate screenwriters’ authorial contribution to film and gives esteemed writers a platform to share highlights and insights from their careers with an audience of film-lovers and their peers.” Includes:

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

“Since Christmas is seen by many as an opportunity for getting together, it’s timely to look at gatherings of various sorts.” Includes:

  • ORDET aka The Word d. Carl Theodor Dreyer, 1955 (06 DEC 18:10); TOKYO STORY aka Tokyo Monogatari d. Yasujiro Ozu, 1953 (07 DEC 20:20); THE DEER HUNTER 4K d. Michael Cimino, 1978 (08 DEC 19:15); THE LADYKILLERS d. Alexander Mackendrick, 1955 (09 DEC 18:30); AFTER LIFE aka Wandafuru Raifu d. Hirokazu Koreeda, 1998 (10 DEC 18:15 / 12 DEC 18:10); and, ROPE d. Alfred Hitchcock, 1948 + Intro by Geoff Andrew (11 DEC 18:00).

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

  • IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE d. Frank Capra, 1946 + Mince Pies & Mulled Wine (08 DEC 12:30); GREMLINS 30th Anniversary Restoration d. Joe Dante, 1984 presented by Truman’s (10 DEC 18:20 + Free pint of something Truman’s); and, SILENT NIGHT, DEADLY NIGHT d. Charles E. Sellier Jr, 1984 + Intro/Salon with Nick Walker presented by Cult Classic Collective (12 DEC 18:40).

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

CHRISTMAS POP-UP CINEMA presented by Crofton Park Pictures at Rivoli Ballroom (11 to 13 DEC):

CLOSE-UP ON RAINER WERNER FASSBINDER at Close-Up (until 06 DEC):

“Marking the 30th Anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall – and programmed in parallel to our upcoming Jürgen Böttcher retrospective with the Goethe-Institut – we’re pleased to present a selection of Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s film and television works from across his vast, yet tragically short lived ouvre.” Includes:

DELEUZE’S CINEMA: MOVEMENTS IN TIME at Close-Up (01 to 10 DEC):

“Close-Up is pleased to present the launch of Christopher Kul-Want’s book, Philosophers on Cinema, From Bergson to Badiou, A Critical Reader (Columbia University press) on 05 DEC 19:00. Accompanying the launch Christopher has selected a programme of four films inspired by the philosopher Gilles Deleuze’s two seminal books: Cinema I: The Movement-Image and Cinema II: The Time-Image.” Includes:

  • RASHOMON d. Akira Kurosawa, 1950 + Intro by Christopher Kul-Want (09 DEC 20:30); and, CHIKAMATSU MONOGATARI d. Kenji Mizoguchi, 1954 + Intro by Christopher Kul-Want (10 DEC 20:30).

DIRECTOR DEBUTS at Deptford Cinema (until 15 DEC):

FRIENDS 25TH: THE ONE WITH THE ANNIVERSARY at The Prince Charles (08 DEC to 15 DEC):

“FRIENDS 25TH: THE ONE WITH THE ANNIVERSARY” will reunite fans with their longtime BFFs —Ross, Rachel, Joey, Monica, Chandler and Phoebe —to re-live some of their funniest moments. This event takes place over 3 nights, with 4 different episodes per night!” Includes:

HARRY POTTER SEASON at The Prince Charles (ongoing):

“Every HARRY POTTER film screening over the coming months, all presented from 35mm!” Includes:

IN FOCUS: TOMITA KATSUYA at ICA (06 to 15 DEC):

“A programme of four feature films by one of Japan’s most thought-provoking contemporary filmmakers.” Includes:

  • TENZO d. Tomita Katsuya, 2019 + Q&A with the director (06 DEC 18:45); and, BANGKOK NIGHTS d. Tomita Katsuya, 2016 + Intro by the director (07 DEC 20:00).

INGMAR BERGMAN at Deptford Cinema (on going):

“A season of films by the prolific and much celebrated Swedish director. Philip French referred to Bergman as ‘one of the greatest artists of the 20th century’.” Includes:

LAIKA RETROSPECTIVE at Picturehouse Central (08 DEC):

“The celebratory retrospective will be accompanied by a lobby exhibition featuring puppets and sets.” Includes:

MAURICE PIALET AND THE NEW FRENCH REALISM at BFI Southbank (OCT to DEC):

“A two-part exploration of an uncompromising director and the impact he’s made on recent French cinema and its actors.” Includes:

MED HONDO: AFRICA FROM THE SEINE at BFI Southbank (DEC):

“Every film lover should experience the wide palette and unique vision of Med Hondo’s cinema.” Includes:

MIDNIGHT EXCESS at Rio Cinema (12 OCT to 14 DEC):

“A film programme from SUPAKINO that brings back the thrill of weird and wonderful late-night movies to London’s historic Rio Cinema.” Includes:

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

“Dust off your dancing shoes, practice your scales and join us for some heart-lifting movies, special events and joyful singalongs.” Includes:

SO THAT YOU CAN LIVE: THE OPPOSITIONAL FILMS OF CINEMA ACTION at Deptford Cinema (08 to 16 DEC):

“Films from a collective who helped define independent British film and produced some of the most powerful documents of political struggles during the 70s and 80s.” Presented by Wavelength. Includes:

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

“From being a film icon to supporting emerging women directors, Delphine Seyrig (1932-1990) increasingly got involved in the women’s rights and social struggles of her times, both in France and internationally, especially via the making of activist videos with her collective ‘Les Insoumuses’ (Defiant Muses) and through co-founding the Simone de Beauvoir Audiovisual Centre in Paris.” Includes:

  • INDIA SONG d. Marguerite Duras, 1975 (08 DEC 14:00 / 10 DEC 19:45 + Intro by Professor Richard Dyer).

UKRAINIAN FILM DAYS at Ciné Lumière & Curzon Soho (05 to 08 DEC):

“The Institut Français du Royaume-Uni, Curzon Soho and the Ukrainian Institute London offer you a film series showcasing the country’s fine tradition of film-making.” Includes:

  • HOMEWARD d. Nariman Aliev, 2019 + Q&A with actor Akhtem Seitablayev (06 DEC 18:30 – Ciné Lumière); THE WILD FIELDS d. Iaroslav Lodygin, 2018 + Q&A with the director (07 DEC 17:30 – Curzon Soho); VOLCANO d. Roman Bondarchuk, 2018 + Q&A with the director (08 DEC 11:00 – Curzon Soho); and, SWAN LAKE: THE ZONEd. Yuri Ilyenko, 1990 + Panel Discussion (08 DEC 19:00 – Ciné Lumière).

> Plan ahead with our monthly roundup of London’s rep seasons & film festivals.

MUSEUM SHOWS PART 2

FILM FESTIVALS (by date/duration)

Films in London this week: POTAMKIN, part of London International Animation Festival (08 DEC).
Films in London this week: POTAMKIN, part of London International Animation Festival at Close-Up (08 DEC).

Film festivals in London this week include:

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GRIND SHOWS

REGULAR RUNS & MAINSTREAM MARVELS (by title)

Films in London this week: BUDDIES at ICA (07 to 12 DEC).
Films in London this week: BUDDIES at ICA (07 to 12 DEC).

BUDDIES d. Arthur J. Bressan Jr, 1985 at ICA (07 to 12 DEC):

  • “Written, produced and directed by the late filmmaker Arthur J. Bressan Jr., BUDDIES (1985) was the first narrative feature film about the AIDS epidemic. Recently restored in 2k from its original 16 mm negative, this landmark film is now screening widely for the first time following its brief theatrical release in 1985.”

HONEY BOY d. Alma Har’el, 2019 at Genesis Cinema (06 to 12 DEC):

  • “From a screenplay by Shia LaBeouf, based on his own experiences, award-winning filmmaker Alma Har’el brings to life a young actor’s stormy childhood and early adult years as he struggles to reconcile with his father through cinema and dreams. Fictionalising his childhood’s ascent to stardom, and subsequent adult crash-landing into rehab and recovery, LaBeouf takes on the therapeutic challenge of playing a version of his own father, an ex-rodeo clown and a felon.”

SO LONG, MY SON d. Wang Xiaoshuai, 2018 at ArtHouse Crouch End (06 to 12 DEC):

  • “Packing a powerful emotional punch, SO LONG, MY SON traces the lives of two families over three decades of social, political and human upheaval in China. Following the loss of a child in a tragic accident,paths separate, destinies ebb and flow, and fortunes are transformed under the impact of a country’s changing face. Yet even as their lives diverge, a common search for truth and reconciliation around the tragedy remains. But sometimes it can take a lifetime to say farewell…”

THE UMBRELLAS OF CHERBOURG aka Les Parapluies de Cherbourg d. Jacques Demy, 1964 at Ciné Lumière (06 DEC to 07 JAN):

  • “Guy, an auto mechanic, has fallen in love with Geneviève, who works in her mother’s chic umbrella shop. Before Guy is to leave for a tour of combat, the two share a passionate night. Winner of the Palme d’Or in Cannes 1964, Jacques Demy’s visually intoxicating ‘film in song’ pays homage to the Hollywood musical and is a major influence on directors including Damien Chazelle and Wes Anderson.”

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

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