Films in London this HALLOWEEN: THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW at The Gate (31 OCT).

SCREEN GUIDE: Films in London this week [19 to 25 OCT]

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 19 // SAT 20 // SUN 21 // MON 22 // TUE 23 // WED 24 // THU 25

Featured attraction: THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW + LIVE PERFORMANCE by the European All-Star Shadowcast at Rio Cinema (20 OCT 19:00): “Rocky Horror was probably not the first example of gender-bending on film, but it was the most in-your-face. When Dr Frank N Furter sings “I’m just a sweet transvestite” without any apology, it was empowering for many people. And Janet singing Touch-A Touch-A Touch Me was controversial, too – a girl wanting to be sexual in a let’s-get-down-and-do-it way.” – Richard O’Brien, The Guardian.

Save The Cinema Museum: With several independent venues under threat across London, RADIANT CIRCUS is proud to be supporting the campaign to Save The Cinema Museum. Read our interview with The Celluloid Sorceress, Rebecca Nicole Williams, about her SPARKLE fundraiser with Samira Ahmed [28 OCT 15:00], then get booking with our exclusive discount code.

Find films in London this week by: SINGLE-O EXHIBITS (one-off attractions) // MUSEUM SHOWS (several exhibits under one roof – seasons & festivals) // GRIND SHOWS (a selection of regular runs).

FILMS IN LONDON THIS WEEK

SINGLE-O EXHIBITS

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

FRI 19

Films in London this week: DECASIA at Close-Up (19 OCT).
Films in London this week: DECASIA at Close-Up (19 OCT).

Bill Morrison: The State of Decay at Close-Up (19 OCT 19:30):

  • Bill Morrison has spent more than two decades integrating archival footage in various states of decay into new artworks, frequently collaborating with contemporary composers who create scores for the resulting work. Morrison presents a selection of films from across his career including DECASIA on 35mm and his most recent short, THE LETTER.

BREATH at Regent Street Cinema (19 OCT 19:30):

  • The London Australian Film Society and OZ Film Festival present: Two very different boys on the brink of adolescence bond over their new-found love of surfing. When they meet an enigmatic older surfer and his beautiful but damaged girlfriend, they are taken under his wing and challenged in ways that will set their paths for the rest of their lives. UK premiere.

OUR HOSPITALITY + LIVE SCORE by Such Sweet Thunder at Genesis Cinema (19 OCT 19:45 – Free / Booking recommended):

  • A screening of a silent era classic, Buster Keaton’s OUR HOSPITALITY, accompanied by an original score from the Such Sweet Thunder collective.

Playedback 2: LIVE MUSIC + The Shorts Of The Quay Brothers at Deptford Cinema (19 OCT 20:00):

  • Following their first Deptford Cinema PlayedBack event accompanying the short films of Jan Svankmajer, Yusufla present an evening of live improvised music to the backdrop of the unique and deeply unsettling animation legends, the Quay Brothers.

More films in London today (A – Z): OCEAN’S EIGHT presented by Screen25 at Harris Academy South Norwood (19 OCT 19:45). SALUT, COUSIN! presented by Maghreb Ciné at Old Manor Park Library (19 OCT 19:00). SCIENCE FAIR at DocHouse (19 OCT 14:00). TEHRAN TABOO at Watermans (19 OCT 18:15).

SAT 20

Films in London this week: MOUNTAIN OF THE CANNIBAL GOD at The King & Queen (20 OCT).
Films in London this week: MOUNTAIN OF THE CANNIBAL GOD at The King & Queen (20 OCT).

CANNIBAL CUTS at The King & Queen (20 OCT 17:00 – Free / Donation requested):

  • World Wide Weird presents an evening of Italian Cannibal exploitation all in glorious 16 & 8mm. Programme includes various trailers, condensed features and the full MOUNTAIN OF THE CANNIBAL GOD aka Prisoner of the Cannibal God.
  • Raising funds for Macmillan Cancer Nurses.

THE CFF STORY + Q&A with director Jason Gurr & Guests at The Cinema Museum (20 OCT 11:00):

  • The Children’s Film Foundation (CFF) was a government-funded, non-profit-making organisation, making films for children in the UK. It was operational from 1951 to the mid 1980s. Its films were initially screened at the network of Saturday morning cinema clubs which at one time covered the UK; the films were later screened on children’s television. Premiere.

IDA + LIVE MUSIC + FOOD at Theatre Peckham (20 OCT 18:00):

  • South Social presents: a tribute to Poland and to its most promising director, Pawel Pawlikowski. IDA is a film that will blow your mind, so charged with history, secrets, love and violence. Before the screening a delicious Polish buffet will be offered and  super dashing Polish band, Tomasz Zyrmont Trio, will play live.

THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW + LIVE PERFORMANCE by the European All-Star Shadowcast at Rio Cinema (20 OCT 19:00):

  • Celebrate the 30th year of TimeWarp, the UK’s only official Rocky Horror fan club. Includes: Pre-screening live show; live shadowcast performance; audience costume & participation; optional prop bags & themed cocktails. Dress code: “Don’t even think about wearing jeans and trainers!” / “No water pistols!”

More films in London today (A – Z): MARLINA THE MURDERER IN FOUR ACTS at Deptford Cinema (20 OCT 19:30). ORPHÉE at ArtHouse Crouch End (20 OCT 18:20).

SUN 21

Films in London this week: CALIBRE at Curzon Aldgate (21 OCT).
Films in London this week: CALIBRE at Curzon Aldgate (21 OCT).

CALIBRE + Q&A with producer Al Clark and actors Kate Bracken & Jack Lowden at Curzon Aldgate (21 OCT 14:30):

  • Two lifelong friends on a hunting trip in Scotland find their nerves, and their morals, ruthlessly tested after a harrowing turn of events. CALIBRE is the taut, merciless and deeply affecting feature debut by Matt Palmer.

Double Bill: THE BAD AND THE BEAUTIFUL + TWO WEEKS IN ANOTHER TOWN at Regent Street Cinema (21 OCT 14:00 & 16:15):

  • THE BAD AND THE BEAUTIFUL (1952): An unscrupulous movie producer uses an actress, a director and a writer to achieve success. TWO WEEKS IN ANOTHER TOWN (1962): After spending three years in an asylum, a washed-up actor views a minor assignment from his old director in Rome as a chance for personal and professional redemption.

More films in London today (A – Z): THE ENDLESS at Whirled Cinema (21 OCT 18:00). ORPHÉE at ArtHouse Crouch End (21 OCT 16:35). SCIENCE FAIR at DocHouse (21 OCT 12:00). SOLARIS (1971) at Picturehouse Central (21 OCT 18:30 – Other Picturehouses available!). TEHRAN TABOO at Watermans (21 OCT 15:30).

MON 22

Films in London this week: MIDNIGHT at Lexi Cinema (22 OCT).
Films in London this week: MIDNIGHT at Lexi Cinema (22 OCT).

BEEN SO LONG + Q&A with cast & crew + AFTER PARTY at Everyman Screen On The Green (22 OCT 19:00):

  • Brid’s Eye View #ReclaimTheFrame presents: CHEWING GUM star Michaela Coel leads a talented cast in Tinge Krishnan’s contemporary London musical, which reimagines Camden as a romantic neon-soaked wonderland.

Mabel Normand Shorts + LIVE SCORE by the Meg Morley Trio at BFI Southbank (22 OCT 19:30):

  • Sonic Cinema presents: Mabel Normand was the irrepressible spirit of early Hollywood, an extraordinary performer from the anarchic days of Mack Sennett’s Keystone company to the refined comedies of the 1920s. For this special BFI commission, a brand new score will be performed by the Meg Morley Trio.

MIDNIGHT + INTRO by Wendy Ide at Lexi Cinema (22 OCT 18:30):

  • Lexi Film School presents: A fun, frothy, female-fronted screwball comedy co-written by the legendary Billy Wilder, MIDNIGHT stars Claudette Colbert as an American showgirl washed up in Paris who tangles with a wealthy man.

More films in London today (A – Z): CHINATOWN at BFI (22 OCT 20:30). CRIES AND WHISPERS aka Viskningar Och Rop at BFI (22 OCT 18:40). Double Bill: FACES PLACES + CLEO FROM 5 TO 7 at Regent Street Cinema (22 OCT 18:30 & 20:30). LIFT TO THE SCAFFOLD aka Ascenseur Pour L’échafaud at BFI (22 OCT 20:45).

TUE 23

Films in London this week: DONKEYOTE at DocHouse (23 OCT).
Films in London this week: DONKEYOTE at DocHouse (23 OCT).

DONKEYOTE + Q&A with director Chico Pereira at DocHouse (23 OCT 18:30):

  • An adventure film like you’ve never seen, this extraordinary observational documentary follows 73-year-old Manolo, who lives a simple life in Southern Spain, as he plans to walk the brutal 2200-mile trail of tears in the US with just his donkey Gorrión as his companion.

MOUNTAIN + LIVE ACCOMPANIMENT by the Australian Chamber Orchestra at Barbican (23 OCT 20:00):

  • A nature documentary like you’ve never heard before: the soaring heights and superhuman terrors of the world’s great mountain ranges, accompanied by live music.

SINK + Q&A with actor Martin Herdman at ArtHouse Crouch End (23 OCT 18:40):

  • SINK was shot mainly in South East London. It’s about Micky Mason, a skilled manual worker who, since the Crash, can find nothing but menial zero hours jobs. He takes a course of action that is completely out of character.
  • SINK also enjoys a grind show run at the same venue (19 to 25 OCT).

More films in London today (A – Z): THE ANCIENT WOODS + Q&A with director Mindaugas Survila at Regent Street Cinema (23 OCT 19:30). AN EVENING WITH BEVERLY LUFF LINN at Picturehouse Central (23 OCT 18:30 – Other Picturehouses available!). FACES PLACES at The David Lean (23 OCT 19:30). FEMALE HUMAN ANIMAL + Q&A at JW3 (23 OCT 20:30). LOST & FOUND + Q&A with Liam O Mochain at Genesis Cinema (23 OCT 18:30). MASQUERADE IN VIENNA at The Austrian Cultural Forum (23 OCT 19:00 – Free!). MATANGI / MAYA / M.I.A. + DJ presented by Deeper Into Movies at Miranda Ace Hotel Shoreditch (23 OCT 19:00). THE MISFITS presented by Tufnell Park Film Club at The Lord Palmerston (23 OCT 20:00). MOMENTUM GENERATION presented by Wavelength Magazine at Genesis Cinema (23 OCT 20:30). PHANTOM THREAD presented by Wimbledon Film Club at HMV Curzon (23 OCT 20:30). THE SEAGULL at Ciné Lumière (23 OCT 20:40). SCIENCE FAIR at DocHouse (23 OCT 14:30). TEHRAN TABOO at Watermans (23 OCT 16:00). THRONE OF BLOOD 35mm aka Kumonosu-jô at BFI (23 OCT 20:40).

WED 24

Films in London this week: NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD at Peckhamplex (24 OCT).
Films in London this week: NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD at Peckhamplex (24 OCT).

A Further Evening of 9.5mm Films From Kevin Brownlow’s Collection at The Cinema Museum (24 OCT 19:30):

  • Kenning Bioscope presents: 9.5mm was a home movie gauge launched in the 1920s and is of similar quality to 16mm. Many silent films survive only in this form. Two of the films to be shown feature German film actress Lil Dagover: THE MAELSTROM OF PARIS aka Le Tourbillon de Paris (1928) and THE CHRONICLES OF THE GRAY HOUSE aka Zur Chronik von Grieshuus (1925).

THE MAGNIFICENT AMBERSONS + INTRO by Geoff Andrew at BFI Southbank (24 OCT 18:10):

  • Though infamously mutilated by RKO, Welles’ superb adaptation of Booth Tarkington’s equally superb novel remains a masterpiece, a persuasively elegiac account of a gentler era centred on the titular dynasty, who still feel safe in their mansion on the edge of town.

NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD: 50th Anniversary Screening + SPECIAL FEATURES at Peckhamplex (24 OCT 20:30):

  • Celebrate 50 years of the Living Dead by seeing the 50th Anniversary, Re-mastered in 4k MOMA version! The iconic film that started the zombie genre and shaped modern horror movies is a great story of independent cinema. Screens with a custom featurette full of new and archival footage.
  • Also screens 31 OCT 20:30.

LA TERRA DELL’ABBASTANZA + INTRO by Luisa Pretolani at Regent Street Cinema (24 OCT 19:30):

  • CinemaItaliaUK presents: Mirko and Manolo are two ordinary guys living in the suburbs of Rome. One night, while driving, they accidentally kill a man, unaware that he is a police informer. The local criminal organisation, as a reward, invite the two guys to become part of their gang.

More films in London today (A – Z): A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH 10th Birthday Screening at Lexi Cinema (24 OCT 13:30 – HOH subtitled screening). THE BITTER TEARS OF PETRA VON KANT at Goethe-Institut (24 OCT 19:00). CRIES AND WHISPERS aka Viskningar Och Rop at BFI (24 OCT 20:40). HALLOWEEN (1978) presented by Crofton Park Pictures at Rivoli Ballroom (24 OCT 20:30). IN THE FADE presented by Screen25’s Odyssey Film Club at Harris Academy South Norwood (24 OCT 19:45). JALOUS at Ciné Lumière (24 OCT 16:00 & 20:40). Magic Lantern Show at BFI (24 OCT 13:30). MISS SADIE THOMPSON at Regent Street Cinema (24 OCT 12:05 & 15:30). THE SEAGULL at Ciné Lumière (24 OCT 18:30). Stereoscopy: A Wonder of Victorian Entertainment at BFI (24 OCT 16:00). Wind, Rewind: Women Behind the Lens at Great Hall, Queen Mary University of London (24 OCT 19:00).

THU 25

Films in London this week: BEEN SO LONG at Genesis Cinema (25 OCT).
Films in London this week: BEEN SO LONG at Genesis Cinema (25 OCT).

BEEN SO LONG + Q&A with cast & crew  at Genesis Cinema (25 OCT 21:00):

  • Bird’s Eye View #ReclaimTheFrame presents: CHEWING GUM star Michaela Coel leads a talented cast in Tinge Krishnan’s contemporary London musical, which reimagines Camden as a romantic neon-soaked wonderland.

BEING BLACKER + Q&A with director Molly Dineen & Steve Martin aka Blacker Dread at House of Vans (25 OCT 19:00 – Free / Booking required):

  • Commune Cinema presents: The story of the renowned reggae record shop owner and music producer Blacker Dread, his extended family, friends and the wider Brixton community.

SAVING BRINTON + SPECIAL FEATURES at The Cinema Museum (25 OCT 19:30):

  • A Save The Cinema Museum Fundraiser: Retired Iowa Teacher of the Year Michael Zahs, makes a remarkable discovery — the Brinton Collection of century-old films that introduced middle America to the movies including treasures from Georges Méliés, Thomas Edison and the Lumiere Brothers.

SINK + Q&A with director Mark Gillis at Genesis Cinema (25 OCT 18:30):

  • SINK was shot mainly in South East London. It’s about Micky Mason, a skilled manual worker who, since the Crash, can find nothing but menial zero hours jobs. He takes a course of action that is completely out of character.

More films in London today (A – Z): BLACK MILLWALL + Q&A with director Chris Haydon at Peckhamplex (25 OCT 18:30). DEATH AT A FUNERAL presented by Sydenham Film Club at The Sydenham Centre (25 OCT 19:30). JOURNEY TO ITALY aka Viaggio in Italia at BFI (25 OCT 18:40). KISS ME DEADLY at BFI (25 OCT 18:15). LEGEND presented by the Bigger Picture Film Club at The Ivy House (25 OCT 20:00). OCEAN’S 8 + FOOD presented by Welcome Cinema + Kitchen & Verve at Amnesty International (25 OCT 18:00). ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST + PANEL presented by Psychology at the Movies at Regent Street Cinema (25 OCT 19:00). ORPHÉE at ArtHouse Crouch End (25 OCT 15:10). PUZZLE at The David Lean (25 OCT 14:30 & 19:30). THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW presented by Crofton Park Pictures at Rivoli Ballroom (25 OCT 20:30). SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER 10th Birthday Screening at Lexi Cinema (25 OCT 20:30). THE SEAGULL at Ciné Lumière (25 OCT 16:00). TEHRAN TABOO at Ciné Lumière (25 OCT 20:40).

MUSEUM SHOWS PART 1

SEASONS (by event/venue)

Films in London this week: ORPHÉE at BFI (22 OCT to 01 NOV).
Films in London this week: ORPHÉE at BFI (22 OCT to 01 NOV).

70mm PRESENTATIONS at The Prince Charles (ongoing):

  • Bringing regular 70mm presentations back to the West End with: 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY 70mm new ‘unrestored’ print (22 OCT 20:15).

A SPIKE LEE MIXTAPE at Deptford Cinema (11 to 26 OCT):

  • For Black History Month. Includes: CLOCKERS (22 OCT 19:00).

CELEBRATING THE CINEMA OF SPIKE LEE at Genesis Cinema (01 to 29 OCT):

  • Marking Black History Month with free tickets for residents of Tower Hamlets (proof required at venue Box Office): Includes: MALCOLM X (22 OCT 21:00).

CLOSE-UP ON NURI BILGE CEYLAN at Close-Up (08 to 27 OCT):

  • In anticipation of the UK premiere of Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s new film, THE WILD PEAR TREE, at the London Film Festival, this programme presents the Turkish auteur’s three preceding features. Includes: THREE MONKEYS (25 OCT 20:30).

CLOSE-UP ON THE TAVIANI BROTHERS at Close-Up (05 to 22 OCT):

  • The Tavianis are as concerned with corruption, abuse of power, poverty, and suffering as were the neorealists and their successors. This season focuses on three of the duo’s best known films. Includes: PADRE PADRONE (20 OCT 18:00); and, KAOS (22 OCT 19:30).

CLOSE UP: SEBASTIÁN LELIO at BFI Southbank (OCT to NOV):

  • “A compelling and urgent voice in contemporary cinema that we think you should hear.” Includes: GLORIA (24 OCT 18:10).

COMEDY GENIUS at BFI Southbank (OCT 2018 to JAN 2019):

GNARLY MOVIE NIGHTS at House of Vans (11 to 28 OCT – Free! / No booking required):

  • “Come put your feet up in our underground cinema room and enjoy a selection of the most spine-chilling, hair-raising and plain creepy horror flicks ever made.” Includes: THE SHINING (21 OCT 13:00 & 15:30).

HORROROCTOBER at Prince Charles (OCT):

JANE FONDA: COMING OF AGE at BFI Southbank (OCT to DEC):

JEAN COCTEAU RETROSPECTIVE at Ciné Lumière (23 OCT to 18 NOV):

LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION! at Ealing Town Hall (until 26 OCT):

  • Classic Cinema Club – Ealing presents a series of films complete with action sequences, adventure and crime capers – with brains, brawn and machismo. Includes: THE GREAT WHITE SILENCE (19 OCT 19:30).

MASAKI KOBAYASHI: THE HUMAN CONDITION at Close-Up (06 OCT to 28 OCT):

  • Originally filmed and released in three parts, Masaki Kobayashi’s mammoth humanist drama is one of the most staggering achievements of Japanese cinema. Includes: THE HUMAN CONDITION II: ROAD TO ETERNITY (21 OCT 18:00).

MOHSEN MAKHMALBAF: THE POETIC TRILOGY at Close-Up (02 to 20 OCT):

  • One of the preeminent figures of Iranian cinema, Mohsen Makhmalbaf has written and directed an impressive array of acclaimed films. This programme presents three of Makhmalbaf’s most lyrical films which the director has termed his Poetic Trilogy. Includes: THE SILENCE (20 OCT 20:15).

Sight & Sound presents FANTASTIQUE: THE DREAM WORLDS OF FRENCH CINEMA at BFI Southbank (OCT to NOV):

MUSEUM SHOWS PART 2

FILM FESTIVALS (by date/duration)

Films in London this week: SCHOOL'S OUT at Odeon Tottenham Court Road, part of London Film Festival (19 OCT).
Films in London this week: SCHOOL’S OUT at Odeon, Tottenham Court Road, part of London Film Festival (19 OCT).

Film festivals in London this week include:

GRIND SHOWS

REGULAR RUNS & MAINSTREAM MARVELS (by title)

Films in London this week: DOGMAN at ArtHouse (19 to 25 OCT).
Films in London this week: DOGMAN at ArtHouse (19 to 25 OCT).

DOGMAN at ArtHouse Crouch End (19 to 25 OCT):

  • Marcello is a small and gentle dog groomer who wants two things, to look after his clients’ dogs and take his daughter on exotic holidays. But to fund this lifestyle he runs a side business which has some rather unsavoury clientele and soon finds himself involved in a dangerous relationship of subjugation with Simone, a violent former boxer who terrorises the entire neighbourhood.

FAHRENHEIT 11/9 at DocHouse (19 to 25 OCT):

  • Michael Moore is back. And this time, he’s coming after Trump. The legendary documentarian focuses on the date of Donald Trump’s presidential inauguration, to build a state of the nation that speaks to its community; exposing election rigging, media manipulation and the power of the youth.

ORPHÉE at BFI Southbank (24 OCT to 01 NOV):

  • Jean Cocteau’s wildly imaginative allegorical reworking of the Orpheus myth is surely his greatest movie. Critic Gilbert Adair applauded the film for being like no other (‘Oh, the magic!’), while Ray Durgnat wrote that it gripped ‘like a bondage corset’ – it’s that rich and strange.

More films in London this week (A – Z): FILMWORKER at The Montpellier (until 24 OCT). FIRST MAN at The Castle (19 to 25 OCT). MANDY at Rio Cinema (19 to 25 OCT). MY FRIEND DAHMER at Whirled Cinema (22 to 28 OCT). THE SCHOOL IN THE CLOUD at DocHouse (19 to 25 OCT). SINK at ArtHouse Crouch End (19 to 25 OCT).

MORE: daily updates // monthly roundups // event calendar // festivals A to Z.

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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 check box office for all films in London this week before posting: some events may still be sold out. Please click quickly! We don’t filter by age/certification: all readers & subscribers should be 18+.