LONDON SCREEN GUIDE w/c 10.02.17

To help your hunt for adventurous moving pictures, RADIANT CIRCUS hand-picks London’s screen highlights for the week ahead*. This week, there’s plenty of love in the air, including a generous spattering of same-sex sensations. Taking the week as a whole, Barbican really kicks it into high gear with an exciting array of cinematic delights.

FRIDAY 10 FEBRUARY 2017, 18.15, ICA

BAFTA SHORTS 2017 + Q&A at ICA screens all 8 nominated short films and animated shorts at this year’s EE BAFTA AWARDS (12.02.17). The programme runs all week (and continues touring elsewhere), but there’s a Q&A with some of the directors tonight.

Looking for an alternative? ARROW VIDEO CLUB is in residence at the Prince Charles. Tonight is THE BURNING (23.30) – possibly our favourite early ’80s slasher** with its Rick Wakeman score and gore by the maestro of such matters, Tom Savini. Tomorrow is DRILLER KILLER (23.30).

SATURDAY 11 FEBRUARY 2017, 14.00, BARBICAN

Barbican starts its MY TWISTED VALENTINE season (11 to 14 FEBRUARY) with THE SECRET OF DORIAN GRAY shown in 35mm by Josh Saco at CIGARETTE BURNS CINEMA (“Flying the battered flag for #35mm and #16mm celluloid”). Check them out.

Looking for an alternative? As part of SOUTH AFRICA: THE ART OF A NATION, British Museum screens U-CARMEN EKHAYELITSHA (14.00) with the opera relocated to a township near Cape Town and sung in Xhosa. Introduction by celebrated baritone Njabulo Malala, who’ll stay around for discussion of the film and opera.

SUNDAY 12 FEBRUARY 2017, 16.00, BARBICAN

Barbican screens A SIXTH PART OF THE WORLD (16.00) with live piano accompaniment as part of their SILENT FILM AND LIVE MUSIC season. From sainted Soviet filmmaker Dziga Vertov, this ambitious 1926 film surveys an entire landmass (the USSR once covered a 6th of the globe). The screening sits alongside REVOLUTION: RUSSIAN ART 1917–1932 at the Royal Academy of Arts.

Looking for an alternative? Eye-raising relationships continue with TOM AT THE FARM (20.00) at Deptford Cinema and a FREE screening of HAROLD & MAUDE (19.00) at The Moth Club.

MONDAY 13 FEBRUARY 2017, 19.00/20.15, THE MOTH CLUB

If you share our love of queer movie maker Gregg Araki, head to The Moth Club for a TEEN APOCALYPSE: DOUBLE BILL (doors & DJ at 19.00) featuring DOOM GENERATION & NOWHERE (20.15) screened by Deeper Into Movies. Need a better reason than Araki’s freewheeling attitude? Two words: free snacks.

Looking for alternative? Show new filmmaking talent some love at Curzon Bloomsbury with FRESH EYES ON THE WORLD (20.15), including Q&A with the directors. Or unleash your inner 1980s child with a FREE screening of THE GOONIES (20.00) at The Alibi.

TUESDAY 14 FEBRUARY 2017, 19.00, BARBICAN

There’s an inevitable flurry of choices about romance today, but our pick of the bunch is Barbican’s screening of our all-time favourite movie about obsessive love for a Mexican immigrant, MALA NOCHE. Gus Van Sant’s early B&W movie also features in our guide to the fabled CRITERION COLLECTION.

Looking for an alternative? Get handsy with your loved one throughout SENSO (18.00) at BFI. This Film Foundation restoration of Luchino Visconti’s epic 19th Century romance should be stunning on NFT1’s big screen.

WEDNESDAY 15 FEBRUARY 2017, 18.10, BFI

BFI screens Danish beauty ORDET – an “unclassifiable masterpiece, exploring pride, prejudice and pretensions to devout faith” – complete with introduction by academic Dr Catherine Wheatley.

THURSDAY 16 FEBRUARY 2017, 18.30, CINE LUMIERE

There’s always ample opportunity to create your own special features with Q&As across London. Given that many of MOONLIGHT director Barry Jenkins’ sessions are sold out (e.g. those at BFI and Everyman), try rounding off your week in adventurous moving pictures with MY INTERNSHIP IN CANADA + Q&A with Director Philippe Falardeau at Cine Lumiere.


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MYTHICAL POETRY: THE CINEMA OF GOVINDAN ARAVINDAN continues at Close-up until 24.02.17.

FESTIVALS / LONGER RUNS

You already know we love MARTIN SCORSESE CURATES at BFI. Our pick for this week’s SCORSESE DOUBLE (2 films for £17)? We’ll pair LITTLE FUGITIVE (12 FEBRUARY, 13.30) with Scorsese’s own KUNDUN (13 FEBRUARY, 20.25) or SENSO on Valentine’s Day.

The excellent GOVINDAN ARIVINDAN season continues at CLOSE-UP (various times).

BFI launches this year’s FLARE programme, London’s wide-ranging LGBT film festival on 15 FEBRUARY (18.45). Sold out at the time of checking: spare tickets will go on sale on the day at 11.30.


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RINEKE DIJKSTRA, The Buzz Club (1996-1997)

OFF-SCREEN TALKS

London is full of great talks about moving pictures and their meaning. Here’s our picks:

MONDAY 13 FEBRUARY: Join celebrity psychiatrist Raj Persaud for CINETALKS: THE PSYCHOLOGY OF ATTRACTION (19.00) including a screening of HOW TO BE SINGLE at JW3.

WEDNESDAY 15 FEBRUARY: Explore what it is like to be young and Muslim today with  GENERATION M: YOUNG MUSLIMS CHANGING THE WORLD (19.00) at The Frontline Club.

THURSDAY 16 FEBRUARY: Discover LOST TREASURES OF JAPANESE GENRE CINEMA (19.00) at the The Horse Hospital c/o The Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies.

And finally…

THURSDAY 16 FEBRUARY: Photographer and video artist, RINEKE DIJKSTRA (19.00) talks about her work at the Whitechapel Gallery. Sold out at the time of checking: the gallery will be taking a waiting list on the day from 11.00.


More places to shelter from the storm in next week’s GUIDE.


*As accurate as we could make it. Apologies for any mistakes.

** Correction: our absolute favourite early ’80s slasher is SLEEPAWAY CAMP (1983).

Featured image: MALA NOCHE (1986)