This is a film still from ATLANTIS dir Valentyn Vasyanovych 2019, screening at ICA London this week (04 to 10 MAR).

SCREEN GUIDE: What’s on in London this week [04 to 10 MAR 2022]

Our RADIANT CIRCUS guide to what’s on in London this week across DIY, indie & alternative cinema, including one-off screen events, film seasons, film festivals & new releases.

By RADIANT CIRCUS // Twitter @radiantcircus / Instagram @radiantcircus

Welcome to another screen week.

For ardent planners, I’ve posted my latest epic roundup of London’s rep seasons and film festivals for the month of March. Highlights include, THE CAMERA IS OURS: BRITAIN’S WOMEN DOCUMENTARY MAKERS at BFI, OTHER MODERNISMS, OTHER FUTURES at Barbican, ONE AND DONE – a series of one-take wonders – at Genesis, and a new run of WONG KAR WAI at Close-Up. There’s also a series of 70S CINEMA LATE NIGHTS from 35mm at Everyman Screen on the Green that I missed when the guide was first posted (updated now!). I’ve chosen MARA MATTUSCHKA: DIFFERENT FACES OF AN ANTI-DIVA as my Featured Attraction of the Month, a series of 5 events featuring work by and about the Austrian experimental filmmaker, also at Close-Up.

The festival scene gets busier this month, including Glasgow Film Festival at venues across town (02 to 13 MAR), BFI Flare on the Southbank and online (16 to 27 MAR), and Essay Film Festival at ICA, Birkbeck Cinema, Bertha DocHouse, Goethe Institute and online (19 MAR to 23 APR). National cinemas get several great showcases, with Cinema Made in Italy at Ciné Lumière (03 to 07 MAR), Nordic Focus Film Festival presented by South Social at Riverside Studios (12 MAR), and multiple venue events for St. Patrick’s Day Film Festival on Trafalgar Square and in cinemas (11 to 14 MAR), Hong Kong Film Festival (19 to 27 MAR) and Kinoteka Polish Film Festival which you can also find online c/o BFI Player (09 MAR to 03 APR).

In this week’s special event screenings, there’s a 40th Anniversary screening of BLADE RUNNER featuring a Q&A with original producer Ivor Powell at Riverside (05 MAR). A busy Sunday includes another edition of African Odysseys at BFI, this time featuring the restored films of “polymath” Edric Connor, an Indie Film Showcase by The London Horror Society at Hen & Chickens, and a silent cinema screening of THE JOKER (no, not that one….) at BFI (all 06 MAR). If format’s your thing, THE MASTER starts a 70mm run at The Prince Charles on Sunday too.

Tuesday is International Women’s Day and there’s a lot to explore: London Australian Film Society presents Leah Purcell’s THE DROVER’S WIFE at Regent Street Cinema, Birds’ Eye View’s #ReclaimTheFrame campaign supports several screenings of Blerta Basholli’s THE HIVE with a recorded Q&A (see listings for venues), Genesis presents Claire Oakley’s MAKE UP to raise money for Solace Women’s Aid, and Wimbledon Film Club has an F-Rated presentation of Cathy Brady’s WILDFIRE (all 08 MAR).

Turns out there’s a little film called THE BATMAN doing the rounds… In one of the strangest things I’ve had to report on these pages, you can book yourself in for the full Oreo Experience at the Rio Cinema this weekend…

In other new releases, both Clio Barnard’s ALI & AVA and William E Badgley’s doc about Don Letts REBEL DREAD get good support with both live and recorded Q&A screenings across town. ICA has an exclusive engagement with Marcos Martínez’s DREAMS, and JW3 gets Damon Shalit’s THE WORLD WITHOUT YOU (opening 10 MAR). THE GODFATHER: PART II returns this week, but we could only find regular indie runs of it across the Picturehouse chain and a couple of screenings at The Prince Charles as part of their ongoing FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA season. Expect more soon. Full details in the GRIND SHOW section.

And then there’s what’s happening in Ukraine… You will have found your own way of seeking reliable information I’m sure, but when researching these listings, I found the resources at The Ukrainian Institute a helpful reference point, including ways of giving to Ukrainian media outlets. The UK Government is match-funding donations up to £20million through the Disaster Emergency Committee’s new Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal.

Coming next week, there’s a fundraiser screening of THE EARTH IS BLUE AS AN ORANGE presented by The Ukrainian Institute, The People’s Film Club, Cambridge Ukrainian Studies, and London Migration Film Festival at Genesis Cinema (12 MAR 15:00). I’m sure there will be more. If other promoters want to show Ukrainian films, London Short Film Festival and their Ukrainian collaborators Takflix have posted some useful advice and links to resources, they will also help promote your event.

For my Featured Attraction of the Week, I’ve chosen Valentyn Vasyanovych’s unsettlingly prophetic Ukrainian film ATLANTIS, which returns for a week-long engagement at ICA (04 to 10 MAR).

Stay safe, and #StandWithUkraine

Richard // RADIANT CIRCUS

ATLANTIS d. Valentyn Vasyanovych, 2019 at ICA (04 to 10 MAR):

“Eastern Ukraine, 2025. The war has ended, leaving the country in ruins – and Sergey (Andriy Rymaruk), a former soldier suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, is struggling to his new reality. After losing his job as a steelworker, Sergey joins Katya (Liudmyla Bileka) as a volunteer for the Black Tulip Mission, recovering the degraded bodies of soldiers killed in the conflict – and hoping to understand if, and how, he might shape for himself a better future.

Winner of Best Film in the Horizons section of the 76th Venice International Film Festival, Valentyn Vasyanovych’s post-apocalyptic drama is an urgent parable of life after war. Featuring a largely non-professional cast (including Ryamaruk, himself a veteran of the Donbas War), Atlantis is at once a bleak tale about the horrors of conflict – and an optimistic reassurance that another world might be possible.” (ICA)

FRIDAY 04 MAR

  • ALI & AVA d. Clio Barnard, 2021 + Q&A with cast & crew + after party with Sounds of the Universe DJs at Curzon Soho (04 MAR 18:30).
  • F@CK THIS JOB d. Vera Krichevskaya, 2021 at Bertha DocHouse (04 MAR 18:20).
  • THE SANCTITY OF SPACE d. Renan Ozturk & Freddie Wilkinson, 2022 at Bertha DocHouse (04 MAR 20:40 / 06 MAR 15:40).

SATURDAY 05 MAR

  • BLADE RUNNER: 40th Anniversary Celebration d. Ridley Scott, 1982 + Q&A with producer Ivor Powell & Intro by Will Brooker, editor of The Blade Runner Experience at Riverside Studios (05 MAR 14:00).
  • SOUTH d. Frank Hurley, 1919 at Olympic Studios (05 MAR 10:20).

SUNDAY 06 MAR

MONDAY 07 MAR

  • BASQUIAT d. Julian Schnabel, 1996 presented by Deeper Into Movies at Farr’s Dalston (07 MAR 19:30).
  • THE ELECTRICAL LIFE OF LOUIS WAIN d. Will Sharpe, 2021 at The David Lean (07 MAR 19:30).
  • GREAT FREEDOM aka Große Freiheit d. Sebastian Meise, 2021 + Q&A with the director & (by Zoom) actor Franz Rogowski at Curzon Bloomsbury (07 MAR 18:15).
  • KING RICHARD d. Reinaldo Marcus Green, 2021 at Whirled Cinema (07 MAR 20:00 / 08 MAR 20:00 / 09 MAR 20:00 / 13 MAR 17:00).
  • Preview: TRUE THINGS d. Harry Wootliff, 2021 + Q&A with the director at BFI Southbank (07 MAR 20:35).

ONLINE

TUESDAY 08 MAR

  • AFTER LOVE d. Aleem Khan, 2020 presented by Twickenham Film Club at The Venue, Heatham House (08 MAR 19:00).
  • International Women’s Day: THE DROVER’S WIFE: THE LEGEND OF MOLLY JOHNSON d. Leah Purcell, 2022 presented by the London Australian Film Society at Regent Street Cinema (08 MAR 19:15).
  • GREAT FREEDOM aka Große Freiheit d. Sebastian Meise, 2021 + Q&A with the director & actor Franz Rogowski at ICA (08 MAR 18:20).
  • International Women’s Day: HIVE d. Blerta Basholli, 2021 + Pre-recorded Q&A with filmmakers presented by #ReclaimThe Frame at: BFI Southbank (08 MAR 18:15); Curzon Bloomsbury (08 MAR 18:30); The Lexi Cinema (08 MAR 17:50); Picturehouse Cinema (08 MAR various).
  • World Premiere: JITTERBUG d. Ayo Akingbade, 2022 + Q&A with the director with Andrea Arnold at Rio Cinema (08 MAR 19:00).
  • KING RICHARD d. Reinaldo Marcus Green, 2021 at Whirled Cinema (08 MAR 20:00 / 09 MAR 20:00 / 13 MAR 17:00).
  • L’ECLISSE d. Michelangelo Antonioni, 1962 presented by Tufnell Park Film Club at The Lord Palmerston (08 MAR 20:00).
  • International Women’s Day: MAKE UP d. Claire Oakley, 2020 + Short in support of Solace Women’s Aid at Genesis Cinema (08 MAR 21:15).
  • OKRAINA d. Boris Barnet, 1933 presented in-venue & online by Sands Cinema Club and Sands Film Studios (08 MAR 20:00).
  • THE POWER OF THE DOG d. Jane Campion at The David Lean (08 MAR 14:30 & 19:30).
  • Science on Screen: RUN LOLA RUN d. Tom Twyker, 1998 + Presentation by Professor Stefano Ruffo at Barbican (08 MAR 18:15).
  • Experimenta: TICKET OF NO RETURN aka Bildnis einer Trinkerin d. Ulrike Ottinger, 1979 + Pre-recorded intro remembering Tabea Blumenschein with Ulrike Ottinger at BFI Southbank (08 MAR 18:00).
  • WILDFIRE d. Cathy Brady, 2020 + Pre-recorded interview with the director presented by Wimbledon Film Club at Curzon Wimbledon (08 MAR 20:30).
  • Preview: THE WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD d. Joachim Trier, 2021 at Olympic Studios (08 MAR 20:40).

WEDNESDAY 09 MAR

THURSDAY 10 MAR

  • Film Wallahs: THE BEATLES & INDIA d. Ajoy Bose & Peter Compton, 2021 + Intro by co-director Pete Compton & producer Reynold D’Silva at BFI Southbank (10 MAR 18:15).
  • FLEE d. Jonas Poher Rasmussen, 2021 at The David Lean (10 MAR 14:30 & 19:30 / 15 MAR 19:30).
  • THE GARDEN d. Derek Jarman, 1990 + Intro from Kay Rowe & Jaye Bullen, raising funds for Kay Rowe at VFD (10 MAR 19:00).
  • HOSTILE d. Sonita Gale, 2021 + Q&A with the director at Genesis Cinema (10 MAR 18:00).
  • REBEL DREAD d. William E Badgley, 2020 + Q&A with Don Letts hosted by Lava la Rue presented by We Are Parable at Picturehouse Hackney (10 MAR 18:30).

35MM PRESENTATIONS at The Prince Charles

70MM PRESENTATIONS at The Prince Charles

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): THE MASTER 70mm d. Paul Thomas Anderson, 2012 (06 MAR 20:30 / 09 MAR 20:30).

007 SEASON at The Prince Charles

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): CASINO ROYALE 35mm d. John Huston, 1967 (06 MAR 14:25 / 10 MAR 15:20).

1982 SEASON at The Prince Charles

  • Includes (check venue for full listings)BLADE RUNNER: THE FINAL CUT d. Ridley Scott, 1982 (04 MAR 14:20 4K / 05 MAR 21:00 4K / 07 MAR 18:00 / 08 MAR 15:25 4K / 10 MAR 20:30).

THE ABC OF ASTA NIELSEN at BFI Southbank

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): EARTH SPIRIT aka Erdgeist d. Leopold Jessner, 1923 + Intro by season curator Pamela Hutchinson & Live piano accompaniment by Stephen Horne (05 MAR 12:10); THE DECLINE aka Downfall aka Der Absturz d. Ludwig Wolff, 1923 + Intro by season curator Pamela Hutchinson & Live piano accompaniment by John Sweeney (05 MAR 14:30); HAMLET d. Sven Gade, 1921 + Intro by Prof Judith Buchanan & live piano accompaniment by Meg Morley (05 MAR 17:00); THE JOYLESS STREET aka Die freudlose Gasse d. GW Pabst, 1925 + Intro by BFI Inclusion Team Coordinator, Miranda Gower-Qian & Live piano accompaniment by John Sweeney (06 MAR 17:40); IN THE EYES OF THE LAW 35mm aka Nach dem Gesetz d. Willy Grunwald, 1919 + Live piano accompaniment by Costas Fotopoulos (07 MAR 18:15 – Piano by Stephen Horne); EARTH SPIRIT aka Erdgeist d. Leopold Jessner, 1923 + Live piano accompaniment by Meg Morley (09 MAR 20:50); IMPOSSIBLE LOVE aka Unmögliche Liebe d. Erich Waschneck, 1932 (09 MAR 18:20).

AKIRA KUROSAWA at The Prince Charles

  • Includes (check venue for full listings)IKIRU 35mm d. Akira Kurosawa, 1952 (06 MAR 17:25).

ANIME at The Prince Charles

BEST OF CÉSAR at Ciné Lumière

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): ALINE, THE VOICE OF LOVE d. Valérie Lemercier, 2020 (until 12 MAR various); HAPPENING aka L’événement d. Audrey Diwan, 2021 (08 MAR 20:35).

BIG SCREEN CLASSICS: PUTTING ON A SHOW at BFI Southbank

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): 8 1/2 aka Otto e mezzo d. Federico Fellini, 1963 (04 MAR 18:00 / 07 MAR 20:15); F FOR FAKE d. Orson Welles, 1973 (04 MAR 20:50); NASHVILLE d. Robert Altman, 1975 (05 MAR 19:45 / 09 MAR 14:15); LE MÉPRIS aka Contempt d. Jean-Luc Godard, 1963 (08 MAR 20:50); F FOR FAKE d. Orson Welles, 1973 + Intro by Programmer-at-large, Geoff Andrew (09 MAR 18:10); BAADASSSSS 35mm d. Mario Van Peebles, 2004 (10 MAR 20:40).

BLACK & WHITE MOVIES at The Prince Charles

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): BELFAST d. Kenneth Branagh, 2021 (04 MAR 13:00 4K / 09 MAR 18:15); THE TRAGEDY OF MACBETH d. Joel Coen, 2021 (04 MAR 16:00 / 05 MAR 12:15 4K / 08 MAR 15:10 / 09 MAR 13:00); THE THIRD MAN 35mm d. Carol Reed, 1949 (06 MAR 12:00).

THE CAMERA IS OURS: BRITAIN’S WOMEN DOCUMENTARY MAKERS at BFI Southbank

CLOSE UP ON WONG KAR WAI at Close-Up

FOUR BY PENNY MARSHALL at The Prince Charles

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN d. Penny Marshall, 1992 (08 MAR 20:30).

FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA at The Prince Charles

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): THE GODFATHER : PART II d. Francis Ford Coppola, 1974 (05 MAR 16:55 / 11 MAR 15:25 / 23 MAR 19:45 / 31 MAR 13:00); RUMBLEFISH 35mm d. Francis Ford Coppola, 1983 (10 MAR 18:00); THE GODFATHER 4K d. Francis Ford Coppola, 1972 (10 MAR 20:05).

LETTERBOXD HIGH RISERS at The Prince Charles

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): LEGALLY BLONDE 35mm d. Robert Luketicm 2001 (08 MAR 18:05 – £1 Members’ Screening).

MARA MATTUSCHKA: DIFFERENT FACES OF AN ANTI-DIVA at Close-Up

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): Early Shorts (05 MAR 19:00); PHAIDROS d. Mara Mattuschka, 2018 (06 MAR 18:15).

MOVIE MARATHONS at The Prince Charles

OSCAR & BAFTA NOMINEES at The Prince Charles

  • Includes (check venue for listings):  LICORICE PIZZA 35mm d. Paul Thomas Anderson, 2021 (until 19 MAR various); DUNE d. Denis Villeneuve, 2021 (04 MAR 12:45); BELFAST d. Kenneth Branagh, 2021 (04 MAR 13:00 4K / 09 MAR 18:15); THE TRAGEDY OF MACBETH d. Joel Coen, 2021 (04 MAR 16:00 / 05 MAR 12:15 4K / 08 MAR 15:10 / 09 MAR 13:00); DRIVE MY CAR d. Ryûsuke Hamaguchi, 2021 (06 MAR 14:05); THE POWER OF THE DOG d. Jane Campion, 2021 (07 MAR 12:15 4K / 10 MAR 12:45); TITANE d. Julia Ducournau, 2021 (08 MAR 13:00 / 09 MAR 20:45).

OTHER MODERNISMS, OTHER FUTURES: GLOBAL ART CINEMA 1960-80 at Barbican

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): DOWNPOUR d. Bahram Beyzaie, 1972 (05 MAR 15:00); BLOOD OF THE CONDOR d. Jorge Sanjinés & the Ukamau Collective, 1969 (06 MAR 18:15).

REWARDING DOCS at Bertha DocHouse

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): ASCENSION d. Jessica Kingdon, 2020 (04 MAR 13:50 / 05 MAR 20:30 / 07 MAR 20:50 / 08 MAR 13:30 / 09 MAR 18:30); SUMMER OF SOUL d. Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, 2021 (04 MAR 18:10 / 06 MAR 20:15 / 07 MAR 13:45 / 09 MAR 20:40); BECOMING COUSTEAU d. Liz Garbus, 2021 (05 MAR 16:20); KEYBOARD FANTASIES d. Posy Dixon, 2021 (08 MAR 18:20).

SEEN & HEARD at BFI Southbank

STUDIO GHIBLI at Picturehouse Cinemas

  • Includes (check venue for listings): POM POKO d. Isao Takahata, 1994 (from 05 MAR); TALES FROM EARTHSEA d. Gorô Miyazaki, 2006 (from 05 MAR).

STUDIO GHIBLI FOREVER at The Prince Charles

TWO BY RYÛSUKE HAMAGUCHI at The Prince Charles

  • Includes (check venue for listings): DRIVE MY CAR d. Ryûsuke Hamaguchi, 2021 (06 MAR 14:05).

THE WORLD OF WONG KAR WAI at The Prince Charles

  • Includes (check venue for listings): ASHES OF TIME REDUX 35mm d. Wong Kar Wai, 1994 (04 MAR 18:00 / 07 MAR 15:00 / 08 MAR 12:45 / 10 MAR 15:35).

ATLANTIS d. Valentyn Vasyanovych, 2019:

REBEL DREAD d. William E Badgley, 2020:

  • Also 04 to 10 MAR (various dates/times): A STARRY SKY ABOVE THE ROMAN GHETTO d. Giulio Base, 2020 at: JW3 // DREAMS aka Sueños d. Marcos Martínez, 2021 at: ICA // THE GODFATHER: PART II d. Francis Ford Coppola, 1974 at: Picturehouse Cinemas // THE SANCTITY OF SPACE d. Renan Ozturk & Freddie Wilkinson, 2022 at: Bertha DocHouse / Genesis Cinema / Rich Mix // THE WORLD WITHOUT YOU d. Damon Shalit, 2019 at: JW3 (from 10 MAR).

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*THE SMALL PRINT: Opinions author’s own. // As accurate as we could make it. Apologies for any errors. Updates & corrections will be made to the online version only. // Event dates/times/formats are subject to change by the venue/organiser. Events may already be sold out at the time of posting, so please click quickly. // We try to list as many original format screenings as we can (8 to 70MM), but sometimes formats change due to age of the print, availability, logistics etc, so please check ahead with your venue if the format is your thing. // All images are used in the spirit of fair use for reporting & review – no ownership is implied or intended / unless otherwise credited to RADIANT CIRCUS as the original rights holder. We will remove any images immediately upon request – just get in touch. // We don’t filter our listings by age/certification: all readers & subscribers should therefore be 18+. // Finally, we always try to follow The Carny Code by “not screwing up anyone else’s game”, but everyone can make mistakes… If something does go wrong, we will always do our best to put it right. //.