This is a film still from I’VE HEARD THE MERMAIDS SINGING dir Patricia Rozema, 1987, presented at Rio Cinema by Birds' Eye View (02 JUL 2022).

SCREEN GUIDE: What’s on in London this week [14 to 20 JAN 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

The breaking indie cinema news this week is the splendid return of the London Short Film Festival (14 to 23 JAN 2022). It has been touch and go whether the festival would be in venues this year, and so it’s a true delight to see them getting ready to throw the switch at indie and alternative venues across the capital. This year’s Special Events programme is programmed and presented by our friends at T A P E Collective, who have been working with a range of programming collectives and community groups from across London. I’m also excited to see the launch of T A P E’s Nolly Nights as part of their LSFF programme, a new film club at Peckham Levels promising an “all-out celebration of Nollywood with the classic titles forming part of a live Naija party.”

With key venues still socially distanced and some taking an extended COVID/Christmas break, it’s another quiet week for London’s indie film clubs this week. Tufnell Park Film Club will present Carol Reed’s 1947 film ODD MAN OUT at The Lord Palmerston, and Wimbledon Film Club begin their 2022 programme with a members’ choice screening of MINARI (both 18 JAN). Highgate Film Society concludes the week with a screening of CESARE DEVE MORIRE at Highgate Literary & Scientific Institution (20 JAN) which will then be followed by a free/online discussion (21 JAN).

Other specialist film events this week include a screening + Q&A of INDEPENDENT MISS CRAIGIE at Rio Cinema supported by The AHRC and The University of Sussex, and a special presentation of PANDORA’S BOX supported by Austrian Cultural Forum with live piano accompaniment by Cyrus Gabrysch at Ciné Lumière (both 16 JAN). On a busy Tuesday, Kino Klassika presents an in-venue screening of BEWARE OF THE CAR at Ciné Lumière, and Barbican’s excellent Science On Screen strand continues with Bernardo Bertolucci’s THE CONFORMIST including a presentation from leading scholar on income equality, Professor Branko Milanovic (both 18 JAN). Both Genesis Cinema and Olympic Studios have tributes to the late Sidney Poitier this week, with LILIES OF THE FIELD (17 JAN) and IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT (19 JAN) respectively.

New releases this week include Andrea Arnold’s COW, Jessica Kingdon’s ASCENSION and, for all us horror-heads (whether we like it or not…), the new edition of SCREAM. The Prince Charles Cinema also has week-long runs of both the animated GHOST IN THE SHELL and Wong Kar Wai’s IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE as part of their enduring celebration of Asian cinema. See our GRIND SHOW listings for the details.

My Featured Attraction of the Week is the new release of a favourite director’s latest work, Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s 2021 film, MEMORIA. It was a title I missed seeing at the BFI London Film Festival (it had very few screenings for such a standout title…), but that is more than compensated for by this week’s wide indie release schedule. A number of venues are also playing the film with a Recorded Q&A with the director and lead actor Tilda Swinton, hosted by Guardian film critic Peter Bradshaw. I’ve included links wherever possible, but consult your chosen venue for full details so you don’t miss out.

Of course, it would be great if London could also get to see Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s THE ADVENTURES OF IRON PUSSY aka Hua jai tor ra nong (2003), a musical-action-comedy co-directed with star Michael Shaowanasai as a tribute to the Thai pulp cinema of their youth. But I say that every time a new Weerasethakul rises out of the mist…

See you in the darkness, and stay safe.

Richard // RADIANT CIRCUS

MEMORIA d. Apichatpong Weerasethakul, 2021. Various venues, inc: ArtHouse Crouch End / Barbican / BFI / Catford Mews / Chiswick Cinema / Ciné Lumière / Curzon Cinemas / Everyman Cinemas (Recorded Q&A) / ICA / Picturehouse Cinemas (Recorded Q&As) / The Prince Charles / Rio Cinema.

“Set in Colombia, Tilda Swinton stars as a woman who begins to hear mysterious sounds that might connect to the supernatural, in the first English-language film from Apichatpong Weerasethakul.”

“A fresh, hypnotic and spell-binding serving of unmistakable Weerasethakul.” (BFI)

FRIDAY 14 JAN

SATURDAY 15 JAN

SUNDAY 16 JAN

  • BOILING POINT d. Philip Barantini, 2021 + Recorded Q&A with the director, actors Stephen Graham & Lauryn Ajufo, & cinematographer Matthew Lewis at The Lexi Cinema (16 JAN 19:45).
  • DRIVE MY CAR d. Ryusuke Hamaguchi, 2021 at Phoenix Cinema (16 JAN 13:45).
  • INDEPENDENT MISS CRAIGIE d. Lizzie Thynne, 2020 + Q&A with the director supported by The AHRC and The University of Sussex at Rio Cinema (16 JAN 14:00).
  • MIRROR d. Andrei Tarkovsky, 1975 at The Prince Charles (16 JAN 20:25).
  • PANDORA’S BOX aka Die Büchse der Pandora d. G.W. Pabst, 1928/29 + Live piano accompaniment by Cyrus Gabrysch at Ciné Lumière (16 JAN 16:30).

MONDAY 17 JAN

TUESDAY 18 JAN

  • BEING THE RICARDOS d. Aaron Sorkin, 2021 at The David Lean Cinema (18 JAN 19:30).
  • BEWARE OF THE CAR aka Береги́сь автомоби́ля d. Eldar Ryazanov, 1966 presented by Kino Klassika at Ciné Lumière (18 JAN 18:00).
  • THE CONFORMIST d. Bernardo Bertolucci, 1971 + Recorded presentation by Professor Branko Milanovic at Barbican (18 JAN 18:10) / Part of Science On Screen.
  • DRIVE MY CAR d. Ryusuke Hamaguchi , 2021 at The David Lean (18 JAN 14:30).
  • MINARI d. Lee Isaac Chung, 2020 presented by Wimbledon Film Club at Curzon Wimbledon (18 JAN 20:30).
  • MINYAN d. Eric Steel, 2020 at Genesis Cinema (18 JAN 21:00).
  • ODD MAN OUT d. Carol Reed, 1947 presented by Tufnell Park Film Club at The Lord Palmerston (18 JAN 20:00).
  • SUPERNOVA d. Harry Macqueen, 2020 at Whirled Cinema (18 JAN 20:00).
  • TIME OF THE GYPSIES aka Dom za vesanje d. Emir Kusturica, 1988 presented by Foreign Film Club at Morocco Bound SE1 (18 JAN 19:00 – FREE!).

WEDNESDAY 19 JAN

THURSDAY 20 JAN

  • BEING THE RICARDOS d. Aaron Sorkin, 2021 at The David Lean Cinema (20 JAN 14:30 & 19:30).
  • CESARE DEVE MORIRE aka Caesar Must Die d. Paolo and Vittorio Taviani, 2012 presented by Highgate Film Society at Highgate Literary & Scientific Institution (20 JAN 20:00) – Followed by an online discussion (21 JAN 17:00).
  • DRIVE MY CAR d. Ryusuke Hamaguchi, 2021 at Phoenix Cinema (20 JAN 14:00).
  • PUNCH-DRUNK LOVE d. Paul Thomas Anderson, 2002 presented by Truman’s at Genesis Cinema (20 JAN 21:00 + a FREE pint of Truman’s).

35MM PRESENTATIONS at The Prince Charles

70MM PRESENTATIONS at The Prince Charles

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY 70mm d. Stanley Kubrick, 1968 ‘unrestored version’ (14 JAN 20:15).

007 SEASON at The Prince Charles

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): DR. NO d. Terence Young, 1962 (15 JAN 15:15 / 20 JAN 15:40).

AKIRA KUROSAWA at The Prince Charles

ANIME at The Prince Charles

ANNIVERSARY SCREENINGS at The Prince Charles

BIG SCREEN CLASSICS: THE FILMS IN TRUFFAUT’S LIFE at BFI Southbank

BLACK & WHITE MOVIES at The Prince Charles

BOWIE: STARMAN & THE SILVER SCREEN at BFI Southbank 

CONCERT FILMS at Riverside Studios

DENIS VILLENEUVE: IN REVERSE at The Prince Charles

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): BLADE RUNNER 2049 d. Denis Villeneuve, 2017 (20 JAN 20:30).

THE FILMS OF PAUL THOMAS ANDERSON at The Prince Charles

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): LICORICE PIZZA d. Paul Thomas Anderson, 2021 (14 JAN to 10 FEB, some 35mm & 70mm).

THE FILMS OF QUENTIN TARANTINO at The Prince Charles

FRANÇOIS TRUFFAUT: FOR THE LOVE OF FILMS at BFI Southbank

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): The Renoir Truffaut: DAY FOR NIGHT aka La Nuit américaine d. François Truffaut, 1973 (15 JAN 20:45). The Antoine Doinel cycle: THE 400 BLOWS 4K aka Les Quatre cents coups d. François Truffaut, 1959 (daily from 07 to 20 JAN various); STOLEN KISSES 4K + ANTOINE ET COLETTE 4K + d. François Truffaut, 1962 + 1968 (15 JAN 12:10); LOVE ON THE RUN 4K aka L’Amour en fuite d. François Truffaut, 1979 (15 JAN 15:30).

FRANÇOIS TRUFFAUT REVISITED at Ciné Lumière

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): BED AND BOARD aka Domicile Conjugal d. François Truffaut, 1970 (16 JAN 14:00 / 18 JAN 18:20); THE 400 BLOWS aka Les Quatre cents coups d. François Truffaut, 1959 (19 JAN 16:00 / 20 JAN 18:15).

FROM THE MIND OF PAUL SCHRADER at The Prince Charles

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): TAXI DRIVER 35mm d. Martin Scorsese, 1976 (18 JAN 15:20).

JONAS MEKAS 100! at Close-Up

LETTERBOXD HIGH RISERS at The Prince Charles

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): TWILIGHT 35mm d. Catherine Hardwicke, 2008 (15 JAN 20:45).

ON SCREEN WITH MADONNA at The Prince Charles

PAUL THOMAS ANDERSON 35MM LATE NIGHTS at Everyman Screen On The Green

  • Includes (check venue for listings): MAGNOLIA 35mm d. Paul Thomas Anderson, 1999 (15 JAN 22:30).

STUDIO GHIBLI FOREVER at The Prince Charles

  • Includes (check venue for listings): WHISPER OF THE HEART d. Yoshifumi Kondô, 1995 (17 JAN 15:00).

TAKE TWO: JÖRN DONNER at Close-Up

  • Includes (check venue for listings): SIXTYNINE 35mm d. Jörn Donner, 1969 (14 JAN 20:15).

THREE FROM STEVE MCQUEEN at The Prince Charles

  • Includes (check venue for listings): HUNGER 35mm d. Steve McQueen, 2008 (18 JAN 18:15).

TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH at BFI Southbank

TWO BY EDWARD YANG at The Prince Charles

THE WORLD OF WONG KAR WAI at The Prince Charles

London Short Film Festival (14 to 23 JAN).

COW d. Andrea Arnold, 2021.

MEMORIA d. Apichatpong Weerasethakul, 2021.

SCREAM d. Matt Bettinelli-Olpin & Tyler Gillett, 2022.

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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. //.