This is a film still from BUCK & THE PREACHER d. Sidney Poitier, 1972, screening at Tufnell Park Film Club (22 FEB 2022).

SCREEN GUIDE: What’s on in London this week [18 to 24 FEB 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

Book now for FRANKENSTEIN, the first of our Queer Horror Nights at The Castle (27 FEB).

Welcome to another screen week! Let me guide you to your seat…

The Gothique Society presents another of their signature Friday double-bills with a couple of “homegrown thrillers”, SPACEWAYS + THE SHADOW OF THE CAT at The Cinema Museum, EFN offers a ‘Best of’ Screening & Networking Event at the soon-to-open to the public Garden Cinema, and Black Ink Cinema invites you to gather for a social and screening of TWO CAN PLAY THAT GAME at Genesis (all 18 FEB).

Women & Cocaine will totally make your Saturday with their presentation of SUSAN LENOX at The Cinema Museum, featuring the “divine [Greta] Garbo, a woman who’s portrayal of love and sacrifice makes every other human emotion or endeavour seem trivial” (19 FEB). On Sunday, Ciné-Real 16mm Film Club starts their latest trio of screenings at The Castle with Les Blank’s legendary doc about an infamous film shoot, BURDEN OF DREAMS, and Deeper Into Movies presents reunion concert recording VELVET UNDERGROUND LIVE MCMXCIII at Moth Club (both 20 FEB).

On Tuesday, Wimbledon Film Club continues their excellent season with Ben Sharrock’s LIMBO (including a recorded intro from the director), and We Are Black Journos introduce LINGUI, THE SACRED BONDS at Genesis (both 22 FEB). Migration Film Festival team up with Goethe-Institut for an in-venue and online screening of Burhan Qurbani’s BERLIN ALEXANDERPLATZ, John Sweeney provides the live piano accompaniment for Kennington Bioscope’s CHICAGO at The Cinema Museum, and Austrian Cultural Forum continues their LGBT History Month with a free presentation of Evi Romen’s WHY NOT YOU (all 23 FEB). Thursday 24 FEB goes nuts… you’d expect me to choose the Terror Vision screening of Wes Craven’s THE PEOPLE UNDER THE STAIRS at BFI, but do check the full day’s listings for all your amazing options.

Now that 2022 is well underway, we’re starting to see more new seasons emerge. This week, THE FILMS OF PATRICK WANG happens at ICA whilst FASHION & CINEMA: THE ALLURE OF THE REBEL gets started at Ciné Lumière. Elsewhere, HOMELAND: FILMS BY AUSTRALIAN FIRST NATIONS DIRECTORS concludes at Barbican, whilst both ESSENTIAL CINEMA at Close-Up and BIG SCREEN CLASSICS: LGBT HISTORY MONTH at BFI continue to celebrate exceptional moving pictures. There’s so much that’s wonderful on-screen at The Prince Charles but I feel the need to highlight another absolute favourite, THE DEVIL’S BACKBONE aka El espinazo del diablo, as part of their GUILLERMO DEL TORO showcase. See SEASONS for all the details.

London’s been a little short of festivals of late, but several have announced their programmes for next month, including: Cinema Made in Italy (03 to 07 MAR); Nordic Focus Film Festival (12 MAR); BFI Flare (16 to 27 MAR); and, Essay Film Festival (19 MAR to 23 APR). This week, BFI Future Film Festival continues (17 to 20 FEB, NB: ages 16 to 25 only!), and the Kendal Mountain Festival Tour returns to the city (22 FEB).

In this week’s new releases, a 65min concert chunk of Peter Jackson’s epic BEATLES doc gets assorted engagements, with some venues taking it for the full week, others for just a couple of screenings: follow the link to your favourite venues for options. I also really like the look of Stacey Gregg’s HERE BEFORE which opens at Curzon Cinemas, and THE REAL CHARLIE CHAPLIN which gets a wider release. For fans of LICORICE PIZZA, Paul Thomas Anderson’s latest begins a limited 35mm run at the Rio. See GRIND SHOWS for details.

My Featured Attraction of the Week is Tufnell Park Film Club’s presentation of “revisionist Western” and Sidney Poitier’s directorial debut (he helmed 9 features in total…), BUCK & THE PREACHER (22 FEB).

See you in the darkness, and stay safe.

Richard // RADIANT CIRCUS

BUCK & THE PREACHER d. Sidney Poitier, 1972 in tribute to Sidney Poitier presented by Tufnell Park Film Club at The Lord Palmerston (22 FEB 20:00):

“Sidney Poitier’s directorial debut is a revisionist Western that sees him paired for the first time with equally legendary Harry Belafonte.”

“Poitier stars as Buck, an ex-Union Army Cavalry sergeant who becomes a scout for freed slaves heading to the Colorado frontier. Tagging along with him are his wife (Ruby Dee in a scene-stealing performance) and a Bible-thumping con artist known as the Preacher (Belafonte). Attacked by racist bounty hunters determined to return the former slaves to a life of sharecropping in Louisiana, Buck and his followers must summon all the courage they have in order to reach their destination and help settle the Wild West.”

“A refreshing change from many typical Western tropes and a testament to Poitier’s ongoing desire to shake up the Hollywood status quo.” (Tufnell Park Film Club)

FRIDAY 18 FEB

SATURDAY 19 FEB

SUNDAY 20 FEB

MONDAY 21 FEB

TUESDAY 22 FEB

  • BUCK & THE PREACHER d. Sidney Poitier, 1972 in tribute to Sidney Poitier presented by Tufnell Park Film Club at The Lord Palmerston (22 FEB 20:00).
  • GIEREK d. Michal Wegrzyn, 2022 in-venue screening followed by on-line discussion with Michael Brooke at Watermans (22 FEB 19:00 + 23 FEB 20:00).
  • THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ANDRÉ d. Kate Novack, 2017 at The Lexi Cinema (22 FEB 18:15).
  • HAPPINESS d. Todd Solondz, 1998 presented by Deeper Into Movies at Moth Club (22 FEB 19:30).
  • LIMBO d. Ben Sharrock, 2020 + Recorded intro by the director presented by Wimbledon Film Club at Curzon Wimbledon (22 FEB 20:30).
  • LINGUI, THE SACRED BONDS d. Mahamat-Saleh Haroun, 2021 + Intro presented by We Are Black Journos at Genesis Cinema (22 FEB 18:30).
  • MASTER CHENG aka Mestari Cheng d. Mika Kaurismäki, 2019 at Picturehouse Cinemas (22 FEB various).
  • PARALLEL MOTHERS d. Pedro Almodóvar, 2021 at The David Lean (22 FEB 14:30 & 19:30 / 23 FEB 19:30 / 26 FEB 14:00).
  • P.S. BURN THIS LETTER PLEASE d. Michael Seligman & Jennifer Tiexiera, 2020 at Bertha DocHouse (22 FEB 18:20).
  • SPENCER d. Pablo Larrain, 2021 at Whirled Cinema (22 FEB 20:00 / 23 FEB 20:00 / 27 FEB 17:00).

WEDNESDAY 23 FEB

  • BERLIN ALEXANDERPLATZ d. Burhan Qurbani, 2020 presented by Migration Film Festival at Goethe-Institut London (23 FEB 19:00 / also FREE online 23 FEB to 02 MAR).
  • CHICAGO d. Frank Urson, 1927 + Live piano accompaniment by John Sweeney presented by Kennington Bioscope at The Cinema Museum (23 FEB 19:30).
  • CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND 4K d. Steven Spielberg, 1977 at BFI Southbank (23 FEB 17:50).
  • FILMFARSI d. Ehsan Khoshbakht, 2019 + Intro by the director at Close-Up (23 FEB 20:15).
  • L’AVVENTURA d. Michelangelo Antonioni, 1960 at Olympic Studios (23 FEB 19:45).
  • LEBANON: EXPLOSION OF ANGER d. Krzysztof Dzieciolowski, 2021 + Q&A at Frontline Club (23 FEB 19:00).
  • PARALLEL MOTHERS d. Pedro Almodóvar, 2021 at The David Lean (23 FEB 19:30 / 26 FEB 14:00).
  • SPENCER d. Pablo Larrain, 2021 at Whirled Cinema (23 FEB 20:00 / 27 FEB 17:00).
  • WHY NOT YOU aka Hochwald d. Evi Romen, 2020 at Austrian Cultural Forum for LGBT History Month (23 FEB 19:00 – FREE!).

THURSDAY 24 FEB

  • BLACK PETER: 4K Restoration d. Miloš Forman, 1963 presented by the Czech Centre at the Czech Embassy Cinema (24 FEB 19:00).
  • BOILING POINT d. Philip Barantini, 2021 at The David Lean (24 FEB 14:30 & 19:30 / 01 MAR 19:30).
  • BURDEN OF DREAMS 16mm d. Les Blank, 1982 presented by Ciné-Real 16mm Film Club at The Castle Cinema (20 FEB 14:00 / 24 FEB 19:30 / 27 FEB 13:30).
  • THE DOUBLE LIFE OF VERONIQUE d. Krzysztof Kieslowski, 1991 presented by Highgate Film Society at Highgate Literary & Scientific Institution (24 FEB 20:00 – Followed by an online discussion 25 FEB 17:00).
  • EL TOPO d. Alejandro Jadorowsky, 1970 + Intro & Salon with Nick Walker presented by Cult Classic Collective at Genesis Cinema (24 FEB 18:30).
  • A Tribute to Roger Michell: THE DUKE d. Roger Michell, 2021 Preview + Q&A (guest TBA) at BFI Southbank (24 FEB 18:00).
  • Terror Vision: THE PEOPLE UNDER THE STAIRS d. Wes Craven, 1991 at BFI Southbank (24 FEB 20:40).
  • PRIDE d. Matthew Warchus, 2014 + Auction for Stonewall for LGBT History month at Everyman King’s Cross (24 FEB 19:00).
  • Shore Leave Film Night: QUERELLE + FIREWORKS d. Rainer Werner Fassbinder, 1982 + Kenneth Anger, 1947 at Bathway Theatre, University of Greenwich (24 FEB 18:30 – FREE!).
  • Women’s Health On Screen short film programme presented by Self Examination at The Horse Hospital (24 FEB 18:30).

4K PRESENTATIONS at The Prince Charles

35MM PRESENTATIONS at The Prince Charles

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): THE POWER OF THE DOG 35mm d. Jane Campion, 2021 (18 FEB 18:10 / 19 FEB 12:25 / 22 FEB 15:25 / 24 FEB 15:20); LICORICE PIZZA 35mm d. Paul Thomas Anderson, 2021 (18 FEB 14:55 35mm / 20 FEB 17:45 35mm); BIG 35mm d. Penny Marshall, 1988 (21 FEB 18:00 – £1 Members’ Film); BLUE COLLAR 35mm d. Paul Schrader, 1978 (23 FEB 18:00).

70MM PRESENTATIONS at The Prince Charles

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): LICORICE PIZZA 70mm d. Paul Thomas Anderson, 2021 (22 FEB 20:45 70mm / 23 FEB 13:30 70mm / 24 FEB 12:00 70mm).

007 SEASON at The Prince Charles

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): THUNDERBALL 4K d. Terence Young, 1965 (19 FEB 15:00 / 24 FEB 15:00).

1982 SEASON at The Prince Charles

THE ABC OF ASTA NIELSEN at BFI Southbank

AKIRA KUROSAWA at The Prince Charles

ANNIVERSARY SCREENINGS at The Prince Charles

BIG SCREEN CLASSICS: LGBT HISTORY MONTH at BFI Southbank

BLACK & WHITE MOVIES at The Prince Charles

BRENDAN FRASER at The Prince Charles

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): GEORGE OF THE JUNGLE d. Sam Weisman, 1997 (20 FEB 13:00).

DENIS VILLENEUVE: IN REVERSE at The Prince Charles

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): DUNE 4K d. Denis Villeneuve, 2021 (21 FEB 13:15).

ESSENTIAL CINEMA at Close-Up

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): THEOREM d. Pier Paolo Pasolini, 1968 (19 FEB 18:15 / 26 FEB 20:15); THE RETURN d. Andrey Zvyagintsev, 2003 (19 FEB 20:15); BAIT d. Mark Jenkin, 2019 (20 FEB 18:30); IDA d. Pawel Pawlikowski, 2013 (20 FEB 20:15); MYSTERIOUS OBJECT AT NOON d. Apichatpong Weerasethakul, 2000 (24 FEB 20:15).

EXPERIMENTA FOCUS: STEPHEN DWOSKIN at BFI Southbank

FASHION & CINEMA: THE ALLURE OF THE REBEL at Ciné Lumière

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): THE WILD ONE d. Laslo Benedek, 1953 + Intro by writer, editor, director and model Davina Catt (24 FEB 18:35).

THE FILMS OF PATRICK WANG at ICA

FOUR BY PENNY MARSHALL at The Prince Charles

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): BIG 35mm d. Penny Marshall, 1988 (21 FEB 18:00).

FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA at The Prince Charles

FRANÇOIS TRUFFAUT: FOR THE LOVE OF FILMS at BFI Southbank

FRANÇOIS TRUFFAUT REVISITED at Ciné Lumière

FROM THE MIND OF PAUL SCHRADER at The Prince Charles

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): BLUE COLLAR 35mm d. Paul Schrader, 1978 (23 FEB 18:00).

HOMELAND: FILMS BY AUSTRALIAN FIRST NATIONS DIRECTORS at Barbican

JULIA DUCOURNAU at The Prince Charles

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): TITANE d. Julia Ducournau, 2021 (22 FEB 12:10).

LOVE STORIES at Genesis Cinema

  • Includes (check venue for listings): ROMEO + JULIET d. Baz Luhrmann, 1996 (23 FEB 18:15); MOONLIGHT d. Barry Jenkins, 2017 (23 FEB 21:00).

ON SCREEN WITH MADONNA at The Prince Charles

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): IN BED WITH MADONNA d. Alek Keshishian, 1991 (19 FEB 18:00).

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

  • Includes (check venue for listings): INHERENT VICE 35mm d. Paul Thomas Anderson, 2014 (19 FEB 22:30).

SEEN & HEARD at BFI Southbank

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): RAFIKI d. Wanuri Kahiu, 2018 (18 FEB 18:00 / 23 FEB 20:30); FISH TANK d. Andrea Arnold, 2009 (19 FEB 20:40).

STUDIO GHIBLI at Picturehouse Cinemas

  • Includes (check venue for listings): PORCO ROSSO d. Hayao Miyazaki, 1992 (from 18 FEB); MY NEIGHBOUR TOTORO d. Hayao Miyazaki, 1988 (from 19 FEB).

STUDIO GHIBLI FOREVER at The Prince Charles

THE TWISTED TALES OF GUILLERMO DEL TORO at The Prince Charles

TWO BY RYÛSUKE HAMAGUCHI at The Prince Charles

  • Includes (check venue for listings): WHEEL OF FORTUNE AND FANTASY d. Ryûsuke Hamaguchi, 2021 (21 FEB 15:15 / 23 FEB 13:00 / 24 FEB 21:00).

THE WORLD OF WONG KAR WAI at The Prince Charles

THE BEATLES: GET BACK – THE ROOFTOP CONCERT d. Peter Jackson, 2022:

HERE BEFORE d. Stacey Gregg, 2021:

THE REAL CHARLIE CHAPLIN d. Peter Middleton & James Spinney, 2021:

  • Also 18 to 24 FEB (various dates/times): KISS ME KOSHER d. Shirel Peleg, 2020 at: JW3 (21 to 28 FEB) // LICORICE PIZZA 35mm d. Paul Thomas Anderson, 2021 at: Rio Cinema // THE SILENCE OF THE MOLE d. Anais Taracena, 2021 at: Bertha DocHouse // THE TALE OF KING CRAB aka Re Granchio d. Alessio Rigo de Righi & Matteo Zoppis, 2021 at: ICA.

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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. //.