This is a film still from: XIMEI dir Gaylen Ross & Andy Cohen, 2019

SCREEN GUIDE: What’s on in London this week [25 NOV to 01 DEC 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

TOKEN HOMO presents a second season of BAR TRASH – TRASH PLANET – a celebration of 70s eco-horror at Genesis Cinema & Rule Zero. Tickets £1 / Double-bill £5 – Booking now!

Welcome to another screen week!

There’s plenty going on this week, with a welcome return to public screenings by Deptford Cinema (despite continuing to search for a new home!). The award-winning volunteer-led cinema is showing horror movie LAMBwith live music from Stergin at St Swithun’s Church (26 NOV). Their event is supported with National Lottery Funding as part of the BFI’s blockbuster horror programme, IN DREAMS ARE MONSTERS (which is also the name of their sensational season on BFI Southbank). 

The end of the week explodes into glitter with the start of December so these pages will soon be festooned with merry Christmas tinsel titles… I’ll post an epic roundup of the month’s rep seasons in the next few days. If you want to see where Christmas comes from, the always-excellent Architecture On Film strand at Barbican, curated by the Architecture Foundation, presents MERRY CHRISTMAS, YIWU, a documentary about the 600 dedicated festive factories in Yiwu, China (30 NOV).

01 DEC is World AIDS Day and so I’ve chosen documentary XIMEI at The Garden Cinema as my Featured Attraction of the Week. Also for World AIDS Day, Rio Cinema is showing Bill Sherwood’s PARTING GLANCESas part of their weekly Pink Palace LGBTQ+ strand (30 NOV). Congratulations to Andrew Woodyatt and the team at the Rio for this work being Highly Commended at the Big Screen Awards in the Diversity & Inclusion Initiative category.

See you in the darkness, and stay safe.

Richard // RADIANT CIRCUS

XIMEI d. Gaylen Ross & Andy Cohen, 2019 presented by Dokbox for World AIDS Day at The Garden Cinema (01 DEC 18:30).

“During a government-sponsored blood campaign, peasants from China’s Henan Province queued in front of vans to sell their blood for approximately 5 dollars, a month’s wages. 300,000 people were infected with HIV from contaminated equipment and transfusions, sparking a full-blown epidemic, followed by a scandalous cover up.”

“Ximei, a victim of this Black Blood economy, fights against the injustice while fighting the disease. Even as local officials try to terrorize Ximei into silence, sequester her in an AIDS Village, and close down her halfway house for victims and their orphans, she single-handedly fights for her fellow patients to receive medical treatment and to overcome social and work discrimination.”

“Ximei’s courageous actions and fiery character transform the tragedy of Henan’s HIV-infected outcasts into lives of hope and dignity.”

FRIDAY 25 NOV

  • “DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU’RE HERE FOR?!” d. Joseph Delaney, 2022 Midnight Premiere + Afterparty presented by Ari Archive at Rio Cinema (25 NOV 23:30).
  • Funny On Film: OFFICE SPACE d. Mike Judge, 1999 + Live standup by Celya AB at The Garden Cinema (25 NOV 18:00).
  • Julia Holter: THE PASSION OF JOAN OF ARC d. Carl Theodor Dreyer, 1928 + Live score by Julia Holter with her band & the Opera North chorus at Barbican (25 NOV 20:00).
  • PERFECT BLUE d. Kon Satoshi, 1997 at Japan House London (25 NOV 18:30 – FREE!).
  • WEST SIDE STORY Sing-along d. Robert Wise & Jerome Robbins, 1961 presented by West London Queer Project at Chiswick Cinema (25 NOV 21:00).

SATURDAY 26 NOV

  • LAMB d. Valdimar Jóhannsson, 2021 + Live music by Stergin, presented by Deptford Cinema at St Swithun’s Church SE13 (26 NOV 19:00).
  • Ugo Tognazzi Double Feature: THE PORTRAIT OF MY FATHER + IL VIZIETTO aka La Cage Aux Folles + ds. Maria Sole Tognazzi, 2010 + Édouard Molinaro, 1978 presented by CinemaItaliaUK at The Garden Cinema (26 NOV 16:30 + 18:40 – Joint ticket £15).

TALKS etc.

SUNDAY 27 NOV

MONDAY 28 NOV

  • ACTORS d. Betsey Brown, 2021 presented by Deeper Into Movies at Bush Hall (28 NOV 19:30).
  • Monday Classic Matinée: FEMALE d. Michael Curtiz, 1933 + Live organ recital at Regent Street Cinema (28 NOV 13:00).
  • Double-bill: GIRLFRIENDS + FRANCES HA ds. Claudia Weill, 1978 + Noah Baumbach, 2012 presented by Transmissions at Dalston Superstore (28 NOV 18:30).
  • TERRIFIER – THE BLOODY DUO d. Damien Leone, 2016 & 2022 at The Prince Charles (28 NOV 18:15).
  • THREE THOUSAND YEARS OF LONGING d. George Miller, 2022 at Whirled Cinema (28 NOV 20:00 / 30 NOV 20:00 / 04 DEC 16:00).
  • VORTEX d. Gaspar Noé, 2021 presented by Deeper Into Movies at Farr’s Dalston (28 NOV 19:30).
  • WOMEN ON THE VERGE OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN d. Pedro Almodóvar, 1988 presented by Spanish Marks at India Club Lounge-Bar (28 NOV 19:00).

TUESDAY 29 NOV

WEDNESDAY 30 NOV

THURSDAY 01 DEC

35MM PRESENTATIONS at The Prince Charles

70MM PRESENTATIONS at The Prince Charles

IMAX PRESENTATIONS at BFI IMAX

’00s 35MM SEASON at Everyman Screen on the Green

ANIME at The Prince Charles

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): PERFECT BLUE d. Satoshi Kon, 1997 (26 NOV 13:00 / 29 NOV 18:10).

ANNIVERSARY SEASON at Everyman Belsize Park

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET d. George Seaton, 1947 (27 NOV 14:00 / 28 NOV 18:00).

AU CONTRAIRE: JEAN-LUC GODARD at Close-Up

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): PIERROT LE FOU d. Jean-Luc Godard, 1965 (26 NOV 20:15).

BAR TRASH / TRASH PLANET at Genesis Cinema & Rule Zero

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): PIRANHA + PIRANHA II: THE SPAWNING d. Joe Dante, 1978 + James Cameron, 1981 + Intro, film chat, prize giveaways & themed drinks at Genesis Cinema (26 NOV 20:30 – £5).
  • Presented by TOKEN HOMO.

BFI’S 100 BBC TV GAMECHANGERS at BFI Southbank

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): The Wednesday Play: IN TWO MINDS + WHERE THE BUFFALO ROAM d. Ken Loach, 1967 + Gareth Davies, 1966 (27 NOV 14:30); GOODNESS GRACIOUS ME + THE REAL MCCOY (2 Episodes) + Panel with cast members Sanjeev Bhaskar & Meera Syal, & producer Anil Gupta, chaired by writer & broadcaster Samira Ahmed (27 NOV 18:20); EMPIRE ROAD (2 Episodes) + Panel with cast Corinne Skinner-Carter, Joseph Marcell & producer Peter Ansorge (30 NOV 18:10).

BLACK & WHITE MOVIES at The Prince Charles

CHRISTMAS at Genesis Cinema

CHRISTMAS at The Prince Charles

CINEMATIC JUKEBOX / CLASSIC FILMS at The Prince Charles (not listed elsewhere!)

ESSENTIAL CINEMA at Close-Up

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): THE PASSENGER d. Michelangelo Antonioni, 1975 (25 NOV 20:15); CRIES & WHISPERS d. Ingmar Bergman, 1973 (27 NOV 18:30).

THE FILMS OF DAVID LYNCH at The Prince Charles 

FRAMES OF MIND: THE FILMS OF PETER GREENAWAY at BFI Southbank 

GARY OLDMAN at BFI Southbank

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): PRICK UP YOUR EARS d. Stephen Frears, 1987 (25 NOV 20:40); MANK d. David Fincher, 2020 (26 NOV 17:20 / 29 NOV 20:20); TRUE ROMANCE d. Tony Scott, 1993 (29 NOV 18:00).

HOLLYWOOD ON HOLLYWOOD at The Garden Cinema

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): A STAR IS BORN d. George Cukor, 1954 (25 NOV 20:10 / 11 DEC 14:10 / 21 DEC 17:00); SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN d. Stanley Donen, 1952 (26 NOV 18:30 / 07 DEC 15:30 / 20 DEC 20:00); SUNSET BOULEVARD d. Billy Wilder, 1950 (29 NOV 15:30 / 14 DEC 18:00 / 19 DEC 18:00); ADAPTATION d. Spike Jonze, 2002 (29 NOV 20:00 / 04 DEC 15:00 / 12 DEC 15:00); THE FRONT d. Martin Ritt, 1976 (30 NOV 18:00 / 12 DEC 20:00 / 18 DEC 14:50).

IN DREAMS ARE MONSTERS at BFI Southbank 

THE INFERNAL AFFAIRS TRILOGY at The Prince Charles

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): INFERNAL AFFAIRS III d. Andrew Lau & Alan Mak, 2003 (26 NOV 12:45 / 29 NOV 13:15 – 4K).

JEAN-LUC GODARD: PERSPECTIVES at Ciné Lumière

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): LE MÉPRIS aka Contempt d. Jean-Luc Godard, 1963 (28 NOV 18:15 + Presentation by Professor Ginette Vincendeau / 04 DEC 18:15 / 07 JAN 13:30); VIVRE SA VIE d. Jean-Luc Godard, 1962 (30 NOV 20:35 / 12 DEC 18:40 / 09 JAN 18:20).

JOHN SMITH: INTROSPECTIVE (1972–2022) 50 FILMS FROM 50 YEARS at ICA & Close-Up

KRZYSZTOF KIESLOWSKI’S THREE COLOURS TRILOGY at The Prince Charles

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): THREE COLOURS: RED 35mm d. Krzysztof Kieslowski, 1994 (26 NOV 15:30 / 30 NOV 15:30).

MEL BROOKS SELECTROSPECTIVE (IN REVERSE) at The Prince Charles

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): SPACEBALLS 35mm d. Mel Brooks, 1987 (25 NOV 18:10).

OVER THE RAINBOW at BFI Southbank

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): MULHOLLAND DRIVE 4K d. David Lynch, 2001 (01 DEC 20:15 / 11 DEC 17:45 / 19 DEC 20:15 / 28 DEC 20:15 / 30 DEC 20:15).

MOVIE MARATHONS at The Prince Charles

PARALLEL LIVES: THE CINEMA OF MATÍAS PIÑEIRO at ICA

SEASON OF CHAN at The Prince Charles

  • Includes (check venue for listings): MR. NICE GUY 35mm d. Sammo Hung, 1997 (25 NOV 12:30).

TRINTIGNANT: THE NON-CONFORMIST at Ciné Lumière

UNGENTLE SCREENING SERIES at Studio Voltaire

  • Includes (check venue for listings): LONDON d. Patrick Keiller, 1994 (26 NOV 14:00); ROBINSON IN SPACE d. Patrick Kieller, 1997 (27 NOV 14:00).

UNSILENCED: THE RESILIENCE OF QUEER CINEMA at Rio Cinema

  • Includes (check venue for listings): LEITIS IN WAITING d. Dean Hamer, Joe Wilson & Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu, 2018 + Intro by curator Josh Bullin (28 NOV 18:30); GRACEFULLY d. Arash Eshagh, 2019 + Intro/Panel discussion (29 NOV 18:30).
  • Curated by Josh Bullin in partnership with NFTS.

WOMEN’S RIGHTS NOW at Ciné Lumière

WORKING CLASS HEROES at Biddle Bros Pub

  • Includes (check venue for listings): THE NIGHT BEFORE THE STRIKE aka Paupjeonya d. Dong-hong Jang, Yun-hyeon Jang, Eun Lee & J.Q. Lee, 1990 (29 NOV).
  • Presented by Mondo Nights / Raising funds for the IWGB

THE WORLD OF WONG KAR WAI at The Prince Charles

  • Includes (check venue for listings): IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE d. Wong Kar Wai, 2000 (26 NOV 17:45 – 4K / 28 NOV 13:00 – 4K / 02 DEC 21:05 / 15 DEC 20:30 – 4K / 18 DEC 14:45 / 19 DEC 12:45 – 4K / 31 DEC 13:00 – 4K ); CHUNGKING EXPRESS d. Wong Kar Wai, 1994 (27 NOV 15:30 / 30 NOV 21:00 / 04 DEC 21:00 – 4K / 17 DEC 13:15 / 28 DEC 18:00 – 4K).

BONES AND ALL dir Luca Guadagnino, 2022:

GLASS ONION: A KNIVES OUT MYSTERY dir Rian Johnson, 2022:

SHE SAID dir Maria Schrader, 2022:

WHAT DO WE SEE WHEN WE LOOK AT THE SKY? aka Ras vkhedavt, rodesac cas vukurebt? dir Aleksandre Koberidze, 2021:

Also 25 NOV to 01 DEC (various venues / dates / times):

RADIANT CIRCUS is powered by monthly subscribers. Get great rewards & help #ReviveTheDark. JOIN US!

*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. //.