SCREEN GUIDE: What’s on in London this week [29 APR to 05 MAY 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 a new screen week! I’ll try not to step on your toes as I head to my seat…

This week’s Screen Guide is a bit late because I was working on a new epic roundup for May. Strong festival openings this month include ICA’s Frames Of Representation, Queer East Film Festival, and Tongues On Fire’s UK Asian Film Festival. In terms of seasons, I think a lot of the excitement this month hails from Anna Bogutskaya’s exhibition of CRUEL FLESH at BFI, examining the films of the ‘New French Extremity’ movement. Which is also my Featured Attraction of the Month.

Other new season openings this week include, BFI’s RETURN OF THE OUTSIDER: THE FILMS OF MIKE HODGES, CELEBRATING SIDNEY POITIER at The Garden Cinema, a return to ESSENTIAL CINEMA at Close-Up (including a RADIANT CIRCUS favourite, John Waters’ MULTIPLE MANIACS), and a season of venue staff favourites, CULTITUDE, at Catford Mews (of which my pick of the bunch would be Walter Hill’s THE WARRIORS). Whilst it might not quite seem warm enough, Rooftop Film Club returns to skylines in Peckham and Stratford East this week. And don’t forget, Genesis Cinema continues their 23rd birthday celebrations with a season where every film is £2.50 (including some from 35mm!) and ticket holders can also get a pint of Truman’s from the bar for the same price. Which is a reason to celebrate.

In Film Clubs and other indie special events, start your weekend with CABARET at Stow Film Lounge, DUNE at Newham Community Cinema, or EAST IS EAST c/o Film Scope at The Yellow (all 29 APR). The Young Programmers at Barbican present BIG NIGHT on Saturday (30 APR), and there’s another few chances to see our featured attraction from last week (minus the special features), HESTER STREET, at Curzon Bloomsbury (from 30 APR). Ciné-Real 16mm Film Club returns to The Castle Cinema with THE BATTLE OF ALGIERS 16mm, and The Vito Project LGBTQ+ Film Club continue their season Re-Opening The Celluloid Closet with TEA & SYMPATHY at The Cinema Museum (both 01 MAY). There’s also a very special Sunday screening of 1915 film FILIBUS with a live electronic score by Sam Enthoven and Arkadiusz Potyka at ArtHouse Crouch End (also 01 MAY). I would mention the FREE screening of THE SPARKS BROTHERS at the new Triangle LGBTQ+ Cultural Centre in Deptford, but that’s already ‘sold out’!

Start your regular week with Werner Herzog’s FAMILY ROMANCE LLC at Whirled Cinema (from 02 MAY), or see THE FRENCH DISPATCH with Deeper Into Movies if you’re Wes Anderson inclined… On Tuesday, Double Wonderful showcase a new work by Johnny Clyde, DO YOU REMEMBER DREAMING? at Venue MOT, Fringe! and MUBI present GREAT FREEDOM at Genesis followed by a Q&A with the Bent Bars Project, and No Bollocks Film Club projects SMALL BODY at The Castle (all 03 MAY). Heading into the home straight, Kennington Bioscope delivers the silent cinema goods with GREATER THAN LOVE at The Cinema Museum, and there may or may not be a few tickets left for the EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE preview + Q&A with the Daniels at BFI Southbank (both 04 MAY). Then, let your week come to a premature rest (and grab yourself a tote full of merch!) with WEEKEND projected by 6876 and Rebel Reel Cine Club at Archway Tavern (05 MAY).

I’m making new release WE’RE ALL GOING TO THE WORLD’S FAIR directed by Jane Schoenbrun my Featured Attraction of the Week (and I’m just hoping I get on with it better than I did DASHCAM…). Other new releases this week include Nabil Ayouch’s CASABLANCA BEATS and wildlife doc THE VELVET QUEEN by Marie Amiguet and Vincent Munier. As usual, there’s a fascinating clutch of micro/exclusive engagements on offer at specialist venues across town, so do make sure you scroll all the way down.

See you in the darkness, and stay safe.

Richard // RADIANT CIRCUS

WE’RE ALL GOING TO THE WORLD’S FAIR dir. Jane Schoenbrun, 2021 at: Barbican / BFI / Curzon Cinemas / Rio Cinema.

“A refreshingly original look at the anxieties of the internet age from writer-director Jane Schoenbrun is a daring and exciting debut from both the filmmaker and actor Anna Cobb who gives a mercurial tour-de-force performance as teenage vlogger Casey.”

“Adolescent Casey escapes from a mundane and lonely reality to immerse herself in the uncertain world of mysterious online role-playing game ‘The World’s Fair.’ Guided by the unsolicited guidance of a middle-aged man, she begins to lose herself between dream and reality…”

“Deliberately ambiguous to the last frame, WE’RE ALL GOING TO THE WORLD’S FAIR is a haunting amalgamation of the creepy, the absurd, and the bizarre that cleverly combines a tender coming of age story with glimpses of the existential hell beneath its mysterious, disturbing and consistently surprising surface.”

FRIDAY 29 APR

  • ALIM d. Georgi Tasin, 1926 + Intro by Olena Palko at Birkbeck Cinema (29 APR 18:00).
  • CABARET d. Bob Fosse, 1972 presented by Stow Film Lounge at Creative Works (29 APR 19:30).
  • DUNE d. Denis Villeneuve, 2021 + Q&A presented by Newham Community Cinema at Stratford Library (29 APR 17:00 – FREE!).
  • EAST IS EAST d. Damien O’Donnell, 1999 presented by Film Scope at The Yellow (29 APR 19:00 – FREE!).
  • THE NICE GUYS d. Shane Black, 2016 (29 APR 15:30 / 04 MAY 20:40 – £1 Members’ Screening).
  • SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN d. Stanley Donen & Gene Kelly, 1952 at The Garden Cinema (29 APR 20:50).

SATURDAY 30 APR

SUNDAY 01 MAY

MONDAY 02 MAY

  • ENNIO d. Giuseppe Tornatore, 2022 + Intro by David Temple MBE, Crouch End Festival Chorus’ Musical Director at Picturehouse Crouch End (02 MAY 20:00).
  • FAMILY ROMANCE LLC d. Werner Herzog, 2019 at Whirled Cinema (02 MAY 20:00 / 03 MAY 20:00 / 04 MAY 20:00 / 08 MAY 17:00).
  • THE FRENCH DISPATCH d. Wes Anderson, 2021 presented by Deeper Into Movies at Farr’s Dalston (02 MAY 19:30).
  • THE GIFT d. Dr Barry James Gibb + Q&A with the director for Dying Matters Awareness Week at Everyman Muswell Hill (02 MAY 18:30).
  • NIGHTMARE ALLEY d. Edmund Goulding, 1947 at The Garden Cinema (02 MAY 16:30 / 04 MAY 16:00).
  • THE SOFT SKIN aka La peau douce d. François Truffaut, 1964 at Picturehouse Cinemas (02 MAY various).

TUESDAY 03 MAY

  • DO YOU REMEMBER DREAMING? d. Johnny Clyde, 2022 presented by Double Wonderful at Venue MOT (03 MAY 19:30).
  • FAMILY ROMANCE LLC d. Werner Herzog, 2019 at Whirled Cinema (03 MAY 20:00 / 04 MAY 20:00 / 08 MAY 17:00).
  • GREAT FREEDOM dir Sebastian Meise, 2021 + Q&A with Bent Bars presented by Fringe! Queer Film & Arts Fest & MUBI at Genesis Cinema (03 MAY 18:10).
  • MURDER IN THE CATHEDRAL d. George Hoellering, 1951 presented in-venue & online by Sands Films Cinema Club at Sands Films Studios (03 MAY 20:00 / Donation requested).
  • THE PLAYER d. Robert Altman, 1992 presented by Tufnell Park Film Club at The Lord Palmerston (03 MAY 20:00).
  • PRAYERS FOR THE STOLEN d. Tatiana Huezo, 2021 at The David Lean (03 MAY 19:30).
  • SMALL BODY d. Laura Samani, 2022 presented by No Bollocks Film Club at The Castle Cinema (03 MAY 19:00).
  • TOKYO DRIFTER d. Seijun Suzuki, 1966 at The Prince Charles (03 MAY 18:00).
  • Unrestricted View Film Festival: Award Shorts 2022 at Everyman Screen On The Green (03 MAY 18:15).

WEDNESDAY 04 MAY

  • COME AND SEE d. Elem Klimov, 1985 at The Prince Charles (04 MAY 12:40).
  • DISTANT VOICES, STILL LIVES d. Terrence Davies, 1988 at Riverside Studios (04 MAY 12:10).
  • ELEVEN DAYS IN MAY d. Michael Winterbottom & Mohammed Sawwaf, 2022 + Virtual Q&A with the directors in support of the Hoping Foundation at Picturehouse Central (04 MAY 19:00).
  • EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE d. Daniels, 2022 + Q&A with the directors at BFI Southbank (04 MAY 19:00).
  • FAMILY ROMANCE LLC d. Werner Herzog, 2019 at Whirled Cinema (04 MAY 20:00 / 08 MAY 17:00).
  • GREATER THAN LOVE d. Fred Niblo, 1921 + Live piano accompaniment presented by Kennington Bioscope at The Cinema Museum (04 MAY 19:30).
  • HESTER STREET d. Joan Micklin Silver, 1975 at Curzon Bloomsbury (04 MAY 19:00).
  • IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF FRANTZ FANON d. Mehdi Lallaoui, 2021 + Q&A with the director & Jean Khalfa at Ciné Lumière (04 MAY 18:00).
  • THE NICE GUYS d. Shane Black, 2016 (04 MAY 20:40 – £1 Members’ Screening).
  • NIGHTMARE ALLEY d. Edmund Goulding, 1947 at The Garden Cinema (04 MAY 16:00).
  • STORM BOY d. Henri Safran, 1976 at The Garden Cinema (04 MAY 18:30 / 05 MAY 20:10).
  • YOUR MUM AND DAD: A DEVASTATING TRUTH d. Klaartje Quirijns, 2019 + Discussion with the director at Bertha DocHouse (04 MAY 18:20).

THURSDAY 05 MAY

35MM PRESENTATIONS at The Prince Charles

007 SEASON at The Prince Charles

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): NEVER SAY NEVER AGAIN d. Irvin Kershner, 1983 (30 APR 15:00 – 4K / 05 MAY 15:00 – 4K).

1982 SEASON at The Prince Charles

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): THE LAST UNICORN d. Arthur Rankin Jr. & Jules Bass, 1982 (01 MAY 12:25); CAT PEOPLE d. Paul Schrader, 1982 (04 MAY 18:00).

AKIRA KUROSAWA at The Prince Charles

ANIME at BFI Southbank

ANIME at The Prince Charles

BEST OF CÉSAR at Ciné Lumière

BIG SCREEN CLASSICS: A QUESTION OF FAITH at BFI Southbank

BLACK & WHITE MOVIES at The Prince Charles

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH d. Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger, 1946 (30 APR 12:30 / 05 MAY 12:30).

CELEBRATING MARLON BRANDO at The Garden Cinema

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): A DRY WHITE SEASON d. Euzhan Palcy, 1989 (01 MAY 18:15); THE GODFATHER d. Francis Ford Coppola, 1972 (02 MAY 18:30).

CELEBRATING SIDNEY POITIER at The Garden Cinema 

CRUEL FLESH: FILMS OF THE NEW FRENCH EXTREMITY at BFI Southbank

CULTITUDE at Catford Mews

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): THE BIG LEBOWSKI dir Joel Coen, 1997 (04 MAY 21:00).

ESSENTIAL CINEMA at Close-Up

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): GREY GARDENS d. David Maysles, Albert Maysles, Ellen Hovde and Muffie Meyer, 1976 (01 MAY 18:30); MULTIPLE MANIACS d. John Waters, 1970 (01 MAY 20:15); LAST YEAR IN MARIENBAD d. Alain Resnais, 1961 (05 MAY 20:15).

THE FILMS OF PAUL THOMAS ANDERSON at The Prince Charles

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): LICORICE PIZZA 35mm d. Paul Thomas Anderson, 2021 (01 MAY 17:30 / 03 MAY 20:40 / 05 MAY 15:30).

FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA at The Prince Charles

FROM THE MIND OF PAUL SCHRADER at The Prince Charles 

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): CAT PEOPLE d. Paul Schrader, 1982 (04 MAY 18:00).

GENESIS 23RD BIRTHDAY at Genesis Cinema

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): MAMMA MIA! d. Phyllida Lloyd, 2008 (29 APR 18:05); MIDSOMMAR d. Ari Aster, 2019 (29 APR 20:40); FREE SOLO d. Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi & Jimmy Chin, 2018 (30 APR 15:40); FISH TANK d. Andrea Arnold, 2009 (30 APR 18:05 – main featured image); HUNGER 35mm d. Steve McQueen, 2008 (30 APR 20:50); PADDINGTON d. Paul King, 2014 (01 MAY 12:00); PARASITE d. Bong Joon-ho, 2019 (01 MAY 17:00); BEAU TRAVAIL d. Claire Denis, 1999 (02 MAY 18:10); CITY OF GOD 35mm d. Fernando Meirelles & Kátia Lund, 2002 (02 MAY 20:30); DANCER IN THE DARK 35mm d. Lars von Trier, 2000 (03 MAY 20:35); PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE d. Céline Sciamma, 2019 (04 MAY 18:15); US d. Jordan Peele, 2019 + Intro by We Are Black Journos (04 MAY 20:55).

THE GOLDEN AGE OF FRENCH CINEMA at The Garden Cinema

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): LES ENFANTS DU PARADISd. Marcel Carné, 1945 (01 MAY 14:40); L’ATALANTE d. Jean Vigo, 1934 + Intro by Ros Murray (05 MAY 18:00).

LIV ULLMANN: FACE TO FACE at BFI Southbank

MOVIE MARATHONS at The Prince Charles

PAUL VERHOEVEN 35MM at Everyman Screen On The Green

  • Includes (check venue for listings): STARSHIP TROOPERS d. Paul Verhoeven, 1997 (30 APR 22:30 / 04 MAY 10:30).

RETURN OF THE OUTSIDER: THE FILMS OF MIKE HODGES at BFI Southbank

SCI-FI MOVIES at The Prince Charles

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): CONTACT 35mm d. Robert Zemeckis, 1997 (02 MAY 15:00 / 05 MAY 20:20).

SEASCAPES: OUR OCEANS ON SCREEN at Ciné Lumière

TWO BY EDWARD YANG at The Prince Charles

  • Includes (check venue for listings): YI YI d. Edward Yang, 2000 (03 MAY 20:10).

TWO BY MARTIN MCDONAGH at The Prince Charles

THE WORLD OF WONG KAR WAI at The Prince Charles

  • Includes (check venue for listings): AS TEARS GO BY d. Wong Kar Wai, 1988 (29 APR 13:00 4K / 01 MAY 20:30 / 03 MAY 12:30 – 4K / 05 MAY 18:00 – 4K).

ROOFTOP FILM CLUB at Bussey Building, Peckham

ROOFTOP FILM CLUB at Roof East, Stratford

CASABLANCA BEATS aka Haut et fort dir. Nabil Ayouch, 2021:

THE VELVET QUEEN aka La panthère des neiges dir. Marie Amiguet & Vincent Munier, 2021:

WE’RE ALL GOING TO THE WORLD’S FAIR dir. Jane Schoenbrun, 2021:

  • Also 29 APR to 05 MAY (various dates/times): ARCHIPELAGO aka Archipel dir. Félix Dufour-Laperrière, 2021 at: ICA // THE CASE dir. Nina Guseva, 2021 at: Bertha DocHouse // THE SWIMMER dir. Adam Kalderon, 2021 at: JW3 (from 05 MAY) // YOUR MUM AND DAD: A DEVASTATING TRUTH dir. Klaartje Quirijns, 2019 at: JW3 (from 01 MAY).

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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. //.