This is a film still from THE MOST BEAUTIFUL BOY IN THE WORLD, part of a double bill with DEATH IN VENICE at Rio Cinema (01 AUG).

SCREEN GUIDE: What’s on in London this week [30 JUL to 05 AUG 2021]

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

BOOKING NOW: Event sponsored by our monthly subscribers at Patreon to help indie exhibitors #ReviveTheDark.

A few quick notes, because I’m running (very…) late with these listings…

After last week’s London-wide opening with THE SPARKS BROTHERS, Sundance London goes strong over three days at Picturehouse Central and continues across town thanks to some touring exhibits (see listings for details). I thought the festival would be massively sold out, but there are tickets so I’ve listed what’s on.

It’s the start of a new month (pinch and punch if you fancy…) which means a bunch of new seasons, particularly at BFI where screen stars BETTE DAVIS and EARL CAMERON get their own retrospectives, as does ENNIO MORRICONE. Elsewhere, all-nighters resume at The Prince Charles with both DISNEY and JOHN CARPENTER variants (pick your room wisely…) and KOREAN FILM NIGHTS return in collaboration with Bertha DocHouse for a blended short season of docs. Carrying over from last month, both BFI and ICA have added extra screenings in their WONG KAR WAI seasons. Seems London just can’t get enough…

This week demands another shout out to London’s queer exhibitors who continue to deliver the juice. The Batty Mama presents JAMES BALDWIN: THE PRICE OF THE TICKET over several days and live events at Stanley Arts (01 to 04 AUG). Fringe! Queer Film & Arts Fest glams up for a LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS DRAGALONG screening at Colours Hoxton (04 AUG). Finishing off the week, Women Over Fifty Film Festival presents TWO OF US in partnership with Opening Doors, the charity for LGBTQ+ people aged 50+, at Genesis Cinema (05 AUG).

Our Featured Attraction of the Week marks a return to one of our favourite indies and a location that has provided RADIANT CIRCUS with some memorable two-handers…. Luchino Visconti’s DEATH IN VENICE and Kristina Lindström and Kristian Petri’s doc THE MOST BEAUTIFUL BOY IN THE WORLD screen in a discounted double at Rio Cinema (01 AUG). If you can’t make it to the Rio, then there’s a special 35MM screening of DEATH IN VENICE as part of Sundance at Picturehouse Central (31 JUL), and the documentary opens across town (see our Grind Show listings for all the details).

See you in the darkness,

Richard // RADIANT CIRCUS

PS – I don’t know about you, but I have an enduring fascination for films that were released in the year of my birth. As I turn 50 this year, so do they… that means in addition to DEATH IN VENICE, I’ll make special mention of LET’S SCARE JESSICA TO DEATH 35MM (01 AUG) which also gets an outing on celluloid at Sundance.

PPS – LET’S SCARE JESSICA TO DEATH has an enticing link to an event we’ll shortly be announcing with our friends Last Frame Film Club as part of Leytonstone Loves Film 2021. Stay tuned if you’re up for some queer-inflected horror (19 SEP 16:00+)…

Double Bill: DEATH IN VENICE d. Luchino Visconti, 1971 + THE MOST BEAUTIFUL BOY IN THE WORLD d. Kristina Lindström & Kristian Petri, 2021 at Rio Cinema (01 AUG 14:00 & 16:30 – discount applies at checkout!).

  • DEATH IN VENICE // “After 50 years, Luchino Visconti’s adaptation of a Thomas Mann novel still arouses both passion and praise. Is it one of cinema’s most exalted literary adaptations, as sensually rich as it is allegorically resonant or, a corrupted and distorted gay reading of Mann’s original novella?”
  • THE MOST BEAUTIFUL BOY IN THE WORLD // “In 1971 at the world premiere of DEATH IN VENICE in London, its director, Luchino Visconti proclaimed Björn Andrésen, the teenage star of his latest film, “The most beautiful boy in the world.” Now 50 years later, Andrésen, once a dazzling international icon and even a Japanese pop star and Manga prototype, looks back on a life that went down many a dark road in what could be a last attempt to finally get his life back on track.”

FRIDAY 30 JUL

SUNDANCE

SATURDAY 31 JUL

SUNDANCE

SUNDAY 01 AUG

SUNDANCE

MONDAY 02 AUG

TUESDAY 03 AUG

WEDNESDAY 04 AUG

THURSDAY 05 AUG

  • CRASH d. David Cronenberg, 1996 at The Prince Charles (05 AUG 20:40).
  • EL FATHER PLAYS HIMSELF d. Mo Scarpelli, 2020 + Zoom Q&A with the director at Barbican (05 AUG 18:45).
  • GIRLFRIENDS d. Claudia Weill, 1978 at ICA (05 AUG 18:40).
  • GIRLFRIENDS d. Claudia Weill, 1978 at BFI Southbank (05 AUG 20:50).
  • L’ATALANTE d. Jean Vigo, 1934 at Close-Up (05 AUG 20:15).
  • LIMBO d. Ben Sharrock, 2020 + Recorded Q&A with the director at ArtHouse Crouch End (05 AUG 18:00).
  • Now What Film Night short film programme + Q&A at Catford Mews (05 AUG 18:30).
  • TOP GUN d. Tony Scott, 1986 at Olympic Studios (05 AUG 20:30).
  • TWO OF US d. Filippo Meneghetti, 2020 + Short: WINGS + Q&A with charity Opening Doors presented by Women Over Fifty Film Festival at Genesis Cinema (05 AUG 18:20).
  • VERTIGO d. Alfred Hitchcock, 1958 at The Prince Charles (05 AUG 12:45).

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 print’ (01 AUG 14:00).

ANDREI TARKOVSKY at ICA

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): STALKER d. Andrei Tarkovsky, 1979 (31 JUL 13:00); THE SACRIFICE d. Andrei Tarkovsky, 1986 (31 JUL 21:00 / 03 AUG 15:20).

ANIME SCREENINGS at The Prince Charles

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): WHISPER OF THE HEART d. Yoshifumi Kondô, 1995 (01 AUG 11:30 – SUB); AKIRA d. Katsuhiro Ôtomo, 1988 (01 AUG 20:45 – SUB); PAPRIKA d. Satoshi Kon, 2006 (05 AUG 12:15).

ANNIVERSARY SCREENINGS at The Prince Charles

BETTE DAVIS: HOLLYWOOD REBEL at BFI Southbank

BIG SCREEN CLASSICS: TOGETHERNESS at BFI Southbank

BUT WHERE ARE YOU REALLY FROM? presented by T A P E Collective at BFI Southbank

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): Culture Shock: Short Film Programme + Q&A with UNDR LNDN (30 JUL 17:40); LILTING d. Hong Khaou, 2009 + Short: TAAROF: A VERBAL DANCE d. Alannah Olivia, 2018 (30 JUL 20:40); WHAT WILL PEOPLE SAY aka Hva vil folk si d. Iram Haq, 2017 + Short: THE LONG GOODBYE d. Aneil Kura, 2020 (31 JUL 17:30).

THE CINEMA OF MÁRTA MÉSZÁROS at BFI Southbank

CLOSE-UP ON ANDREI TARKOVSKY at Close-Up

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): THE SACRIFICE d. Andrei Tarkovsky, 1986 (31 JUL 19:30); STALKER d. Andrei Tarkovsky, 1979 (01 AUG 19:15).

EARL CAMERON at BFI Southbank

ENNIO MORRICONE at BFI Southbank

ÉRIC ROHMER at The Prince Charles

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): THE GREEN RAY 35MM aka Le rayon vert d. Éric Rohmer, 1986 (04 AUG 17:35).

FEMALE LEADS at Everyman Broadgate

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): KILL BILL: VOL. 1 d. Quentin Tarantino, 2003 (31 JUL 21:00).

THE FILMS OF DAVID LYNCH at The Prince Charles

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): BLUE VELVET 35MM d. David Lynch, 1986 (02 AUG 21:00 / 03 AUG 14:40).

THE FILMS OF QUENTIN TARANTINO at The Prince Charles

THE FILMS OF PAUL THOMAS ANDERSON at The Prince Charles

THE FILMS OF WES ANDERSON at The Prince Charles

JAMES BOND 007 at The Prince Charles

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): GOLDENEYE d. Martin Campbell, 1995 (31 JUL 17:30).

JOIN THE #BONGHIVE at The Prince Charles

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): MEMORIES OF MURDER d. Salinui chueok d. Bong Joon-ho, 2003 (30 JUL 17:35).

KOREAN FILM NIGHTS: IN TRANSIT at Bertha DocHouse (live & online)

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): WEEKENDS d. Lee Dong-ha, 2016 (online from 29 JUL 19:00 to 31 JUL 23:59 – FREE!); THE SEA OF ITAMI JUN d. Jung Da-woon, 2019 (01 AUG 18:00); SOUND OF NOMAD d. Kim So-young, 2016 + Recorded Q&A (online from 05 AUG 19:00 to 07 AUG 23:59 – FREE!).

L.A. NIGHTS at Backyard Cinema

  • Continues at Capital Studios (check venue for listings).

MIAMI BEACH at Backyard Cinema

  • Continues at Capital Studios (check venue for listings).

MOVIE MARATHONS at The Prince Charles

ROBERT ALTMAN: AMERICAN OUTSIDER at BFI Southbank

STUDIO GHIBLI at The Prince Charles

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): WHISPER OF THE HEART d. Yoshifumi Kondô, 1995 (01 AUG 11:30 – SUB).

TALES OF TOMORROW: SCI-FI SELECTIONS at The Prince Charles

TEEN MOVIES at The Prince Charles

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): HOUSE PARTY d. Reginald Hudin, 1990 (30 JUL 20:30);

THAT’S KINO, BABY! at The Prince Charles

SPLASH, SCRATCH, DUNK! FILMS MADE BY HAND at Barbican Cinema

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): HAS THE FEATURE STARTED YET? d. Maurice Lemaître, 1951 + Recorded Intro by Professor Nicole Brenez (05 AUG 18:30).

WIM WENDERS ON 35MM at The Prince Charles

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): KINGS OF THE ROAD 35MM aka Im Lauf der Zeit d. Wim Wenders, 1976 (04 AUG 20:00).

WONG KAR WAI at BFI Southbank

THE WORLD OF WONG KAR WAI at ICA

Archlight Outdoor Cinema on the Coaling Jetty, Battersea

Deeper Into Movies at Dalston Roof Park

  • Includes (check promoter for full listings): I AM DIVINE d. Jeffrey Schwarz, 2013 (02 AUG 20:00).

The Luna Cinema at various venues

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): THE DARK KNIGHT d. Christopher Nolan, 2008 at Westminster Abbey (30 JUL 21:00); TOP GUN d. Tony Scott, 1986 at Wimbledon Park (30 JUL 21:00); THE GREATEST SHOWMAN d. Michael Gracey, 2017 at Westminster Abbey (31 JUL 21:00); THE GREATEST SHOWMAN Sing-A-Long d. Michael Gracey, 2017 at Wimbledon Park (31 JUL 21:00); KNIVES OUT d. Rian Johnson, 2019 at Wimbledon Park (01 AUG 21:00); NOTTING HILL d. Roger Michell, 1999 at Westminster Abbey (01 AUG 21:00); ROMEO + JULIET d. Baz Luhrmann, 1996 at Victoria Tower Gardens, Westminster (03 AUG 20:45); SISTER ACT d. Emile Ardolino, 1992 at Victoria Tower Gardens, Westminster (04 AUG 20:45); KNIVES OUT d. Rian Johnson, 2019 at Dulwich Park (05 AUG 20:45); MOULIN ROUGE! d. Baz Luhrmann, 2001 at Victoria Tower Gardens, Westminster (05 AUG 20:45).

Rooftop Cinema at Bar Elba SE1

Rooftop Film Club, Peckham

Rooftop Film Club, Stratford East

Sunset Screening Sessions at The Homestead Cafe at Beckenham Park Place (02 JUL to 06 AUG):

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): 23 WALKS d. Paul Morrison, 2020 (30 JUL 20:30).

LIMBO d. Ben Sharrock, 2020

THE MOST BEAUTIFUL BOY IN THE WORLD d. Kristina Lindström & Kristian Petri, 2021

This is a film still from THE SPARKS BROTHERS, showing across London today (29 July 2021).

THE SPARKS BROTHERS d. Edgar Wright, 2021

  • Also (30 JUL to 05 AUG various): HIGHLANDER d. Russell Mulcahy, 1986 at The Prince Charles // I WAS AT HOME, BUT… d. Angela Schanelec, 2019 at ICA (until 04 AUG).

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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. //.