THE BALLY #101: Screen Diaries Vol:1 available for download now

Missing cinema…? Our Screen Diaries Vol:1 is a celebration of alternative screen culture in London from 2017 to 2020. All proceeds from the sale of this 80-page ebook will go directly to help indie exhibitors return to the darkness when cinemas are allowed to reopen.

Twitter @radiantcircus | Instagram @radiantcircus

We’re chuffed to announce the publication of our first collection of Screen Diaries from the first four years of radiantcircus.com. This edited ebook of 20+ articles is part of our plans to come out of lockdown fighting hard for the alternative screen culture we love.

Each diary entry is a report from one of the many diverse and intelligent film events we have seen projected with passion by London’s indie exhibitors since we started blogging in 2017. Rather than formal film reviews, they celebrate the many things we love about the shared rituals of cinema. The collection is intended to shine a spotlight on alternative / DIY screen culture in the hope that it will thrive again after shutdown.

All proceeds from the sale of this ebook go to our Revive The Dark Fund, a crowdfunding drive to help indie exhibitors return to the darkness when cinemas are allowed to reopen. Buy your copy HERE. Alternatively, start a monthly subscription at Patreon.com/radiantcircus to claim your FREE copy.

Please share this campaign with your friends (use #ReviveTheDark and mention @radiantcircus on TW & IG), encouraging them to buy a copy of this ebook, or join us as subscribers. Together, we can all help revive the shared rituals of cinema.
 We’ll be launching our first round of sponsorship packages for indie exhibitors very soon…

Until we can meet again in the darkness, stay safe & stay strong,

Richard

Barker-In-Chief // RADIANT CIRCUS.

This is a film still from REBEL DYKES (2021).

NOW BOOKING: BFI Flare 2021 (17 to 28 MAR)

It’s great to see London’s legendary BFI Flare LGBTIQ+ Film Festival zooming back into focus as we all plan our coming out of lockdown. Booking already open for BFI members and from 02 MAR for general admission. Here’s our pick of this year’s online event. READ MORE

NOW BOOKING: Essay Film Festival Preludes 1-3

Ahead of their Essay Film Festival 2021, Birkbeck Institute Of The Moving Image (BIMI) hosts a trio of FREE online events to get your juices flowing (05-19 MAR). READ MORE

A Listening Eye – The Films of Mike Dibb (08 JAN to 26 MAR 2021)

A new season of free films & live events streaming from The Whitechapel Gallery. New content every Friday. The latest programme is CONVERSATION PIECES (26 FEB to 26 MAR), demonstrating “the sheer range of engaged intellectual lives & ideas that Mike Dibb has documented.” READ MORE

Sick, Tired & Angry – Unite!

Other Ways To Care presents a streaming season of films “in solidarity with university communities fighting the hostile environment in neoliberal times” (10 FEB to 19 MAR 2021 – FREE!). Next up: #4 Reclaim – ESTADO DE MALESTAR d. María Ruido, 2019 (FRI 19 MAR 19:30).

READ MORE

NOW BOOKING: Human Rights Watch Film Festival

Human Rights Watch Film Festival & Barbican Cinema On Demand have announced the streaming programme for this year’s online event (18 to 26 MAR 2021). READ MORE

RADIANT CIRCUS is powered by monthly subscribers. 40% of fees now directly supports indie cinema events across London.

The indie screen culture we love has taken a battering. Coronavirus has closed venues, silenced exhibitors & isolated audiences.

To help reanimate movies beyond the mainstream, we’ve relaunched our subscription service as a crowdfunder called REVIVE THE DARK. With the backing of enough subscribers we will be able to:

  • Sponsor DIY, indie & alternative cinema
  • Celebrate outstanding acts of exhibition
  • Expand our scene content & coverage

SUPPORT INDIE CINEMA →

*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. //.