THE BALLY #110: What to see in London this week [11 to 17 JUN 2021]

Welcome to THE BALLY where we help you find what to see in London this week across DIY, indie & alternative cinema events, online, outdoors & in venues.

By RADIANT CIRCUS // Twitter @radiantcircus / Instagram @radiantcircus

Each year, development agency Film London selects a number of Lodestars, recognising “the bright futures of innovative filmmakers, creatives and craftspeople from across the capital”. Congratulations to three wonderful indie exhibitors who join this illustrious network this year: Fringe! Queer Film & Arts Fest, Genesis Cinema, and The Lexi Cinema. Find out more about their amazing works here.

BFI Southbank has announced their July lineup of seasons and festivals. Highlights include: WONG KAR WAI “cinema’s most evocative master of bittersweet romance” (JUL); THE CINEMA OF MÁRTA MÉSZÁROS showcasing “the direct and observational voice of this important director, whose films celebrate the rich tapestry of Central and Eastern European life” (JUL); TAPE Collective’s BUT WHERE ARE YOU REALLY FROM?, a season of films “celebrating filmmakers who redefine, reject and re-establish identity and heritage labels” (JUL); and the return of Chinese Visual Festival (15 to 25 JUL). 

Rooftop Film Club has also announced their July programme at both Peckham and Stratford locations. Highlights this week include their partnership with RIBA to coincide with the Festival Of Architecture and beginning with a special Q&A screening of THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS d. Wes Anderson, 2001 (14 JUN). If you’re a fan of Wes Anderson, The Prince Charles continues their season of his work this week with his 1998 sophomore feature, RUSHMORE (11 to 16 JUN various dates/times).

London’s drive-ins continue to encounter turbulence as The Drive In at Troubadour Meridian Water has suddenly scrapped the remainder of its current programme with this notice: “The Drive In will be temporarily closing from Sunday 13th June 2021. We are making plans to return later this year, but for now we must put the party on pause“. Their last film will be HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE (13 JUN 17:00).

In new releases, revivals and restorations, our featured attraction of last week, We Are Parable’s presentation of MANDABI, gets a wider release with several venues picking up the restoration with a recorded Q&A about the legacy of Ousmane Sembène’s work and financial services in Africa (the alternative title for the film is The Money Order if that sounds a little confusing…). THE FATHER screens everywhere on the strength of its multiple award wins, and FARGO gets a huge amount of love for its 25th Anniversary re-release – catch it in weeklong engagements at The Prince Charles from 35MM or at BFI Southbank from 4K (see listings for more dates and venues below). Likely to be one of the sensations of the summer, IN THE HEIGHTS gets a day of previews at Picturehouse Cinemas (11 JUN)) before its wider opening next week.

Doc’n Roll Festival continues their return to venues with a summer season of films that were cancelled due to Lockdown 2.0 in November last year. Other indie exhibitors returning this week include No Planet B, DISPATCH FMI, Wimbledon Film Club and Deptford Cinema (in temporary outdoor accommodation at The Albany SE8 as they continue their search for a new venue). Full details at radiantcircus.com.

There’s heady rush of new festival content to conclude the week, with opening nights for Bagri Foundation London Indian Film Festival (17 JUN to 04 JUL); Barnes Film Festival (17 to 23 JUN); and London Migration Film Festival (17 to 23 JUN).

Our Featured Attraction of the Week is the continued return of Queer East to venues on their third attempt following the cancellation of last year’s in-venue programmes. Yi Wang and team’s determination to keep going – scheduling and rescheduling throughout the pandemic’s lockdowns and shutdowns – is testimony to the power of disruptive, DIY film exhibition. With a series of events for Pride spanning June and July, this week’s highlights include a RADIANT CIRCUS favourite, FUNERAL PARADE OF ROSES d. Toshio Matsumoto, 1969 (11 JUN 20:15), and THE WEDDING BANQUET d. Ang Lee, 1993 (12 JUN 18:00), both at the wonderful Catford Mews.

See you in the darkness…

Richard // RADIANT CIRCUS

FUNERAL PARADE OF ROSES d. Toshio Matsumoto, 1969 presented by Queer East at Catford Mews (11 JUN 20:15):

“Shining a light on gay subcultures in the 1960s Tokyo underground scene, the film is about Eddie, a transgender hostess at Bar Genet, and her involvement in a violent love triangle. Toshio Matsumoto’s shattering, kaleidoscopic masterpiece is one of the most subversive and intoxicating films of the Japanese New Wave.”

THE WEDDING BANQUET d. Ang Lee, 1993 + Intro by Christopher Brown, University of Sussex presented by Queer East at Catford Mews (12 JUN 18:00):

“Ang Lee’s romantic comedy is about Wai-Tung, a gay Taiwanese immigrant living in Manhattan, who resolves to marry a woman in order to appease his parents. Both farcical and touching, Lee’s film is a landmark of LGBTQ+ cinema and anticipates later debates over gay marriage.”

REFUGEE WEEK at Ciné Lumière (JUN)

• Includes (check venue for full listings): WHEN I GROW UP d. Jill Coulon, 2019 + Q&A with with Eugenie Munakarmi, COO of Children of the Mekong (16 JUN 14:00 – FREE online event); REFUGEES: THE FACE OF A MODERN DIASPORA video works by artist Caroline Burraway (16 JUN 17:15); FUNAN d. Denis Do, 2018 (16 JUN 18:45).

• Architecture Film Festival London (02 to 27 JUN – online).
• Bagri Foundation London Indian Film Festival (17 JUN to 04 JUL).
• Barnes Film Festival (17 to 23 JUN).
• Doc’n Roll Festival – Summer Screenings (June & July).
• London Migration Film Festival (17 to 23 JUN).
• Queer East – Pride Season (JUN to JUL).
• Sheffield Doc/Fest (04 to 13 JUN).

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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. //.