THE BALLY #111: What to see in London this week [18 to 24 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

Turn your gambling into gold with the National Lottery Cinema Weekend (19 to 20 JUN). All you need is evidence of your vice (a ticket, scratch card or some such) to claim a pair of free tickets from participating venues. This often sells out everywhere, and with capacity still limited, you’ve got to be in it to win it…

As you probably know, we love our horror at RADIANT CIRCUS, so Ben Wheatley’s new film, IN THE EARTH was bound to be one of our top picks of this week’s new releases. That settles alongside IT MUST BE HEAVEN, and the extraordinary THE REASON I JUMP which suitably gets a number of relaxed screenings and some director Q&As across town. Full listings at radiantcircus.com.

The week gets topped and tailed with two special events we really like the look of. On 18 JUN, Rhythm & Views Film Festival and Black Stock Films present a special online screening of Christine Swanson’s 2020 gospel biopic, THE CLARK SISTERS: FIRST LADIES OF GOSPEL (18 JUN 18:30). Then, at the end of our screen week, Rochester Kino’s Nick Walker is back for another Cult Classic Collective at Genesis Cinema with a crisp restoration of Jodorowsky’s THE HOLY MOUNTAIN (24 JUN 18:15). Also at Genesis, Fringe! Queer Film & Arts Fest resume their regular Flings with screening of a film we loved at this year’s online BFI Flare, REBEL DYKES (23 JUN 18:30). And finally, Ciné-Real 16mm Film Club are back with another of their sure-to-be sold out screenings at The Castle Cinema: THE BIRDS 16MM (24 JUN 19:30 – also 27 JUN 14:00 / 04 JUL 13:30).

London’s indie venues are packed this week with festival screenings, either with exhibitors catching up for lost time (like Doc’n Roll Festival and Queer East) or new events taking to the city’s reopened screens (like the London Migration Film Festival, Barnes Film Festival, SERET Israeli Film Festival, and the Bagri Foundation London Indian Film Festival). The SERET festival welcomes the return of JW3 to in-venue screenings. We’ve tried to list as many IRL events as possible. Several festivals are matching their in-venue-screenings with extensive online programmes, so follow the links below to find out what’s online.

Looking ahead, The Prince Charles has announced the return of full-capacity all-day/nighters to their schedules with THE LORD OF THE RINGS [Theatrical Editions] (28 AUG 21:00 / 30 AUG 12:00). The fabled West End venue had this to say: “We know it’s a gamble to put these shows on sale and to hope for the best, but as we continue to work our way out of the darkness of the last year we need to have some full-capacity shows on sale to help restore financial stability for the years ahead.” They will cancel/refund all tickets if social distancing measures persist. Booking now.

As to our Featured Attraction Of the Week, we’re delighted to see No Bollox Film Club return to The Castle Cinema with KUMIKO, THE TREASURE HUNTER, which they describe as “A film about elusive, fabled treasure, about dreams, endurance, depression, humanity. Also there’s a cute bunny.” Which sounds a lot like the last 15 months…

See you in the darkness,

Richard // RADIANT CIRCUS

KUMIKO, THE TREASURE HUNTER d. David Zellner, 2014 presented by No Bollocks Film Club at The Castle Cinema (22 JUN 19:00):

• “Frustrated with her mundane life, a Tokyo office worker (Rinko Kikuchi) becomes obsessed with a fictional movie [FARGO!] that she mistakes for a documentary. Fixating on a scene where stolen cash is buried in North Dakota, she travels to America to find it.”
• No Bollocks Film Club: “No fuss, no bother, no bollocks. Just great films.”

35MM PRESENTATIONS at The Prince Charles (ongoing)

• Includes (check venue for full listings): JURASSIC PARK 35MM d. Steven Spielberg, 1993 (daily 18 to 24 JUN various times); SUBMARINE 35MM d. Richard Ayoade, 2010 (daily 18 to 24 JUN various times); THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY 35MM aka Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo d. Sergio Leone, 1966 (18 JUN 14:50 / 20 JUN 17:20 / 21 JUN 14:20 / 23 JUN 20:30 / 24 JUN 14:40); GALAXY QUEST 35MM d. Dean Parisot, 1999 (19 JUN 18:00); THE DARK KNIGHT RISES 35MM d. Christopher Nolan, 2012 (20 JUN 13:55); FARGO 35MM d. Ethan Coen & Joel Coen, 1996 (20 JUN 20:35); THIEF 35MM d. Michael Mann, 1981 (21 JUN 18:00); A SUMMER’S TALE 35MM aka Éric Rohmer, 1996 (22 JUN 18:25); GUMMO 35MM d. Harmony Korine, 1997 (24 JUN 18:20).

• Architecture Film Festival London (02 to 27 JUN).
• 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).
• SERET International Israeli Film Festival (21 to 28 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. //.