THE BALLY #114: What to see in London this week [09 to 15 JUL 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

We wondered how this would work… The Prince Charles has informed their regulars that all screenings will be reverting to full capacity from 19 July in-keeping with changing government COVID-19 controls. Whilst the venue will be retaining many of their COVID-fighting measures (like air purification, enhanced cleaning, staggered start times, and staff wearing masks…), they make a special appeal for audience support. We’ll quote them in full because this is important:

“By law, our customers will not be required to wear a face covering – but we would implore you to wear one anyway. We have limited space in the venue’s public areas so you may be in close proximity to others when moving around the cinema. We ask that you keep your face covering in place and only remove it when sitting in our auditoriums eating or drinking. Let us show respect toward fellow cinema-goers and staff, and work together to keep each other safe.”

The Prince Charles Cinema

They have our full support.

Looking into this week, you can gear up for the Tokyo Summer Olympics with some sports-related screenings, including a rare chance to catch Yuri Ozerov’s documentary “capturing the excitement and extraordinary feats of the 1980 Moscow Olympics”, O SPORT, YOU ARE PEACE! at Barbican (11 JUL). Bertha DocHouse has a special screening of a documentary about legendary Japanese volleyball team, THE WITCHES OF THE ORIENT (14 JUL). And then there’s another chance to see Mayye Zayed’s LIFT LIKE A GIRL at ICA as part of the continuing SAFAR Film Festival (09 JUL).

If music be your food of love, you’re spoilt for choice this week, thanks in no small part to the outrageously energetic Doc’n Roll Festival. Their screenings include SEBASTIEN TELLIER: MANY LIVES with DJ set at The Castle Cinema (09 JUL), DELIA DERBYSHIRE: THE MYTHS AND LEGENDARY TAPES plus Q&A with director Caroline Catz, also at The Castle (10 JUL), and an extended engagement of DON’T GO GENTLE: A FILM ABOUT IDLES at The Prince Charles as part of their distribution gig. Elsewhere, We Are Parable partner with Rich Mix to present a special preview of SUMMER OF SOUL (… OR, WHEN THE REVOLUTION COULD NOT BE TELEVISED) (12 JUL), and Deeper Into Movies continues their well-established musical groove on the same day with GAZELLE TWIN AND NYX: DEEP ENGLAND at Moth Club (12 JUL). 

Rep seasons continue across London, and we want to make special mention of WOMEN PIONEERS OF SILENT CINEMA at Ciné Lumière which includes an intro by Bryony Dixon and live accompaniment by John Sweeney (15 JUL 18:20). Part of WOMEN PIONEERS OF FRENCH CINEMA, the event is packed to the rafters with works by Alice Guy-Blaché aka “the first person to have directed a fiction film” and other films that “show how the torch was picked up and carried by other women directors working in the early decades of cinema”. On a different note, we also love how Sunset Screening Sessions are following last week’s silent Hitchcock thriller THE LODGER with AUSTIN POWERS: INTERNATIONAL MAN OF MYSTERY outdoors at the Homestead Cafe at Beckenham Place Park (09 JUL). If outdoor events are your bag, Rooftop Film Club has announced their August programmes… (get booking now).

South London venue Whirled Cinema has announced their reopening date of 26 JUL with multi-award winning NOMADLAND. They are also prepping for a special screening of BURNING AN ILLUSION in honour of the recent passing of visionary British film-maker, Melenik Shabazz (05 AUG). We’re also delighted to see UK Jewish Filmreturns to screens this week with a UK-wide season, UK Jewish Film: Back To The Cinema. You can catch this week’s choices at Phoenix Cinema (11 & 13 JUL, details below).

As to this week’s new releases (of which there’s a bunch…), we’re particularly taken by Zoé Wittock’s JUMBO, because who isn’t curious about a woman’s special relationship with a fairground attraction? TOVE gets a wide release with significant added value special features from Birds’ Eye View’s #ReclaimTheFrame initiative (the pick of their events is probably the live panel discussion at Regent Street Cinema, 12 JUL). And, to coincide with new release of literary adaptation MARTIN EDEN (see Grind Show listings for venues), ArtHouse Crouch End and ICA are showing director Pietro Marcello’s earlier work, LOST & BEAUTIFUL which premiered at the ICA’s Frame Of Representation in 2016 (see listings for dates).

For our Featured Attraction Of The Week we celebrate Wimbledon Film Club for making West London THEgo-to destination for fans of Fritz Lang* (well, maybe…). The community film club’s presentation of THE BIG HEAT includes a Q&A with film historian Peter Evans and shows upstairs at Curzon Wimbledon (13 JUL). We’re huge fans of DIY screen culture and it’s great to see WFC returning with such a strong lineup of their always-welcoming cinema events.

See you in the darkness,

Richard // RADIANT CIRCUS

*Ealing-based film club Pitshanger Pictures also has a habit of showing Lang’s work, this time in a church with an improvised live organ accompaniment… there’s nothing quite like it.

THE BIG HEAT d. Fritz Lang, 1953 + Q&A with film historian Peter Evans presented by Wimbledon Film Club at Curzon Wimbledon (13 JUL 20:30):

  • “Police Sergeant Bannion is investigating the apparent suicide of a policeman, when he is suddenly ordered to stop. Bent coppers and systemic corruption drive this classic b&w Hollywood noir, incisively directed by emigré Fritz Lang, visionary creator of the dystopian METROPOLIS and disturbing M.”
  • Wimbledon Film Club is a welcoming, award-winning local club, screening at Curzon Wimbledon. Expect “world cinema, best of Brit and indie, festival favourites and films you didn’t know were out there”.
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FRIDAY

LOST & BEAUTIFUL aka Bella e perduta d. Pietro Marcello, 2015 at ICA (09 JUL 14:00).

This is a film still from DELIA DERBYSHIRE: THE MYTHS AND LEGENDARY TAPES screening at The Castle Cinema (10 July 2021).

SATURDAY

DELIA DERBYSHIRE: THE MYTHS AND LEGENDARY TAPES d. Caroline Catz, 2020 + Q&A with the director at The Castle Cinema (10 JUL 16:00) / Part of Doc’n Roll Festival.

This is a film still from O SPORT, YOU ARE PEACE! screening at Barbican Cinema (11 July 2021).

SUNDAY

O SPORT, YOU ARE PEACE! d. Yuri Ozerov, 1981 at Barbican Cinema (11 JUL 17:00).

This is a film still from ADOPTION (1975) which screens at BFI today (12 July 2021).

MONDAY

ADOPTION aka Örökbefogadás d. Márta Mészáros, 1975 + Recorded Intro by Selina Robertson, Club des Femmes at BFI Southbank (12 JUL 18:00).

TUESDAY

THE BIG HEAT d. Fritz Lang, 1953 + Q&A with film historian Peter Evans presented by Wimbledon Film Club at Curzon Wimbledon (13 JUL 20:30) / Featured attraction of the week!

This is a film still from THE WITCHES OF THE ORIENT (2021) which screens at Bertha DocHouse today (14 July 2021).

WEDNESDAY

THE WITCHES OF THE ORIENT d. Julien Faraut, 2021 + Recorded Panel Discussion with the director, Manga expert Paul Gravett & Maria Bertelli, England volleyball player at Bertha DocHouse (14 JUL 18:30).

THURSDAY

WOMEN PIONEERS OF SILENT CINEMA + Intro by Bryony Dixon & Live Accompaniment by John Sweeney at Ciné Lumière (15 JUL 18:20).

THE WORLD OF WONG KAR WEI at ICA (from 07 JUL)

This is a film still from JUMBO (2020) which opens across London this week.

JUMBO d. Zoé Wittock, 2020

This is a film still from MARTIN EDEN (2019) which opens this week across London.

MARTIN EDEN d. Pietro Marcello, 2019

This is a film still from TOVE (2020) which opens across London this week.

TOVE d. Zaida Bergroth, 2020

PERSEPOLIS d. Vincent Paronnaud & Marjane Satrapi, 2007 presented by Deeper Into Movies at Dalston Roof Park (12 JUL 20:00).

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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. //.