THE BALLY #122: What to see in London this week [24 to 30 SEP 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

Let’s start the week with some seriously good news: The Cinema Museum has announced a new series of screenings marking their long-awaited reopening after the pandemic shutdown. The Autumn programme kicks off with The Gothique Film Society’s presentation of THE BODY SNATCHER d. Robert Wise, 1945 + BURKE AND HARE d. Vernon Sewell, 1971 (22 OCT 18:45) and Kennington Bioscope’s presentation of Soviet silent comedy THE HOUSE ON TRUBNAYA d. Boris Barnet, 1928 (27 OCT 19:30). Can’t wait to be back there.

In addition to their ongoing 50th birthday celebrations at BFI, NFTS’ Programming & Curation MA students continue to bring some excellent short seasons to London’s screens. Elle Haywood’s NOT LIKE US? about female misfits concludes at Genesis this week, whilst Geoffrey Badger’s LOST VAMPIRES opens at ICA before continuing at The Prince Charles next month (where it will be joined by Sophie Determan’s THE FEMALE OF THE SPECIES IS MORE DEADLY THAN THE MALE, a programme of “gender-bent gothic horror” from 04 OCT). Speaking of horror, genre maestros DAVID CRONENBERG and STEPHEN KING get a toe in at The Prince Charles this week before getting the full-blooded lineups they deserve as part of the venues’s hardy annual HORROCTOBER month. The other big season opening this week is FLUID REALITIES: THE CINEMA OF SALOMÉ LAMAS at ICA.

We continue to have more skin in the game with a special #ReviveTheDarksponsored screening of NO PLACE LIKE HOME at Rio Cinema (26 SEP). The Twelve30 Collective have been spearheading the UK theatrical release of this once-lost Jamaican gem and, having heard co-founder Jonathan Ali talk about their history with the film at our WunderKammerLive event, we can’t wait to see it (watch the trailer here and read more about the film here). Another #ReviveTheDark partner and speaker at WunderkammerLive, Sarah Kathryn Cleaver, returns to The Castle Cinema with her Zodiac Film Club this week with a programme of horror shorts made my female and non-binary filmmakers, Final Girls Berlin Film Festival “Best of” Programme (29 SEP).

Whilst we’re on the topic, we want to thank everyone who took part in our first WunderKammerLive showcase (17 SEP). We had a great response and are planning new ways of bringing London’s indie cinema community together to continue the vibe. Read about the event here. Next week we’ll be launching the first zine as part of this ongoing project: CRISIS? features new content commissions from some of London’s finest indie film promoters and is about the emergency screen culture they created during shutdown. A second volume featuring writing from the speakers at WunderKammerLive will follow later in the Autumn… Finally, thanks also to our brilliantly beanbagged crowd for our sold out screaming of BITE ME!, our queer horror double bill with Last Frame Film Club at the Filly Brook. We’re looking for ways to follow that one up too… All of this was made possible by our partners and backers at Barbican Cinema/Leytonstone Loves Film. Kudos to all of them.

As to new releases, brace yourselves for impact… Bond finally arrives with preview screenings this week before taking over a significant slice of cinema real estate next week. Before then, be sure to grab some gems including a re-release of David Lynch’s DUNE ahead of another monster of a release…You can find our other picks of the week’s new releases in the Grind Show section of these listings.

Our Featured Attraction Of The Week is one of those unapologetic personal picks that will mark my return to going to the cinema for the heck of it after cramming in so much extra work to get last week’s events and next week’s publications up and running… Ken Russell is always a family favourite, and ALTERED STATES from 35mm is always a treat. As BFI puts it: “William Hurt takes a trip he’ll never forget in this mind-blowing shocker”. And nor will you…

See you in the darkness,

Richard // RADIANT CIRCUS

ALTERED STATES 35mm d. Ken Russell, 1980 at BFI Southbank (30 SEP 21:00) / Part of Terror Vision.

• “In his attempts to explore the peripheries of human consciousness, a maverick research scientist utilises a heady mix of sensory deprivation and hallucinogenic drugs. But as his experiments become increasingly outlandish, his grasp on reality begins to dissipate. Perhaps director Ken Russell’s most visionary work, this psychedelic sci-fi horror remains a true one-of-a-kind, boasting astonishing images as beautiful as they are nightmarish.”

FLUID REALITIES: THE CINEMA OF SALOMÉ LAMAS at ICA

• Includes (check venue for full listings): FATAMORGANA d. Salomé Lamas, 2018 + Q&A with the director (24 SEP 18:20); SELF PORTRAIT + COUP DE GRÂCE + VHS d. Salomé Lamas, 2018, 2017, 2010 + Intro with the director (25 SEP 16:00); EXTRACTION OF THE RAFT OF MEDUSA + NO MAN’S LAND d. Salomé Lamas, 2019 + 2012 + Q&A with the director (26 SEP 18:30); THE TOWER + WHAT DO WE TALK ABOUT WHEN WE TALK ABOUT FATAMORGANA + AFFEKTENLEHRE d. Salomé Lamas, 2015, 2018, 2018 (28 SEP 20:45); ELDORADO XXI d. Salomé Lamas, 2016 (30 SEP 20:45).

• Alyssa: Tunisian Film Festival (25 to 26 SEP).
• CASA Festival (01 to 29 SEP).
• Crystal Palace International Film Festval (09 SEP to 02 OCT).
• EFN Short Film Festival (27 SEP to 01 OCT).
• Japanese Avant-garde & Experimental Film Festival (16 to 19 SEP at Barbican / 20 to 30 SEP online).
• Little Wing Film Festival (21 to 26 SEP).
• Loco Shorts Weekender (24 to 26 SEP).
• London Indian Film Festival Autumn Edition (18 to 30 SEP).
• London Spanish Film Festival (23 to 29 SEP).
• New Renaissance Film Festival (24 to 26 SEP).
• Queer East Film Festival (15 to 26 SEP).
• Unrestricted View Horror Film Festival (20 to 25 SEP).
• Women Over 50 Film Festival (25 SEP to 02 OCT).
• World Cinema Film Festival (24 to 25 SEP / Online 19 to 26 SEP).

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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. //.