THE BALLY #124: What to see in London this week [08 to 14 OCT 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

What with Bond and the 65th BFI London Film Festival, you’d think it would be quiet out there… but there’s a surprising number of new releases this week, if you’re prepared to travel to London’s specialist indie screens (both ICA and Bertha DocHouse have some exclusive engagements that are thoroughly worth checking out). And of course, our friends The Twelve30 Collective are at Catford Mews with a week-long run of NO PLACE LIKE HOME, kicking things off in style with a Q&A with director Perry Henzell’s daughter, Justine (08 OCT).

In venue news, this could be the week that Act One Cinema opens in Acton. Built by volunteers from the old library building, this two screen cinema, community centre and cafe will be a thrilling new addition to London’s DIY (literally!) scene. Elsewhere, and following last week’s news about a reopening agreement between The David Lean Cinema and Croydon Council, the venue’s website now says they will be reopening “towards the end of October”. Deptford Cinema continues to look for a new location and, after a burst of summer events, will be doubling down on their efforts to convert their Community Interest Company into a charity and find “a long-term, suitable and sustainable new home”. 

Wimbledon Film Club has a great week ahead with another outing of their Wimbledon International Short Film Festival (09 OCT) and a screening of a wonderful film about the value of cinema, TALKING ABOUT TREES (13 OCT). New film club Jellied Reels is back at The Castle Cinema for their second event Big City Trouble, a surprise double bill of a short and a feature, both themed around “the joyful chaos of city living. Grit and grandeur, style and substance. The metropolis has it all. Lunatics included” (14 OCT).

For Black History Month, Black Femme Film Club continues their MOVIES THAT MADE US season at Picturehouse with SET IT OFF (08 OCT) whilst Genesis serves up four outstanding films over four nights as part of their LONDON THROUGHOUT THE DECADES: PRESSURE (10 OCT); BABYLON (11 OCT); YOUNG SOUL REBELS 35mm (12 OCT; and, A MOVING IMAGE (13 OCT). The Prince Charles continues to blaze a trail for horror film programming, both with their own content and continuing seasons from guest student programmers Sophie Determan (THE FEMALE OF THE SPECIES IS MORE DEADLY THAN THE MALE) and Geoffrey Badger (LOST VAMPIRES).

Speaking of scary movies… our Featured Attraction of the Week is a special presentation of one of the most influential films of all time (horror or otherwise…). Robert Wiene’s THE CABINET OF DR. CALIGARI screens with a live electronic soundtrack by Sam Enthoven and Arkadiusz Potyka at ArtHouse Crouch End (10 OCT). 

Check out our SCREAM GUIDE for more options this Halloween.

See you in the darkness,

Richard // RADIANT CIRCUS

THE CABINET OF DR. CALIGARI d. Robert Wiene, 1920 + Live electronic soundtrack by Sam Enthoven & Arkadiusz Potyka at ArtHouse Crouch End (10 OCT 17:00).

• “One of the most iconic masterpieces in cinema history, Robert Wiene’s Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari shook filmgoers worldwide and changed the direction of the art form. Now presented in a definitive restoration, the film’s chilling, radically expressionist vision is set to grip viewers again.
• Sam Enthoven and Arkadiusz Potyka bring electronic sound to silent cinema. Ark plays bass and other noise machines; Sam plays found sounds and a unique Russian instrument from the dawn of electronic music – the theremin. From minimal elements (and no laptops) they conjure up a richly atmospheric soundworld, helping audiences find new life and meaning in some of the world’s finest old films.”

BHM – LONDON THROUGHOUT THE DECADES at Genesis Cinema

• Includes (check venue for full listings): PRESSURE d. Horace Ové, 1976 (10 OCT 20:30 – featured image); BABYLON d. Franco Rosso, 1980 (11 OCT 21:00); YOUNG SOUL REBELS 35mm d. Isaac Julien, 1991 (12 OCT 21:00); A MOVING IMAGE d. Shola Amoo, 2016 (13 OCT 21:00).

• Banff Mountain Film Festival – London (11 to 19 OCT).
• BFI London Film Festival (06 to 17 OCT).
• Wimbledon International Short Film Festival (09 OCT).

• 
  Sine Screen presents Vulnerable Histories at Close-Up & The Garden Cinema (19 to 26 AUG 2023)
• 
  Lost Reels presents 16mm & 35mm screenings at The Cinema Museum & ICA (19 & 31 AUG 2023)
• 
  The Duke Mitchell Film Club presents DukeFest 2023: A Brave New World (13 to 16 AUG 2023)
• 
  Cinema Mentiré launches with OLHAR PERIFERICO season (AUG 2023)

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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. //.