THE BALLY #126: What to see in London this week [22 to 28 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

In this week’s indie attractions, it’s great to see programming getting fully underway at The David Lean Cinema where you’ve got a choice of NOMADLAND (26 OCT) and SUMMER OF SOUL (26 & 28 OCT). It’s also all systems go at The Cinema Museum where you can find The Gothique Film Society’s grave-robbing double bill of THE BODY SNATCHER + BURKE AND HARE (22 OCT) followed by the return of the Kennington Bioscope with a packed programme of Soviet silent comedy, THE HOUSE OF TRUBNAYA (27 OCT).

Other silent cinema offerings include NOSFERATU at The Musical Museum (24 OCT) featuring a very special Wurlitzer live score played by Donald MacKenzie, resident organist at ODEON Luxe Leicester Square (you’ll also get a Bloody Mary with your ticket!). If double bills float your boat, World Wide Weird! continues their regular horror schedule with a seasonal tribute to the family Bava: father and son efforts SHOCK + MACABRE screen for free at the King & Queen, donations are invited to raise funds for Macmillan Cancer Support (23 OCT).

Indie horror continues across the week, with We Are Parable introducing the new 4K restoration of BLADE at Genesis Cinema (24 OCT) and Ciné-Real 16mm Film Club doing their beautiful thing with MISERY (24 OCT) at The Castle Cinema. The Castle is also home to two excellent Persian horror shows projected by No Bollox Film Club, UNDER THE SHADOW and A GIRL WALKS HOME ALONE AT NIGHT (26 & 27 OCT). New monthly queer cinema club TAPPED screens JENNIFER’S BODY for free at The Real Al Co & Taproom (27 OCT), and The New Black Collective rounds off your week with a free screening of Nia DaCosta’s CANDYMAN at Stratford East Picturehouse (28 OCT).

Looking a little further ahead, and after more than two years away from our screens, The Badlands Collectivehas announced their return with a 35mm presentation of William Wyler’s THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES 35mm (1946) at The Prince Charles (21 NOV). Which looks like a perfect Sunday afternoon of cinema to me.

Most rep seasons continue their attractions this week, with new arrivals in the form of TAKE YOUR POSITIONS, a pre-COP 26 programme of events at Bertha DocHouse. We’ve also listed ICA’s various screenings of works by RENZO MARTENS to accompany the ongoing release of his WHITE CUBE (although the venue doesn’t actually list this as a season…). Marking Black History Month, BFI Southbank screens all of Steve McQueen’s SMALL AXE over one packed weekend (22 to 24 OCT). Their programme features various special guest appearances including a dedicated The Making of SMALL AXE with Steve McQueen, Tracey Scoffield, David Tanner and guests (23 OCT).

Film festivals taking the baton from the London Film Festival include Doc’n Roll Film Festival (28 OCT to 14 NOV), London East Asia Film Festival (21 to 31 OCT), and Raindance Film Festival (27 OCT to 06 NOV). Both Native Spirit Festival (12 OCT to 20 NOV) and Brazil Indigenous Film Festival (22 to 24 OCT) bring under-heard voices to London’s real and virtual cinema screens.

In this week’s revivals and new releases, LFF opener THE HARDER THEY FALL gets a limited release before appearing on Netflix later in the year. DUNE and another LFF alumnus, THE FRENCH DISPATCH, take over from where Bond left off (I’ve not listed the latter as it’s pretty much everywhere…). The Prince Charles has a seasonal anniversary engagement of Wes Craven’s SCREAM, projecting from 35mm. See our GRIND SHOW section for venue links.

For our Featured Attraction of the Week, I’m going to cheat slightly by choosing the current and former programming firepower of Shoreditch indie, Close-Up. Having a busy weekend, Stanley Schtinter presents his The Liberated Film Club vs. Important Books (or, Manifestos Read by Children) at LUX before launching The Liberated Film Club book with a special screening of György Fehér’s TWILIGHT at Close-Up (both 23 OCT). Then, former Close-Up programmer Oliver Dickens presents two incredible events, A Masterclass with Dirk Schaefer at IKLECTIK (24 OCT) followed by The Films of Peter Tscherkassky 35mmat Cafe Oto (24 OCT). You really can’t ask for much more than that.

See you in the darkness, 

Richard // RADIANT CIRCUS

PS – Scala Cinema programmer and now chronicler of that notorious venue, Jane Giles, has been in touch to invite your support for the crowdfunding campaign to complete SCALA CLUB CINEMA. A feature-length documentary co-directed by Jane and Ali Catterall, SCALA CLUB CINEMA is based on Jane’s excellent book, ‘Scala Cinema 1978-1993’ and will feature interviews with former members of the Scala audience including Adam Buxton, Caroline Catz, Mary Harron, Isaac Julien, Ben Wheatley and John Waters. You’ve got until just before midnight on 01 NOV 2021 to get this one over the finish line! Help if you can.

The Liberated Film Club vs. Important Books (or, Manifestos Read by Children) at LUX (23 OCT 15:00 – FREE!) followed by TWILIGHT d. György Fehér, 1990 + The Liberated Film Club Book Launch at Close-Up (23 OCT 20:15).

• “Edited by Stanley Schtinter, The Liberated Film Club is a collection of transcriptions and special commissions anchored by a series of screening events held at Close-Up, from 2016 to 2020. A guest would be invited to introduce a film; an audience seated to watch it through. Neither of them would have any idea what would be shown. This event at LUX will pit the celebration of The Liberated Film Club against another Schtinter initiative: Important Books (or, Manifestos Read by Children). Children will be present to read various manifestos on cinema, including works by Werner Herzog, Peggy Ahwesh, Jean Marie Straub, Yvonne Rainer and Pope Pius XI. Followed by the premiere of the remastered TWILIGHT aka Szürkület, György Fehér’s 1990 cult film at Close-Up.”

A Masterclass with Dirk Schaefer presented by Sonic Cinema at IKLECTIK (24 OCT 11:00 – 14:00) followed by The Films of Peter Tscherkassky 35mm + Intro by Stanley Schtinter presented by Sonic Cinema at Cafe Oto (24 OCT 19:30).

• “Celebrating the release of Dirk Schaefer: Peter Tscherkassky, All the Soundtracks (2005–2021) by purge.xxx, Sonic Cinema presents Peter Tscherkassky and Dirk Schaefer’s four collaborations to date: TRAIN AGAIN (2021); THE EXQUISITE CORPUS (2015); COMING ATTRACTIONS (2010); INSTRUCTIONS FOR A LIGHT AND SOUND MACHINE (2005); as well as Tscherkassky’s classic of avant-garde cinema, OUTER SPACE (1999). Dirk Schaefer will give a unique masterclass on his practice and methodologies at IKLECTIK prior to the screening at Cafe Oto.”

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Full daily listings in this week’s SCREEN GUIDE.

SMALL AXE at BFI Southbank

• Includes (check venue for listings): MANGROVE d. Steve McQueen, 2020 + Q&A with the director & consultant Paul Gilroy (22 OCT 17:30); LOVERS ROCK d. Steve McQueen, 2020 + Q&A with the director & actor Dennis Bovell (22 OCT 20:50); The Making of SMALL AXE with Steve McQueen, Tracey Scoffield, David Tanner and guests (23 OCT 16:00); RED, WHITE AND BLUE d. Steve McQueen, 2020 (23 OCT 18:30); ALEX WHEATLE d. Steve McQueen, 2020 (23 OCT 20:45); EDUCATION d. Steve McQueen, 2020 (24 OCT 18:10).

More rep seasons listed in this week’s SCREEN GUIDE.

• Brazil Indigenous Film Festival (22 to 24 OCT).
• Doc’n Roll Film Festival (28 OCT to 14 NOV).
• London East Asia Film Festival (21 to 31 OCT).
• Native Spirit Festival (12 OCT to 20 NOV).
• Raindance Film Festival (27 OCT to 06 NOV).
• Sci-Fi-London 21 (19 to 24 OCT).
• Short Com Film Festival (28 OCT 20:30).

More new releases in this week’s SCREEN GUIDE.

• 
  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. //.