THE BALLY #136: What to see in London this week [14 to 20 JAN 2022]

Welcome to THE BALLY where we help you find what to see in London this week across DIY, indie & alternative cinema events, online & in venues.

By RADIANT CIRCUS // Twitter @radiantcircus / Instagram @radiantcircus

The breaking indie cinema news this week is the splendid return of the London Short Film Festival (14 to 23 JAN 2022). It has been touch and go whether the festival would be in venues this year, and so it’s a true delight to see them getting ready to throw the switch at indie and alternative venues across the capital. This year’s Special Events programme is programmed and presented by our friends at T A P E Collective, who have been working with a range of programming collectives and community groups from across London. I’m also excited to see the launch of T A P E’s Nolly Nights as part of their LSFF programme, a new film club at Peckham Levels promising an “all-out celebration of Nollywood with the classic titles forming part of a live Naija party.”

With key venues still socially distanced and some taking an extended COVID/Christmas break, it’s another quiet week for London’s indie film clubs this week. Tufnell Park Film Club will present Carol Reed’s 1947 film ODD MAN OUT at The Lord Palmerston, and Wimbledon Film Club begin their 2022 programme with a members’ choice screening of MINARI (both 18 JAN). Highgate Film Society concludes the week with a screening of CESARE DEVE MORIRE at Highgate Literary & Scientific Institution (20 JAN) which will then be followed by a free/online discussion (21 JAN). 

Other specialist film events this week include a screening + Q&A of INDEPENDENT MISS CRAIGIE at Rio Cinema supported by The AHRC and The University of Sussex, and a special presentation of PANDORA’S BOXsupported by Austrian Cultural Forum with live piano accompaniment by Cyrus Gabrysch at Ciné Lumière (both 16 JAN). On a busy Tuesday, Kino Klassika presents an in-venue screening of BEWARE OF THE CAR at Ciné Lumière, and Barbican’s excellent Science On Screen strand continues with Bernardo Bertolucci’s THE CONFORMIST including a presentation from leading scholar on income equality, Professor Branko Milanovic (both 18 JAN). Both Genesis Cinema and Olympic Studios have tributes to the late Sidney Poitier this week, with LILIES OF THE FIELD (17 JAN) and IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT (19 JAN) respectively.

New releases this week include Andrea Arnold’s COW, Jessica Kingdon’s ASCENSION and, for all us horror-heads (whether we like it or not…), the new edition of SCREAM. The Prince Charles Cinema also has week-long runs of both the animated GHOST IN THE SHELL and Wong Kar Wai’s IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE as part of their enduring celebration of Asian cinema. See our GRIND SHOW listings for full details.

My Featured Attraction of the Week is the new release of a favourite director’s latest work, Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s 2021 film, MEMORIA. It was a title I missed seeing at the BFI London Film Festival (it had very few screenings for such a standout title…), but that is more than compensated for by this week’s wide indie release schedule. A number of venues are also playing the film with a Recorded Q&A with the director and lead actor Tilda Swinton, hosted by Guardian film critic Peter Bradshaw. I’ve included links wherever possible, but consult your chosen venue for full details so you don’t miss out.

Of course, it would be great if London could also get to see Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s THE ADVENTURES OF IRON PUSSY aka Hua jai tor ra nong (2003), a musical-action-comedy co-directed with star Michael Shaowanasai as a tribute to the Thai pulp cinema of their youth. But I say that every time a new Weerasethakul rises out of the mist…

See you in the darkness, and stay safe.

Richard // RADIANT CIRCUS

MEMORIA d. Apichatpong Weerasethakul, 2021. Various venues, inc: ArtHouse Crouch End / Barbican / BFI / Catford Mews / Chiswick Cinema / Ciné Lumière / Curzon Cinemas / Everyman Cinemas (Recorded Q&A) / ICA / Picturehouse Cinemas (Recorded Q&As) / The Prince Charles / Rio Cinema.

“Set in Colombia, Tilda Swinton stars as a woman who begins to hear mysterious sounds that might connect to the supernatural, in the first English-language film from Apichatpong Weerasethakul.”

“A fresh, hypnotic and spell-binding serving of unmistakable Weerasethakul.” (BFI)

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Full daily listings in this week’s SCREEN GUIDE.

BOWIE: STARMAN & THE SILVER SCREEN at BFI Southbank 

• Includes (check venue for full listings): ABSOLUTE BEGINNERS d. Julien Temple, 1986 (14 JAN 20:40); BASQUIAT 35mm d. Julian Schnabel, 1996 (16 JAN 15:20); THE MAN WHO FELL TO EARTH 4K d. Nicolas Roeg, 1976 (17 JAN 14:30); BAAL + PIERROT IN TURQUOISE d. Alan Clarke, 1982 + Brian Mahoney, 1970 + Extended intro by Adrian Wootton (19 JAN 18:00); MERRY CHRISTMAS MR. LAWRENCE 4K d. Nagisa Oshima, 1983 (20 JAN 20:30).
• Hooked to the Silver Screen: Bowie at the Movies: THE CABINET OF DR. CALIGARI aka Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari + UN CHIEN ANDALOU d. Robert Wiene, 1920 + Luis Buñuel, 1929 (15 JAN 12:30); TAXI DRIVER d. Martin Scorsese, 1976 (16 JAN 18:20); QUERELLE + UN CHANT D’AMOUR d. Rainer Werner Fassbinder, 1982 + Jean Genet, 1950 (18 JAN 18:00).

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

London Short Film Festival (14 to 23 JAN).

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. //.