THE BALLY #143: What to see in London this week [04 to 10 MAR 2022]

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

Welcome to another screen week. 

For ardent planners, I’ve posted my latest epic roundup of London’s rep seasons and film festivals for the month of March. Highlights include, THE CAMERA IS OURS: BRITAIN’S WOMEN DOCUMENTARY MAKERS at BFI, OTHER MODERNISMS, OTHER FUTURES at Barbican, ONE AND DONE – a series of one-take wonders – at Genesis, and a new run of WONG KAR WAI at Close-Up. There’s also a series of 70S CINEMA LATE NIGHTS from 35mm at Everyman Screen on the Green that I missed when the guide was first posted (updated now!). I’ve chosen MARA MATTUSCHKA: DIFFERENT FACES OF AN ANTI-DIVA as my Featured Attraction of the Month, a series of 5 events featuring work by and about the Austrian experimental filmmaker, also at Close-Up.

The festival scene gets busier this month, including Glasgow Film Festival at venues across town (02 to 13 MAR), BFI Flare on the Southbank and online (16 to 27 MAR), and Essay Film Festival at ICA, Birkbeck Cinema, Bertha DocHouse, Goethe Institute and online (19 MAR to 23 APR). National cinemas get several great showcases, with Cinema Made in Italy at Ciné Lumière (03 to 07 MAR), Nordic Focus Film Festival presented by South Social at Riverside Studios (12 MAR), and multiple venue events for St. Patrick’s Day Film Festival on Trafalgar Square and in cinemas (11 to 14 MAR), Hong Kong Film Festival (19 to 27 MAR) and Kinoteka Polish Film Festival which you can also find online c/o BFI Player (09 MAR to 03 APR).

In this week’s special event screenings, there’s a 40th Anniversary screening of BLADE RUNNER featuring a Q&A with original producer Ivor Powell at Riverside (05 MAR). A busy Sunday includes another edition of African Odysseys at BFI, this time featuring the restored films of “polymath” Edric Connor, an Indie Film Showcase by The London Horror Society at Hen & Chickens, and a silent cinema screening of THE JOKER (no, not that one….) at BFI (all 06 MAR). If format’s your thing, THE MASTER starts a 70mm run at The Prince Charles on Sunday too.

Tuesday is International Women’s Day and there’s a lot to explore: London Australian Film Society presents Leah Purcell’s THE DROVER’S WIFE at Regent Street Cinema, Birds’ Eye View’s #ReclaimTheFrame campaign supports several screenings of Blerta Basholli’s THE HIVE with a recorded Q&A (see listings for venues), Genesis presents Claire Oakley’s MAKE UPto raise money for Solace Women’s Aid, and Wimbledon Film Club has an F-Rated presentation of Cathy Brady’s WILDFIRE (all 08 MAR). 

Turns out there’s a little film called THE BATMAN doing the rounds… In one of the strangest things I’ve had to report on these pages, you can book yourself in for the full Oreo Experience at the Rio Cinema this weekend…

In other new releases, both Clio Barnard’s ALI & AVA and William E Badgley’s doc about Don Letts REBEL DREAD get good support with both live and recorded Q&A screenings across town. ICA has an exclusive engagement with Marcos Martínez’s DREAMS, and JW3 gets Damon Shalit’s THE WORLD WITHOUT YOU (opening 10 MAR). THE GODFATHER: PART II returns this week, but we could only find regular indie runs of it across the Picturehouse chain and a couple of screenings at The Prince Charles as part of their ongoing FRANCIS FORD COPPOLAseason. Expect more soon. Full details in the GRIND SHOW section.

And then there’s what’s happening in Ukraine… You will have found your own way of seeking reliable information I’m sure, but when researching these listings, I found the resources at The Ukrainian Institute a helpful reference point, including ways of giving to Ukrainian media outlets. The UK Government is match-funding donations up to £20million through the Disaster Emergency Committee’s new Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal.

Coming next week, there’s a fundraiser screening of THE EARTH IS BLUE AS AN ORANGE presented by The Ukrainian Institute, The People’s Film Club, Cambridge Ukrainian Studies, and London Migration Film Festival at Genesis Cinema (12 MAR 15:00). I’m sure there will be more. If other promoters want to show Ukrainian films, London Short Film Festival and their Ukrainian collaborators Takflix have posted some useful advice and links to resources, they will also help promote your event.

For my Featured Attraction of the Week, I’ve chosen Valentyn Vasyanovych’s unsettlingly prophetic Ukrainian film ATLANTIS, which returns for a week-long engagement at ICA (04 to 10 MAR).

Stay safe, and #StandWithUkraine

Richard // RADIANT CIRCUS

ATLANTIS d. Valentyn Vasyanovych, 2019 at ICA (04 to 10 MAR):

“Eastern Ukraine, 2025. The war has ended, leaving the country in ruins – and Sergey (Andriy Rymaruk), a former soldier suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, is struggling to his new reality. After losing his job as a steelworker, Sergey joins Katya (Liudmyla Bileka) as a volunteer for the Black Tulip Mission, recovering the degraded bodies of soldiers killed in the conflict – and hoping to understand if, and how, he might shape for himself a better future.

Winner of Best Film in the Horizons section of the 76th Venice International Film Festival, Valentyn Vasyanovych’s post-apocalyptic drama is an urgent parable of life after war. Featuring a largely non-professional cast (including Ryamaruk, himself a veteran of the Donbas War), Atlantis is at once a bleak tale about the horrors of conflict – and an optimistic reassurance that another world might be possible.” (ICA)

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Full daily listings in this week’s SCREEN GUIDE.

MARA MATTUSCHKA: DIFFERENT FACES OF AN ANTI-DIVA at Close-Up

“For more than 35 years, Mara Mattuschka has been among Austria’s most eminent experimental filmmakers. In addition to her film work, the Bulgarian-born artist is also an actress, painter, professor, performance artist and film producer. Mara Mattuschka’s first ‘painted’ films were made as part of Maria Lassnig’s animation studio. From the 1980s on, Mattuschka shot numerous short experimental films using her alter ego: Mimi Minus. Since 2005 she has been collaborating with the performance collective Liquid Loft lead by Chris Haring, constantly trying out new cinematic forms. This 5 parts programme presents her short and feature films as well as Elisabeth M. Klocker’s documentary on the artist.” (Close-Up).

• Includes (check venue for full listings): Early Shorts (05 MAR 19:00); PHAIDROS d. Mara Mattuschka, 2018 (06 MAR 18:15); PERFECT GARDEN d. Mara Mattuschka & Chris Haring, 2013 (13 MAR 18:30); LEGAL ERRORIST / RUNNING SUSHI / BURNING PALACE d. Mara Mattuschka & Chris Haring, 2005-2009 (20 MAR 18:45); DIFFERENT FACES OF AN ANTI-DIVA d. Elisabeth M. Klocker, 2013 (27 MAR 18:30). 

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

• Cinema Made in Italy at Ciné Lumière (03 to 07 MAR).
• Glasgow Film Festival (02 to 13 MAR).
• Kinoteka Polish Film Festival (09 MAR to 03 APR).

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. //.