THE BALLY #147: What to see in London this week [01 to 07 APR 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! It’s cold out there, so let’s huddle together…

It’s a quiet week for special events with fewer film clubs than usual projecting their wares as the school Easter holiday gets underway. Sunday’s probably your busiest day with Deeper Into Movies screening OASIS KNEBWORTH 1996 at Moth Club, Queer Film Club showing RŪRANGI at the London LGBTQ+ Community Centre, CinemaItaliaUK embarking on a double of films about Women In The Mafia at The Garden Cinema, and a special screening of Aldwych Farce THARK at The Cinema Museum (all 03 APR).

Deeper Into Movies returns on Monday with FRANCES HA at Farr’s Dalston, and the Library of Things presents WALL-E followed by a discussion of A World Without Waste at The Prince Charles (both 04 APR). The ever-inspiring Tufnell Park Film Club screens BROADCAST NEWS in tribute to William Hurt, Unicorn Nights presents PARIAH, and Sands Films Cinema Club screens Wim Wenders’ DER HIMMEL ÜBER BERLIN aka Wings Of Desire both in-venue and online (all 05 APR). 

On Wednesday, The Machine That Kills Bad People continues its programme of artists’ films at ICA with a double bill of NERVOUS TRANSLATION + THE UNTROUBLED MIND, CASA and MUBI join forces to present PRAYERS FOR THE STOLEN at The Castle, and Leytonstone Pop-Up Cinema does just that with Michelangelo Antonioni’s RED DESERT aka Il Deserto Rosso at Leytonstone Library (all 06 APR). Thursday is a day of small things with short film programmes MilkTea MixTape at The Garden Cinema and Not Another London Film Screening at Ridley Road Social Club, or you could head to Genesis for a preview + Q&A with Laura Samani of SMALL BODY aka Piccolo corpo. There’s also a free screening of VERTIGO by the Hitchcock Film Club at Fontaine’s in Dalston if you’d rather (all 07 APR).

As we launch into April, BFI’s new rep seasons continue with ANIME, LIV ULLMANN: FACE TO FACE, and NIGHTMARES AND DAYDREAMS: A CENTENARY CELEBRATION OF SCREENWRITER NIGEL KNEALE whilst their BIG SCREEN CLASSICS get busy contemplating a question of faith. New London venue The Garden Cinema adds THE GOLDEN AGE OF FRENCH CINEMA to their opening CELEBRATING MARLON BRANDO season, whilst CLOSE-UP ON JOHN CASSAVETES begins at the Shoreditch staple. The Prince Charles welcomes ALEX WINTER: LIVE ON STAGE and embarks on an exploration of PRE-CODE HOLLYWOOD. Both The PCC and ICA also celebrate JOACHIM TRIER’S OSLO TRILOGY. And finally, SEASCAPES: OUR OCEANS ON SCREEN embarks with some holiday friendly offerings at Ciné Lumière – although it’s always a pleasure to list anything with THE MUPPETS! – before voyaging into deeper waters.

A bunch of new film festivals open this week with London Independent Film Festival (01 to 10 APR), The People’s Film Festival (02 to 09 APR), South Social Film Festival – Nordic Focus (02 APR), and Spanish Spring Weekend (01 to 03 APR) all joining our listings.

I’ve chosen Payal Kapadia’s A NIGHT OF KNOWING NOTHING, Ina Weisse’s THE AUDITION and the re-release of Ingmar Bergman’s CRIES & WHISPERS as my pick of this week’s GRIND SHOWS. You can also find Eric Lartigau’s LA FAMILLE BELIER – the template for Oscar winner CODA – at selected cinemas, and Harry Wootliff’s TRUE THINGS opens on a fair number of screens across town. Speaking of the Oscars, there’s a number of encore screenings available in your local indie, with SUMMER OF SOUL being prominent in many mixes.

Of course, fundraisers for Ukraine also remain prominent. This week we’ve spotted WHAT SHALL WE DO WITH THESE BUILDINGS? at The Garden Cinema (01 APR), OLGA at Electric Cinemas (03 APR), Encounters: Ukrainian Shorts at The Lexi (04 APR), THE RAIN WILL NEVER STOP (05 APR) and ROSES.FILM-CABARETat Bertha DocHouse. I’ve chosen the special screening of PADDINGTON  at The Cinema Museum on 04 APR as my Featured Attraction of the Week because it feels like such a heart-felt tribute to the embattled country, all those seeking refuge, and creative voices in need of support.

See you in the darkness, and stay safe.

Richard // RADIANT CIRCUS

Ukraine Fundraiser: PADDINGTON d. Paul King, 2014 + Intro by the director presented in Ukrainian with English subtitles & featuring the voice of the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, by The Writers Guild of Great Britain at The Cinema Museum (04 APR 19:30):

“This screening is a chance for us to come together and support our fellow creatives in need. All money raised will go to The International Coalition for Filmmakers at Risk’s Emergency Fund for Filmmakers, a fund for film practitioners directly in danger due to the ongoing war in Ukraine.” (WGGB)

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Full daily listings in this week’s SCREEN GUIDE.

CLOSE-UP ON JOHN CASSAVETES at Close-Up

• Includes (check venue for full listings): FACES d. John Cassavetes, 1968 (01 APR 20:15); THE KILLING OF A CHINESE BOOKIE d. John Cassavetes, 1976 (02 APR 18:00); OPENING NIGHT d. John Cassavetes, 1977 (02 APR 20:00); SHADOWS d. John Cassavetes, 1959 (03 APR 18:15); A WOMAN UNDER THE INFLUENCE d. John Cassavetes, 1974 (03 APR 20:00).

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

• Essay Film Festival (19 MAR to 23 APR).
• Kinoteka Polish Film Festival (09 MAR to 03 APR).
• London Independent Film Festival (01 to 10 APR).
• The People’s Film Festival (02 to 09 APR).
• South Social Film Festival – Nordic Focus (02 APR).
• Spanish Spring Weekend (01 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. //.