This is a film still from MARIUPOLIS dir Mantas Kvedaravičius, 2016.

THE BALLY #149: What to see in London this week [15 to 21 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

Book now for the next screening event supported by #ReviveTheDark, RADIANT CIRCUS’ audience-backed campaign for distinctive/DIY cinema! Sonic Cinema presents AUSTRIAN SYNAESTHETIC CINEMA at Cafe OTO (06 MAY 20:00).

Welcome to another screen week! It’s Easter, but there’s still a lot going on…

In venue news, the headline from their newsletter couldn’t be clearer, THE RIO IS RISEN! Phase One of Rio Cinema’s building works to create a new bar and foyer area, and restore some original features, is complete. Things will seem a little strange with the closure of their stalls in Screen One continuing into next week, but it’s great to welcome them back to our listings. Can’t wait to see what’s been built…

This week’s special events from indie exhibitors start on Friday with Black Ink Cinema and NEW JACK CITY at Genesis Cinema (15 APR). The Cinema Museum has another busy weekend with Blinking Buzzards celebrating Buster Keaton on Saturday (16 APR), and Sappho’s Cinema and Lesflicks creating a space for singles to mingle with their pro-social screening of PROFESSOR MARSTON AND THE WONDER WOMEN on Sunday (17 APR). For another cinematic snuggle, The Prince Charles screens HARVEY on Easter Sunday (also 17 APR).

Deeper Into Movies owns your Monday with dual screenings of Charli XCX: ALONE TOGETHER at Moth Club and JEFF BUCKLEY LIVE IN CHICAGO at Farr’s Dalston (18 APR). Adam Feinstein gives an expert into for the 80th Anniversary screening of Michael Curtiz’s CASABLANCA at The Cinema Museum, and Tufnell Park Film Club screens GODZILLA aka Gojira in tribute to Akira Takarda at The Lord Palmerston (both 19 APR). 

On Wednesday, Pinc. presents THE ADVENTURES OF PRISCILLA, QUEEN OF THE DESERT at The Castle Cinema, Kennington Noir screens T-MEN from 16mm at The Cinema Museum, and Pitshanger Pictures has a busy day with both EASTER PARADE and BLINDED BY THE LIGHT at St Barnabas Church (all 20 APR). A special screening of THE MOTHER AND THE WHORE from 35mm with an intro by Françoise Lebrun – who stars in Gaspar Noé’s new film VORTEX – at Picturehouse Central is also worthy of serious note (also 20 APR, tickets selling fast!).

As has become usual, Thursday is awash with great options including Sara Fattahi’s CHAOS at Austrian Cultural Forum, Crofton Park Pictures’ presentation of FEAR & LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS at Rival Ballroom, Deeper Into Movies’ return to raise the roof on the revamped Rio with THE SCARY OF SIXTY-FIRST, and Lobotomy Room Film Club’s free presentation of WOMEN’S PRISON at Fontaine’s Bar (all 21 APR). 

Rep seasons continue pretty much as they have been, with ANIME and LIV ULLMANN: FACE TO FACE at BFI Southbank and CLOSE-UP ON JOHN CASSAVETES at Close-Up grabbing most of our attention. Everyman continues their commitment to films from 35mm at the Screen On The Green with a run of three by PAUL VERHOEVEN. THE WORLD OF WONG KAR WAI gets a reboot at The Prince Charles (with some in shiny 4K).

I couldn’t narrow down my choice of this week’s new releases, so I’ve highlighted four that I really want to see: Verhoeven’s BENEDETTA (again…), Kiro Russo’s THE GREAT MOVEMENT, Robert Eggers’s THE NORTHMAN, and Laura Wandel’s PLAYGROUND. ICA also has an exclusive/limited engagement with Mantas Kvedaravičius’s 2016 film, MARIUPOLIS which I’ve made my Featured Attraction of the Week.

See you in the darkness, and stay safe.

Richard // RADIANT CIRCUS

MARIUPOLIS d. Mantas Kvedaravičius, 2016 at ICA (16 APR 19:00 / 17 APR 14:50 / 20 APR 13:00 / 21 APR 14:05):

“The images emerging from the Ukrainian city of Mariupol have horrified the world. Released in 2016, Lithuanian director Mantas Kvedaravičius’s film captures his adopted home city as it was, set against the backdrop of an earlier stage in the Russian onslaught – and this haunting time capsule is made even more poignant by the death this month of its director, killed by Russian forces while fleeing the city on 2 April 2022.”

“Mariupolis is less a film about war than a film about trying to live a normal life while war rages behind you. Bus drivers plan shifts; a cobbler repairs shoes; a steel mill continues making the stuff of industry; the conflict is largely off-screen. 

“‘[The] basic premise … is that aesthetics and politics are intrinsically intertwined, [and] any choice within cinematic language is already a claim. Yet it considers that long-term cinematic observation of the minutiae of everyday life could precisely unravel the complex historicity and cultural forces at work in a transformation of the polity,’ said Kvedaravičius.”

“With Kvedaravičius’s tragic death, that task of long-term cinematic observation now falls to others.” (ICA)

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FRIDAY

THE GREAT MOVEMENT aka El Gran movimiento d. Kiro Russo, 2021 + Recorded Q&A with the director + Intro by Sofia Serbin de Skalon at Ciné Lumière (15 APR 20:25).

SATURDAY

THE CASE OF HANA & ALICE aka Hana to Arisu Satsujin Jiken d. Shunji Iwai, 2015 (16 APR 18:35) / Part of ANIME at BFI Southbank.

This is a film still from PROFESSOR MARSTON AND THE WONDER WOMEN dir Angela Robinson, 2017.

SUNDAY

PROFESSOR MARSTON AND THE WONDER WOMEN d. Angela Robinson, 2017 + Intro + Pre/post film social presented by Sappho’s Cinema and Lesflicks at The Cinema Museum (17 APR 15:30).

MONDAY

LOLA AND THE SEA aka Lola vers la mer d. Laurent Micheli, 2019 at Whirled Cinema (18 APR 20:00 / 19 APR 20:00 / 20 APR 20:00 / 24 APR 17:00).

This is a film still from BARRY LYNDON dir Stanley Kubrick, 1975.

TUESDAY

BARRY LYNDON 35mm d. Stanley Kubrick, 1975 at The Prince Charles (19 APR 20:00).

This is a film still from THE MOTHER AND THE WHORE aka La maman et la putain dir Jean Eustache, 1973.

WEDNESDAY

THE MOTHER AND THE WHORE 35mm aka La maman et la putain d. Jean Eustache, 1973 + Intro by Françoise Lebrun + Intermission at Picturehouse Central (20 APR 19:00).

THURSDAY

THE SCARY OF SIXTY-FIRST d. Dasha Nekrasova, 2021 + Q&A with the director & actors Madeline Quinn & Betsey Brown presented by Deeper Into Movies at Rio Cinema (21 APR 20:30).

Full daily listings in this week’s SCREEN GUIDE.
A SILENT VOICE dir Naoko Yamada, 2016.

ANIME at BFI Southbank

More rep seasons listed in this week’s SCREEN GUIDE.
This is a film still from: BENEDETTA dir Paul Verhoeven, 2021.

BENEDETTA d. Paul Verhoeven, 2021:

THE GREAT MOVEMENT aka El Gran movimiento d. Kiro Russo, 2021 at:

THE NORTHMAN d. Robert Eggers, 2022:

PLAYGROUND d. Laura Wandel, 2021:

  • Various venues, inc: BFI / ICA
More new releases in this week’s SCREEN GUIDE.

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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. //.