THE BALLY #173: What to see in London this week [30 SEP to 06 OCT 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!

A few things of note this week as we enter a new calendar month… October is Black History Month, so expect to see more films centred around Black voices as the season continues. Similarly, Halloween is drawing near, so there’s a significant uptick in horror film programming across town (and in places where you might not expect it…). It’s also time to embrace the BFI London Film Festival (05 to 16 OCT), which will temporarily clear some of the decks of alternative programming…

Outdoor seasons wrap at both Rooftop Film Club venues this weekend. Doubtless a few diehard outdoor popups will appear during the Autumn, and I’ll do my best to keep track of those…

Some notable new arrivals this week… Brett Morgen’s lavish Bowie documentary MOONAGE DAYDREAM gets a wider release after being splashed across the giant screens of the BFI IMAX (see GRIND SHOWS), whilst London Georgian Film Festival squeezes in at Ciné Lumière (30 SEP to 05 OCT) just before London’s other big show.

New rep seasons include A LIFE ON THE FILM SET at The Garden Cinema which does what I hope many more programmes would do; look beyond a narrow obsession with film directors by celebrating other creative contributors. Here the focus is on Angela Allen’s illustrious career as a script supervisor. But then to contradict myself almost entirely, we also have fascinating series devoted to the works of JOHN SMITH (at ICA and Close-UP) and PATRICIO GUZMÁN (at Bertha DocHouse). 

The New Black Collective have posted their series of free/popular titles for Black History Month at Stratford East Picturehouse, and the unrivalled blockbuster new season opening this week is the inescapable HORROCTOBER at The Prince Charles.

A quick welcome back to these listings for the wonderful folk at Richmond Film Society. Following a sensible period limiting numbers to ‘members only’ at their always-packed screenings, they have now put their shows back on sale for general admission. It’s brilliant to see them back at a time when some community film clubs are finding it tough.

I’ve chosen THE WOMAN KING (from 04 OCT – see GRIND SHOWS) as my Featured Attraction of the Week for simple cinematic reasons. I saw Gina Prince-Bythewood introduce her epic film at the opening night of Fragments Festival (29 SEP to 02 OCT), the in-house festival of underrepresented voices at Genesis Cinema. Venue owner Tyrone Walker-Hebborn also spoke about the power of the ‘shared cinema experience’, and wow, did that screening deliver! See THE WOMAN KING somewhere where the audience is prepared to be as unashamedly loud as the film (at Genesis, we even roared on the soppy Mills & Boon romance, but that might have been more in recognition of the film’s delightfully lustful female gaze…).

See you in the darkness, and stay safe.

Richard // RADIANT CIRCUS

PS – My full monthly roundup for OCTOBER is coming very soon!

THE WOMAN KING dir Gina Prince-Bythewood, 2022

• Various venues, inc (from 04 OCT): Catford Mews / Chiswick Cinema / Curzon Cinemas / Electric Cinemas / Genesis Cinema / Peckhamplex / Picturehouse Cinemas
• “The story of the Agojie, the all-female unit of warriors who protected the African Kingdom of Dahomey in the 1800s with skills and a fierceness unlike anything the world has ever seen, and General Nanisca as she trains the next generation of recruits and readies them for battle against an enemy determined to destroy their way of life.”

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Full daily listings in this week’s SCREEN GUIDE.

JOHN SMITH: INTROSPECTIVE (1972–2022) 50 FILMS FROM 50 YEARS at ICA & Close-Up

• Includes (check venue for full listings): Opening Night + Q&A at ICA (01 OCT 18:30); Programme 1 (1972-1976) + John Smith in Conversation with Stanley Schtinter at Close-Up (06 OCT 20:15).

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

• BFI London Film Festival (05 to 16 OCT).
• Chiswick In Film Festival (30 SEP to 02 OCT).
• Everyman Music Film Festival (01 to 30 SEP).
• Fragments Festival (29 SEP to 02 OCT).
• London Georgian Film Festival (30 SEP to 05 OCT).
• London Kurdish Film Festival (23 to 30 SEP).

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. //.