THE BALLY #202: What to see in London this week [19 to 25 MAY 2023]

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

BREATHING FIRE dirs. Lou Kennedy, Brandon Pender & Brandon De-Wilde, 1991 presented by Crap Film Club at The Old Queens Head (22 MAY 19:00).

“BREATHING FIRE is a 1991 American DTV martial arts film which stars Ke Huy Quan (THE GOONIES) and Bolo Yeung (BLOODSPORT), and described as “an absolute cinematic trainwreck/masterpiece” (Cinafilm).”

“The plot revolves around Tony and his adopted Vietnamese brother Charlie, who we first meet in the act of winning the local taekwondo tournamount. Unfortunately, their father Michael can’t attend because he is a ruthless bank robber who has a major gold heist to take care of. Having stored the loot in a vault that requires two keys to enter, he and his gang encrust the keys into a plastic pizza (!) and then cut the pizza into several slices, meaning they need each other to access the gold.”

“Several misadventures later, Tony and Charlie are introduced to Annie, the daughter of the bank manager that Michael has killed to stop him informing. Not knowing about their father’s double life, the boys enlist their uncle David to train them up, take on the baddies, protect the girl, and kick an awful lot of ass!” (Crap Film Club).

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Full daily listings in this week’s SCREEN GUIDE.

SKIP NORMAN: HERE AND THERE at ICA & Goethe-Institut

Includes (check venue for full listings): Berlin-Harlem (19 MAY 19:00); Study Day + Collaborations + The American Years I (20 MAY 12:00-17:30); The Independent Years (23 MAY 18:30); The American Years II (25 MAY 18:30).

More seasons listed in this week’s SCREEN GUIDE.

• Beyond Words French Literature Festival (12 to 21 MAY).
• ECHOES Indigenous Film Festival (19 to 21 MAY).
• London Japan Film Festival (20 to 21 MAY).
• SERET Israeli Film & TV Festival (18 to 25 MAY).
• Syrian Arts & Cultural Festival (11 to 23 MAY).

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. //.