This is a film still from MAKE UP (Claire Oakley, 2019) which screens at Rio Cinema.

THE BALLY #85: London’s indie screen news & daily highlights (14 to 20 AUG)

Welcome to THE BALLY, the free weekly newsletter about London’s alternative cinema scene produced by RADIANT CIRCUS. Featuring the latest indie screen news & our daily recommendations. Full listings at radiantcircus.com*

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NEWS FROM ACROSS LONDON’S ALTERNATIVE CINEMA SCENE.

We don’t normally cover big movie releases (unless they contain a giant ape of course…) but the announcement that Christopher Nolan’s TENET will be setting screens alight from 26 AUG must be good news to concerned cinema owners and operators. Whether this tentpole can bear the burden of industry and audience expectation remains to be seen, but we can only wish the exhibition industry well through these challenging times.

The reopening ripples continue with a warm welcome back to Catford Mews with two days of screenings this weekend (14 to 15 AUG) and a return of Everyman Baker Street (indeed, all the boutique chain’s cinemas should be open by 21 AUG). We also have a reopening date for Barbican Cinemas, now booking for their 35mm presentation of TENET from 04 SEP.

Declaring their intent to continue with a blended on- and off-line programme, Barbican has also announced a new steaming season in their On Demand cinema. INNER STATES (11 to 24 SEP) looks at first person perspectives on film and includes: ALLAH TANTOU (1991), FIX ME (2009), LÀ BAS (2006), TARNATION (2003), THIS IS NOT A FILM (2010) and a Lockdown States short film programme.

Rio Cinema continues their weekender reopening strategy (14 to 16 AUG) supplemented by additional titles online in their new Rio Cinema Player (see STILL STREAMING below for film details). Another thing we don’t normally cover at RADIANT CIRCUS is family screenings, but it would be remiss of us not to mention a special afternoon event to raise funds for the wonderful Rio: FOUR KIDS & IT d. Andy De Emmony, 2020 (16 AUG 16:00). 

Archlight Cinema continues to expand their screen offerings as the South London venue finds their COVID feet (14 to 16 AUG). They’ve also announced a SUMMER SHOWTIME season on the Coaling Jetty at Battersea Powerstation (21 AUG to 20 SEP). Titles include MAD MAX FURY ROAD (2015), BACK TO THE FUTURE (1985), GLADIATOR (2000), JOKER (2019) and DIRTY DANCING (1987), but you can only go if you’ve got a friend… Tickets on sale from 17 AUG.

Speaking of seasons, Genesis Cinema continues their rep season, MODERN CULT CLASSICS (until 25 AUG), with this week’s films including: DONNIE DARKO (14 AUG), THE LIGHTHOUSE (17 AUG), and SORRY TO BOTHER YOU (19 AUG) – see our weekly digest for full details.

Looking ahead, The Prince Charles Cinema has uploaded more events after their 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY 70MM reopening announcement. Films booking in their first week (16 to 22 OCT) include THE THING (1982), MY NEIGHBOUR TOTORO (1988), BILL & TED’S EXCELLENT ADVENTURE (1989), LOST IN TRANSLATION 35MM (2003), LA HAINE (1995), THE GREEN RAY 35MM (1986), and new Shudder horror, HOST (2020). Of course, you can always get yourself in the mood by purchasing something from their natty new range of merch…

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OUR HIGHLIGHT OF THIS WEEK’S ONE-OFF SCREEN EVENTS IN LONDON.

It’s great having to debate which screening gets our coveted Featured Attraction slot… This week’s special mention goes to London Video Club for their forthcoming presentation of Hideo Nakata’s classic J-Horror RINGU (1998). The film will be projected at Genesis Cinema straight from a VCR using a Blockbuster Video ex-rental video tape (15 AUG – see listings for details)! This idea may or may not be cursed…

Our Featured Attraction of the Week is a new release which takes us back to one of our old stomping grounds, the Rio Cinema. MAKE UP (2019) screens before a socially distanced Q&A with director Claire Oakley at the famed Dalston venue (16 AUG 19:25 – main featured image). Sight & Sound tagged Oakley’s debut feature as a “thrillingly queer tangle in a Cornish campsite” which sounds right by us.

See you in darkness,

RADIANT CIRCUS

This is a film still from RINGU (1998) which screens at Genesis Cinema (15 AUG 2020).
RINGU (1998) presented by London Video Club at Genesis Cinema (15 AUG).
7 DAY SCREEN HIGHLIGHTS FROM LONDON THIS WEEK.
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Between Us We Have Everything We Need Online weekender of films, shorts, discussion & writing (14 to 16 AUG).

    • Club des Femmes presents: “A programme of films, live events and new writing, centred around Pratibha Parmar’s A PLACE OF RAGE (1991), which documents the intertwined history and future of Black, feminist and queer radical politics.” Today: A PLACE OF RAGE Q&A with Pratibha Parmar & Lola Olufemi (14 AUG 19:00) // Short Film Programme (14 to 16 AUG).
    • How it works: Rent A PLACE OF RAGE on Vimeo (using a discount link). Watch the shorts for FREE on Vimeo. Register for the FREE live Zoom events via Eventbrite.

> FIND MORE GREAT THINGS TO SEE IN OUR WEEKLY DIGEST <

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RINGU VHS d. Hideo Nakata, 1998 at Genesis Cinema (15 AUG 18:45).

    • London Video Club presents: “A celebration of the greatest format of all: VHS. We want to recreate the feeling of seeing a gaudy VHS cover on the shelf of your local video shop. Of horror movie marathons in your friend’s basement. The nostalgia and tactility of the format. Join us and an audience of like-minded video nuts as we screen cult classics, forgotten gems and schlocky blockbusters, direct from videotape.”

> HELP REVIVE THE DARK WITH A SUBSCRIPTION AT PATREON <

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MAKE UP d. Claire Oakley, 2019 + Q&A with the director at Rio Cinema (16 AUG 19:25):

    • “Starting out in the realm of poetic realism (think Paweł Pawlikowski’s MY SUMMER OF LOVE) and taking a turn toward the psychological thriller, MAKE UP becomes even more fluid in its genre identity when it ventures into body horror.”

> FIND MORE GREAT THINGS TO SEE IN OUR WEEKLY DIGEST <

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FLAMING STAR d. Don Siegel, 1960 at Everyman Cinemas (17 AUG 18:15). 

    • “When fighting breaks out between two cultures in West Texas, the mixed-blood Pacer tries to act as a peacemaker, but the “flaming star of death” pulls him irrevocably into the deadly violence.” Starring Elvis Presley.

> HELP REVIVE THE DARK WITH A SUBSCRIPTION AT PATREON <

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Cine Mar – Surf Movie Night at Genesis Cinema (18 AUG 20:30).

    • BlueTomato presents: “A European tour featuring the year’s top surf films and nature documentaries: ocean stories for surf addicts! This year we’re launching two European premieres: Justin Purser’s surf doc AND TWO IF BY SEA, introducing the legendary pro-surf twins CJ and Damien Hobgood, and TIME IS NOW by Aljaz Babnik and Marie Pfisterer.”

> FIND MORE GREAT THINGS TO SEE IN OUR WEEKLY DIGEST <

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#STREAM25 – COUP 53 d. Taghi Amirani, 2020 Online release (19 AUG):

    • Screen25 Cinema presents: “The story of the 1953 Anglo-American coup in Iran that overthrew the democratically elected Prime Minister Mossadegh and reinstalled the Shah.” 
    • How it works: Available to prebook now, COUP 53 will have its virtual release on 19 AUG. 50% of your purchase will be donated to Screen25.

> HELP REVIVE THE DARK WITH A SUBSCRIPTION AT PATREON <

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THE PROPOSAL d. Jill Magid, 2018 + Online Q&A with the director & Ines Weizman, Online event from Barbican Cinema On Demand (20 AUG 19:00):

    • Architecture On Film presents: “Part thriller, part romance, part artwork itself, this ‘post-mortem love triangle’ takes us on a quest to reanimate the privately-held archives of one of the 20th century’s major architects.”
    • How it works: Film available to rent online from Barbican Cinema On Demand (14 to 27 AUG).

> FIND MORE GREAT THINGS TO SEE IN OUR WEEKLY DIGEST <

STILL STREAMING FROM PREVIOUS EDITIONS (A to Z).
THE LATEST NEW EXHIBITS & ATTRACTIONS AT RADIANTCIRCUS.COM
This is a still image from Cao Fei's film LA TOWN at Serpentine Gallery (11 AUG 2020).
SCREEN DIARY – Cao Fei’s BLUEPRINTS at Serpentine Gallery (11 AUG 2020).

Cao Fei’s reworked installation BLUEPRINTS at the reopened Serpentine Gallery is well worth a visit. Now booking until 31 AUG & scheduled to run until 13 SEP, there’s more than enough feature-length content for a double dip… > Read our writeup.

Main featured image: MAKE UP (2019).

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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 are subject to change by the venue/organiser. We try to only list events you can book for at the time of posting: however, some events may still be sold out. Please click quickly! // We don’t filter by age/certification: all readers & subscribers should be 18+. // > Remember, always try to follow The Carny Code by “not screwing up anyone else’s game” //.