JANUARY 2022: What’s on in London this month

Explore what’s on in London this month with our regular epic roundup of repertory film seasons & festivals.

By RADIANT CIRCUS // Twitter @radiantcircus / Instagram @radiantcircus

UPDATES: CONCERT FILMS at Riverside Studios // 3+3: A PROJECT CURATED BY APICHATPONG WEERASETHAKUL at ICA.

Welcome to my first screen guide of 2022! And welcome back to some wonderful cinema…

New seasons abound with François Truffaut – and the films that inspired him – taking centre stage in a two-month long collab between Ciné Lumière and BFI. January’s offerings are split between films about Truffaut’s semi-semi-autobiographical character Antoine Doinel and “those displaying the influence of Truffaut’s beloved Renoir”. February’s programme will look at the influences of another of his heroes, Alfred Hitchcock. The BFI has also aligned their perennial BIG SCREEN CLASSICS strand to look at the important films in Truffaut’s life. There are plenty of talks and intros to get you in the mood. The season’s centrepiece is a re-release of THE 400 BLOWS, freshly restored and screening daily in Digital 4K at BFI Southbank.

Ciné Lumière will also be busy getting ready for their annual Night Of Ideas festival (27 JAN) with a short season of films that addresses their theme “rebuilding together”, BEFORE THE NIGHT (21 to 26 JAN). BFI takes a similar approach to their Truffaut programme for BOWIE: STARMAN & THE SILVER SCREEN, looking at both David Bowie’s on-screen appearances (from both TV and film) and the films that inspired him. The BFI’s other major programme this month, TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH, marks the centenary of the end of the ‘heroic age’ of Antarctic exploration with the death of Sir Ernest Shackleton on 05 JAN 1922. The season is anchored by an epic screening of silent film SOUTH: SIR ERNEST SHACKLETON’S GLORIOUS EPIC OF THE ANTARCTIC with a newly commissioned live score by Neil Brand played by Covent Garden Sinfonia at BFI IMAX (27 JAN). The remastered film also enjoys a limited engagement at BFI Southbank (without the sinfonia!).

Elsewhere, The Prince Charles embarks on a clutch of new seasons, including ones focused on the rich cinematic year of 1982,a run of BLACK & WHITE movies to accompany the release of THE TRAGEDY OF MACBETH, and the varied cine-careers of BRENDAN FRASER, CHER, INGMAR BERGMAN, JULIA DUCOURNAU, NORA EPHRON, MADONNA, F. GARY GRAY, STEVE MCQUEEN, GUILLERMO DEL TORO, and EDWARD YANG. We also feared the West End indie had plunged too deeply into the avant-garde with the titles of two other seasons, DENIS VILLENEUVE: IN REVERSE and FROM THE MIND OF PAUL SCHRADER, until we realised the reality was much more (but slightly disappointingly…) straightforward.

Other significant new seasons this month include JONAS MEKAS 100! and TAKE TWO: JÖRN DONNER at Close-Up Film Centre. Whilst I’m in Shoreditch, the opening screening of Ryan Ninesling’s student season HUMAN RESOURCES – Margot Benacerraf’s ARAYA – was postponed in December 2021 due a power cut on Brick Lane*. The screening now takes place on 13 JAN and is booking now. Finally, Everyman continue their season of PAUL THOMAS ANDERSON 35MM LATE NIGHTS at Everyman Screen On The Green to celebrate the release of LICORICE PIZZA.

There’s always a small field of festivals at this time of year, with the headline act going to London Short Film Festival (14 to 23 JAN). Both London International Mime Festival (25 JAN to 05 FEB) and Syrian Arts & Cultural Festival (20 JAN to 04 FEB) feature film screenings as part of their wider cultural programmes. I’ll update this list if more festivals come to the light (as they always do…).

Finally, my Featured Attraction Of The Month goes to BOWIE: STARMAN & THE SILVER SCREEN at BFI Southbank for very personal reasons. My very dear late friend Roy would have loved this, using his obsession with cinema (he went to see PULP FICTION no less than 18 times on its initial release…) and lifelong love of Bowie to grab himself a seat at every screening. I miss you, you crazy old fucker…

See you in the darkness,

Richard // RADIANT CIRCUS

*Upon arriving at the dark venue full of people sat enjoying drinks in the cafe, I wasn’t sure if some catastrophe had occurred or if Close-Up had just chosen a new, rather more brutal, post-lockdown aesthetic…

35MM PRESENTATIONS at The Prince Charles

70MM PRESENTATIONS at The Prince Charles

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY 70mm d. Stanley Kubrick, 1968 ‘unrestored version’ (14 JAN 20:15 / 25 JAN 20:10 / 30 JAN 16:40).

3+3: A PROJECT CURATED BY APICHATPONG WEERASETHAKUL at ICA

007 SEASON at The Prince Charles

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): DR. NO d. Terence Young, 1962 (15 JAN 15:15 / 20 JAN 15:40); FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE d. Terence Young, 1963 (22 JAN 15:00 / 26 JAN 13:00); GOLDFINGER d. Guy Hamilton, 1964 (29 JAN 15:30 / 03 FEB 15:30).

1982 SEASON at The Prince Charles

AKIRA KUROSAWA at The Prince Charles

ANIME at The Prince Charles

ANNIVERSARY SCREENINGS at The Prince Charles

BEFORE THE NIGHT at Ciné Lumière

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): MEMORY BOX d. Joana Hadjithomas & Khalil Joreige, 2021 (21 JAN 19:15 + Q&A with the directors / 22 JAN 16:00 / 24 JAN 18:25); SECRETS & LIES d. Mike Leigh, 1996 + Q&A with the director (22 JAN 16:15); FLEE d. Jonas Poher Rasmussen, 2021 + Free drawing workshop with artist Caroline Burraway (22 JAN 14:00); THE LIGHTHOUSE aka Mayak d. Maria Saakyan, 2006 (23 JAN 15:45); TAMING THE GARDEN d. Salomé Jashi, 2021 + Zoom Q&A (24 JAN 18:15); THE VELVET QUEEN aka La Panthère des neiges d. Marie Amiguet & Vincent Munier, 2021 + Intro with writer Sylvain Tesson (25 JAN 18:15).

BEST OF 2021 at Bertha DocHouse

BIG SCREEN CLASSICS: THE FILMS IN TRUFFAUT’S LIFE at BFI Southbank

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): LES ENFANTS TERRIBLES 35mm d. Jean-Pierre Melville, 1949 (04 JAN 18:00 / 30 JAN 15:15); ROME, OPEN CITY aka Rome, città aperta d. Roberto Rossellini, 1945 (05 JAN 17:50 / 29 JAN 13:00); LETTER FROM AN UNKNOWN WOMAN d. Max Ophuls, 1948 (06 JAN 20:40 / 15 JAN 15:40 / 31 JAN 20:45); CASQUE D’OR d. Jacques Becker, 1953 (07 JAN 20:45 / 23 JAN 13:10); GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES d. Howard Hawks, 1953 (08 JAN 16:00 / 13 JAN 18:10 / 17 JAN 18:20); ORDET aka The Word d. Carl Theodor Dreyer, 1955 (09 JAN 13:20 / 18 JAN 20:30); SMILES OF A SUMMER NIGHT aka Sommarnattens Leende (09 JAN 16:00 / 20 JAN 20:50 / 25 JAN 18:10); BIGGER THAN LIFE d. Nicholas Ray, 1956 (10 JAN 14:30 / 26 JAN 20:50); CITIZEN KANE 35mm d. Orson Welles, 1941 (11 JAN 17:50 / 27 JAN 18:00); LA GRANDE ILLUSION aka Jean Renoir, 1937 (11 JAN 18:15 / 16 JAN 12:40); CASQUE D’OR d. Jacques Becker, 1953 + Recorded intro by film critic & historian Pamela Hutchinson (12 JAN 17:50); TWELVE ANGRY MEN d. Sidney Lumet, 1957 (14 JAN 14:40 / 24 JAN 18:20 / 28 JAN 18:20); BIGGER THAN LIFE d. Nicholas Ray, 1956 + Intro by Geoff Andrew, Programmer-at-large (19 JAN 18:05); SHADOW OF A DOUBT d. Alfred Hitchcock, 1943 (22 JAN 12:10 / 25 JAN 14:30); ROME, OPEN CITY aka Rome, città aperta d. Roberto Rossellini, 1945 + Intro by lecturer and writer Dr Julia Wagner (26 JAN 18:00).

BLACK & WHITE MOVIES at The Prince Charles

BOWIE: STARMAN & THE SILVER SCREEN at BFI Southbank

BRENDAN FRASER at The Prince Charles

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): CALIFORNIA MAN d. Les Mayfield, 1992 (11 JAN 18:05).

CHER ON SCREEN at The Prince Charles

CHINESE NEW YEAR at BFI Southbank

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): AN AUTUMN’S TALE 4K d. Mabel Cheung, 1987 + Intro (25 JAN 20:15).

CONCERT FILMS at Riverside Studios

DENIS VILLENEUVE: IN REVERSE at The Prince Charles

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): DUNE d. Denis Villeneuve, 2021 (04 JAN 12:30 / 08 JAN 20:30 / 09 JAN 20:00 / 11 JAN 15:00 & 20:15); BLADE RUNNER 2049 d. Denis Villeneuve, 2017 (20 JAN 20:30 / 27 MAR 19:45).

EXPERIMENTS IN FILM at Barbican

THE FILMS OF PAUL THOMAS ANDERSON at The Prince Charles

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): PUNCH-DRUNK LOVE 35mm d. Paul Thomas Anderson + Live Podcast (04 JAN 18:00).

THE FILMS OF QUENTIN TARANTINO at The Prince Charles

FRANÇOIS TRUFFAUT: FOR THE LOVE OF FILMS at BFI Southbank

FRANÇOIS TRUFFAUT REVISITED at Ciné Lumière

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): THE 400 BLOWS aka Les Quatre cents coups d. François Truffaut, 1959 (daily 07 to 13 JAN various / 19 JAN 16:00 / 20 JAN 18:15); ANTOINE ET COLETTE + STOLEN KISSES d. François Truffaut, 1962 + 1968 (09 JAN 14:00 / 11 JAN 20:20); BED AND BOARD aka Domicile Conjugal d. François Truffaut, 1970 (16 JAN 14:00 / 18 JAN 18:20); LOVE ON THE RUN aka L’Amour en fuite d. François Truffaut, 1979 (23 JAN 14:00 / 25 JAN 18:25); DAY FOR NIGHT aka La Nuit américaine d. François Truffaut, 1973 (30 JAN 14:00 + Extended intro by film curator Sonali Joshi / 02 FEB 15:50); L’ENFANT SAUVAGE aka The Wild Child d. François Truffaut, 1970 (30 JAN 17:20 + Intro by curator Sonali Joshi / 01 FEB 18:20); JULES & JIM aka Jules and Jim d. François Truffaut, 1961 (daily 04 to 10 FEB various).

FROM THE MIND OF PAUL SCHRADER at The Prince Charles

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): THE YAKUZA d. Sydney Pollack, 1974 (10 JAN 20:35); TAXI DRIVER 35mm d. Martin Scorsese, 1976 (18 JAN 15:20 / 22 JAN 20:30).

HUMAN RESOURCES at Close-Up

  • Includes (check venue for listings): ARAYA d. Margot Benacerraf, 1959 (13 JAN 20:15 – rearranged from 03 DEC 2021).
  • Curated by Ryan NineslingPresented in partnership with the National Film & Television School.

INGMAR BERGMAN SELECTROSPECTIVE at The Prince Charles

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): A LESSON IN LOVE d. Ingmar Bergman, 1954 (30 JAN 14:25).

JONAS MEKAS 100! at Close-Up

JULIA DUCOURNAU at The Prince Charles

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): TITANE d. Julia Ducournau, 2021 (until 13 JAN); RAW d. Julia Ducournau, 2016 (13 JAN 18:00).

LETTERBOXD HIGH RISERS at The Prince Charles

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): TWILIGHT 35mm d. Catherine Hardwicke, 2008 (15 JAN 20:45).

MOVIE MARATHONS at The Prince Charles

NORA EPHRON at The Prince Charles

  • Includes (check venue for full listings): SILKWOOD d. Mike Nichols, 1983 (12 JAN 18:00); HEARTBURN d. Mike Nichols, 1986 (24 JAN 18:10).

ON SCREEN WITH MADONNA at The Prince Charles

PAUL THOMAS ANDERSON 35MM LATE NIGHTS at Everyman Screen On The Green

STUDIO GHIBLI FOREVER at The Prince Charles

TAKE TWO: JÖRN DONNER at Close-Up

THREE BY F. GARY GRAY at The Prince Charles

  • Includes (check venue for listings): FRIDAY 35mm d. F. Gary Gray, 1995 (14 JAN 20:45).

THREE FROM STEVE MCQUEEN at The Prince Charles

  • Includes (check venue for listings): HUNGER 35mm d. Steve McQueen, 2008 (18 JAN 18:15).

TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH at BFI Southbank

THE TWISTED TALES OF GUILLERMO DEL TORO at The Prince Charles

  • Includes (check venue for listings): MIMIC 35mm d. Guillermo del Toro, 1997 (30 JAN 20:30).

TWO BY EDWARD YANG at The Prince Charles

  • Includes (check venue for listings): A BRIGHTER SUMMER DAY d. Edward Yang, 1991 (17 JAN 19:15); YI YI d. Edward Yang, 2000 (15 FEB 20:10).

THE WORLD OF WONG KAR WAI at The Prince Charles

RADIANT CIRCUS is powered by monthly subscribers. Get great rewards & help #ReviveTheDark. JOIN US!

*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. //.