Narrated by Tilda Swinton, the film recently won the top award at Karlovy Vary (the first British title to do so since Kes).

A creative biography of the Scottish artist Wilhelmina Barns-Graham. One of the most important women in British modern art, the painter Wilhelmina Barns-Graham was a highly inspirational figure, whose work was deeply impacted by a pivotal event in her life.  

In his essayistic portrait Cousins delves into complex themes of gender, climate change and creativity, while laying bare the artist’s character and vast imagination so pervasively that he creates the impression we are seeing the world through her eyes.

The Garden Cinema View:

A Sudden Glimpse into Deeper Things feature documentary is Mark Cousins' love letter to Wilhelmina Barns-Graham, a significant yet often overlooked British modernist painter.

True to Cousins' unique style, the film takes different angles to investigate her legacy, combining an account of Barns-Graham's climb to the top of a glacier in Switzerland that was pivotal to her art, a lengthy contemplation over one of her photographs as an elderly woman, and a documentation of his acquisition of a Barns-Graham-inspired tattoo. As with all love letters, Cousins' exploration of Barns-Graham's innovative mind is deeply personal and idiosyncratic, weaving together fragments of her life and art in a complex tapestry.

What becomes prominent by the end of this understated documentary, sensitively narrated by Tilda Swinton, is Barns-Graham's range and depth of talent. The power of her incredible, multilayered paintings is undeniable, and the film will no doubt introduce her work to a wider audience.

Mark Cousins is a writer and director. He presented cult BBC film series Moviedrome and is most famous for his 15-hour 2011 documentary The Story of Film: An Odyssey, as well as the 14-hour documentary Women Make Film. His previous film The Story of Film: A New Generation premiered at the Cannes Film Festival.

Mark joined us for a Q&A on 13 October hosted by journalist Wendy Mitchell.

Payal Kapadia’s hugely acclaimed fiction debut was the first Indian film to be selected in Official Competition at Cannes in three decades, where it received an 8 minute standing ovation and was awarded the Grand Prix. It has since been nominated for Best International Independent Film at the British Independent Film Awards 2024.

All We Imagine as Light is a beautiful, sweeping, emotional film that explores the complexities of female friendship and captures the frantic pace, the vibrant colours and the heady atmosphere of modern Mumbai.

In the city, thoughtful Nurse Prabha’s routine is upset when she receives an unexpected gift from her estranged husband. Her younger, flightier and rebellious roommate, Anu, tries in vain to find a spot in the city to be intimate with her secret boyfriend. Their colleague Parvaty fights to stay in her home without any requisite paperwork left by her late husband. A trip to a beach town allows them each to find a space for their desires to manifest.

Anora, a young sex worker from Brooklyn, gets her chance at a Cinderella story when she meets and impulsively marries Vanya, the son of an oligarch. Once the news reaches Russia, her fairytale is threatened when Vanya's parents send their henchmen to annul the marriage, setting off a wild chase through the streets of New York.

Nominated for Best International Independent Film at the British Independent Film Awards 2024.

The Garden Cinema View:

Sean Baker obtained the Palme d'Or at this year's Cannes Film Festival with Anora, making him the first American filmmaker to win the prize since 2012.

Similarly to Baker's previous works (Tangerine, The Florida Project, Red Rocket), Anora focuses on a deeply flawed yet captivating protagonist, brought to life with great humanity by Mikey Madison. What makes Baker's films so exhilarating is that despite his characters’ questionable decisions and political incorrectness, they always feel authentic. Anora commands our empathy from the start, and by the end, she also gains our respect.

Baker's casting and work with actors is clearly his forte. Beyond Madison's commanding central performance, Anora features masterfully orchestrated (and genuinely entertaining) ensemble work from the Russian mafia characters, including Compartment No. 6’s Yuriy Borisov.

True to form, Baker's directing appears effortless, unspooling intricate, lengthy shots, with a deceptive ease that undermines their complexity.

Four years ago, Tony D'Amato's (Al Pacino) Miami Sharks were at the top. Now, his team is struggling with three consecutive losses, sliding attendance, and aging heroes, particularly 39-year-old quarterback Jack 'Cap' Rooney (Dennis Quaid). Off the field, D'Amato is struggling with a failed marriage and estranged children, and is on a collision course with Christina Pagniacci (Cameron Diaz), the young president/co-owner of the Sharks organisation.

To celebrate the launch of Chris Shepherd’s debut graphic novel, Anfield Rd for Titan Comics, Chris is programming this Bar Shorts. Breaking with Bar Shorts tradition Chris will screen just the one film: Willy Russell’s classic 1977 TV Play for Today -  Our Day Out. It follows a group of teachers as they take a group of Liverpudlian school children on a trip to Wales. But the trip doesn’t go as planned.

Afterwards we will be joined by comedy legend and fellow scouser Alexei Sayle who will chat with Chris about Anfield and 1980s Liverpool. Alexei is an author, actor, stand-up comedian, television presenter and a recording artist. His autobiography Stalin Ate My Homework explores the world of Liverpool suburb Anfield.

Chris will be signing copies of Anfield Road in the bar before and after the event.

Join brave, independent Belle on the adventure of a lifetime as she sets out to rescue her father---and discovers the enchanted castle of a mysterious beast. Enjoy this timeless tale overflowing with unforgettable characters and music you'll never forget, universally acclaimed as one of Walt Disney Animation Studios' finest features.

Visually lavish and musically exuberant, the fairy-tale adaptation was one of the first Disney features to incorporate elements of computer-generated imagery with hand-drawn animation. An instant classic, it became the first animated film to garner an Oscar nomination for best picture, winning awards for best score and original song.

On Sunday mornings our Family Screenings are followed by a free activity for Children.

The screening is Pay What You Can, which means you’re free to pay as much or as little as you can afford. By paying for a ticket, you will enable us to keep offering Pay What You Can screenings to families struggling with the cost of living. Thank you

The screening on Sunday the 17th of November will be introduced by writer and lecturer Dr Julia Wagner.

“All the news behind the news… and some hippie smut.”

In Between the Lines Joan Micklin Silver (herself a former reporter for the Village Voice) creates a lived-in portrait of the smoky dive bars, record stores, pawn shops and strip clubs frequented by a ragtag group of broke but passionate journalists in the dying days of their alternative newspaper. Featuring debut performances from John Heard, Joe Morton, Marilu Henner, Raymond J. Barrie, and Jeff Goldblum (to name just a few), Between The Lines is a top-tier 1970s hangout movie, offering a comedic take on the importance of fighting for what’s important to you when the sticks are down.

Dr Julia Wagner is a lecturer and writer specialising in film and television. She holds a PhD in Film Studies from UCL and is author of Hester Street (BFI/Bloomsbury, forthcoming 2025), a BFI Classics book about Joan Micklin Silver’s debut film.

The long-awaited return to fiction filmmaking from Academy Award-winner Andrea Arnold, Bird is a tender, striking and extraordinarily surprising coming-of-age fable about marginalised life in the fringes of contemporary society. 12-year-old Bailey (astounding newcomer Nykiya Adams) lives with her devoted but chaotic single dad Bug (Barry Keoghan) and wayward brother Hunter in a squat in Gravesend. Approaching puberty and seeking attention and adventure, Bailey’s fractured home life is transformed when she encounters Bird (Franz Rogowski), a mysterious stranger on a journey of his own. A wondrous portrait of the transition from childhood to adolescence that remains grounded in her typically empathetic social realism, Arnold’s latest strides to the wildly poetic rhythm of her own drum.

The Garden Cinema View:

Whilst looking every inch an Andrea Arnold film shot by Robbie Ryan, with familiar elements of Fish Tank and American Honey, Bird is nevertheless the most bonkers entry in her filmography to date. A kind of mash-up of The Florida Project, Wings of Desire, and Tracy Beaker, filtered through a soundtrack to an Adam Curtis film (original score from Burial), Bird can feel dizzyingly energetic, distinctly odd and outlandish, and very authentic, often within the same scene. Ultimately this is a tender coming-of-age tale, rooted by a fantastic central performance (Nykiya Adams – a great discovery), and textured by poetic imagery and a quirky use of music. Barry Keoghan and Franz Rogowski provide scene chewing extravagance, which plays into their respective star personas. However you feel about this heady concoction, Bird is undeniably fascinating and enjoyable.  

Steve McQueen's Blitz follows the epic journey of George (Elliott Heffernan), a 9-year-old boy in World War II London whose mother Rita (Saoirse Ronan) sends him to safety in the English countryside. George, defiant and determined to return home to his mother and his grandfather Gerald (Paul Weller) in East London, embarks on an adventure, only to find himself in immense peril, while a distraught Rita searches for her missing son.

The Garden Cinema View:

Blitz is not McQueen's most boundary pushing or experimental film. In fact, its classical approach has caught some reviewers off guard with its morally binary characters, straightforward anti-racist messaging, and mainstream approach to editing and sound design. However, the film's depth lies beyond these elements.

What truly elevates Blitz is its meticulous attention to historical detail, which is reflected by the outstanding production design. In this case, the extensive research seems to have shaped the final outcome, rather than simply serving as decoration or background. This approach uncovers lesser-portrayed details of 1940s London, such as the use of tube stations as bomb shelters, the vibrant nightlife during the raids, the looting of bombarded places and - crucially - the  racial divisions within the shelters.

Following a mixed-race boy (brilliantly portrayed by Elliott Heffernan) who escapes from a children's deportation train, and embarks on a journey of discovery that blends these unknown facts into a rich tale of survival and adventure. The film's sheer ambition is displayed in lengthy, colourful, and glamorous sequences reminiscent of classic Hollywood, and which transform what could have been a dull historical account into an almost immersive, cinematic experience.

Al Pacino reunites with his Scarface director Brian De Palma for this tough-minded thriller about a gangster looking for salvation down the mean streets of 1970s New York City.

Carlito Brigante (Pacino) gets released early from prison thanks to the work of his lawyer, Kleinfeld (Sean Penn). Vowing to go straight, Carlito nonetheless finds dangers waiting for him in the outside world. As Carlito works toward redemption, Kleinfeld sinks into cocaine-fuelled corruption. When Kleinfeld crosses the mob, Carlito gets caught in the crossfire and has to face a hard choice: remain loyal to the friend who freed him or protect a new life with the woman he loves (Penelope Ann Miller). With enemies closing in from all sides, Carlito must find his way before it’s too late.

Also starring John Leguizamo, Luis Guzmán, and Viggo Mortensen, Carlito’s Way has come to be regarded as among De Palma’s most accomplished films. A hard-hitting gangster noir laced with romance and melancholy, powerful performances and nail-biting suspense.

On Tuesday 26 November, we will hold a preview screening featuring a Q&A with director Jessica Hausner.

At an international boarding school, the unassuming, yet rigorous, Miss Novak (Mia Wasikowska) joins the teaching staff to instruct a new class on 'conscious eating.' Her impressionable teenage students each have their own reasons for joining the class - to improve fitness, reduce their carbon footprint, or get extra credit. Although early lectures focus on mindful consumption, Miss Novak's discussions soon become increasingly disordered and extreme. A suspicious headmistress, concerned parents and the failing health of her students lead everyone to question the inscrutable Miss Novak's motivations for teaching the class. As a few devoted pupils fall deeper under her cult-like tutelage, they are given a new, even more sinister goal to aspire to - joining the ominous 'Club Zero.'

Led by our very own 'Queen of Collage', Marzia Castelli, this workshop will allow you to unleash your creativity and create your own birthday cards, mini posters or other works of art.

You might not be familiar with Marzia's name, but you'll certainly have encountered her designs before: she designs all the artwork for The Garden Cinema, including our season flyers, and can often be found in our bar, camera in hand, taking the beautiful pictures you've seen on our socials and in our newsletters.

To get your creative juices flowing, we'll start off by watching Karel Zeman's The Fabulous Baron Munchausen, a kaleidoscopic marvel that blends live action with techniques including stop-motion, cutout collage, puppetry, painted backdrops, and antique tinting. After the screening, the workshop will take place in the Garden Bar.

Everything you need, from scissors and glue to piles of magazines, will be supplied, and Marzia will be there to offer her artistic insights and help you take your design to the next level. But if you do have magazines you've been meaning to get rid off, feel free to bring them with you.

Due to the nature of the workshop, tickets are very limited. They are £15, restricted to 1 per member, and include a reserved seat for the screening of The Fabulous Baron Munchausen at 13:30, the workshop, and a complimentary cup of coffee or tea. Please note, there is no need to book a separate ticket for the screening - a seat will be reserved for all attendees of the workshop.

Timings:

13:30 - 15:10  Screening of The Fabulous Baron Munchausen

15:10 - 17:00  Collage making workshop in the Garden Bar

From acclaimed filmmaker Mati Diop (Atlantics), Dahomey is a poetic and immersive work of art that delves into real perspectives on far-reaching issues surrounding appropriation, self-determination and restitution. Set in November 2021, the documentary charts 26 royal treasures from the Kingdom of Dahomey that are due to leave Paris and return to their country of origin: the present-day Republic of Benin. Using multiple perspectives Diop questions how these artifacts should be received in a country that has reinvented itself in their absence. Winner of the coveted Golden Bear prize at the 2024 Berlinale, Dahomey is an affecting though altogether singular conversation piece that is as spellbinding as it is essential.

The Garden Cinema View:

Mati Diop’s Golden Bear winning Dahomey is yet another glowing node in a career that encompasses superb short form work, the beautiful docufiction tribute to her uncle Djibril Diop Mambéty, Mille Soleils, the astonishing ghost story Atlantics, and an era defining performance in Claire Denis’ 35 Shots of Rum. Dahomey, throughout a brief running time, continually shifts registers and tones. The Wiseman-esque sequences of the logistics of storage, transportation, and display provide a riposte to arguments surrounding the safe-keeping and preservation of purloined treasures by ex-colonial powers and institutions. A student debate in Benin, eloquently lays out the complex framework of history, politics, and emotions that the return of these objects invokes. And the voices of the statues themselves speak out, flowing into the ambient score from Wally Badarou and Dean Blunt, and Diop’s own poetic imagery of the city of Abomey.

Proudly screening as part of our Trailblazers season.  

About the film:

A landmark of queer and independent filmmaking, Desert Hearts blazed a trail for lesbian representation on screen. Arriving in the Reno desert to finalise her divorce, uptight New York academic Vivian’s heart is hijacked by unruly tomboy Cay, who she is introduced to in one of cinema’s most rip-roaring ‘meet cute’ sequences. Shot with a languorous, sensual cinematography that Deitch achieved on a small budget, the film is ahead of its time in its unapologetic celebration of lesbian sexuality.

Proudly screening as part of our season celebrating the work of women filmmakers in the US in the 1970s and 80s, Desert Hearts, a landmark of queer and independent filmmaking, blazed a trail for lesbian representation on screen. In celebration of this pioneering film, we're thrilled to organise another queer members' mixer on Saturday 23 November.

Join us in the Garden Bar from 19:00, to meet fellow members - all are welcome, whether you're queer, questioning, or a raging ally. There will be the opportunity to craft your own badge featuring a queer cinematic icons, whilst enjoying a complimentary 'Flaming Hearts' cocktail. Meanwhile, we'll be blasting our favourite queer dancefloor anthems, and your musical suggestions will be welcomed with open arms!

At 20:30 we'll make our way into the screen, where Clara Bradbury-Rance will introduce the film, offering insight into the film's special place in the history of lesbian filmmaking.

Tickets are £16.50 each, and restricted to 2 per member, meaning you can bring a date or a mate. The ticket includes access to the pre-screening disco and badgemaking, a complimentary (non-)alcoholic cocktail, and an unallocated seat for the screening.

Timings:

19:00        ‘Flaming Hearts’ cocktail hour, Desert Hearts disco and queer ‘pin up’ badgemaking with artist Alex Michon

20:30        Film introduction by Clara Bradbury-Rance

20:45        Screening of Desert Hearts

22:20        Expected finish

About the film:

Arriving in the Reno desert to finalise her divorce, uptight New York academic Vivian’s heart is hijacked by unruly tomboy Cay, who she is introduced to in one of cinema’s most rip-roaring ‘meet cute’ sequences. Shot with a languorous, sensual cinematography that Deitch achieved on a small budget, the film is ahead of its time in its unapologetic celebration of lesbian sexuality.

About Clara Bradbury-Rance:

Clara Bradbury-Rance is a Senior Lecturer in Gender and Sexuality Studies at King’s College London. She is the author of the book Lesbian Cinema after Queer Theory (2019). Alongside her academic writing, Clara publishes film reviews in Sight and Sound magazine. She is currently working on a book for the BFI Classics series on Portrait of a Lady on Fire.

A small town singer, Ali (Christina Aguilera), moves to the big city for her chance at stardom where she is enchanted by Burlesque, a glamorous nightclub packed with dancers, sizzling music, and an owner (Cher) in need of a star. This very campy musical was mostly panned by critics but struck a chord with audiences who felt its feelgood factor, songs, and spirit to overcome its flaws and turn it into a fun, guilty-pleasure viewing experience.

This Divas Do Film screening will be followed by a panel hosted by curator Rōgan Graham in conversation with members of Friends of the Joiners Arms and the writers behind upcoming book Sweat Ceilings to discuss the future of music venues and the destruction of London nightlife by greedy landlords.

Friends of the Joiners Arms is a Community Benefit Society campaigning to open an accessible, not-for-profit, community-run queer space in London

Sweaty Ceilings is a book by Sophie Mo and Tash Cutts  which celebrates London's landmark independent music venues, focusing on the history and untold stories behind each one.

We encourage the audience to sing along to the film's tunes!

Our screening on Saturday 9 November will be introduced by Mark Searby, the author of Al Pacino: The Movies Behind The Man.

On one of the hottest days of August 1972, three amateur bank robbers plan to hold up a Brooklyn bank. A nice simple robbery: Walk in, take the money, and run. Unfortunately, the supposedly uncomplicated heist suddenly becomes a bizarre nightmare as everything that could go wrong does. Sidney Lumet’s film, based on a true story, is driven by a legendary performance from Al Pacino, ably supported by John Cazale.

One Christmas Eve a long time ago, a baby crawled into Santa's bag of toys... Raised as an elf, Buddy (Will Ferrell) grows into an adult three times larger than the biggest elf--and realizes that he will never truly fit in at the North Pole. This holiday season, Buddy goes looking for his true place in the world--in New York City. Buddy finds his workaholic father (James Caan)--who's on Santa's "naughty" list, a new mother (Mary Steenburgen) and a 10-year-old brother who doesn't believe in Santa Claus or elves. Here, now, Buddy discovers his destiny--to save Christmas for New York and the world!​

On Sunday mornings our Family Screenings are followed by a free activity for Children.

The screening is Pay What You Can, which means you’re free to pay as much or as little as you can afford. By paying for a ticket, you will enable us to keep offering Pay What You Can screenings to families struggling with the cost of living. Thank you

Hailed as one of the greatest achievements in Filipino cinema, Manila in the Claws of Light sets a haunting love story against the searing tensions of 1970s Philippines under martial law, pairing unflinching compositions with starkly artful cinematography

A provincial man arrives in the heaving capital, Manila, in search of his lost love, only to become ensnared in the city’s corrupting, cacophonous chaos. Directed by visionary Filipino neorealist Lino Brocka, the film pulses with raw reality and humanistic depth.

Filum Film Club screens neglected cinema from all over the world.

Adapted for the screen by David Mamet from his Pulitzer Prize-winning play, the compelling, witty, and endlessly quotable script is delivered with razor-sharp precision by an ensemble cast at the height of their powers.

A group of Chicago real-estate salesmen-cum-con artists live on the edge. Life is good for the one on a roll. For the rest, life hangs in the balance. There is no room for losers. A-B-C: Always Be Closing, sell or go under, is the salesman’s mantra. With the pressure on, so begins a rainy night of cutthroat business and shattered lives. Delivering an Academy Award nominated performance. Al Pacino plays the fast-talking Ricky Roma, alongside Jack Lemmon giving a phenomenal performance as the veteran Shelley 'The Machine' Levene, struggling to keep his neck above water.

A special event to mark the re-publication by leading London independent press Prototype of a facsimile edition of Derek Jarman’s early, extremely rare and only poetry book A Finger in the Fishes Mouth, originally published in 1972.

Joining publisher Jess Chandler and editor Gareth Evans after the screening to talk about Jarman's poetry, life, legacy and ever-growing influence will be poet and writer CAConrad and scholar Declan Wiffen. The book will be on sale at the event. Thanks to James Mackay.

A stunning collage of ecstatic Super-8 fragments, Glitterbug was assembled by friends from Jarman's prolific filming of everyday events and his experimental investigations of the format. Associate director David Lewis and editor Andy Crabb worked with Jarman through the latter half of 1993 to distill Glitterbug from some 15 hours of home movies shot between 1970 and 1985. Jarman’s vibrant photography, combined with dynamic cutting, reveals glimpses into his picaresque life, from the London streets to the Spanish countryside-with visions of dances, performances, intimate moments and quiet observations. Especially touching are the sequences with longtime muse Tilda Swinton as she bashfully wanders around gardens, her joyful, intimate interaction with the camera a testimony to her and Jarman’s devoted friendship. Set to a mesmerizing score by Brian Eno, Glitterbug forms a hopeful counterpoint to Jarman's remarkable final film Blue and commemorates both Jarman’s exemplary life as a gay icon and his unique artistic vision.

Heavily illustrated from Jarman’s collection of postcards, the book combines text and visual imagery in a way which foreshadows his subsequent style as an artist and filmmaker. With the vast majority of the first edition having been destroyed by Jarman, this makes available again a missing, significant piece of his oeuvre. The facsimile retains the book’s original format, with a silver mirror cover, and an image accompanying each poem, printed in a striking green ink. Additional material comes in the form of a Foreword and Afterwords by writer and organiser So Mayer, Jarman's biographer Tony Peake and his late companion Keith Collins.

CAConrad has been working with the ancient technologies of poetry & ritual since 1975. They have published numerous collections and performed and exhibited internationally. The Book of Frank, along with two other collections, has recently been published by Penguin.

Declan Wiffen is a Lecturer in English Literature at The University of Kent. His essay on Derek Jarman and Queer Theory entitled ‘Staying with the Sodomy at Prospect Cottage: Derek Jarman and Nature's Queer Negativity’ has recently been published in The Edinburgh Companion to Queer Reading.

From executive producer Lupita Nyong’o, Goodbye Julia tells the story of Mona (Eiman Yousif) and her maid Julia (Siran Rick). As political tensions mount in Khartoum, Julia finds herself torn between the truth of what happened to her missing husband, the possibility of new love with activist Majier and how she can care for her son.  

Set around South Sudan’s succession from Sudan in 2011, Goodbye Julia tells a neglected but crucial historical story in exceptionally personal terms. Poignant, tender and beautifully shot, it is part of a wave of excellent films from Sudan including Talking About Trees and You Will Die at Twenty.

Goodbye Julia world premiered at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival’s Un Certain Regard, where it was the first Sudanese director and film to participate in the history of the festival. It went on to win the festival’s Freedom Prize and was later Sudan’s official submission to the Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film.

Proceeds from this screening will be shared with Hadhreen, a grassroots charity in Sudan offering community kitchens to Sudan's displaced people, facing humanitarian crisis.

This preview screening of Hard Truths is the final instalment in our discussion series, In the Works, hosted by Oscar nominated composer Gary Yershon. It's also a return to our 2022 series, Mike Leigh in Conversation. As such, Gary's guest is his long time collaborator, and Hard Truths director, Mike Leigh himself.  

About the film:

Sisters Pansy and Chantal are chalk and cheese, but their close bond is the foundation that their extended family is built upon. Lately, life has proven too much for Pansy, her anguish manifests in relentless criticism of the world, leaving her husband Curtley, son Moses and Chantal walking on eggshells. Things come to a head over the course of a Mother’s Day weekend.

Hard Truths reunites Leigh with lead actor Marianne Jean-Baptiste (Secrets & Lies), and his regular filmmaking team including Suzie Davis (production design), Jacqueline Duran (costume design), Gary Yershon (score - naturally), and the great cinematographer Dick Pope, who sadly passed away in October.

Michael Mann's classic crime thriller Heat was released in 1995 and stars Al Pacino and Robert DeNiro as two men on opposite sides of the law whose live become tangled and destabilised in an intense game of cat-and-mouse. When one heist led by master thief Neil McCauley (DeNiro) is compromised due to a clue left behind, LAPD Lieutenant Vincent Hanna (Al Pacino) finds himself obsessed with pursuing them in an ever-escalating war - one that may cause significant collateral damage.

As The Garden Cinema members community is not just made up of cinema enthusiasts, but also covers a large range of film creatives, we like to help connect our members working across all departments of the industry.

For our regular industry panels, we invite knowledgeable speakers to discuss their specific branch of the industry, leaving plenty of time for asking questions. After the discussion, we all head into the Garden Bar, to network with fellow members.

On Thursday 12 December we will be joined by screenwriter - directors Daniel Kokotajlo (Starve Acre, Apostasy) and Luna Carmoon (Hoard). They will discuss their respective careers and approaches to screenwriting, and how they subsequently directed their features.

Tickets are restricted to 1 per member, and available for just £5, which includes a token for a complimentary house wine, beer or soft/hot drink.

About the speakers:

Daniel Kokotajlo

Daniel’s latest film Starve Acre — a psychological horror starring Matt Smith and Morfydd Clark for BBC Films and House Productions — had its world premiere in competition at London Film Festival 2023 and was released theatrically this year. Daniel’s first feature Apostasy — about a young mother’s struggle to leave the Jehovah’s Witnesses — was nominated for a string of awards (6 BIFAS, and a BAFTA for Outstanding Debut Film 2019), and won the London Film Festival IWC Bursary for Outstanding First Feature in 2019. Apostasy was made on the micro-budget scheme for IFeatures, and was subsequently released by Artificial Eye — where it went on to gross $500,000 at the UK box office — and was bought by Amazon for the US. Daniel is developing a few original feature projects in the UK. He has been selected as both a Screen Star of Tomorrow and by BAFTA as a Breakthrough Brit.

Luna Carmoon

Luna Carmoon is a self-taught writer/director born and bred in South East London. An original, provocative voice, her writing is subversive, distinctly dissecting the absurd with the mundane rooted in womenhood, working-class culture, and the mythology of memory. Conjuring oddness out of the familiar, her work is peppered from her own experiences and inspired greatly by 60’s and 70’s British cinema. Her feature debut Hoard was released this year and screened here at the Garden Cinema.

Check out our Youtube channel for videos of our previous industry panels, which have included:

Casting, with Rebecca Wright (Chuck Chuck Baby) and Lucy Jordan (Kinds of Kindness, Poor Things)

Animation, with Michaël Dudok de Wit (The Red Turtle) and Alexandra Sasha Balan (The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse)

Cinematography, with Evelin van Rei (Passenger), Bebe Dierken (Midas Man) and Nanu Segal (Hoard)

Costume, with Joanna Johnston (Lincoln) and Charlotte Finlay (Barbie)

Documentary, with Edward Lovelace (Name Me Lawand) and Tom Howson (Dogwoof)

Film festivals, with Christina Papasotiriou (Raindance Film Festival) and Philip Ilson (London Short Film Festival)

Film journalism, with Jacob Stolworthy (The Independent) and Jack Shepherd (Total Film)

Production, with Georgia Goggin (Pretty Red Dress) and Susan Simnett (Fadia's Tree)

From acclaimed director Chris Nolan comes the story of a veteran police detective (Al Pacino) who is sent to a small Alaskan town to investigate the murder of a teenage girl. Forced into a psychological game of cat-and-mouse by the primary suspect (Robin Williams), events escalate and the detective finds his own stability dangerously threatened.

A joyous adventure that celebrates science and nature, Journey to the Beginning of Time sends four schoolboys on an awe-inspiring expedition back through time, where they behold landscapes and creatures that have long since vanished from the earth. Combining live action with stop motion, puppetry and animatronics, visionary filmmaker Karel Zeman evokes worlds of wonder and discovery to produce his most beguiling and magical work.

Rated one of the best children‘s adventure films of all time, it is also a pioneering work of world cinema. Described as the ‘Czech Méliès’, Zeman has been a profound influence on generations of film artists including Jan Švankmajer, Tim Burton, the Quay Brothers and Wes Anderson.

Part of the 28th Made in Prague Festival, 31 October – 30 November 2024. Organized by the Czech Centre London.

Digitally restored as part of Cistíme svet fantazie / Restoring the World of Fantasy, a joint project of the Karel Zeman Museum, the Czech Film Foundation and Czech Television.

On Sunday mornings our Family Screenings are followed by a free activity for Children.

The screening is Pay What You Can, which means you’re free to pay as much or as little as you can afford. By paying for a ticket, you will enable us to keep offering Pay What You Can screenings to families struggling with the cost of living. Thank you  

After sorting through a huge pile of 2,400 entries, LIAF have curated a selection of 83 outstanding new films from 31 countries. These films range from humorous and dramatic to bizarre, subtle, frightening, and autobiographical. What they all share is our belief that they represent the best of the best. These 8 international competition programmes showcase a variety of techniques, genres, and styles. This is your annual glimpse into the vibrant world of international indie animation.

This programme represents our yearly exploration of abstract and experimental animation. It features 17 short films where animators use a wide range of techniques, from hand-drawn "musical scores" to high-definition computer-assisted imagery. Each film reflects a deep passion for animated movement and showcases the artist's skill in using colour and crafting non-narrative visuals to captivate the screen.

Please visit liaf.org.uk for more details

SKRFF

A graffiti wall in Vienna becomes an archeological site and a sgraffito sculpture, as skrffologists activate traces of the past with stop motion animation. But can history ever be remembered clearly in all its complexity?

Austria 2024 Dir: Corrie Francis Parks, Daniel Nuderscher 7’00

Shapes

A psychedelic and mysterious galaxy composed of different shapes, textures, patterns and colours.

Hong Kong 2023 Dir: Tsz-wing Ho 5’20

Help Desk

A hypnotic hand drawn animation, providing a meditative and contemplative space, oscillating between flatness and depth, control and instability.

UK 2023 Dir: Edwin Rostron 3’10

Rekonstrukt

In 1923, Andor Weininger, a Hungarian-born artist, musician and leader of the Weimar Bauhaus group, put down on paper the first animated film script for a Hungarian animated film, but the abstract work would not be realised until exactly one hundred years later.

Hungary 2023 Dir: Gabor Ulrich 4’05

Entropic Memory

This photographic exploration of family photo albums ravaged by water evokes hazy and indistinct memories, poignant witnesses of a fragile past.

Canada 2024 Dir: Nicolas Brault 6’30

Flow

Lens based video and photography combine with digital geometric shapes to imitate the invisible flow in nature.

Hong Kong 2024 Dir: Alex Bai 3’00

Lines

An aggressive battle unfolds between red and dark blue. The borderlines between the colours vibrate with tension as they fight for their lives.

Germany 2024 Dir: Martin Schmidt 4’10

Tao

Chinese Taoism, the concepts of yin and yang, and the Five Elements. Dao generates one, one generates two, two generates three and three generates all things.

Hong Kong 2024 Dir: Shuxin Yan Wang, Simai Stella Huang, Haoran Yan Yang 2’15

Dawn & Dusk

The time between dawn and dusk reveals how the dual nature of light changes on a microscopic level, through the vibrations of photons, the oscillations of electromagnetic waves, and the properties of light refraction and reflection.

Spain 2023 Dir: Toni Mitjanit 5’10

0.1g

Fluids leak from the body, seeping through various orifices and beyond the boundary of the skin.

Switzerland 2023 Dir: Raymond Hoepflinger 1’55

To Hear to See

A fusion of abstract optical soundtracks from analogue 16mm and 35mm film expanding on the 1930’s Russian experiments of Nikolai Voinov which impacted electronic music.

Australia 2023 Dir: Dirk de Bruyn 4’35

Clash

Two geometric objects explore and challenge each other’s domains by switching tactics and transforming body forms.

Hong Kong 2024 Dir: Yuming Liao, Jingxian Zhan, Yingyue Zhuang 2’30

Electronic Insects

The connection between nature and abstraction characterised by the shapes and forms of a myriad of insects’ features.

USA 2023 Dir: Keum-Taek Jung 1’30

Grain Cloud Atmosphere

Many grains make a cloud. Many clouds form an atmosphere. An exploration of the perception of time through the eyes and ears.

Italy 2023 Dir: Martin Moolhuijsen 6’40

Geometric Symphony

A symphony of flapping and vibrating imagery set to a whirlwind of perfectly synchronised optical sounds.

Hong Kong 2024 Dir: Ka Yuet Chan, Yau Hing Lam 2’15

Fusion

Drawn directly onto 35mm motion picture film without the use of camera or musical instruments, a visual and aural feast for the senses.

Canada 2024 Dir: Richard Reeves 3’15

(S)

An immersive loop of organic forms, reflecting on the entangled nature of life and art.

UK 2024 Dir: Mario Radev 12’30

This programme explores the full spectrum of human emotions through 9 captivating films that delve into themes of love, hate, jealousy, sensuality, melancholy, anxiety, confusion, fear, and doubt. Each film is powerful and moving, offering profound insights and striking visuals that resonate with contemporary issues.

Independent animation remains a dynamic and evolving art form, showcasing a stunning array of styles, materials, and techniques—from hand-drawn and paint-on-glass to collage, sculpture, cut-outs, puppetry, abstract forms, and innovative CGI. This year's LIAF highlights the most diverse and exciting developments within this vibrant medium.

After sorting through a huge pile of 2,400 entries, we’ve curated a selection of 83 outstanding new films from 31 countries. These films range from humorous and dramatic to bizarre, subtle, frightening, and autobiographical. What they all share is our belief that they represent the best of the best. These 8 international competition programmes showcase a variety of techniques, genres, and styles. This is your annual glimpse into the vibrant world of international indie animation.

Please visit liaf.org.uk for more details

It's Just a Whole

An unpleasant examination by a meticulous doctor leads to a supposedly inevitable medical intervention that leaves the young patient scarred in body and soul.

Germany 2023 Dir: Bianca Scali 10’35

In Thousand Petals

A young married woman collects the sweet memories of her romance. On closer inspection, she leaves bits of herself behind.

Belgium 2023 Dir: Louise Bongartz 10’05

Freeride in C

The serene whiteness of the mountains is interrupted by vibrant winter sports enthusiasts indulging in downhill skiing.

Latvia 2024 Dir: Edmunds Jansons 10’10

Chicken

A woman who is escaping an abusive situation stumbles and finds herself eye to eye with a hen who is in the same situation.

Germany 2023 Dir: Anna Benner 7’55

Three Birds

A wise birdwoman sends three birds to guide a girl into the dark unknown landscapes of her inner world.

Slovenia 2024 Dir: Zarja Menart 8’15

Yuck!

Yuck! Couples kissing on the mouth are gross. And the worst thing is, you can’t miss them: when people are about to kiss, their lips go all pink and shiny

France 2024 Dir: Loic Espuche 13’10

Stale Smoke

The most difficult questions and secrets are invariably the ones within families.

France 2023 Dir: Arthur Jamain 9’30

Cold Soup

A victim of domestic violence looks back at the years when she was married, recalling how difficult it was to stay afloat.

Portugal, France 2023 Dir: Marta Monteiro 9’50

Zarko, You will spoil the child!

Memories of a childhood in Split in the 1980s and a moving tribute to the love of a grandpa and grandma who did their best to keep their granddaughter smiling.

Croatia 2024 Dir: Veljko Popovic, Milivoj Popovic 13’00

This programme ‘From Absurd to Zany’ celebrates some of the funniest, weirdest and eye-poppingly nutty films that were entered this year. Tales of murderous dreams, existential crises, destructive machines that just want to hurt us, a young girl's anxiety about her appendix, an insane Jeff Bezos and the bakery he runs plus many more bonkers scenarios. Buckle up for a wild ride.

Independent animation remains a dynamic and evolving art form, showcasing a stunning array of styles, materials, and techniques—from hand-drawn and paint-on-glass to collage, sculpture, cut-outs, puppetry, abstract forms, and innovative CGI. This year's LIAF highlights the most diverse and exciting developments within this vibrant medium.

After sorting through a huge pile of 2,400 entries, we’ve curated a selection of 83 outstanding new films from 31 countries. These films range from humorous and dramatic to bizarre, subtle, frightening, and autobiographical. What they all share is our belief that they represent the best of the best. These 8 international competition programmes showcase a variety of techniques, genres, and styles. This is your annual glimpse into the vibrant world of international indie animation.

Please visit liaf.org.uk for more details

Gina Kamentsky's Pinocchio in 70mm

Pinocchio felt a longing deep within him. Someday, he would become a real girl and live a life beyond the confines of make-believe.

USA 2024 Dir: Gina Kamentsky 3’10

Mee and Burd

A post operative existential crisis inspires an animator to make a film about a post operative existential crisis.

UK 2023 Dir: Greg McLeod 7’45

Human Resources

Andy, followed by a friend filming the scene, goes to his recycling appointment. Wanda, the secretary of the company, welcomes him. We follow Andy through the whole process, until his last seconds of life.

France 2023 Dir: Trinidad Plass, Titouan Tillier, Isaac Wenzer 3’30

No Room

In this film, cars have legs. Maybe that is why they feel free to use the pavement as they please. There is no room, but could we perhaps be a little more considerate?

Croatia 2024 Dir: Jelena Oroz 6’20

A Round of Applause for Death

A surreal, abstract journey through a series of murderous dreams, where Death takes centre stage and faceless spectators applaud the inevitable.

UK 2024 Dir: Stephen Irwin 4’50

Hurikan

Hurikán rushes to save his favourite beer stand and impress the barmaid, by opening a new keg. In a gritty part of Prague, he faces off against thieves, police, and his own thirst. Although he retrieves the keg, he ultimately gives in to temptation.

Slovakia, Czech Republic, France, Bosnia and Herzegovina 2024 Dir: Jan Saska 13’05

Humanity

Life is hard even without having to tolerate other people's annoying habits. The problem is you can't kill somebody just because they chew too loudly.

Czech Republic 2024 Dir: Tereza Kovandová 7’40

Matta and Matto

In a dystopian world where touch is forbidden, Matta and Matto offer refuge to the lonely at Hotel Vaip. In the deceptive labyrinth of mind bending rooms at their transient hotel, deepest desires are fulfilled and surpassed, but this comes at a price.

Switzerland 2023 Dir: Bianca Caderas, Kerstin Zemp 10’15

I Am A Robot

An autonomous vacuum cleaner, a self-driving car and a supercomputer confess their murderous innermost thoughts as they go about their day.

USA 2024 Dir: Sean Buckelew 7’05

Extremely Short

A man sets out in search of the shortest thing in Tokyo, which turns out to be a single syllable uttered by a dying man.

Japan 2024 Dir: Koji Yamamura 5’20

Let Them Eat Cake

Jeff Bezos is an ambitious capitalist and businessman. This Jeff Bezos manages a local bakery and does everything in his power to satisfy his customers. EVERYTHING.

Denmark 2023 Dir: Mathias Rodrigues Bjerre 11’00

Bunnyhood

"Mum would never lie to me, would she?" Innocent Bobby discovers the answer to this question when she is surprised by a last minute trip to the hospital.

UK 2024 Dir: Mansi Maheshwari 9’05

This programme examines some big life moments and asks some pointed questions. The 10 powerful films include a breathtaking take on an author's experience with mescaline, the internal struggles of a group of female gymnasts, a humorous animated road movie documenting Poland during the communist era and a touching mother-daughter relationship.

Independent animation remains a dynamic and evolving art form, showcasing a stunning array of styles, materials, and techniques—from hand-drawn and paint-on-glass to collage, sculpture, cut-outs, puppetry, abstract forms, and innovative CGI. This year's LIAF highlights the most diverse and exciting developments within this vibrant medium.

After sorting through a huge pile of 2,400 entries, we’ve curated a selection of 83 outstanding new films from 31 countries. These films range from humorous and dramatic to bizarre, subtle, frightening, and autobiographical. What they all share is our belief that they represent the best of the best. These 8 international competition programmes showcase a variety of techniques, genres, and styles. This is your annual glimpse into the vibrant world of international indie animation.

Please visit liaf.org.uk for more details

The Last Drop

Kata is a member of the national rhythmic gymnastics team that is exposed to extreme coaching techniques. The pressure on her is building, and the finals are near.

Hungary 2024 Dir: Anna Tőkés 10’40

Misérable Miracle

Inspired by the poems and drawings of Henri Michaux, this film takes animation to the breathtaking limits of language and perception.

Japan, Canada, France 2023 Dir: Ryo Orikasa 8’15

All Futures

The arrival and evolution of humanity on Somnum, a virgin planet where night is eternal.

France, Argentina 2024 Dir: Barbara Cerro 11’55

On Hold

A young woman is stuck in the hold queue of a telephone hotline. A surreal episodic short film about the absurdities of urban life and the frustration of a paralysing standstill.

Switzerland 2024 Dir: Delia Hess 7’10

Surprisingly Beautiful

An unsuspecting artist is moved by a visit from a seemingly banal moth. As events unfold into the final fleeting moments, a hidden marvel is revealed which the artist fights to preserve.

Canada 2024 Dir: Kathryn Jankowski 7’00

Earth Coal

In the countryside of the past, within the mines and factories, these men appear to share similar sorrows. There seems to be something that resonates with us today—whether it’s a genuine connection or merely the simplicity of everyday life.

France 2024 Dir: Bastien Dupriez 12’45

Box

In a regulated system, different figures live isolated from each other in their boxes. They draw, cut, fold and stack the paper boxes on top of each other. As the stacks get higher and higher and collapse, the figures find each other and discover life together.

Switzerland 2024 Dir: Aline Schoch 8’00

It Shouldn't Rain Tomorrow

As she gets older, Oma’s perception begins to change. While her daughter tries to adapt to her new situation, she seems to sink deeper and deeper into herself. Portugal, Germany 2024 Dir: Maria Trigo Teixeira 11’15

Circle

A girl draws a circle on the ground. Passers-by step into it, one by one. Soon the circle is full of people struggling to make room for each other. Once the girl returns and erases the circle, people start heading on their way.

South Korea 2024 Dir: Yumi Joung 6’55

The Car that came back from the Sea

Six friends drive to the Polish Baltic coast and back in a small, beaten-up car. During their trip, their car and their country fall apart.

Poland 2023 Dir: Jadwiga Kowalska 10’45

Welcome to our annual deep-dive into the dark heart of animation. Here you will find films featuring a blind sculptor and his countless failed experiments, corn husk skulls, mental armadillos, evil twin babies, skeletons, maggots and death everywhere. Step in, take a seat, turn out the light and get ready for our annual showcase of all manner of dark, creepy, strange, violent and spooky films.

Independent animation remains a dynamic and evolving art form, showcasing a stunning array of styles, materials, and techniques—from hand-drawn and paint-on-glass to collage, sculpture, cut-outs, puppetry, abstract forms, and innovative CGI. This year's LIAF highlights the most diverse and exciting developments within this vibrant medium.

After sorting through a huge pile of 2,400 entries, we’ve curated a selection of 83 outstanding new films from 31 countries. These films range from humorous and dramatic to bizarre, subtle, frightening, and autobiographical. What they all share is our belief that they represent the best of the best. These 8 international competition programmes showcase a variety of techniques, genres, and styles. This is your annual glimpse into the vibrant world of international indie animation.

Please visit liaf.org.uk for more details

Playing God

A clay sculpture comes to life in the darkness of a workshop, surrounded by strange creatures.

Italy, France 2024 Dir: De Matteo Burani & Arianna Gheller 8’55

Duck

One stormy night, Bex's plans for a Chinese takeaway are disrupted when she nearly kills a mysterious old woman.

USA 2024 Dir: Mic Graves, Tony Hull 8’15

As I Was a Tree

In a surreal odyssey, the Self seeks escape.

Germany 2024 Dir: Jalal Maghout 10’40

Little Other

Two babies are about to be born. One of them is bound to be a regular child. The other is destined to be a trickster. But how to determine which is which?

Estonia 2024 Dir: Andres Tenusaar 12’00

Madeline's House

A little girl, Madeline, takes us on a tour of her beloved childhood home. The more rooms we explore, she slowly remembers the strange and disturbing events that led to her death.

UK 2023 Dir: Eliska Dvorackova 3’20

Dolores

Dolores is a 7-year-old girl who just wants to play, runs away from a fire demon and accidentally falls into a grave.

Mexico 2024 Dir: Cecilia Andalón Delgadillo 8’15

Sleepy

Thirteen-year-old Varka lives in a shoemaker’s home where she performs the duties of nanny and housemaid. Varka’s only wish is to get some sleep.

Russian Federation 2023 Dir: Igor Voloshin 13’30

Drizzle in Johnson

A scientist obsessively seeking the answers of the universe is thrust into a mind-bending odyssey of grotesqueries and genitalia.

Canada 2023 Dir: Ivan Li 20’40

Persuasive, illustrative and able to get over abstract details in attractive and compelling ways, animation is the perfect tool to document someone’s vision of the truth. This past decade has seen a boom in non-fiction films that use animation to tell their stories and LIAF has been one of the vanguards with our annual showcase dedicated to the documentary form dating back to 2008. This year’s programme features 11 of the best true life stories coupled with mind-blowing imagery.

Independent animation remains a dynamic and evolving art form, showcasing a stunning array of styles, materials, and techniques—from hand-drawn and paint-on-glass to collage, sculpture, cut-outs, puppetry, abstract forms, and innovative CGI. This year's LIAF highlights the most diverse and exciting developments within this vibrant medium.

After sorting through a huge pile of 2,400 entries, we’ve curated a selection of 83 outstanding new films from 31 countries. These films range from humorous and dramatic to bizarre, subtle, frightening, and autobiographical. What they all share is our belief that they represent the best of the best. These 8 international competition programmes showcase a variety of techniques, genres, and styles. This is your annual glimpse into the vibrant world of international indie animation.

Please visit liaf.org.uk/ for more details

Us Four

The bittersweet experiences of growing up and the evolving dynamics of sisterly relationships.

UK 2024 Dir: Alex Peake 6’45

Percebes

With the sea and urban Algarve as the backdrop, we follow a complete life cycle of a special shellfish called percebes, the goose barnacle.

Portugal 2024 Dir: Alexandra Ramires, Laura Gonçalves 11’25

Noggin

No sugarcoatin’ it, you’ve got brain damage from multiple sclerosis. Your memories are fading so gather everything left in that noggin, like paper and ink and photos and love of course.

USA, Italy 2024 Dir: Case Jernigan 7’10

High Street Repeat

The story of migration and enterprise, told through the changing face of Britain’s high street. This playful combination of stop motion with digital techniques and manipulation of photographic cut-outs creates a continuous transition between the past and present.

UK 2023 Dir: Osbert Parker, Laurie Hill 4’25

I Died in Irpin

24 February 2022 my boyfriend and I fled from Kyiv to Irpin. We spent 10 days in a blockaded city and managed to escape with the last evacuation convoy. Time passed, but the feeling that I died in Irpin has never left me since.

Czech Republic 2024 Dir: Anastasiia Falileieva 11’30

Joana

Joana is about to turn 6. Her father decides to make an animated documentary to portray her personality and the things she loves the most.

Spain 2024 Dir: Antoni Sendra Barrachina 2’50

Touching Darkness

10 year old Vítek has special abilities – he can feel and hear what others cannot. This is a door to his world and shows us that the absence of one sense doesn't have to be just an obstacle.

Czech Republic 2024 Dir: Jamaica Kindlová 4’50

Dying for Beginners

What happens as we die? A gentle step by step journey through the process of dying.

UK 2023 Dir: Emily Downe 4’20

Margarita's Story

A heart-wrenching film presenting the perilous journey of a 10 year old girl’s flight from Mariupol, Ukraine in March of 2022.

UK 2023 Dir: Jonathan Hodgson 3’30

Ur Heinous Habit

A blackmail email prompts a filmmaker to explore the intersection of shame and masturbation.

USA 2023 Dir: Eugene Kolb 13’45

Inside, The Valley Sings

Trapped in the never-ending horror of prolonged solitary confinement, 3 prisoners seek comfort and escape in the boundless vistas of their own imaginations.

Ireland 2024 Dir: Nathan Fagan, Natasza Cetner 15’00

Some films need extra time to develop their themes, to grow and draw us more comprehensively into their worlds. It takes time to think. Reflection tends to work best at a slower tempo. This competition programme is dedicated to showcasing the best of these longer films. 7 longer short films, 7 thoughtful and complex stories.

Independent animation remains a dynamic and evolving art form, showcasing a stunning array of styles, materials, and techniques—from hand-drawn and paint-on-glass to collage, sculpture, cut-outs, puppetry, abstract forms, and innovative CGI. This year's LIAF highlights the most diverse and exciting developments within this vibrant medium.

After sorting through a huge pile of 2,400 entries, we’ve curated a selection of 83 outstanding new films from 31 countries. These films range from humorous and dramatic to bizarre, subtle, frightening, and autobiographical. What they all share is our belief that they represent the best of the best. These 8 international competition programmes showcase a variety of techniques, genres, and styles. This is your annual glimpse into the vibrant world of international indie animation.

Please visit liaf.org.uk for more details

Wander to Wonder

Mary, Billybud, and Fumbleton star in an 80’s kids’ TV-series called Wander to Wonder. After the creator of the show has died, they are left alone in the studio. Struggling to find enough to eat, they continue to make increasingly strange episodes for their fans.

Netherlands, Belgium, France, UK 2023 Dir: Nina Gantz 13’45

Butterfly

In the sea, a man swims. As he does, memories come to the surface.From his early childhood to his life as a man, all his memories are linked to water. Some are happy, some glorious, some traumatic.

France 2024 Dir: Florence Miailhe 15’00

Progress Mining

Feed the monster, have a cup of tea, and if it’s your first day – don’t pay attention to anything peculiar in Sector 3. Nick shows a new worker around the crumbling Progress Mining Company, while Mary tries to get it shut for repairs.

UK, Switzerland 2024 Dir: Gabriel Bohmer 16’30

Shoes and Hooves

A pedicurist in a small-town, Paula the centaur-girl longs to have human feet. When she meets Arnold the crocodile-man it is love at first sight. Can Paula take the first steps in her search for identity? What will be the price of her attempts to fit in and deny her true self?

Hungary 2024 Dir: Viktória Traub 15’00

The Voice of the Sirens

At the heart of the sea bed, between rocks and corals, primitive algae undulate, lulled by the muffled and roaring sound of the currents. Up above, on the surface of the water, something extraordinary has just appeared: a voice. So soft and seductive that it is unlike anything we have ever heard before.

France, Italy 2023 Dir: Gianluigi Toccafondo 19’45

The Sunset Special 2

On this exclusive luxury cruise two families meet. While artificial facades dissolve, psychedelic dreamworlds unfold and the reality beyond superficial comfort is unveiled.

Germany 2024 Dir: Nicolas Gebbe 18’50

Stampfer Dreams

This tribute to scientist Simon Stampfer features animated sequences inspired by his Optical Magic Discs, first showcased in Vienna in 1833. It presents 3 dreams that capture young Simon's visions of future advancements in technology and art, spanning from the 19th century to the present day.

Austria 2024 Dir: Thomas Renoldner 11’50

LRB Screen returns to the Garden Cinema for the final event of its 2024 series, in partnership with MUBI, exploring the art of literary adaptation

Shirley is a striking recent example of that strange and unsettling hybrid form, the largely fictionalised feature about a real person. But the atmosphere that the film conjures around its protagonist, the American horror and mystery writer Shirley Jackson (Elisabeth Moss), is entirely in keeping with her life and work. Renowned for novels and stories that are both highly literary and landmarks of genre fiction, many of which have been ‘rediscovered’ and reissued in recent years, Jackson was a singular character who had to negotiate a complex family life and numerous health problems alongside her successful and controversial career as a writer.

Shirley, an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Susan Scarf Merrell, examines the period around the writing of Jackson’s second novel, Hangsaman. Provoking complex responses on its release, the film ‘is far from a traditional biopic, instead playing on the horror tropes of Jackson’s own work to lure viewers inside the author’s brilliant but troubled mind’ (Harper’s Bazaar).

Responding to the film’s portrayal of Shirley Jackson and its treatment of her life and writings will be the great American novelist Joyce Carol Oates, who edited the Library of America edition of Jackson’s novels and stories. She’ll be joining by video link after the screening for a conversation and Q&A that will also refer to adaptations of her own novels. The evening will be introduced and hosted, as ever, by Gareth Evans.

Gillian Armstrong's heartfelt adaptation of Louisa May Alcott's classic novel about love, family and the female spirit, stars Winona Ryder, Kirsten Dunst, Christian Bale, Claire Danes, and Susan Sarandon.

With her husband off at war, Marmee (Sarandon) is left alone to raise their four daughters, her Little Women. There is the spirited Jo (Ryder); conservative Meg (Trini Alvarado); fragile Beth (Danes); and romantic Amy (played at different ages by Kristen Dunst and Samantha Mathis). As the years pass, the sisters share some of the most cherished and painful memories of self-discovery, as Marmee and Aunt March (Mary Wickes) guide them through issues of independence, romance and virtue.

On Sunday mornings our Family Screenings are followed by a free activity for Children.

The screening is Pay What You Can, which means you’re free to pay as much or as little as you can afford. By paying for a ticket, you will enable us to keep offering Pay What You Can screenings to families struggling with the cost of living. Thank you  

Cine Brazil and London Film Week present a preview screening of Pictures of Ghost.

Pictures of Ghosts is a journey through time, the architecture of Recife, and the history of cinema. Both a witness and participant, Kleber Mendonça Filho (Bacurau, Aquarius) films his way through the alleyways of his home city. He observes the changes to its city life, accelerated by economic difficulties, and celebrates the otherworldly ability of cinema to give us a glimpse into eternity.

Picture of Ghosts was Brazil’s official entry for Best International Feature Film at the 2024 Academy Awards and in Official Selection at the Cannes Film Festival.

London Film Week presents a Preview screening ahead of the UK release in March 2025, don’t miss out!

New York’s hospitality industry—and that of many other big cities—relies heavily on the labour of undocumented migrants who face constant threats of deportation on top of the pressures of their work. Director Alonso Ruizpalacios highlights this tense reality in La Cocina, skillfully adapting Arnold Wesker’s 1957 play The Kitchen into a powerful critique of exploitative labour practices. With Rooney Mara and a breakout performance from Raúl Briones, the film dives into the high-stress environment of a restaurant kitchen to explore the lives behind it.

This screening will open with a short film - more details coming soon!

London Film Week proudly presents the Preview of the new film from acclaimed, BAFTA-winning director Rungano Nyoni (I Am Not a Witch).  

On an empty road in the middle of the night, Shula (Susan Chardy) stumbles across the body of her uncle. As funeral proceedings begin around them, she and her cousins bring to light the buried secrets of their middle-class Zambian family, in filmmaker Rungano Nyoni’s surreal and vibrant reckoning with the lies we tell ourselves.

As tensions rise, Shula and her cousin Nsansa join forces to reconcile the past for a more hopeful future. A fierce and darkly funny portrait of one woman’s strength in the face of crisis, Nyoni’s award-winning second feature proves her to be a distinctive filmmaker blazing a unique trail.          

Winner Best Director - Cannes Film Festival - Un Certain Regard 2024.

This screening will open with a short film - more details coming soon!

A boy searching for his long-lost mother through Laos in this appealing debut from UK director Joshua Trigg. London Film Week presents a Preview screening followed by a Q&A.    

The film follows Satu, an abandoned child, and Bo, an aspiring journalist, on a journey to uncover Satu's origins. This coming-of-age road trip highlights the resilience and friendship between the characters, blending social themes with sentimental moments.      

Shot on 16mm, the visuals capture Laos’ vibrant beauty, adding depth to this warm, heartfelt narrative.      

This screening will open with a short film - more details coming soon!

London Premiere: Loosely based on fact, Magnus van Horn’s fictionalised true crime nightmare will leave you with a shiver of pure fear. The film was screened in competition at this year’s Cannes Film Festival and will be released on January 10, 2025 in the UK.

Karoline, a young factory worker, finds herself abandoned and pregnant while striving to climb out of poverty in post WW1 Copenhagen. Amidst her struggles, she meets Dagmar, a charismatic woman running a hidden adoption agency within a candy store, helping poor mothers in finding foster homes for their unwanted children. To escape poverty, Karoline takes on the role of a wet-nurse. A strong connection is formed between the two women, yet Karoline’s world shatters as she stumbles upon the dreadful revelation of the nightmarish fate she unknowingly embraces. The Girl with the Needle is a fairytale about a horrible truth.

London Film Week - Preview Screening: Continuing the observational nonfiction saga that began with Youth (Spring), Wang Bing returns to the Chinese district of Zhili, where more than 300,000 migrant workers from rural provinces are employed in clothing workshops.

In this enveloping second part of the Youth trilogy, shot between 2015 and 2019, Wang deepens his vérité portrait of a generation struggling to survive on meagre wages amidst a nation’s economic expansion, emphasising the distrustful, increasingly combative relationship between workers and management.

Wang’s epic documentary is a singular rendering of young people who have become so focused on “making a living” that they have no time for joy or rest. Says one of the film’s many subjects: “You have no rights, so what’s the use of having money?” Despite these grim realities, Wang’s film provides hope in its depiction of workers who may find their collective voice.

The final part of the trilogy, Youth (Homecoming), also screens in this year’s London Film Week.

London Film Week - Preview Screening: Wang Bing concludes his monumental Youth trilogy in expansive fashion, giving ever wider scope to the lives of migrant workers in Zhili’s textile factories, which the filmmaker recorded over the course of five years.

Centred around New Year’s break, when the workers are planning to visit their families in remote hometowns to celebrate the festivities, Homecoming functions as a sweeping portrait of contemporary rural China, incorporating images of tightly packed trains and buses climbing treacherous mountainside roads, and joyous interludes, including wedding celebrations for workers Shi Wei and Fang Lingping, into its scenes of factory life. Wang’s cyclical account of young people caught in constant survival mode comes to a poignant close here, giving definitive shape and meaning to his enormous act of observation.

The middle part of the trilogy, Youth (Hard Times), also screens in this year’s London Film Week.

Basel Adra, a young Palestinian activist from Masafer Yatta, has been fighting his community's mass expulsion by the Israeli occupation since childhood. Basel documents the gradual erasure of Masafer Yatta, as soldiers destroy the homes of families - the largest single act of forced transfer ever carried out in the occupied West Bank. He crosses paths with Yuval, an Israeli journalist who joins his struggle, and for over half a decade they fight against the expulsion while growing closer. Their complex bond is haunted by the extreme inequality between them: Basel, living under a brutal military occupation, and Yuval, unrestricted and free.

This film, by a Palestinian-Israeli collective of four young activists, was co-created during the darkest, most terrifying times in the region, as an act of creative resistance to Apartheid and a search for a path towards equality and justice.

Nominated for Best International Independent Film at the British Independent Film Awards 2024.

Berlinale Documentary Award and Panorama Audience Award for Best Documentary Film

The Garden Cinema View:

No Other Land follows frontline occupation/conflict documentaries such as For Sama, City of Ghosts, and 20 Days in Mariupol, in that it confronts us with the desperate immediacy of the situation in Gaza, whilst showcasing the extraordinary bravery of the filmmakers and journalists who record these atrocities. The footage is upsetting, and produces feelings of helplessness, and deep frustration and anger, as well as exhaustion. The efforts of Palestinian activist Basel Adra and Israeli journalist Yuval Abraham in telling this story are themselves commendable, and they show a collaborative pathway that might lead to a better future. That is until the terrifying coda that Basel filmed after the official end of the shoot, just after the recent escalation of Israel’s war with Hamas in October 2023.  

Paddington in Peru brings Paddington's story to Peru as he returns to visit his beloved Aunt Lucy, who now resides at the Home for Retired Bears. With the Brown Family in tow, a thrilling adventure ensues when a mystery plunges them into an unexpected journey through the Amazon rainforest and up to the mountain peaks of Peru.

On Sunday mornings our Family Screenings are followed by a free activity for Children.

The screening is Pay What You Can, which means you’re free to pay as much or as little as you can afford. By paying for a ticket, you will enable us to keep offering Pay What You Can screenings to families struggling with the cost of living. Thank you

London Palestine Film Festival 2024 presents Real Visions (shorts session). This selection of non-fiction shorts play cross images, dreams, realities and memories. What proof do images reveal? How do visible truths affect our understanding of actualities, and our future existence?

The Bride and The Dowry

1979, Ibrahim Abu Nab, 26’

This rich historical documentary from Palestinian filmmaker, Ibrahim Abu Nab (1931 - 1991), narrates the aftereffects of the 1967 War on the people of the West Bank. From powerful testimonials from lawyers, academics and victims of displacement, to the chronicling of the story of a Palestinian leader targeted as he demands justice for his people, we understand the impact of Israeli occupation on Palestinian life, and the consequences of attempting to defy it. Environmental degradation, land seizures, and resource control are used as tools of oppression. Central to the narrative is the metaphor of a bride and dowry, used by an Israeli human rights lawyer to describe the cruel tactics employed to force Palestinians into submission. The film emphasizes the ongoing resilience of the Palestinian people, despite these relentless pressures.

Trigger warning: harrowing testimonials of torture and other violence

Nazareth

2021, Mike Halboom, 7’

A single photo from 1948: A return to the fateful year of 1948 in Israel, reframed by a single photograph that is taken up one face at a time. Four figures on a hillside bear witness to the revolutionary society, the new state, the new law. Like too many moments of catastrophe it is filled with invisibility charms and ghost relations. How to speak of what can’t be put into words, how to show what cannot be seen?

Tuesday by the Sea

Palestine/USA, 2019, Shourideh C. Molvi, 7’

The border demarcates the inside and outside. Conceptually two-dimensional and two-sided, but without a clear beginning and end, the border creates a length and not a width. This short film, with no dialogue, cuts between two locations, allowing us to see the very real distinctions of two places on a single day. This screening is dedicated to co-founder of Ain Media Gaza, Roshdi al-Sarraj, our loved friend and collaborator on the film, who was tragically martyred on 22 October 2023 when an Israeli airstrike hit his home in Tel al Hawa during breakfast with his family.

Gaza Atelier

Palestine, 2023, Montaser Alsabe, 11’

Ahlam, a young Palestinian fashion designer plans to open her own atelier in Gaza city. With the opening date approaching, things take a different path than what she is planning. But with a name like Ahlam, meaning dreams in Arabic, her ambitions won’t fade.

The Poem we Sang

Canada/Palestine, 2024, Annie Sakkab, 20’

This dream-like documentary meditates on love and longing: the love of one’s family and the longing for one’s home. Photojournalist Annie Sakkab strings together found footage, images, poems and memories to contemplate how to overcome the trauma of losing a family home and forced migration. Through this nostalgic journey, Sakkab transforms lifelong regrets into a healing journey of creative catharsis and bearing witness.

Man Number 4

UK, 2024, Miranda Pennell, 10'

Gaza, December 2023: a photograph shows men in a berm, soldiers in mid-distance and ghostly apartment blocks. A confrontation with this disturbing photograph on social media triggers questions about what it means to be an onlooker.

The Taste of Mango, Chloe Abrahams’ debut feature, is an enveloping, hypnotic, urgently personal meditation on family, memory, identity, violence, and love. At its centre are three extraordinary women: the director’s mother, Rozana; her grandmother, Jean; and the director herself. Their stories, by turns difficult and jubilant, testify to the entangled and ever-changing nature of inheritance and the ways in which we both hurt and protect the ones we love.

Winner - Best Debut Director at BIFA

The film will be followed by a Q&A with director Chloe Abrahams.

This film will be screened with descriptive subtitles. The post-screening discussion will have live captions.

Reclaim The Frame is a charity that champions marginalised perspectives in cinema, connecting with audiences and communities through special screenings and events across the UK.

Reclaim The Frame events create a space to discuss what's under the surface of each story. If you want to be an Advocate for the work they do, join the Reclaim The Frame mailing list.

If ticket pricing is a barrier, please get in touch with mail@reclaimtheframe.org as the charity  has limited free tickets that can be offered to those who need them.

Our screening on Thursday 21 November will be introduced by Mark Searby, the author of Al Pacino: The Movies Behind The Man.

Frank (Al Pacino in an Oscar winning performance) is a retired Lieutenant Colonel in the US army. He's blind and impossible to get along with. Charlie is at school and is looking forward to going to college. To help pay for a trip home for Christmas, he agrees to look after Frank over Thanksgiving. Frank's niece says this will be easy money, but she didn't reckon on Frank spending his Thanksgiving in New York.

The screening on Sunday 8 December will be introduced by writer, editor and founder of Girlhood Studies Claire Marie Healy, who will also join us for an informal post-film discussion in The Garden Cinema Bar.

This digital restoration of Joyce Chopra’s Sundance Grand Jury Prize winning film features a breakout performance from Laura Dern as Connie, the fifteen-year-old familial black sheep whose summertime idyll of beach trips, mall hangouts and innocent flirtations is shattered by an encounter with a mysterious stranger. Adapted from a short story by Joyce Carol Oates, Chopra fills the gaps of Oates’ sparse story with a dream-like visual palette that evokes Connie’s increasingly nightmarish passage from girl to woman.

Timings:

15:00  Introduction (Claire Marie Healy)

15:15  Screening

16:50  Comfort break

17:00  Discussion (Garden Bar)

18:00  Expected finish

Claire Marie Healy’s writing and curated projects explore film, art, fashion, and the internet. Formerly the editor of Dazed, she has since edited books on roller discos, dancefloors and SFX makeup for places like IDEA and A24. Her ongoing research project, Girlhood Studies, explores how visual culture shapes the experiences of young women, and has encompassed a column, film screenings and an essay-book with the Tate.

The origins of Donald Trump are brought to life in a provocative, electrifying portrait of the man and his mentor, Roy Cohn - a notorious lawyer who will never let the truth get in the way of winning a fight. Sebastian Stan and Jeremy Strong star as Trump and Cohn respectively, with Maria Bakalova starring as Ivana Trump and acclaimed director Ali Abbasi bringing a unique perspective to this gripping, darkly funny tale of greed, power, and the dark art of the deal.

The Garden Cinema View:

In a surprising thematic turn, Ali Abbasi (Holy Spider, Border) takes on a Trump biopic, with very satisfying results. The Apprentice is a consistently entertaining portrait that - remarkably - humanises Trump without absolving him of any his sins or narcissism.

Sebastian Stan's incredible performance plays a crucial role in maintaining this difficult balance. Astonishingly, Stan manages to transcend Trump's cartoonish façade and reach a kind of authenticity whilst still displaying early behavioural and physical traits of the man we now know.

The film reaches its zenith in its early stages, exploring a young Trump's formative relationships. These include his ruthless mentor, Roy Cohn (portrayed with method-acting bravado by Jeremy Strong), his tyrannical mogul father, and his first wife, Ivana (played with humorous empathy by Borat 2's, Maria Bakalova). The depiction of present-day Trump feels slightly less engaging, perhaps given how extensively he has been studied and satirised in recent years.

The film's stance is that Roy Cohn played a pivotal role in moulding him into the figure we know today, emphasising nurture over nature in this monstrous formation. Viewers may disagree with this perspective, but Abbasi presents it with clarity and conviction.

Based on the first of the classic series of novels by CS Lewis, this fantasy adventure film follows four siblings: Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy. Evacuated to the countryside during World War Two, the children find a way into another world - through the back of an old wardrobe. Entering the strange world of Narnia, the children discover a land in thrall to the White Witch (Tilda Swinton), where it's winter all year round, but never Christmas, and where magical creatures live in fear of her cruelty. In order to break her wintry spell, the brothers and sisters must join forces with Aslan the Lion, and fulfil their destinies. This wonderful film brings the magic, myths and sheer excitement of CS Lewis' story to life.

On Sunday mornings our Family Screenings are followed by a free activity for Children.

The screening is Pay What You Can, which means you’re free to pay as much or as little as you can afford. By paying for a ticket, you will enable us to keep offering Pay What You Can screenings to families struggling with the cost of living. Thank you

If you're interested in attending the collage making workshop for members as well as the screening, please book your ticket here instead.

In The Fabulous Baron Munchausen, Karel Zeman conjures the adventures of the legendary, boastful baron, whose whirlwind exploits take him from the moon to eighteenth-century Turkey to the belly of a whale and beyond. A kaleidoscopic marvel that blends live action with techniques including stop-motion, cutout collage, puppetry, painted backdrops, and antique tinting, Zeman’s film is an exhilarating visual delight and a warmhearted whirl through a bygone age too entrancing to have existed.

Beautifully crafted and acted, Frank Capra's festive favourite is considered one of the most charming Christmas films of all time. George Bailey (James Stewart) has spent his life supporting the community of Bedford Falls. Overwhelmed with professional and personal problems, he finds his previously happy life falling apart on Christmas Eve. Struggling to see a way out, George is visited by his guardian angel and shown what life would be like if he'd never been born.

All proceeds from this screening will be donated to The Food Chain

The Food Chain exists to ensure people living with HIV in London can access the nutrition they need to get well, stay well and lead healthy, independent lives. People living with HIV often struggle to access the food they need to stay well because of ill health, poverty, isolation and a lack of motivation to eat well, or limited skills or knowledge. We deliver meals and groceries, offer cookery and nutrition classes and communal eating opportunities to people living with HIV in London and their dependents.

Every Christmas Day we run a group lunch for around 60 of our most isolated Service Users, folk who would otherwise be spending the day alone. It's a very joyful day full of food and games and merriment, and after the festivities are done we send everyone home with a card, present and some bags of groceries.

With no public funding for our services, we rely on trust and grant-giving foundations, community fundraising events and the generosity of individual donors. Your support will make our Christmas possible! Thank you.

'Thank you from the bottom of my heart for the Excellent Special Christmas - from the fantastic environment as usual, the support, the xmas quiz, the exceptionally special food and drinks, the happiness, laughter and fun, you name it, all were fabulous & brilliant. Indeed whenever I attend Food Chain, l always feel so well connected to my peers too and also receive well tailored help and support which continues to give me HOPE for the future.' - Food Chain Christmas guest, 2022.

The screening on 14 December will be introduced by film historian and Coppola expert Jon Lewis, author of the BFI Film Classics on The Godfather and The Godfather, Part II.

Sequels had not yet become the Hollywood norm when Francis Ford Coppola signed up for a continuation to his hugely successful 1972 adaptation of Mario Puzo’s novel The Godfather, but this second film set a high standard for follow-ups in the way that it enriches and deepens the Corleone family narrative.

Ranging over multiple locations, Coppola’s film ambitiously intertwines two time periods: the story of Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) becoming increasingly consumed and isolated by his new power as head of the family, and flashbacks to his father Vito Corleone’s (Robert De Niro) arrival as an immigrant in New York, and his gradual ascent to power.

The project’s ambition did not go unrecognised: like the first film, it won best picture at the 1974 Academy Awards.

The 28th Made in Prague Festival in collaboration with Second Run presents a special screening celebrating the UK Blu-ray release of The Hop-Picker, the very first Czechoslovak film musical.

The Hop-Pickers was an instant sensation upon its release and continues to charm generations of Czech audiences. With its vibrant portrayal of youthful rebellion, blossoming romance, lively production numbers, and irresistibly catchy songs, it has endured as a beloved classic. Channeling the energy of the swinging ’60s with a distinctly Czech twist, The Hop-Pickers boldly blends music, dance, and New Wave realism, offering a fresh take on societal norms and a playful exploration of sexual freedom.  

After seeking the expertise of former Big Tobacco executive Jeffrey Wigand (Russell Crowe), seasoned TV producer Lowell Bergman (Al Pacino) suspects a story lies behind Wigand's reluctance to speak. As Bergman persuades Wigand to share his knowledge of industry secrets, the two must contend with the courts and the corporations that stand between them and exposing the truth. All the while, Wigand must struggle to maintain his family life amidst lawsuits and death threats.

In the irreverent spirit of fun that made The Lego Movie a worldwide phenomenon, the self-described leading man of that ensemble—Lego Batman—stars in his own big-screen adventure. But there are big changes brewing in Gotham, and if he wants to save the city from The Joker’s hostile takeover, Batman may have to drop the lone vigilante thing, try to work with others and maybe, just maybe, learn to lighten up.

On Sunday mornings our Family Screenings are followed by a free activity for Children.

The screening is Pay What You Can, which means you’re free to pay as much or as little as you can afford. By paying for a ticket, you will enable us to keep offering Pay What You Can screenings to families struggling with the cost of living. Thank you  

The Muppets perform the classic Dickens holiday tale, with Kermit the Frog playing Bob Cratchit, the put-upon clerk of stingy Ebenezer Scrooge (Michael Caine). Other Muppets -- Miss Piggy, Gonzo, Fozzie Bear and Sam the Eagle -- weave in and out of the story, while Scrooge receives visits from spirits of three Christmases -- past, present and future. They show him the error of his self-serving ways. Michael Caine makes a wonderful Scrooge, delightfully rediscovering the meaning of life alongisde fantastic creations from Jim Henson's Creature Shop (developed specially for this film).

On Sunday mornings our Family Screenings are followed by a free activity for Children.

The screening is Pay What You Can, which means you’re free to pay as much or as little as you can afford. By paying for a ticket, you will enable us to keep offering Pay What You Can screenings to families struggling with the cost of living. Thank you

Henry Selick delivers a delightful stop-motion vision of Tim Burton’s Halloween-meets-Christmas tale.

Enter an extraordinary world filled with magic and wonder, where every holiday has its own special land. This is the heartfelt tale of Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King of Halloween Town. Bored with the same old tricks and treats, he yearns for something more, and soon stumbles upon the glorious magic of Christmas Town. He enters into the world of Christmas, and is so overwhelmed by the fun and goodwill that he decides to embark on a plan to kidnap Santa and do Christmas himself, Halloween Town style!

Into Film recommended age: 7+

On Sunday mornings our Family Screenings are followed by a free activity for Children.

The screening is Pay What You Can, which means you’re free to pay as much or as little as you can afford. By paying for a ticket, you will enable us to keep offering Pay What You Can screenings to families struggling with the cost of living. Thank you

This film was proposed by our member (and part of the cinema team!) Raffaele, who writes: 'Hard choice between The Passion of Joan of Arc and Ordet, both by the extraordinary Danish director Carl Theodore Dreyer and with a strong theme in common: faith. Even though I am not a huge fan of the Christian one, the power of the main characters in these movies stikes me to tears every time. On top of that, the technical mastery that Dreyer has shown to have, always ahead of his time, is another clue that indicates how a director can do way more that just adapt a story to a script, address actors and film crew: it can have a vision. I will go for The Passion of Joan of Arc, because my grandfather was barely 1 year old when C. T. Dreyer was mastering the use of a shot that has been exploited way to much up to this day, but that back then, in 1928, not many filmmakers would use.'

Spiritual rapture and institutional hypocrisy come to stark, vivid life in one of the most transcendent masterpieces of the silent era. Chronicling the trial of Joan of Arc in the hours leading up to her execution, Danish master Carl Theodor Dreyer depicts her torment with startling immediacy, employing an array of techniques - expressionistic lighting, interconnected sets, painfully intimate close-ups - to immerse viewers in her subjective experience. Anchoring Dreyer’s audacious formal experimentation is a legendary performance by Renée Falconetti, whose haunted face channels both the agony and the ecstasy of martyrdom. - The Criterion Collection

Please note, the screening on Wednesday 6 November is our Free Members' Screening, and the screening on Wednesday 13 November is a general public screening.

All Aboard! To celebrate it's 20th anniversay, join us for a festive screening of The Polar Express.

Late on Christmas Eve, a boy sits in bed doubting the existence of Santa Claus and waiting to hear the sound of sleigh bells. Instead, a magical steam engine roars outside his window and he begins an extraordinary journey towards the North Pole and beyond his imagination.

Tom Hanks takes on various roles as he teams up with his Forrest Gump and Cast Away director Robert Zemeckis, who employs state-of-the art motion capture to create what was, on the film’s first release, a radical new kind of animation.

On Sunday mornings our Family Screenings are followed by a free activity for Children.

The screening is Pay What You Can, which means you’re free to pay as much or as little as you can afford. By paying for a ticket, you will enable us to keep offering Pay What You Can screenings to families struggling with the cost of living. Thank you

London Palestine Film Festival 2024 presents The Roller, The Life, The Fight + virtual screen talk.

 Hazem arrives in Belgium after a painful journey from Gaza. At the same time, Elettra arrives in Brussels to study documentary film. Their first moments together reveal a triggering desire to know each other , the camera becomes the tool they share for understanding. Through the images of their lives, we are plunged into the meeting of two worlds. The displacements they endure strengthen their wish to resist a divided society; the act of recording is a commitment to justice. Being confronted to the rigidity of Hazem’s asylum procedure, they embark on an exile, an inner migration to reach a place where gazes are softer and more just.

This screening will be followed by a virtual screen talk with directors, Elettra Bisogno and Hazem Alqaddi.

It has been years since long-time friends Ingrid, a best-selling novelist, and Martha, a war journalist, have seen each other. Upon learning of Martha’s cancer diagnosis, Ingrid rushes to her side and they rekindle their bond. With each shared memory, including Martha’s recollections of war and of her fractured relationship with her daughter, their connection grows. And a deeply personal request from Martha will bind the two women forever.

The Garden Cinema View:

Not surprisingly, the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival this year was awarded to The Room Next Door, Pedro Almodóvar's first English-language film, an adaptation written by the director himself, of Sigrid Nunez's 2020 novel What Are You Going Through.

Despite the distance from Madrid, Penélope Cruz and el español, this shift to New York retains the quintessence of Almodóvar's cinema. There are few directors who, over such a span of years, manage to maintain such a high-quality, and distinctively emotionally rich, body of work. But what makes us recognise Pedro's touch more than anything else is the vitality of  his films.

This vitality is disruptive in The Room Next Door, a film about death that is, however, a triumph of colour, of light and art, of fashion, of books, and architecture. From the bright green sofa, to the Pantone mugs, from the books (Louise Bourgeois, Caravaggio, Dora Carrington, Dennis Hopper (to name a few that are on the table in one of the scene), to a Cristina García Rodero photograph on the wall, Almodóvar's personal taste is in every detail, filling every scene.

The film touches on many important themes, such as female friendship, respect and acceptance. The Room Next Door is also a political film, a portrait of a woman suffering in a world that is itself suffering, and facing the potential end of life on her own terms.

As viewers, the film is an uneasy but ultimately rewarding journey into ourselves and our own fears. An invitation to reflect upon our place in the world, and also an invocation not to look away but, like Ingrid, to live as witnesses for each other, or in relation to what is happening in the world.

Almodóvar has already announced his next project, Amarga Navidad [Bitter Christmas]. We can only be happy about it.

A Palestinian school teacher (Saleh Bakri) struggles to reconcile his life-threatening commitment to political resistance with his emotional support for one of his students (Muhammad Abed El Rahman) and the chance of a new romantic relationship with a volunteer worker (Imogen Poots).

The Garden Cinema View:

The Teacher is released in the UK the very same week that a school in the West Bank is besieged by the Israeli army, its Palestinian pupils unable to go home. The film charts the countless ways in which the occupation has dehumanised Palestinians, and the generational traumatic toll it takes. Nabulsi skillfully portrays its impact on the average Palestinian through a rousing narrative, with just enough context and references to real life events to reach and emotionally connect with a wide audience.

The indignity and all-encompassing violence of the occupation permeates every aspect of life, the strain on Bassem’s marriage just one illustration of its domestic micropolitical costs. This is only Nabulsi’s second foray into filmmaking, following BAFTA award-winning short The Present, which in the same vein depicts the way in which Israeli checkpoints and settlements have turned the most routine, menial task - buying a new fridge - into a Herculean and perilous feat. Once again reprising his role as a beaten down dad, Saleh Bakri is as ever eminently watchable.

On Saturday 12 October, we organised a special fundraiser screening of The Teacher in collaboration with Hiba Express. You can find more details about this here.

As part of Trailblazers, we're thrilled to present a landmark double bill featuring two films from 1976 that document women’s contributions to the labour movement. There will be a comfort break between the two screenings.

The screening on Saturday 9 November will be briefly introduced by season programmer Alice Pember and followed by an informal post-film discussion in The Garden Bar, where we will be joined by film critic Christina Newland.

Union Maids (1976, 59m)

Painting a collective portrait of labour organizers that were active in Chicago in the 1930s, Union Maids offers an important and compelling insight into the lives of three women at the forefront of the labour movement in the US. Celebrated upon release, the film’s assemblage of old and new documentary footage, still images and talking head interviews attests to the tenacity (and efficacy) of working-class women in the fight for class equality, offering an optimistic view that was no doubt as invigorating for viewers at the time of its release as it is today.

Harlan County, USA (1976, 103m)

Winning the 1976 Academy Award for ‘Best Documentary Feature’, Barbara Kopple’s Harlan County, USA offers a comparatively present-tense view of the frontline of the then-recent ‘Brookside Strike’, a series of actions taken against the Duke Power Company by miners and their wives in Harlan County, Kentucky in 1973. A product of four years of preparation, filming and editing (during which Kopple lived alongside her subjects in Harlan) the film captures key developments in the strike with an immediacy that attests to her rapport with her subjects. As well as being an important document of working-class solidarity and the intersection of class and gendered liberation, the film also raises important questions about documentary ethics and documentary filmmaking making as feminist praxis.

Saturday 9 November Event Timings

16:00  Welcome (Alice Pember)

16:05  Programme start  

19:15  Discussion (Garden Bar)

20:00  Expected finish

Dr Alice Pember is an Assistant Professor in Film and Television Studies at the University of Warwick. Her research interests include independent cinema, feminist film philosophy and dance and pop music on screen. Her research has appeared in Modern and Contemporary France, French Screen Studies and Film-Philosophy journals. She teaches across areas related to independent French, British and American cinema, film philosophy and queer and women's cinema. Her monograph The Dancing Girl in Contemporary Cinema will be published next year with Edinburgh University Press.

Christina Newland is an award-winning journalist and broadcaster on film and culture, with bylines at Criterion, BBC, Rolling Stone, MUBI, and others. She is the lead film critic at the i Newspaper and a contributing editor to Empire Magazine. Her newsletter, Sisters Under the Mink, on depictions of women in crime film and television, won a Freelance Writing Award in 2021, and her first book, an edited anthology called She Found It at the Movies: Women Writers on Sex, Desire and Cinema, was published in March 2020.

The screening on Sunday 1 December will be followed by a panel discussion with writer and programmer Rōgan Graham, Yaya Azariah Clarke and film scholar Giulia Rho, which will be chaired by writer and editor Laura Staab.

A revolutionary film movement that emerged from the UCLA Film School in the early 1970s, the so-called ‘L.A. Rebellion’ was a powerful and transformative chapter in the history of American cinema. A significant cultural and artistic response to the turbulent sociopolitical climate of the time, the films challenged prevailing norms of Black representation, forging a new African American cinematic language.

Often remembered for the pioneering work of male directors like Charles Burnett, this programme of shorts brings together short films by three ‘insurgent sisters’ of the LA Rebellion, featuring an early short by Julie Dash (who would go on to make the acclaimed feature Daughters of the Dust). Offering a specifically ‘womanist’ sensibility, Illusions, Cycles and A Different Image resist the images of Black womenhood produced by Hollywood and independent film of the time, reclaiming Black female subjectivity through poetic and playful cinematic reconstructions of time, space and the body.  

Timings:

15:00  Welcome (Alice Pember)

15:10  Shorts Programme

16:55  Comfort break

17:05  Panel discussion

18:00  Expected finish

A Different Image

Alile Sharon Larkin, 1982, USA, 52m.

An poetic portrait of a beautiful young African American attempting to escape her position as object and discover her true heritage. Through a sensitive and humorous story about her relationship with a man, the film makes provocative connections between racism and sexual stereotyping, showcasing the intersectional cinematic language pioneered by women of the LA Rebellion.

Illusions

Julie Dash, 1982, USA, 34m.

Set in Hollywood during WWII, Illusions tells the story of Mignon Duprée, a studio executive passing for white, and Ester Jeeter, an African American singer hired to dub the voice of a white movie star. The film is a gripping critique of the power of the movies to shape perception, exploring the multiple illusions created by Hollywood and the very illusion of racial identity. An early short by Julie Dash (who would go on to make the critically acclaimed Daughters of the Dust), the film conveys Dash’s sincere love of Hollywood cinema whilst presenting a radical, damning critique of the industry's racism.

Cycles

Zeinabu irene Davis, 1989, USA, 17m.

One of the first films made Zeinabu Irene Davis, an award winning director and producer who is still active today, Cycles (1989) is a playful, experimental film which focuses on an woman anxiously awaiting her overdue period. Combining beautifully intimate still and moving images of the woman’s body and home space with playful stop-motion sequences, the film presents a provocative exploration of African American experience as a collective unconscious and offers a rare on-screen engagement with the topic of periods.

Rōgan Graham is a writer and programmer from South London. Working broadly in film exhibition, her areas of interest are works by Women and Black filmmakers. In 2021 she edited the Clio Award winning FYC book for Barry Jenkins' The Underground Railroad. The founder of Divas Do Film, when she isn’t writing reviews, hosting Q&As or appearing on podcasts, she can be found on a soapbox talking about Mariah Carey.

Dr Giulia Rho has recently completed her PhD in Film Studies. Her research covers experimental women filmmakers and queer artists, especially those operating within the New York Avant Garde and LA Rebellion. Her work deals with post-structuralist feminist philosophy as well as theories of queer time and questions of archival memory and justice. Her writing has appeared in Frames Film Journal and Film-Philosophy.

Dr Laura Staab works as an Assistant Editor at MUBI. She holds a doctorate in film studies from King’s College London and writes regularly on art cinema and experimental film for Another Gaze, Notebook, and Sight & Sound.

Yaya Azariah Clarke is a British-born Jamaican writer and cultural producer specialising in Black visual and communal cultures. Their research spans contemporary Black short film across the diaspora, as well as the cultural output of Afro-Caribbean communities in Britain. Yaya has previously worked as a staff writer and programmer for It’s Nice That, and community researcher for Dulwich Picture Gallery. They are now a contributor at Creative Review and WePresent.

Based on the extraordinary character at the center of Roald Dahl’s 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory', Wonka tells the wondrous story of how the world’s greatest inventor, magician and chocolate-maker became the beloved Willy Wonka we know today.

From Paul King, writer/director of the Paddington films, and David Heyman, producer of Harry Potter, comes an intoxicating mix of magic and music. Starring Timothée Chalamet in the title role, this irresistible big screen spectacle will introduce audiences to a young Willy Wonka, chock-full of ideas and determined to change the world one delectable bite at a time—proving that the best things in life begin with a dream, and if you’re lucky enough to meet Willy Wonka, anything is possible.

On Sunday mornings our Family Screenings are followed by a free activity for Children.

The screening is Pay What You Can, which means you’re free to pay as much or as little as you can afford. By paying for a ticket, you will enable us to keep offering Pay What You Can screenings to families struggling with the cost of living. Thank you