Eleven-year-old Mary has an insatiable passion for cooking, and dreams of become a great chef. Her grandmother Emer, with whom she has a very special relationship, encourages her to make this dream come true. But every path has its obstacles and facing them turns into quite an adventure.

In this delicate coming-of-age story, filled with joy & laughter, we join four generations of women as they head off on a glorious journey together. One that takes them down memory lane and gives them the opportunity to learn about each other, truly & deeply.

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 will be introduced by guest curator Anupma Shanker.

David Lean's 1984 epic historical drama, A Passage to India, marks the final film of his glorious career which is decked with critically-acclaimed masterpieces like The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957), Lawrence of Arabia (1962), Doctor Zhivago (1965) and Brief Encounter (1945).

Written, directed and edited by Lean, and winner of two academy awards, A Passage to India is based on the 1960 play of the same name by the Indian-born American writer Santha Rama Rau, which is in turn adapted from E. M. Forster's highly acclaimed 1924 novel.

Set in the 1920's in the fictional city of Chandrapore during the British Raj amidst growing Indian independence movement, the narrative unfolds in a series of intriguing twists and turns following close encounters between various British and Indian characters. When Adela Quested, the proper young Englishwoman who is unofficially engaged to the city magistrate Ronny Heaslop, accuses the Indian doctor Aziz Ahmed of attempted rape during a daytrip in the Marabar Caves, the incident spreads like wildfire, escalating tensions between the natives and the ruling British elites. As sparks fly, cultural mistrust deepens, colonial power structures are threatened and relationships are put on trial, it seems that in the end, the truth shall set everyone free...but does it?

Shot by Lean's collaborator Ernest Day (who often referred to Lean as his 'eyes'), the film's evocative cinematography and authentic outdoor locations set the perfect mood and aesthetic tone for its multi-layered themes of imperialism, racial prejudice, religion and cross-cultural imbroglios whilst never losing sight of the 'mysterious' and the 'exotic' as observed and absorbed through the 'English eyes' of the film’s key characters, Adela and Mrs. Moore, who upon arrival are intrigued by the desire to explore 'the real India' but soon find themselves catapulted away from the predictable tedium of their colonial lives into the 'unexplainable muddle' that is India. (A term used by Forster in a 1934 letter).

40 years since its release, A Passage to India remains a wonderfully provocative tale, full of striking images, haunting moments and unforgettable characters, all played to near perfection.

Anupma Shanker:

Anupma is a British-Indian film curator and archives researcher, with a deep and evolving interest in colonial & post-colonial screen narratives. Her curatorial practice is focussed on researching, screening and creating conversations around heritage films, with aim of making them accessible to a wider audience, both within and outside the UK. Her other interests include, Black-British cinema, Post-war Japanese Cinema, Indian Parallel Cinema, and Iranian New-wave Cinema.

Saint Helena island - a tiny British Overseas Territory in the middle of the South Atlantic Ocean - is so remote that the only means of arrival is the world’s last Royal Mail Ship, a six-day journey from Cape Town. For centuries Saint Helena has existed in near isolation from the rest of the world, a potent symbol of Britain’s colonial past, epitomised by its most famous tourist attraction - Napoleon Bonaparte’s empty tomb.

As the Environmental Officer for Saint Helena’s troubled £285 million airport project, Annina Van Neel learned of the island’s most terrible atrocity - an unmarked mass burial ground of an estimated 9,000 formerly enslaved Africans. It is one of the most significant traces of the transatlantic slave trade still on earth. Haunted by this historical injustice, Annina fights alongside renowned African American preservationist Peggy King Jorde and a group of disenfranchised islanders - many of them descendants of enslaved people - for the proper memorialisation of these forgotten victims.

The resistance they face exposes disturbing truths about the UK’s colonial past - and present.

In charting her years-long journey to this moment of catharsis, A Story of Bones documents Annina’s extraordinary transformation from a disempowered bystander to an undaunted social justice activist - and one who is determined to advocate for a community that has long been denied a voice.

The Garden Cinema View:

A sobering and restpectful piece of visual ethnography and cinematic excavation that traces the seriously hard graft required and entrenched resistance faced by those undertaking this kind of revealing decolonial work. An eye-opening history lesson, a resolute potrait of the campaigners, and a kind of memorial in itself, A Story of Bones is the kind of film we need to process and examine of collective histories.

From master filmmaker Nuri Bilge Ceylan (Winter Sleep, Once Upon a Time in Anatolia) comes a daring tale of betrayal, accusations and desire.

Longing to escape the isolation of his quiet Anatolian village, disenchanted art teacher Samet wrestles with narcissistic ideas of unfulfilled potential. While battling accusations of inappropriate behaviour at his school, he unexpectedly strikes up a friendship with Nuray, a charismatic fellow teacher, which offers a welcome distraction. But when her affection moves to Samet’s more affable colleague, he becomes jealous and begins to compete for her attention.

With breathtaking cinematography and outstanding performances, About Dry Grasses is an engrossing new piece of cinema from award-winning director Ceylan.

The Garden Cinema View:

Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s films are intimate explorations of the lives of ordinary people, set against the sweeping plateaus and mountain ranges of Eastern Anatolia. The equally epic running times of his recent output allow Ceylon to unfold his narratives in a fashion and at a pace that often feels literary (Anton Chekhov is a frequently cited touchstone). Long sequences of naturalistic dialogue are often allowed to play out from a single camera position and in long takes. As such, the sense of immersion into this world and his characters is as effective as any filmmaker working today. That is not to say that he is above a virtuosic edit or shot, non-diegetic music, and at least one quite surprising piece of reflexivity. But such is the control of the mise-en-scène that, although sparsely deployed, such moments feel striking and important. At the centre of the film is Deniz Celiloğlu complex performance. By turns intelligent, charismatic, bored, creepy, and frightening, his depiction of rural art teacher Samet confronts us with an uneasy mirror, and at times threatens to manifest as a kind of small-town Iago. About Dry Grasses demands commitment from its audience, but is a deeply rewarding watch, and another fine film from a true auteur.    

On Friday 16 August, we are proudly presenting this groundbreaking documentary for the first time in the UK, in partnership with Lin Kam Art. Ticket holders will also gain access to our dancehall pre & post-screening party. Warm up for Carnival with sets from Lin Kam Art DJs and the return of our infamous Garden Cinema rum punch.

Bad Like Brooklyn Dancehall provides a captivating insight into how young Jamaican immigrants brought the sounds and culture of dancehall from Kingston to the streets of New York City. Directed by Ben DiGiacomo and Dutty Vannier, and executive produced by Grammy Award-winning artist Shaggy, the film delves deep into the vibrant dancehall music scene that flourished in Brooklyn during the 1980s and 1990s. Featuring interviews with genre icons like Sean Paul, Ding Dong, and Kool Herc, the documentary offers an intimate portrayal of the genre's evolution and its profound impact on pop culture.

Event timings:

Event timings:

19:30 - Doors open

19:45 - DJ Linett Kamala b2b YNG CPTN (Dancehall carnival anthems)

20:30 - Screening of Bad Like Brooklyn Dancehall

22:00 - Ras Kwame (Dancehall afterparty)

00:15 - Close

Lin Kam Art: amplifying lives through festival and sound system culture via curation, residencies, events, workshops and programmes.

Bar Shorts presents another programme of ground-breaking short films and animations. This evening is curated by Robert Bradbrook, Head of Animation at the world-renowned National Film and Television School (NFTS). Robert is also a multi-award-winning director best known for his BAFTA-nominated Home Road Movies which has won some of the most prestigious awards in animation including the Cartoon d’Or. A story based on family stories and why we tell them. We are also screening a selection of Robert's favourite (and award winning!!!) NFTS films he has tutored over the last twelve years. The programme will be followed by a Q&A  hosted by Chris Shepherd. The evening is curated by Chris and Dog & Rabbit Animation Studio.

Films Screening:

Mansi Maheshwari - Bunnyhood 2024 (9.08)

Kasia Nalewajka - Pineapple Calamari 2014 (9.20)

Roel van Beek - A Film About A Pudding 2021 (9.25)

Ewa Smyk - Homebird  2020 (10.10)

Terri Matthews - The Wrong End of the Stick 2016 (9.38)

Renee Zhan Soft Animals 2021 (3.36)

Robert Bradbrook - Home Road Movies 2002 (11.00)

More TBC

This film was proposed by our member Elisabeth Lalouschek, who writes: 'This was such an influential film and I was hoping to see it again on a big screen.'

Deckard (Harrison Ford) is forced by the police Boss (M. Emmet Walsh) to continue his old job as Replicant Hunter. His assignment: eliminate four escaped Replicants from the colonies who have returned to Earth. Before starting the job, Deckard goes to the Tyrell Corporation and he meets Rachel (Sean Young), a Replicant girl he falls in love with.

Blade Runner will screen in Ridley Scott's definitive Final Cut, including extended scenes and never-before-seen special effects.

This film was proposed by our member Steve Dunk, who writes: 'The first Coen Brothers film, it doesn’t get the attention it deserves as a perfect film noir. It has wonderful performance from Frances McDormand and the recently deceased M. Emmet Walsh.'

Joel and Ethan Coen’s career-long darkly comic road trip through misfit America began with this razor-sharp, hard-boiled neonoir set somewhere in Texas, where a sleazy bar owner releases a torrent of violence with one murderous thought. Actor M. Emmet Walsh looms over the proceedings as a slippery private eye with a yellow suit, a cowboy hat, and no moral compass, and Frances McDormand’s cunning debut performance set her on the road to stardom. The tight scripting and inventive style that have marked the Coens’ work for decades are all here in their first film, in which cinematographer Barry Sonnenfeld abandons black-and-white chiaroscuro for neon signs and jukebox colors that combine with Carter Burwell’s haunting score to lurid and thrilling effect. Blending elements from pulp fiction and low-budget horror flicks, Blood Simple reinvented the film noir for a new generation, marking the arrival of a filmmaking ensemble that would transform the American independent cinema scene.

The screening is in partnership with Tongues on Fire and all proceeds will be donated to LGBTQ+ charities in India.

The screening will be followed by an online Q&A with the film’s writer/director/actress Samyuktha Vijayan, hosted by Shiva Raichandani.

 

Blue Sunshine is the remarkable debut feature by trans writer and director Samyuktha Vijayan, who also plays the lead role in the film. The film recently won a top prize at Tongues on Fire- The UK Asian Film Festival.

Aravind, a high school teacher, wants to transition from male to female while working for a school in a small town in South India. Aravind has been taking hormone medication for six months while hiding her identity from her colleagues and conservative family. But when Aravind’s father proposes an arranged marriage, Aravind is driven to embrace their new identity and begins to live as a woman named Bhanu. Although she has support from some close friends, the teacher faces adversity at every turn.

‘A superb piece of cinema, and one of the highlights of the 2024 Glasgow Film Festival. This is all the more remarkable because writer/director/star Samyuktha Vijayan has no prior experience...Talent like this doesn’t come along very often.’- Eye For Film

Tamil with English subtitles

Shiva Raichandani:

Shiva is a BAFTA-nominated non-binary screenwriter, director, producer, and inclusion consultant for film and television. Shiva was recently selected by the TV Collective as a Breakthrough Leader, shaping the future of the television industry. They were a recipient of the prestigious BFI and BAFTA LGBTQIA+ Mentoring Scheme, and were identified by Attitude Magazine as a Top 10 trailblazer for Film, TV, and Music in the United Kingdom. Shiva’s latest BAFTA-nominated documentary, Always, Asifa, premiered at the BFI’s London Film Festival.

Ambiguity Film presents two films by Chinese documentary filmmaker Wu Wenguang: Bumming in Beijing: The Last Dreamers (1990) and At Home in the World (1995).

These two films, shot five years apart, document the journey of several Chinese artists from idealistic drifters in Beijing to becoming diasporic individuals struggling with harsh realities abroad. The first film, Bumming in Beijing: The Last Dreamers, is considered China's first independent documentary and a representative work of The New Documentary Movement, holding significant historical value.

Please note there will be a 10 minute break between films.

Booking opens 20 July

Ambiguity Film seeks to spotlight the vibrant yet underrepresented underground Chinese films which capture essential narratives that confront and document the obscured realities and histories marginalized by official discourse. Ambiguity Film was founded with the dual purpose of broadening the accessibility of these important works and engaging both the diaspora and global audiences in a deeper understanding of China’s dynamic social landscape.

Sarita’s sister doesn’t come home one night after a party. Convinced that her disappearance has something to do with Andrés, her sister’s dangerous ex, Sarita finds a way to befriend him and infiltrate his gang. With an unwavering determination to uncover the truth about what happened, Sarita becomes increasingly involved with Andrés and the ruthless, violent world of his gang.

 

2024 Independent Spirit Award nominee CADEJO BLANCO is “a nail-biting, evocative and utterly persuasive crime drama” (Screen International) from writer/director Justin Lerner (Girlfriend, The Automatic Hate) anchored by an incredible lead performance from Karen Martinez - “Martinez is a revelation” (Film Threat).

Director Justin Lerner will join us for a post-screening Q&A.

This film was proposed by our member Claire Galineau, who writes: 'I've never seen it in cinema but about 500 times on TV. Elio and Oliver deserve the big screen but in an intimate setting. Any other Peaches amongst us?!?'

It's the summer of 1983, and precocious 17-year-old Elio Perlman is spending the days with his family at their 17th-century villa in Lombardy, Italy. He soon meets Oliver, a handsome doctoral student who's working as an intern for Elio's father. Amid the sun-drenched splendor of their surroundings, Elio and Oliver discover the heady beauty of awakening desire over the course of a summer that will alter their lives forever.

To get in the mood for this summery members favourite, join us for a pre-screening cocktail hour with a bopping 80s playlist, featuring some of the film's excellent soundtrack. Tickets for the screening are restricted to 2 per member, meaning you can bring a +1, and include a token for a (non)alcoholic "Just Peachy" cocktail.

Timings:

14:30  Peachy cocktail hour

15:30  Screening starts

17:55  Screening finishes

About Call Me By Your Name:

This film was proposed by our member Claire Galineau, who writes: 'I've never seen it in cinema but about 500 times on TV. Elio and Oliver deserve the big screen but in an intimate setting. Any other Peaches amongst us?!?'

It's the summer of 1983, and precocious 17-year-old Elio Perlman is spending the days with his family at their 17th-century villa in Lombardy, Italy. He soon meets Oliver, a handsome doctoral student who's working as an intern for Elio's father. Amid the sun-drenched splendor of their surroundings, Elio and Oliver discover the heady beauty of awakening desire over the course of a summer that will alter their lives forever.

There will be a regular screening of Call Me By Your Name on Thursday 29 August at 20:30, open to both members and non-members. You can get tickets for this here.

The first (official) screening of Divas Do Film kicks off with Robert Townsend’s musical-drama Carmen: A Hip Hopera, starring 19-year-old Beyoncé in her debut acting role.

Based on the 1875 opera Carmen by George Bizet, but more closely resembling - though not in quality - Carmen Jones (1954), the 2001 edition follows straight-laced Philadelphia cop Sgt. Derek Hill played by Mekhi Phifer, as he is seduced from his regular life by Beyoncé’s Carmen Brown. In the throes of their new love, Carmen & Derek have their worlds turned upside down by crooked cop Lt. Frank Miller (played with comic villainy by Yasiin Bey, then known as Mos Def) and Carmen’s dreams of becoming a Hollywood actress are put in serious jeopardy.

Two years before she would break out from Destiny’s Child, teenage Beyoncé at once embodies and bucks against the jezebel stereotype suspending her in a grey area that would follow her around for her entire career.

With songs that aren’t very catchy, editing that could be better and performances that are for the most part much worse, join us for this rare screening of a noughties cult classic!

This screening will feature an extended illustrated introduction from writer and curator Rōgan Graham. Working broadly in film exhibition, her areas of interest are works by Women, Black filmmakers and Pop Divas. She has previously given talks on both Beyoncé and Mariah Carey as auteurs at the BFI.

From acclaimed director Levan Akin (And Then We Danced), Crossing is a moving and tender tale of identity, acceptance and unlikely connection that transcends borders and generations. Lia, a retired school teacher living in Georgia, hears from a young neighbour Achi that her long lost niece Tekla, a transgender woman, has crossed the border into Turkey. Hoping to bring Tekla home after a period of estrangement, Lia travels to Istanbul with the unpredictable Achi to find her. Exploring the hidden depths of the city, they cross paths with a transgender lawyer called Evrim, who helps them in their search. Humanistic and compassionate, Akin’s third feature is a heartfelt portrayal of overcoming the degrees of separation that divide us.

*Crossing contains flickering or flashing lights that may affect those with photosensitive epilepsy*

The Garden Cinema View:

Director Levan Akin (And Then We Danced) subverts expectations of Crossing’s ‘search narrative’ by focusing on the serendipitous connections we forge with strangers and our internal journeys of self-discovery which occur when we passionately pursue something. The film emerges as an ensemble piece rather than the anticipated ‘hero's journey’, featuring Achi, a Georgian teenager who accompanies the older Lia on her quest, as well as Evrim, a trans lawyer living in Istanbul who assists them in navigating the city's bureaucracy. Istanbul itself emerges as a fourth protagonist with its stray cats and vibrant nightlife set against an generally hostile attitude toward trans people. As this unlikely group's adventure unfolds, Akin subtly unveils the social challenges facing both Georgian and Turkish societies.

The screening on Saturday 20 July was followed by a panel discussion in partnership with Counterpoints Arts, with Gamze Şanlı, Hiba Noor, and Florenza Deniz İncirli.

Featuring the voices of Taylor Swift and Zac Efron, 12-year-old Ted lives in Thneedville, where the trees are artificial and the residents buy oxygen by the bottle. Ted is desperate to impress his neighbour, Audrey, so when she reveals her wish to see a real tree, he makes it his personal mission to find one. Ted has always wondered why the town is made entirely of synthetic materials and when he begins asking questions, he discovers things are even stranger than he thought. The arrival of the Lorax, a peculiar little orange creature, seems to create more mysteries than it solves. As with any adaptation of a Dr. Seuss book, there’s never a dull moment, and no shortage of nonsense, riddles or giggles!

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 selected as part of a proposal for any Marx Brothers features, as requested by our members Mark Brisenden and Stephen McAlpine. Stephen writes: 'Having enjoyed the Ealing Comedies so much, as a family (all 5 members of The Garden Cinema) we have identified the fact that a lot of black & white comedies do not get shown unless they are the earlier classics. What the elder members of our tribe remember being brought up with and cannot seem to find in a cinema or on a TV channel we use, are the Marx Brothers movies.'

When the tiny nation of Freedonia goes bankrupt, its wealthy benefactor, Mrs. Teasdale (Margaret Dumont), insists that the wacky Rufus T. Firefly (Groucho Marx) become the country's president. Sensing a weakness in leadership, the bordering nation of Sylvania sends in the spies Pinky (Harpo Marx) and Chicolini (Chico Marx) to set the stage for a revolution. As Firefly clashes with the Sylvanian ambassador (Louis Calhern), plenty of mayhem ensues, and the countries verge on all-out war.

For South Asian Heritage Month we present a special preview screening of the Sundance prizewinning Girls Will Be Girls, with a pre-recorded introduction by director Shuchi Talati.

In a strict boarding school nestled in the Himalayas, 16-year-old Mira discovers desire and romance. But her sexual, rebellious awakening is disrupted by her mother who never got to come of age herself. This stellar debut feature from Shuchi Talati won the World Cinema Audience Award and the Special Jury Award for Acting at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival.

Hindi & English with English Subtitles

Sundance - World Cinema Dramatic Competition - Audience Award, Special Jury Award for Acting - 2024

SXSW - Festival Favourites - 2024

Director’s Note:

‘Girls Will Be Girls is set in a conservative boarding school, much like the school I attended, where girls are policed, ostensibly to protect their “virtue.” Despite this, I saw fierce, funny girls and women all around who subverted and circumvented the social and moral codes. In Girls Will Be Girls, I wanted to write about these subversive women who populated my life but never my screens and to expand the narratives that are available to Indian women.’

With thanks to Modern Films

Our screening on Saturday 17 August will be introduced by Maurizio Marinelli (UCL).

A global sensation which made Zhang Yimou a household name in the West, Hero features a galaxy of Hong Kong and Mainland Chinese star names (Jet Li, Tony Leung, Maggie Cheung, Zhang Ziyi, Donnie Yen), and is a boundary pushing wuxia extravaganza, a richly romantic vision of history, and a somewhat controversial blockbuster.

During the ancient Warring States period a nameless man (Li) is summoned to the court of the King of Qin after he claims to have defeated three legendary assassins. What ensues is a contest of wits and ideological debate, as the King’s suspicions gradually rise.

Hero is a film of immense beauty and gravity defying martial arts choreography. Cinematographer Christopher Doyle (known for his work with Wong Kar-wai) famously structured the film into four visually defined sections, designed to strongly evoke the four seasons. Meanwhile, Tan Dun’s swooning score accentuates the love triangle between Leung, Cheung, and Zhang Ziyi’s characters. Hero remains incredibly exciting, surprisingly moving, and, to this day, still leaves audiences debating the surprising denouement.

All screenings will feature a video introduction from head of programming at FIRST International Film Festival, Xiao Gu.

Given the huge critical and commercial success of Hero (2002), it is unsurprising that Zhang Yimou continued with wuxia cinema. In their final collaboration, Zhang Ziyi plays a blind dancer enlisted to help two police officers (Andy Lau and Takeshi Kaneshiro) bring down a rebel group during the declining years of the Tang Dynasty in the 9th century. The resulting love-triangle is, at times, as fiercely contested as the political machinations and deadly fight sequences.

Narratively more straightforward than Hero, House of Flying Daggers is perhaps a form of retreat back into Zhang’s comfort zone of visual aesthetics (the film was Oscar nominated for cinematography), tragic romance, and flowing performance (both dancing and combat gracefully mirroring each other). This is, then, a fitting end point for our Zhang Yimou retrospective: an experience of almost pure cinematic pleasure.  

An inspirational story of rebellion, courage and hope as Belmaya, a young Dalit woman in Nepal, silenced and subjugated for most of her life, takes up the movie camera to tell her story.

The film will be preceded by a screening of the short film Stronger directed by Belmaya Nepali. The screening will be followed by a pre-recorded Q&A with directors Sue Carpenter and Belmaya Nepali, hosted by Anna Smith.

Orphaned at the age of nine, uneducated, and trapped in an abusive marriage, Belmaya is desperate for independence and determined to create a better life for her young daughter in this extraordinarily intimate documentary. A directorial collaboration between Sue Carpenter and Belmaya Nepali spanning 14 years, the story interweaves observational material with footage shot by Belmaya and takes us on a transformational journey as she stands up to her husband and society, and reclaims her voice through filmmaking.

Best Documentary - UK Asian Film Festival, UK, 2021

Nominee - BIFA 2021 (British Independent Film Awards), Best Documentary and Raindance Discovery Award categories

Nominee - One World Media Awards 2021, Women Entrepreneurs Reporting category

Nepali and English, with English subtitles

Stronger (Belmaya Nepali, 2021, 3min)

An original song by Simi Carpenter and short film by Belmaya Nepali, about a girl’s desire to break free from parental and societal constraints and take control over her own life. The lyrics perfectly fit the theme of South Asian Heritage Month 2024 which is 'Free to be Me.'

Teenager Owen is just trying to make it through life in the suburbs when his classmate introduces him to a mysterious late-night TV show - a vision of a supernatural world beneath their own. In the pale glow of the television, Owen’s view of reality begins to crack.

The Garden Cinema View:

Also taking into account their micro-budget We’re All Going to the World’s Fair (2021), Jane Schoenbrun has now established themselves as a filmmaker who inherently understands life experiences as refracted through onscreen media. This took the shape of Gen Z online communities/webcam culture in World’s Fair, but here drills into a 1990s world of VHS tapes, fuzzy CRT sets, and obsession with a Buffy the Vampire/Charmed type YA-fantasy show. On a specific level, I Saw the TV Glow operates as an allegory of non-heteronormative identity that can only be felt and understood within fictionalised spaces. But it also taps into an epochal nostalgia of escaping from any manner of childhood anxieties into 30 minutes of comforting yet gently disturbing television.

Schoenbrun’s style is impressionistic, and their narratives drift dreamily away from clear resolutions and motivations. This atmosphere is reflected in the awkwardly emo performances from Justice Smith (slightly irritating) and Brigette Lundy-Paine (great), and a dream-pop/indie-folk soundtrack marshalled by Alex G, and featuring the likes of L’Rain, Phoebe Bridgers, Snail Mail, Caroline Polachek, and yuele.  

Teenager Riley's mind headquarters is undergoing a sudden demolition to make room for something entirely unexpected: new Emotions!

Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear and Disgust, who’ve long been running a successful operation by all accounts, aren’t sure how to feel when Anxiety shows up. And it looks like she’s not alone.

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  

Zhang Yimou’s follow up to Red Sorghum (1987) revisits several of his debut’s key themes, but in a now far more rigid and stifling setting. The titular character (played by Gong Li) is newly wedded to an unspeakably cruel dye mill owner, who has murdered his previous two wives. When she embarks on a clandestine affair with her husband’s adoptive nephew, a deadly series of events is set in motion.

The middle part of Zhang’s loose ‘Red Trilogy’, Ju Dou is one of his great aesthetic achievements. The claustrophobic and cloistered world of the mill is rendered using old fashioned Technicolor processing, lending an already fairy tale-like narrative a rich and timeless visual sheen that resembles, at points, the fantasy worlds of Powell and Pressburger. The lurid vats of red dye stain the rigid physical and social structures of this airless setting which is ruptured only by a myriad of hiding places and peep holes where a game of voyeuristic desires plays out.

Our screening on Sunday 21 July was introduced by Victor Fan (KCL).

Based on the much-loved, best-selling children’s novel by Michael Morpurgo, and adapted for screen by Frank Cottrell-Boyce, Kensuke's Kingdom tells the epic adventure of Michael, a young boy, shipwrecked on a remote island, who must adapt to life alone. Over time, he feels another presence, learning that this world is home to both unimaginable danger and beauty, in this gripping animated adaptation of a beloved novel. Kensuke's Kingdom features the voices of Oscar-winner Cillian Murphy, Oscar-nominated Sally Hawkins, Ken Watanabe, Raffey Cassidy, and Aaron MacGregor.

Kinds of Kindness is a triptych fable, following a man without choice who tries to take control of his own life; a policeman who is alarmed that his wife who was missing-at-sea has returned and seems a different person; and a woman determined to find a specific someone with a special ability, who is destined to become a prodigious spiritual leader.

The Garden Cinema View:

After his recent mainstream success working with Tony McNamara, Yorgos Lanthimos reignites his creative partnership with writer Efthymis Filippou. What this means for us is a move away from the likes of The Favourite and Poor Things, and a return of the acerbic absurdism of Dogtooth and The Lobster.

As tends to be the case with anthology films, Kinds of Kindness is uneven. The first section is the strongest: a sado-masochistic black comedy about the systems of control that govern our working and personal lives. Channelling something of J. G. Ballard (and possibly John Fowles’ The Magus), Lanthimos’ affectless style works very effectively in this dead world of corporate subservience. The second and third parts play uneasily; there are moments of surreal invention and shocking humour in both the doppelgänger and cult narratives, that feel completely unique to Lanthimos. There are also repeated scenes of abuse and narrative longueurs which are quite draining.

Although Kinds of Kindness is an unhappy film, it is a distinctly Lanthimosian experience, which adds to the unique character of the filmmaker's Cinematic Universe ©.

Kino Short Film presents some of the best shorts of the year for their BIFA qualifying film festival.

An Ode to Procrastination

directed by Aleksandra Kingo | United Kingdom | Arthouse

Sarah is trying to create what she thinks is the project of her lifetime, but procrastinates while struggling to start.

Bully

directed by Martin Stocks | United Kingdom | Drama

A dinner party goes off the rails when the host suspects a surprise guest is his childhood bully.

The Eyes of Marge

directed by Lily Howkins | United Kingdom | Thriller

A self-hating social worker traumatised by his sister’s death from domestic abuse, is plagued by phone calls from an unknown woman looking for her dead sister.

Good Vibes Only [World Premiere]

directed by Christopher Rogers | United Kingdom | Drama

On the 10th anniversary of his radio show, Charlie discovers an old record gifted to him by his late friend Huey. Deciding to dedicate the show to Huey’s memory, Charlie uses a selection of music to chart the rise and fall of their friendship.

The Hearts of Bwindi

directed by Charli Doherty | United Kingdom | Documentary

This documentary spotlights the harmonious efforts of wildlife rangers and local communities safeguarding Uganda's biodiverse, UNESCO-recognized Bwindi National Park.

London's Forgotten

directed by Liam Pinheiro-Rogers | United Kingdom | Drama

A cycle that targets the few. A cycle that refuses to end. In the urban streets of London, the stories of knife crime victims are connected by a wandering drifter who has loose ends to tie.

MAN>CODE

directed by Adrian Gardner | United Kingdom | LGBTQ+

Lucas, a computer techie goes on an ordeal when he invites Theo around for what he thought would be no-strings-attached fun, but it takes an odd turn when his ex-girlfriend returns home early.

Ministry of Jingle [UK Premiere]

directed by Maddie Dai | New Zealand | Comedy

Melody is the new hire at the Ministry of Jingle, a Government department in charge of creating public safety jingles about a range of topics; seatbelts, condoms, littering.

Rejoyce!

directed by David Ledger | United Kingdom | Comedy

After the death of her husband, an elderly vicar’s wife Winifred Tyler (Amanda Walker, Triangle of Sadness) unearths a book of erotic fiction that she wrote in her youth.

Stones [London Premiere]

directed by  Matthew Hopper | United Kingdom | Drama

On a trip to his old family home in the Scottish Highlands, a troubled man argues on the phone with his stoic father, forcing him to confront a dark issue in their relationship.

Two Minutes [London Premiere]

directed by Jamie Benyon | United Kingdom | Comedy

Two brothers rob a corner shop only to be interrupted by their Nan.

Trigger Warning: This programme contains racial discrimination & violence, and suicide

Kino Short Film presents some of the best shorts of the year for their BIFA qualifying film festival.

BENJI [London Premiere]

directed by Oscar Garth | United Kingdom | Arthouse

A seemingly innocent TV commercial for a family-friendly recycling bin becomes increasingly bizarre when the father decides to recycle more than just household waste.

The Car Spotter

directed by Martin Sandin | Sweden | Comedy

Peo loves spotting cars. It gives his everyday life a little twist. It’s also a hobby that is about to ruin the most important thing he has. The Car Spotter is a film about the small choices in life that have big consequences.

Call Me Back

directed by Tom Andrews | United Kingdom | Drama

The subtlety of memory and grief is studied in this heartfelt exploration of a bereaved older woman. Grace (Lindsay Duncan), returns home from the funeral of her husband, George (Jim Broadbent), accompanied by her daughter, Lucy (Sophia Myles). Mother and daughter clash, leading Grace to attempt to mourn in isolation.

The Chosen One [UK Premiere]

directed by Elazar Fine | United States | Thriller

After impulsively shaving off his beard and sidelocks, Eli Eisenstein is thrown out of his Hasidic family home. He finds refuge with his estranged, ex-religious aunt Shifra, but inner turmoil forces him to experience a nightmarish transformation that leads him right back to where he started.

The Cure [London Premiere]

directed by Taisia Deeva | United Kingdom | Drama

17-year-old Renal is brought to a sex worker by his uncle to prove his masculinity to his patriarchal father. This “educational” act turns into psychological and physical abuse.

Feeling Lucky

directed by Anna-Marie Ramm | United Kingdom | Comedy

A couple show their true colours when they discover that they've won the lottery.

Inappropriate

directed by Jonathan Blagrove | United Kingdom | Drama

When a volunteer turns up for his shift to help guide a young offender through the process of his arrest, he gets more than he bargained for.

Saving Art

directed by Remi R.M. Moses | United Kingdom | Drama

Instead of telling his newly diagnosed five-year-old son that he has Leukaemia; Brian tells Arthur that the chemotherapy will give him superpowers. In a battle to keep them both positive, Brian is haunted by his lie as he struggles to find hope.

Terror

directed by Giles Buchanan | United Kingdom | Thriller

The sole survivor of a mountain climb struggles to come to terms with a supernatural incident.

Under the Blue

directed by Linda Ludwig & James Curle | United Kingdom | Drama

Bruised, hungry and only halfway through her late shift, a lonely and disillusioned police officer forms an unlikely connection with an appreciative and thankful criminal.

Trigger Warning: This programme contains religous persecution, sexual abuse, and childhood trauma.

Kino Short Film presents some of the best shorts of the year for their BIFA qualifying film festival.

Black Dog [London Premiere]

directed by Ed Kirk | United Kingdom | Folk Horror

A Father and Son confront their history and navigate their grief within the crumbling walls of their moorland home.

Do As I Say

directed by Ana Pio | United Kingdom | Drama

A middle-aged piano teacher mourns her failed career as a concert pianist with a drink always in hand. Grappling with this aching disappointment and unfulfilled legacy, she is pushed to the end of her tether by the rebellious student she once perceived as her younger self.

Fluff [London Premiere]

directed by Max Clendaniel | United Kingdom | Dark Comedy

A puppeteer is pushed to the limit when her puppet starts getting bigger, but no one believes her.

I Understand

directed by Mark van Heusden | United Kingdom | Drama

Ben and Eve had a fight at a house party. They both let off steam by meeting a friend in a pub to express their frustration and share their story. As they both tell their version of events, we find out what really happened that night.

Monochromatic

directed by Karen Bryson | United Kingdom | Drama

1977, Wood Green London. The political climate is volatile with racial hatred, skinhead subculture is prevalent. We see this reality through the eyes of Grace, age 6. Innocent, carefree and mischievous. Grace is Black

Requiem

directed by Emma Gilbertson | United Kingdom | Historical Drama, LGBTQ+

A coming of age story set against the backdrop of the 1605 witch trials. Evelyn (Bella Ramsey, Game of Thrones, The Last of Us) engages in a game of cat and mouse against her father, Minister Gilbert, in order to be with Mary, the woman she loves.

Us & In Between [London Premiere]

directed by Katia Shannon | United Kingdom | Drama

Two long-lost lovers in their 80s, Agnes and Eddie, reignite their flame after a chance encounter in their care home.

Whippy [London Premiere]

directed by James Rooke | United Kingdom | Comedy

Rivalry, greed… and calippos. A messy turf war has erupted between warring ice cream firms in 1980s Glasgow after one rogue vendor is caught crossing county lines.

Trigger Warning: This programme contains racial discrimination, sexual discrimination, violence, and suicide

Kino Short Film presents some of the best shorts of the year for their BIFA qualifying film festival.

Ashes

directed by Georgina Haig | Australia | Comedy

Bereft after the loss of her beloved Dad James (Michael Caton, The Castle), Frances misses the appointment to pick up his ashes. Through a bizarre posthumous prank, can James rectify his daughter’s habitual lateness, even after he’s gone? A darkly comedic story about grief, tough love and the unexpected ways those who have passed continue to influence us.

Far Away [UK Premiere]

directed by Nathaniel McCullagh | Ireland | Drama

12 year old Aoife learns to grow up fast after the death of her beloved Grandpy, as she tries to build ties with her emotionally detached father (Seamus O'Hara, An Irish Goodbye).

Fishing

directed by Josie Charles | United Kingdom | Found Footage

GRAND JURY PRIZE - BEST NARRATIVE SHORT - SLAMDANCE FILM FESTIVAL 2024

It’s 2006. Sixteen-year-old Lola has been in her room for three days and refuses to come out. She confesses to a camcorder a tale of first love and lost virginity, before finally revealing the secret keeping her locked inside.

Hard Times [London Premiere]

directed by Elliott Gonzo & Elliot Warren | United Kingdom | Drama

A man (Elliot Warren, Top Boy) under the strain of the cost of living crisis makes a risky decision to involve his daughter in a dangerous job for a much needed paycheck.

The Hope Chest Has a Secret Drawer [UK Premiere]

directed by Laura Frenzer | United States | Drama

A stressed daughter (Amy Hargreaves, Homeland, 13 Reasons Why) working tirelessly to reach her mother (Anna Stuart, All My Children) lost in an Alzheimer’s haze accidentally uncovers a dark family secret.

Satisfaction [London Premiere]

directed by Bailey Tom Bailey | United Kingdom | Historical Comedy

Georgian England. A society lady raises her pistol to duel with her aristocratic mentor over a grave insult.

Something For Your Mind [UK Premiere]

directed by Kamil Dymek | United Kingdom | Sci-Fi

When a successful podcaster tests a mind-altering device to question the ethics of her mental health content, she unleashes dire consequences that expose the dark side of the wellness industry and the dangers of misinformation.

Twofold

directed by Ella Greenwood | United Kingdom | Drama, LGBTQ+

As New Year's Eve festivities are underway on the floor above, in a single-take snapshot, Allie and Erin have a chance encounter down below. But when Allie recognises Erin from over a decade ago, the past breaks the surface, and fireworks ensue.

Trigger Warning: This programme contains sexual abuse

Set in the 1980s, in the former Etruscian landscape of rural Italy, the film follows a vagabond-type character called Arthur (Josh O’Connor); an Englishman who embodies the spirit of the Romantics, he is searching for something he can’t quite grasp. As an archaeologist, he makes use of his unique skills to aid a ragtag group of tomboroli - local graverobbers - to find ancient tombs filled with artefacts to sell on the black market. To the locals these graves are sacred, believing curses follow those who enter. But Arthur, who is mourning the loss of his love Beniamina, is less concerned with the monetary value of the objects, using the digs to search for the door to the afterlife - of which myths speak - where he imagines reuniting with her. A cloud of mystery follows him as he walks the line between the living and the dead, between reality and trickery, between the past and the present. Bringing him into the present is Italia (Carol Duarte), a single mother who befriends him and opens his eyes to the world in new ways.

The Garden Cinema view:

It’s a Josh O’Connor spring, and here he plays a (somehow) even more rumpled and crumpled character than his washed up tennis pro in Luca Guadagnino’s Challengers. He is Arthur, a perpetually exhausted and sullen English archaeologist-cum-tomb raider, decked out in creased, and increasingly grubby, white linens. This feels like an instantly iconic role for O’Connor, and one which director Alice Rohrwacher places within a beautiful evocation of 1980s Italy. As in the wonderful Happy as Lazzaro, Rohrwacher captures Tuscany and Lazio on nostalgic 16mm Kodak film. Her scenes are full of humour and music, and the film as a whole beckons in dreams, ghosts, and creatures of myth. Filled with melancholia, but never sombre, La Chimera is grumpily romantic, very slightly fantastical, and always a delight.      

In this enchanting Oscar-nominated drama, a daydreaming but discontented young teacher is posted to Lunana, a remote village high in the Himalayan mountains. There, he is disheartened to find a simple yak herding community lacking basic amenities such as electricity or even a blackboard in its school classroom. But the enthusiasm of his young students and the unassuming warmth of the village folk buoy his spirits and he must decide whether to return to the city before the gruelling winter sets in or remain in this strange and captivating land.

Beautifully photographed in extraordinary Bhutanese mountain locations, Pawo Choyning Dorji’s acclaimed debut feature gives a fascinating insight into a region rarely seen on screen. Balancing gentle humour with life-affirming drama, and performed with easy appeal by largely first-time actors, it’s an entertaining, irresistibly uplifting tale about the power of a new environment to effect personal transformation.

Dzongkha & English with English Subtitles

Oscars Nominee- Best International Feature Film 2021

'A breath of fresh air' - Ang Lee

Director’s Statement:

'One of the things I wanted to do was bring back appreciation of the traditional folk songs of Bhutan. These songs in the film really tell the story of our country and they are at the heart and soul of Bhutanese culture, but as we are modernising, they are being forgotten. I wanted to showcase these songs in the movie partly to show Bhutan to the outside world but also to remind Bhutanese about this amazing music we have’

Screening in partnership with the Chinese Cinema Project. 

Are you that person in your friend group who everyone asks for film recommendations? Do you know your Before Sunrise from your Aftersun, and your Blue Crush from your Green Ray? These skills you've been honing might just save you from drowning in our Summer themed Members' Film Quiz!

Join us for an evening of mind-melting trivia questions, as well as a variety of picture, audio & video rounds. There will be prizes up for grabs for the top 3 teams, including:

• Vouchers for delicious & authentic Italian gelato, courtesy of the lovely team at Badiani 1932, whose Covent Garden location is just a few minutes walk from the cinema
• A selection of film-adjacent beach reads, donated by our friends at Fopp Covent Garden
• Free cinema tickets

There will also be a refreshing liquid bonus for the best team name.

We have space for 9 teams of max. 5 contestants each. Tickets are £5, and are restricted to 1 per member, so please make sure to be logged in and book quickly once ticket sales open on Wednesday 10 July at 13:00.

Important info before booking:

If you would like to be placed on a team with friends (who must also be members of the cinema), you can either:

• Purchase your tickets individually, and leave their names during the checkout process, so we can place you on the same team
• Purchase tickets for the entire team, and assign each ticket to the individual team members (you will need to know the full name or email address their membership is registered under, to do this)

Please note that any teams of 3 contestants or less may be merged together to allow as many members as possible to join.

If you're joining by yourself, you will be placed on a Garden Cinema All Stars team - a great opportunity to meet fellow members which, as proven by previous editions, greatly improves your chances of winning the quiz!

Summer holidays at The Garden Cinema would not be complete without Monsieur Hulot.

Jacques Tati’s endearing clown, takes a holiday at a seaside resort, where his presence provokes one catastrophe after another. Tati’s masterpiece of gentle slapstick is a series of effortlessly well-choreographed sight gags involving dogs, boats, and firecrackers; it was the first entry in the Hulot series and the film that launched its maker to international stardom.

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  

Pablo Navarrete's parents were forced to leave Chile after a military coup on 11 September 1973. They arrived in the UK as political refugees after spending time in the Pinochet dictatorship’s torture centres. They didn’t know it then, but Britain would be where they would settle, have a family, and still live, nearly 50 years later.

Filmed over more than three years, Mother, Country is a deeply personal film that follows the director as he travels to Chile with his parents in 2020 to witness a people’s uprising and finally confront their past.

The screening will be followed by a live Q&A with director Pablo Navarrete, his mother, Cristina Godoy-Navarrete, and father, Roberto Navarrete, hosted by journalist Matt Kennard, head of investigations at Declassified UK. Matt has previously written for the New Statesman, The Guardian, the Financial Times, openDemocracy, and The Intercept.

Matt's new book The Racket will be available to buy at the cinema.

'Pablo Navarrete focuses on his family in a simple yet poignant story about Chile’s traumatic past' Dmovies.org

This film was proposed by our member Jacquie Lee, who writes: 'Nashville is unique and considered one of the finest films from the 70s. The film portrays 24 characters who under Robert Altman’s direction satirise the absurdity of politics and the music industry. I recently watched a few short clips from this film and would love to propose this film so members can watch it on the big screen at The Garden Cinema.'

This cornerstone of 1970s American moviemaking from Robert Altman is a panoramic view of the country’s political and cultural landscapes, set in the nation’s music capital. Nashville weaves the stories of twenty-four characters - from country star to wannabe to reporter to waitress - into a cinematic tapestry that is equal parts comedy, tragedy, and musical. Many members of the astonishing cast wrote their own songs and performed them live on location, which lends another layer to the film’s quirky authenticity. Altman’s ability to get to the heart of American life via its eccentric byways was never put to better use than in this grand, rollicking triumph, which barrels forward to an unforgettable conclusion.

Our screening on 10 August will be introduced by Tony Rayns and followed by a Zoom Q&A with lead actress Wei Minzhi.

Inspired by the works of Abbas Kiarostami (in particular Where is the Friend’s House?) and Vittorio De Sica, Zhang returned to similar territory to The Story of Qiu Ju (1992). Not One Less is an even purer example of neorealism, with a cast of non-professional actors mainly playing versions of themselves.

Chief amongst those is the one-in-a-lifetime performance of thirteen-year-old Wei Minzhi as a teenager who is ordered to a remote and poverty-stricken village to work as a substitute teacher. Barely older than her students, the shy girl is charged with keeping the class intact for one month, or she will not be paid. Faced with overwhelming family debt, the class troublemaker disappears into the city to find work. The stubborn teacher, however, is determined to follow the boy and bring him back to school.

Not One Less was designed in part to promote China’s education reform policies (although it is arguably quite critical of the school system at the same time), which may have contributed to its controversial rejection from the main competition at Cannes. Despite this, it would go on to win the Golden Lion at the 1999 Venice Film Festival.  

The screening on 29 July will be introduced by Dr Ashvin Immanuel Devasundaram, Senior Lecturer in World Cinema at Queen Mary.

Original Copy is a humorous and heartfelt documentary about the magic of film, its transience, and its immortality.

The 'Alfred Talkies' cinema in the heart of Mumbai has fallen out of time. In the old Hindi film palace, 35mm copies still rattle through the museum-ready projectors. A sinking ship, held on course by an intrepid crew: the distinguished boss, who shouldn't have taken over the cinema because she is a woman. The meticulous manager who knows exactly what his audience wants. And the chain-smoking film poster painter, Sheikh Rehman, who runs his studio behind the cinema screen in the style of old masters. A mixture of artist, guru, comedian and philosopher.

Each week a mammoth task begins, to paint a huge billboard sized picture showcasing the latest film. His colourful and spectacular posters are works of art in their own right, but Sheikh Rehman’s work is becoming obsolete as plastic posters take over and the cinema battles against declining audiences. A hopeless fight, but no reason to give up.

Original Copy is a ravishing declaration of love to the cinema and its heroes both on and behind the big screen.

Hot Docs International Documentary Festival, Canada (2015)

Best Documentary, Fantastic Fest Austin, USA (2016)

Rotterdam International Film Festival, Netherlands (2016)

Language: English & Hindi with English Subtitles

Dr Ashvin Immanuel Devasundaram

Dr Ashvin Immanuel Devasundaram is Senior Lecturer in World Cinema at Queen Mary and author of the world's first book and edited anthology on new Indian Indie films. Ashvin is Associate Director of the UK Asian Film Festival – London and has directed the UK Heritage Lottery-funded documentary Movies, Memories, Magic (2018). His latest book Indian Indies: A Guide to New Independent Indian Cinema (with a foreword by Shabana Azmi) was published by Routledge in 2022.  

Our screening on Saturday 27 July will be introduced by Xiaoning Lu (SOAS), and will be followed by a discussion in The Garden Cinema Bar.

The culmination of Zhang Yimou’s ‘Red Trilogy’, and perhaps his most accomplished film, Raise the Red Lantern follows an educated young woman named Songlian (Gong Li, once again), who is sold into marriage with the rich tyrant Master Chen. The Qiao Family Compound provides the basis for one of the great single-setting films, a bewildering fortress of walls, gates, and chambers which reflects the maze of political and sexual challenges which Songlian must navigate if she is to survive. Fittingly, Raise the Red Lantern is Zhang at his most theatrical. Here, surface level appearances are deceitful, and every gesture or phrase hides a double meaning. The world of repeated rituals and contests between the four competing wives of Master Chen is both intoxicating and frightening. Prosperity and favour are inextricably linked to performance (that of duties and of identity), often the only course of agency for women in the patriarchal societies depicted in many of Zhang’s films. Winner of the Silver Lion at Venice in 1991, Raise the Red Lantern is finally available to see once again in the cinema.  

Our Screening on 23 July was introduced by Tony Rayns.

Red Sorghum was an international sensation which won the Golden Bear at the 1988 Berlin Film Festival and propelled Zhang Yimou to arthouse stardom. Adapting Nobel Laureate Mo Yan’s bawdy and brutal novel, Zhang depicts the fortunes of a rural wine distillery during the Second Sino-Japanese War. Gong Li stars (in her debut role) as a young woman sold into a marriage to the leprous owner of the distillery. When her husband is killed in mysterious circumstances, she inherits his business and endeavours to survive and succeed in a patriarchal and semi-lawless society, and against the ever-encroaching war. Zhang captures the potent energy of the source material, with use of deeply saturated colours (primarily, red), and the vast swaying fields of Sorghum which conceal and reveal both intense danger and liberating escape. Barbarism and romanticism coexist in this intoxicating slice of folk-filmmaking, arguably the wildest and most peculiarly optimistic entry in Zhang’s filmography.

Our screening on Friday 19 July was introduced by Victor Fan (KCL).

After provoking the ire of authorities by not pre-screening To Live (1994) for the Chinese Film Administration before its premiere at Cannes, Zhang Yimou retreated to supposedly more stable ground with a genre (gangster) film with a less incendiary period setting (1930s Shanghai).

Hired as servant to nightclub singer and mob boss mistress Xiao Jinbao (Gong Li), naive teenager Shuisheng (Wang Xiaoxiao) is thrust into the glamorous and deadly shadow-world of Shanghai’s crime syndicates. Over the course of seven days, Shuisheng observes mounting tensions as triad boss Tang begins to suspect traitors amongst his ranks, as well as rivals for Jinbao’s affections.

Shanghai Triad marked the end (for the time being) of the professional and personal partnership between Zhang and Gong Li which forms the creative core of the director’s first seven films. Fittingly, much of this film celebrates Li as a performer, both through several onstage song and dance numbers, and the highwire acts of appearance and desire Jinbao must indulge in order to survive. Working within a populist genre also allowed Zhang to engage in a degree of formal playfulness. In particular, his use of odd angles and framings, and POV camera work which return the viewer to a reflexive and preserve voyeuristic position, not seen since Ju Dou (1990).        

Prior to the film there will be a traditional Indian music performance by internationally acclaimed sitarist Jonathan Mayer & gifted tabla player Dhanraj Persaud. The film will be introduced by guest curator Anupma Shanker.

A silent spectacle featuring an all-Indian cast of thousands, lavish costumes and gorgeous settings, Shiraz: A Romance of India is based on the true story -or a romanticized version- of the 17th-century Mughal ruler Shah Jahan and the events leading to the construction of the world’s most beautiful monument to love, the Taj Mahal, in memory of his dead queen, Mumtaz Mahal.

The brainchild of star and producer Himanshu Rai, regarded as one of the pioneers of Indian cinema, this ambitious Indian/British/German co-production was directed by the Bavarian filmmaker Franz Osten, and was the second of three silent films, shot on location in Jaipur, India. Rai plays the lead role of the humble potter Shiraz who follows his childhood sweetheart Selima (Enakshi Rama Rau) when she is sold by slave traders to the future emperor. Shiraz is ultimately fated to design the queen’s iconic mausoleum.

Restored from original film elements by the BFI National Archive in 2017, the film also features a new score by the Grammy Award-winning sitar player and composer Anoushka Shankar.

Looking back at this iconic historical saga ninety six years later, Shiraz is not just one of the few silent Indian films to survive, it is an aide-mémoire of India’s flourishing film industry in the 1920s, and a shining jewel of silent world cinema classics.

Jonathan Mayer [Sitar]

Son of the late Kolkata composer John Mayer, Jonathan began his musical training at the early age of 5. His teachers have included Clem Alford (the first ever European sitar player), Pandit Subroto Roychowdhury of Senia Gharana and Wajahat Khan (direct descendent of Mia Tansen the great musician, one of the nine jewels in Moghul court of Emperor Akbar). Jonathan has performed all over the world and his works have been performed and commissioned by The London Philharmonic Orchestra, Pilsen Philharmonic Orchestra, Docklands Sinfonia, among others. Jonathan is the co-founder of First Hand Records Ltd and Artistic Director of Zeroclassikal.

Dhanraj Persuad [Tabla]

Dhanraj began his training at the age of 14 under the tutelage of Pandit Rajkumar Misra. In keeping with the lineage of his Guru, Dhanraj follows the playing style of the Jaipur and Farukhabad Gharanas of Tabla. Not only is Dhanraj an accomplished Tabla player but also an experienced vocalist, currently receiving training from Smt. Chandrima Misra of the Kasur-Patiala Gharana. Dhanraj has performed extensively around the UK and is fast becoming a much sought after performer within the Indian Classical Music scene in this country.

Anupma Shanker

The film has been chosen by guest curator Anupma Shanker. Anupma is a British-Indian film curator and archives researcher, with a deep and evolving interest in colonial & post-colonial screen narratives. Her curatorial practice is focussed on researching, screening and creating conversations around heritage films, with aim of making them accessible to a wider audience, both within and outside the UK. Her other interests include, Black-British cinema, Post-war Japanese Cinema, Indian Parallel Cinema, and Iranian New-wave Cinema.

Adam works night shifts at a motorway service station and lives a small and lonely life. Upon hearing that his estranged father has died, he finds himself in search of answers. Piecing together a complicated image of a man he never knew, Adam starts to become convinced he descends from an alien race.

Written and directed by Moin Hussain, Sky Peals is an unconventional sci-fi drama about alienation in modern Britain, with breathtaking cinematography (shot on 35mm film) and a breakthrough lead performance by Faraz Ayub.

The Garden Cinema View:

A tangible oneiric atmosphere seeps into this mysterious service station-set debut. The liminal space of motorway and rest stop conjures an insomniac sense of detachment akin to Cronenberg’s Crash. But rather than Ballard’s numbed yuppies, Sky Peals concerns the alienation of working class Midlands life. A glacial pace and Faraz Ayub’s insular performance generate a sense of drag and drift that may induce tedium for some viewers. A sensation that is admittedly in keeping with the nocturnal canvas of loneliness, grief, and, potentially, neurodivergent experience.

What if the place you thought was safest suddenly became a battleground for your sanity? Young couple Hyun-su and Soo-jin are about to become new parents when, one night, heavily pregnant Soo-jin wakes up from a deep slumber to her husband’s first act of parasomnia. Debut director Jason Yu brings audiences a clever, well-crafted and genre-bending thriller.

The Garden Cinema View:

Those hoary horror staples of sleep disorders/paralysis and demon seeds are rearing their horrifying heads again in this effective new chiller from South Korea. It’s an impressive debut from Jason Yu who deploys genre conventions quite elegantly within a claustrophobic chamber setting. Some early sequences are genuinely quite uneasy, but a vein of subtle humour stops proceedings from becoming too intense. Ultimately, this is a an examination of the pressures of parenthood on a couple. Both well played here, with a bittersweet performance from the late Lee Sun-kyun (known in the West for his work with Hong Sang-soo and in Parasite).

In the heart of Paris, Madame Adelaide Bonfamille leaves her entire fortune to Duchess, her high-society cat, and her three little kittens. When her butler plots to steal the money and kidnap the family of cats, leaving them out on a country road, all seems lost until the wily Thomas O’Malley and his jazz-playing alley cats come to the aristocats’ rescue.

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 Ariadne Suo, who writes: '"All my life I’ve felt I was in two places at the same time. Here and somewhere else." A visual poem about doppelgängers, rebirth, and the subtle sensations you can’t quite put into words. A film about spirituality and interconnectedness of human lives that I hope to introduce to more people in this community. My favourite film by my favourite director but I’ve still never seen it on a big screen. The one time I managed to find a screening, it was cancelled half an hour before it was due to start. Kieslowski loves coincidences like this. He’d say it’s fate. But I’m determined to change that.'

Krzysztof Kieslowski's international breakthrough remains one of his most beloved films, a ravishing, mysterious rumination on identity, love, and human intuition. Irène Jacob is incandescent as both Weronika, a Polish choir soprano, and her double, Véronique, a French music teacher. Though unknown to each other, the two women share an enigmatic, emotional bond, which Kieślowski details in gorgeous reflections, colours, and movements. Aided by Slawomir Idziak's shimmering cinematography and Zbigniew Preisner's haunting, operatic score, Kieslowski creates one of cinema's most purely metaphysical works. The Double Life of Véronique is an unforgettable symphony of feeling.

Over a decade in the making, The Fisherman and the Banker is modern-day David and Goliath documentary that chronicles the epic struggle of a resilient fishing community in India’s Gulf of Kutch, who take on one of the world’s most powerful institutions, The World Bank Group. These courageous fishermen, whose livelihoods are imperilled by the environmental devastation wrought by coal-fired power plants, embark on an unprecedented journey of resistance.

 

In Gujarat, the fishermen and their grassroots movement, MASS, have long fought against industrial pollution that threatens their traditional way of life. Their battle gains international traction in 2015 when EarthRights International, a Washington, DC-based NGO, champions their cause, filing the first-ever lawsuit against the World Bank’s private lending arm, the International Finance Corporation (IFC).

 

The documentary delves into the heart of the conflict, spotlighting the Tata-owned power plant funded by the IFC, a symbol of unchecked industrial power. As the fishermen’s legal challenge ascends through higher courts, culminating in a historic showdown at the US Supreme Court in 2018, the film captures their relentless quest for justice.

 

The Fisherman and the Banker is not just a legal battle; it’s a gripping story of human endurance and the fight to hold powerful entities accountable. Will these indomitable fishermen succeed in rewriting international law to protect their heritage and environment, or will the might of the IFC prevail?

The film was nominated for best feature film at the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival.

"Moving and Necessary. A David-vs-Goliath story for an age that desperately needs such stories” – Yanis Varoufakis

Both screenings will be followed by a Q&A with director Sheena Sumaria.

All screenings of will be shown with English subtitles (not HOH).

The screening on Thursday 20 June, will be introduced by Julie Lobalzo Wright.

The matinee screening on Monday 17 June, will be introduced by Darren Richman. Afterwards, he and Devorah Baum will hold a post-screening discussion.

The Heartbreak Kid is a melancholic tale that turns the rom-com genre on its head.

During their honeymoon in Miami, Lenny meets beautiful and sophisticated Kelly (Cybill Shepherd). Every chance he gets, Lenny sneaks away from Lila to be with Kelly, and the more he gets to know her, the more he falls in love. Problems arise when the two women learn about each another.

Julie Lobalzo Wright is an Assistant Professor in Film and Television Studies at the University of Warwick. She has taught and researched film and television stardom, animation, and Hollywood musicals. Her next project is a book length study of Barbra Streisand that will focus on the authorship of her star image throughout her career.

Devorah Baum is the author of a number of books including On Marriage (Hamish Hamilton) and The Jewish Joke (Profile). With Josh Appignanesi she is co-director of the films The New Man and Husband. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times, the Guardian, Granta, Tate Etc and the Financial Times. She is Associate Professor of English Literature at the University of Southampton.

Darren Richman is a writer and journalist. He has a monthly column in The Jewish News and his writing has appeared in The Guardian, Little White Lies and The Daily Telegraph. Between 2014 and 2018, he had a regular column for The Independent in which he championed obscure or forgotten films. He co-wrote My Life as Pat Sharp, a spoof memoir published in November 2020 by Little Brown.

The Heartbreak Kid is screening from the best materials currenty available.

 

We’ve dug deep into the LIAF archives and have selected 16 of the best short animated films full of visually dazzling joy from all around the world, for kids of all ages and the whole family.

There’ll be talking animals, seriously fun adventures and tales that spark all those little imaginations. Animation is the most imaginative and engaging of all art forms and is the perfect platform to enthral and inspire the wide-open imaginations of kids. This programme, carefully selected with our youngest audience in mind, is always popular, and not a toy ad in sight.

For more information about the London International Animation Festival and our programmes please look at the website at www.liaf.org.uk

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.

Programme:

Spring Jam

Dir: Ned Wenlock

New Zealand, 5’35, 2016

A young stag, lacking impressive antlers, knows he needs to improvise sweet music if he’s to have any chance during the mating season.

Mr Night Has A Day Off

Dir: Ignas Meilunas

Lithuania, 2’00, 2017

Unsatisfied, Mr Night is walking around the town changing all things to black until everything is as dark as night.

Keep On Rolling!

Dir: Takashi Miike

Japan, 5’00, 2016

An ambitious dung beetle can’t stop rolling poo. He perfects the art with every round thing he comes across.

A Rhino named Paul "Everybody sleeps"

Dir: Dave Schlafman, Mike Annear

USA, 2’40, 2015

It's bedtime, but a restless little rhino just isn't ready to call it a day.

Dust Buddies

Dir: Sam Wade and Beth Tomashek

USA, 4’05, 2016

A group of adorable dust bunnies live a humble, but happy existence until a dust-up with a determined maid gets them into an epic kerfuffle.

Deep Beneath The Earth

Dir: Kim Noce and Shaun Clark

UK, 3’00, 2017

The only thing young Lucy likes is gaming on her Ipad. But when she loses it in the woods she is determined to get it back.

The One Who Tamed the Clouds

Dir: Julie Rembauville , Nicolas Bianco-Levrin

France, 4’00, 2016

At the top of a canyon, the old Indian Flying Shadow teaches the young Nayati the ancient art of smoke signals.

Sabaku

Dir: Marlies van der Wel

Netherlands, 2’00, 2016

When Sabaku’s best friend Buffalo passes away, he needs to find himself a new friend.

Water Path For A Fish

Dir: Mercedes Marro

France, 8’00, 2016

In a Latin American town Oscar sleeps when a sudden gust of wind wakes him up. From his window he sees a goldfish in a dirty puddle, gasping for air.

Hamlet.Comedy

Dir: Eugeniy Fadeyev

Russia, 5’00, 2015

A class of children go to see “Hamlet” with their strict teacher. When the children get bored, they start to laugh and wreak havoc.

About Coati

Dir: Alexandra Slepchuk

Russia, 6’00, 2015

A delightful fable about how to turn your weaknesses into strengths.

Awesome Beetle's Colours

Dir: Indra Sproge

Latvia, 3’15, 2016

A lovely song to guide you through the alphabet.

The Red Herring

Dir: Leevi Lemmetty

Finland/Ireland, 6’40, 2015

Are these penguins hungry or greedy?

Kochkunst - The Art of Cooking

Dir: Stella Raith

Germany, 3’15, 2016

The cook wants to make a pancake but it fights tooth and nail against returning to the pan.

In the Forest of Forgotten Umbrellas

Dir: Dimitry Vysotskiy

Russia, 6’35, 2016

Every night Dad tries to figure out what story to tell his little children.

Island

Dir: Max Mortl and Robert Loebel

Germany, 2’00, 2017

On a small island a bunch of exotic creatures run across each other.

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 film was proposed by our member Amanda Rosario Matveeva who writes, 'This came out when I was living in Mumbai and I remember all the hype around it. I never got a chance to see it - I would love to see it on the big screen!'

When Saajan, an ill-tempered Mumbai office worker nearing retirement, is delivered the wrong lunch, he is pleasantly surprised by the improvement in his food. The lunchbox had been intended for young housewife Ila's emotionally indifferent husband in an attempt to win back his favour. When he fails to respond to her efforts, Ila decides to enclose a note in the next meal and Saajan, his taste buds tickled and his interest piqued, decides to write back. Through a series of exchanged notes that they pass back and forth through the lunches, Saajan and Ila find comfort in their unexpected friendship.

With superbly rich and subtle performances by two of India’s finest stars, the beloved late leading man Irrfan Khan and the award-winning actress Nimrat Kaur. The Lunchbox enchanted audiences around the globe, winning an audience award at Cannes and a Best Film nomination at the London Film Festival.

Hindi with English Subtitles

Please note, the screening on Tuesday 30 July is our Free Members' Screening, and the screening on Monday 5 August is a general public screening.

This 2005 film version of the classic 1960s children's television series sees the return of beloved animated characters Dougal the dog, Ermintrude the cow, Brian the snail, Dylan the rabbit, and of course, magician-on-a-spring, Zebedee. When Zebedee's evil brother ZeeBad tries to freeze the whole world, it's up to sugar-loving Dougal, voiced by pop star Robbie Williams, to save the day.

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 classic Disney comedy stars Hayley Mills in a dual role as teenage girls Susan and Sharon, who look identical, and meet each other at a summer camp. They are shocked to learn that they are twin sisters, who were separated as babies when their parents' divorced. Since Sharon lives in Boston with Mum (Maureen O'Hara) and Susan lives in California with Dad (Brian Keith), they decide to switch places in an effort to reunite their parents.

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  

Our Screening on 14 August will be introduced by Tony Rayns.

Made immediately after the shoot for Not One Less (1999) had wrapped, The Road Home begins with a man’s monochrome-shot return from the city to his childhood village where his father has recently died. But what begins as a short trip becomes much more when he learns his mother has demanded a traditional burial for her beloved husband. She wants to have him carried by foot, honouring the belief that a body returned this way will never forget the road home. As Yusheng enlists the men needed to fulfil her wishes, the story of his parents’ love affair unfolds in stunning colour cinematography.

The Road Home is Zhang Yimou’s most simple, yet most touching film. Dripping in nostalgic longing, the central romance plays out across a painterly bucolic canvas. The film is a profoundly emotional viewing experience, and a showcase for breakout star Zhang Ziyi, in the first appearance in her and Zhang’s extraordinarily successful three-film partnership.

Debut director Rezwan Sumit collected numerous awards, including a Spike Lee Fellowship, to produce this exquisite drama from Bangladesh.

The screening will be introduced by award-winning journalist. Momtaz Begum-Hossain.

Set in the stunning, unlimited vistas of coastal Bangladesh we meet Rudro, a young artist, who after the death of his father, relocates to a remote beach village to find closure and practise his art. Welcomed by the local fishermen and their leader Chairman, Rudro's lifelike sculptures enchant the village boys and his landlord's daughter. But when the fish shoals they rely on suddenly disappear, Rudro’s modern ideas are blamed. As a cyclone approaches, Rudro finds himself centre stage in a primal, elemental conflict between man and nature.

Bengali with English Subtitles

London Film Festival 2020

Busan Film Festival 2020

Director's Statement:

Director Spike Lee was the first person who gave me a grant for this project, not without a warning – 'You are going to shoot a first feature, in Bangladesh, during monsoon, on boats? May Allah be with you! Allahu Akbar!' I might have laughed that day, but he was right. This project – from development to post-production – tested me in ways I never imagined it would. If I were given a second chance would I write a different script? Nope. The Salt in Our Waters made me who I am today.'

Momtaz Begum-Hossain is an award-winning journalist and podcaster who has reported from festivals including BFI London and Cannes. She has delivered workshops for Film London and hosted  Q&As with Film Directors at  venues including the BFI Southbank, Rich Mix, Picturehouse Cinemas and Cineworld.

Homer, Marge, Bart and Lisa find themselves caught up in a typically hilarious yarn as TV's favourite family makes its movie debut. Homer accidentally polutes the local water supply, so Springfield must be encased in a giant protective dome, leaving the Simpsons in a whole heap of trouble.

Into Film recommends this film for ages 7+

It contains mild language, sexual innuendo and comic violence. For more details see the BBFC website

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 26 July will be introduced by Chris Berry (KCL).

Following his trilogy of highly aesthetic folk fables (Red Sorghum, Ju Dou, Raise the Red Lantern), Zhang Yimou made a sharp pivot to a style grounded in realism with the Golden Lion winning The Story of Qiu Ju. Gong Li (who else?) stars in the title role as the pregnant wife of a farmer, seeking justice from local and regional authorities after her husband is assaulted by the village chief. What ensues is a powerful test of willpower, where Qiu Ju must confront the bustle of a modern city (this is Zhang’s first contemporary set picture), and the absurd - if not intentionally unhelpful - bureaucracy of the legal system.

 

Assisted by what is arguably Li’s greatest performance, Zhang demonstrates a keen interest in the lives of working people, an ambivalence toward systems of law and power, and a caution against single minded revenge. Those used to the gilded surfaces and theatricality of his earlier films may be surprised at the emotional depth of this sympathetic portrayal of a woman’s personal odyssey.  

Our Screening on 2 August will be introduced by Tony Rayns.

The most ambitious film of the first decade of Zhang Yimou’s career, this sweeping adaptation of Yu Hua’s acclaimed novel is also a deeply personal reckoning with his own family history. Better known at the time for his comic roles, Ge You gives a sensational (and Cannes award-winning) performance as Xu Fugui, son of a wealthy family who is caught in the turmoil of the Chinese Civil War and then the Cultural Revolution. Together with his wife Jiazhen (Gong Li), Fugui is thrown from disaster to triumph and back by the chance fates of a society in continual collapse and repair. Few films have captured the frightening speed and energies of revolutionary times like To Live, and fewer still have brought Twentieth Century history alive so vibrantly and with such heartbreaking emotional impact. One of the great films of the 1990s returns to the London for these special screenings.  

This film was proposed by our member Nina Loncar, who writes: 'This was one of my favourite films of my 20s (I am 30) and I would love to be able to watch it in the cinema! The premise is so fun and I want to see Brad Pitt on the big screen as a dumb stoner that is so integral to the plot.'

A comic-book nerd and Elvis fanatic Clarence (Christian Slater) and a prostitute named Alabama (Patricia Arquette) fall in love. Clarence breaks the news to her pimp and ends up killing him. He grabs a suitcase of cocaine on his way out thinking it is Alabama's clothing. The two hit the road for California hoping to sell the drugs, but the mob is soon after them.

Video Bazaar is proud to present the second part of ‘A Hell Like Ours’, a landmark series at The Garden Cinema, exploring the anxieties of the ‘Yuppie Nightmare’ subgenre and the dark side of the American Dream. This next instalment features a darkly comedic thriller that delves into the unsettling undercurrents of family dynamics and personal ambition in late 20th Century cinema, Paul Flaherty's Clifford.

Prepare for a night of unsettling humour and creeping dread as we unravel the narrative of Clifford, a film that subverts the conventions of family comedy to reveal a sinister exploration of obsession, manipulation, and the fragility of innocuous family suburbia. This darkly humorous tale follows Clifford Daniels, a disturbingly precocious 10-year-old boy whose seemingly innocent exterior masks a malevolence that threatens to upend the life of his ambitious uncle, Martin Daniels.

Martin, portrayed by Charles Grodin, is a successful architect whose meticulously planned life is thrown into chaos by the arrival of Clifford, played unnervingly by Martin Short. What begins as a seemingly benign family visit quickly descends into a nightmarish struggle for control, as Clifford's relentless schemes and bizarre demands expose cracks in Martin's veneer of success and stability. The film navigates themes of ambition and the dark side of childhood innocence, casting a disquieting light on the perils of psychological anguish and the corrosive nature of the American family unit whilst capturing the escalating anxiety and desperation of a man whose orderly world is slipping through his fingers.

The screening will also feature a pre-show seminar from writer and musician, William Deacon, who will dissect the film's subversive take on the family comedy and its place within the 'Yuppie Nightmare' subgenre. The talk will explore Clifford's deconstruction of the American Dream, the psychological warfare waged within familial relationships, and the societal anxieties reflected in this unconventional comedy thriller.

This screening is presented by the cult film collective, Video Bazaar, who are proud to show these rarely screened films and are dedicated to bringing the weird and the obscure to London audiences at The Garden Cinema. Please note this event will feature an intro and carefully curated pre-show material.

This mesmeric parable of societal collapse is an enigma of transcendent visual, philosophical, and mystical resonance. Adapted from a novel by László Krasznahorkai, Werckmeister Harmonies unfolds in an unknown time in an unnamed village, where, one day, a mysterious circus - complete with an enormous stuffed whale and a shadowy, demagogue-like figure known as the Prince - arrives and appears to awaken a kind of madness in the citizens that builds inexorably toward violence. In thirty-nine hypnotic long takes engraved in ghostly black and white, auteur Béla Tarr and co-director/editor Ágnes Hranitzky conjure an apocalyptic vision of dreamlike dread and fathomless beauty.

New digital restoration.