What’s on Scene #2 – March 2020

Howdy! Welcome to What’s on Scene, our monthly column dedicated to keeping you up to date on the latest screenings and programmes across the UK. For a full list of screenings scroll to the end of the piece! And remember if you would like a screening listed next month, be sure to let us know!

HOME, Manchester

This month at HOME there is, as usual, much to be excited about! To kick the month off there is a screening of Celine Sciamma’s Girlhood, allowing fans of Portrait of a Lady on Fire to look back at her previous work. There is also a similar opportunity to catch Lovely Rita: one of Little Joe director Jessica Hausner’s earlier works. HOME is also presenting a fantastic opportunity to see a preview of Pedro Costa’s latest film Vitalina Varela,with Costa himself in attendance for a Q&A, definitely not to be missed! March also sees the return of Manchester’s famous Viva! Spanish language film festival, which boasts an incredibly diverse programme filled with UK premieres. Later on in March there is also opportunity to catch two more previews, one being documentary master Patricio Guzmán’s La Cordillera de los sueños, and the other being a compilation of 20 varied short films looking at the state of the UK entitled The Uncertain Kingdom. As usual it is safe to say the people of Manchester are blessed with an array of fantastic programming throughout March!

Broadway Cinema, Nottingham

It’s all happening in Nottingham this month, with the Broadway Cinema bringing fantastic films old and new, a film festival, and a book launch to the table! To kick off the month there is a chance to catch Gone With the Windon the big screen, as well as Nottingham classic Saturday Night and Sunday Morning. At the same time, there is a preview of Marie Curie biopic Radioactivefeaturing a satellite Q&A with those involved with the film. There is also a preview of Kleber Mendonça Filho and Juliano Dornelles’ Palme d’Or nominated Bacuraufor those looking to dig into the Weird West. In addition, there’s the chance to catch Solidarity: a vital film about the state of workers’ rights in the construction industry, featuring a Q&A with filmmaker Lucy Parker and MP Nadia Whittome.

Doc’N Roll Film Festival makes its way to Nottingham in late March with a fantastic range of screenings looking into a variety of niche music documentaries, from drum and bass to David Crosby. And finally, there is the launch of Christina Newland’s much anticipated collection of essays on female desire, yes She Found It at the Movieslaunches in Nottingham in late March with a screening of Belle de Jour to boot!

Sheffield Workstation, Sheffield

This month at the Sheffield Workstation there is much to enjoy. The month begins with a screening of fascinating documentary The Plan That Came From the Bottom Up, featuring a panel discussion with director Steve Sprung and former Lucas Aerospace designer Brian Salisbury. There are also two screenings as part of Reel Adventures, the Workstation’s family film club, which this month screens both Nausicaä of the Valley of the Windand Charlie Chaplin’s The Kid. Girl Poweris showing as part of SheFest, looking at revolutionary female graffiti artists from 15 cities, with a chance to continue the Workstation’s exploration of all things Cronenberg at a screening of Map to the Stars. Finally, there is an opportunity to see the film Churchill reportedly attempted to ban: Powell & Pressberger’s marvellous The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp!

Watershed, Bristol

In the South West this month the Watershed is pumping up the volume with a selection of screenings of films with era-defining soundtracks. Whether you’re an Easy Rideror a Jimmy Clifffan, the Watershed has you covered. The fun doesn’t stop there, though, with the Watershed screening previews of both Radioactiveand And Then We Dancedwith the former featuring a satellite Q&A, and the latter featuring a live one! Finally, we thought it important to highlight that the Bristol Women’s Literature Festival is being hosted by the Watershed in late March, with tonnes of interesting events happening around the venue – definitely worth checking out.

Institute of Contemporary Arts, London

The ICA begins March with a wide-reaching retrospective of the work of Pedro Costa, to commemorate the release of his latest film Vitalina Varela in partnership with Second Run. There will be two opportunities to see the film with Costa present, as well as screenings of Ossosand Casa de Lavawith the filmmaker present. The ICA will also be screening a preview of And Then We Dancedfollowed by a director Q&A, and a chance to speak to the director of Cannes darling Fire Will Come. There is also the return of film club The Machine That Kills Bad People, which this month will be screening two documentaries looking at indigenous land struggle. As well,Zia Anger brings her performance/live cinema piece My First Filmto the ICA for its London premiere, an absolute must see, and the Essay Film Festival kicks off in late March, which gives viewers the opportunity to dig into the latest in poetic documentary.

LUX, London

At LUX this month there is a rare opportunity to catch Nighthawkson the big screen. The film was the first explicitly gay film in the UK to have been made within the gay community, and the screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Ron Peck. Also screening is Tanoa Sasraku’s O’ Pierrot, a film that mixes Rabbit’s Moon with the narrative of Pierrot the Clown to attempt to explore British identity from a lesbian, mixed-race perspective. The opening event will feature a conversation with the artist and curator Adelaide Bannerman.

Close Up Film Centre, London

At London’s finest cinema café this month, there is a rare chance to catch the documentaries of Iranian filmmaker Majed Neisi. The films track the resilience of ordinary people during various conflicts throughout the middle east, depicting horrific events as daily realities, as they are for so many. The programme takes place over the course of one day in March, and is the first retrospective of his work in the UK.

Deptford Cinema, London

At Deptford this month, the award winning community cinema brings an excitingly varied programme, kicking off with a screening of Them!as part of Is This Yesterday!?, a programme exploring the hidden McCarthyism behind mid-20^th Century American science fiction. There is also a Béla Tarr retrospective, featuring screenings of Werckmeister Harmonies, The Turin Horse, and Tarr’s devilish epic Sátántangó. There is also a screening of Bolivian documentary The Call of the Water, featuring a talk on the geographical history of Bolivia, and a screening of We the Workers, a film by Huang Wenhai, a former cameraman for Wang Bing, exploring the hidden world of labour activism in China.

BFI Southbank, London

Finally, at the BFI this month there are plenty of chances to catch Tilda Swinton at the venue due to their retrospective of her career. Our pick would be the screening of Orlandowhich features an introduction by both Swinton and Sally Potter. There are also two chances to catch Peter Greenaway’s unmissably disgusting A Zed & Two Noughts, featuring some of the grossest stop-motion ever put to screen. There is a fabulous screening of Douglas Sirk’s Magnificent Obsession to be introduced by Prof. Dr Barbara Flueckiger of the University of Zurich, and an introduction to The Windgiven by silent film expert Pamela Hutchinson. And of course, there is a chance to visit one of London’s best LGBT+ festivals, with BFI Flare happening from the 18^th ‘til the 29^th of March.

And that wraps up this month’s What’s on Scene! If you’re interested in any of the events listed you can use the ticket links below, and make sure to watch out for next month’s listings!

Please feel free to get in touch with us to let us know about any screenings you would like to see listed in next month’s column. You can email us directly at onscene.flipscreen@gmail.com

LISTINGS

HOME, Manchester

Girlhood – 1/3/2020

Vitalina Varela Preview + Q&A – 4/3/2020

Lovely Rita – 5/3/2020

Viva! Spanish & Latin American Festival – 6/3/2020 – 26/3/2020

La Cordillera de los sueños Preview + Intro – 21/3/2020

The Uncertain Kingdom Preview + Q&A – 28/3/2020

Broadway Cinema, Nottingham

Gone With the Wind – 1/3/2020

Saturday Night and Sunday Morning – 8/3/2020

Radioactive Preview + Satellite Q&A – 8/3/2020