Events (W.C. 27 March)

1.LEGACY OF THE BLACK SQUARE – Royal Television Society

Wednesday, 26 April 2023; 6.30pm for a 7pm start

After the murder of George Floyd in 2020, many companies worldwide issued statements of solidarity and support and posted black squares on their websites and socials

‘Legacy of the Black Square’ is a live event where we will look at the impact of that tumultuous time; on programming and commissioning, promises made, what has been delivered so far and what may be to come. 

Panellists include;

  • Joanna Abeyie, Head of Creative Diversity at the BBC
  • Marcus Ryder, Head of External Consultancies at The Lenny Henry Centre for Media Diversity
  • Lucy Pilkington, Managing Director at Milk and Honey Productions
  • Shaminder Nahal, Head of Specialist Factual at Channel 4

The host is K Biswas; a critic who has written about politics and culture for the New Statesman, New York Times, The Nation, and the Times Literary Supplement and is Editor of Representology, The Journal of Media and Diversity.

Booking Details:

Tickets for RTS members are free but must be booked in advance (please input your membership number when booking). If you do not know your membership number, please email membership@rts.org.uk. 

Tickets for non-members are £15. Tickets are non-refundable. 

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Still from PRISIONEROS DE LA TIERRA

2. PRISIONEROS DE LA TIERRA

Beginning on Saturday 8 April, The Film Foundation will be screening the restoration of Prisoneros De La Tierra (1939, d. Mario Soffici), online for free for 72 hours

About PRISIONEROS DE LA TIERRA:

PRISIONEROS DE LA TIERRA is considered one of the greatest films ever made in Argentina. Director Mario Soffici adapted four different short stories by Horacio Quiroga, the Uruguayan playwright, poet, and author, to craft a powerful and emotional film that examines issues of social justice through its myriad of characters, all human and all flawed. Set in the yerba mate plantations of northern Argentina, the film shows the harsh working conditions of the Guaraní Indians against the beautiful natural landscapes, which highlights the ongoing conflict between the upper and lower classes. Soffici effortlessly balances his social justice narrative with more melodramatic elements of love, betrayal, and alcoholism, all filmed in dramatic black-and-white, to create a rich and honest portrait of life’s many struggles. In addition to its cinematic achievements, the film is also an important record of the Guaraní dialect, which is now virtually lost.   

Restoration Details

PRISIONEROS DE LA TIERRA was restored using the best existing elements: a first generation 35mm positive print held at La Cinémathèque française and a recently rediscovered third generation 35mm positive print preserved by the Národní filmový archiv. For its overall completeness and photographic quality, the first generation 35mm positive print was used to restore the image, while the third generation 35mm positive print was the primary source for sound restoration.

A 16mm dupe negative, provided by the Museo del Cine, has also been studied and compared as a reference. Color grading was supervised by Paula Félix-Didier, director of the Museo del Cine Pablo Ducrós Hicken.

Running time: 86 minutes

Find more about it HERE

Still from A Room of My Own

3. Chronic Youth Film Festival 2023

Chronic Youth Film Festival 2023 presents A Time and a Place: A series of films depicting memories of life, how we choose to remember and what we choose to share. Taking place the weekend of  22/23 April, the programme includes the London premiere of How to Save a Dead Friend from first-time director Maryusa Syroechkovskaya.

he festival features the UK London premiere of How to Save a Dead Friend from first time director Maryusa Syroechkovskaya – a emotionally raw documentary filmed over 12 years that documents Maryusa’s relationship with her partner Kimi alongside the backdrop of authoritarian Russia and the push towards greater authoritarianism. Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets, a documentary by the renowned Ross Brothers showing the end of a dive bar in Las Vegas that has become home to a range of characters over years. The Passion of Remembrance – a visual mosaic from 1986 that warmly profiles black brits growing up in Thatcher’s Britain. A Room of My Own, a queer Georgian film set during the Covid pandemic. And Delphine’s Prayers – an unflinching series of conversations between Delphine, a young Cameroonian woman living in Belgium and director Rosine Mbakam.

Find more about it HERE

4. Douglas Sirk Mini Season; 17 &23 April 2023

The German-born director Douglas Sirk left the country in 1937 to escape the Nazis and was contracted by Universal to make B pictures. But during the 1950s he embarked on a series of melodramas which subverted conventional films of the genre. Such movies were seen as the epitome of the American dream but under Sirk’s direction were self-consciously ironic, including themes of narcissism, sexual frustration, class conflict and racism.

Sirk’s later films commencing with Magnificent Obsession in 1954, are among the greatest melodramas ever made, using colour cinematography to maximum effect and exploring themes through visual metaphors, heightened images and rich compositions.

Depot is screening two of Sirk’s best movies. On April 17th we are screening Written on the Wind, his 1956 powerhouse examining the complex relationships between characters working for an oil company and featuring Rock Hudson and Lauren Bacall. On April 23rd we will be screening Sirk’s final movie, Imitation of Life (1959) which remains one of the most powerful explorations of class and racism ever made.

Robert Senior, Depot Chair of Trustees

Find more about it HERE

Still from Bread and Salt

5. KINOTEKA

The 21st edition of Kinoteka continues next month with, among other screenings, an exciting retrospective of the works of Jerzy Skolimowski in collaboration with the BFI.

OPENING NIGHT GALA – BREAD AND SALT

09 MAR, 19:00 at ICA

Packing a deep emotional punch this brilliant debut feature from Damian Kocur takes us on the journey of twobrothers in a small Polish town during one hot summer. Both pianists, one studies at the Warsaw Academy, the other chooses to spend time with mates and in the local kebab shop. Through the complex soundtrack, which isas important as the observational camerawork, we confront our prejudices, see how easy it is to be misunderstood and ask “where does violence begin?”

Inspired by real events and cast with non-professional actors (the two brothers are in fact siblings) this is a raw, fluid exploration of what it means to be young in small town contemporary Europe.

Multiple festival awards have followed the Horizons Special Jury Prize at Venice Film Festival, from Cairo, Antalya as well as the journalists and Youth juries at Gdynia, Poland. Tough and brutally real.

The screening will be followed by a Q&A with actors Tymoteusz and Jacek Bies.

Find more about the programme HERE

6. The Vito Project Queer Film Club presents DRESSED TO THRILL season at The Cinema Museum (08 FEB to 04 JUN 2023)

Following the success of their last sold-out season on Classic Hollywood ‘Camp’, The Vito Project returns with a new season, DRESSED TO THRILL, at the iconic Cinema Museum (08 FEB to 04 JUN 2023).

DRESSED TO THRILL: A SERIES OF FILMS EXPLORING DRESS CODE AND GENDER EXPRESSION presented by The Vito Project Queer Film Club at The Cinema Museum (08 FEB to 04 JUN 2023).

DRESSED TO THRILL: A SERIES OF FILMS EXPLORING DRESS CODE AND GENDER EXPRESSIONcelebrates characters that use dress as a means to subvert gender and societal rules. The programme will journey through different decades and countries to explore narratives that defy, confront, or expose gender expectations. 

The Vito Project invites you to dress to impress, open the celluloid closet, and marvel at a line-up of magnificent misfits – be they anarchic, playful, detestable, or absolutely fabulous.

This new season serves you a slate of classic favourites and rarely screened films, including titles never seen in the UK. After the sold-out Autumn/Winter season, book your tickets in advance to make sure you are not caught with your pants down!

FILM PROGRAMME

Find more about the programme HERE

7. SIDNEY POITIER CINEMA SEASON

Alongside the world première of Retrograde, a duo of Sidney Poitier’s films will be screened at Kiln Cinema to accompany the production on stage. Ryan Calais Cameron’s new play, set in 1950s Hollywood, is based on a true event in the life of legendary actor.

9 MAY, 7PM

Q&A with Kiln Associate Director and director of Retrograde Amit Sharma and Retrograde playwright Ryan Calais Cameron, followed by the screening.

In the peak of the civil rights movement in late 1960s America, Joanna (Katharine Houghton) has struck a new romance with John Prentice (Sidney Poitier), and organises a moment to introduce her new lover to her seemingly forward thinking, liberal parents (Academy Award-winning Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn).

Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner is not your typical romantic comedy. Set in the aftermath of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, it boldly tackles the themes of race and interracial relations at a time where the latter was only recently decriminalised, and was still a taboo. Over the course of one day, raw conversations expose the faultlines between thought and deed.

Discount available for Retrograde ticket holders. Simply log in to your account and the £2 discount per ticket will be applied.
Booking for Retrograde at the same time as booking your screening ticket? Use promocode POITIER2 to save £2 off each screening ticket.

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8. Dario Argento: Doors Into Darkness

Throughout his career, Dario Argento has frequently been dubbed ‘the Italian Hitchcock’. But in truth, there is no other filmmaker quite like Argento.

‘If you don’t like my movies, don’t watch them.’
– Dario Argento

The connection is understandable. Hitchcock wasn’t just a filmmaker, he was a brand. You think suspense, you think Hitchcock. So, when Argento appeared with his uniquely baroque take on the whodunit, what better way to make sense of this prodigious new talent than compare him to the master. Of course, they do share many similarities, not least a proclivity for murder, but it’s the deeper difference that ultimately sets them apart – Hitchcock’s is the cinema of details and discipline, Argento’s is of dreams and disorientation.

The textures, tones and reverberations of Argento’s visions are so evocative, the mere mention of his name can transport you to a psychotropic German dance academy, or send you soaring over a brutalist apartment building in the dead of night. After more than 50 years crafting a body of work so distinctive and singular, comparisons are no longer necessary. If there is one filmmaker whose name speaks for itself, it’s Dario Argento.

Michael Blyth, season curator

Find more about it HERE

9. Snapshots: Caribbean Cinema Up Close

Wed 17—Wed 31 May 2023

An opportunity to explore Caribbean self-representation in film.

We are delighted to present a collection of films from across the Caribbean that gives UK audiences insight into the evolving identity of contemporary Caribbean cinema. 

Exploring both individual and shared cultural identities, this selection touches on universal themes pertaining to the human condition.

Snapshots: Caribbean Cinema Up Close has been developed in association with trinidad+tobago film festival.