Summer's not coming (to London), go to a picture-house

In lieu of a July Filum screening, here are some July cinema selections in our club not-so-niche niche: 20th century non-English films in colour.

For all the new followers to the film club’s online channels, these recommendations are in London, UK but are easily findable to stream and some are even available on physical media. I’m not getting paid for plugging these films - this is purely to encourage trips to picture-houses.

We’ll be back in the Garden cinema on the 20th September for a screening of a entrancing music documentary from Morocco. We’ve also booked a December screening already - a neo noir crime flick from the Phillipines. October and November screenings TBC.

BEZNESS

(Tunisia/France/Germany, 1992) - Trailer.

An engaged couple in a Tunisian coastal town deal with the impact of western tourism in this fearless and nuanced drama. Roufa, a man, sells sex to westerners but he expects his fiancee, Khomsa, to stay secluded amongst other women - all that is threatened when a white photographer, Fred, comes to town to document the ‘bezness’, the practice of locals selling sex to westerners.

Watch at the BFI on Saturday 13th July.

THE DISCREET CHARM OF THE BOURGEOISIE

(France/Italy/Spain, 1972) - Trailer.

An ambassador of a small (fictional) South American country wants to have a lavish dinner with some of his upper middle-class French friends. Trouble is they keep getting interrupted in this surrealistic and farcical satire that is dense with meaning and meaninglessness.

Watch at the BFI on Saturday 20th July.

AUDITION

(Japan/South Korea, 1999) - Trailer.

A widower stages fake casting auditions looking for a new romantic partner. He becomes interested in a woman who is plagued by a dark past and wants revenge on men in this violent horror. Some think its a misogynistic film, others think its actually quite feminist. Either way, it’s not for the faint of heart.

Watch at the BFI on Wednesday 24th or Wednesday 31st July.

RED SORGHUM

(China, 1987) - Extract.

Chinese director Zhang Yimou’s first film follows a young woman who, upon the death of her old leprous husband, takes over the sorghum liquor distillery he owned while war with an invading Japanese army is on the horizon. An almost fairy-tale like film with rich intense visuals filled with saturated reds - we love red here at Filum.

Watch at the Garden Cinema on Friday 19th, Monday 22nd, or Wednesday 31st July.

The newsletter will be back towards the end of the month as I’m going galavanting around the Alps. As will video posts on Instagram. Filum screenings will be announced and tickets listed once I’m back too.

As ever, please do shoot me an email or Instagram message if you’d like to write about a non-English 20th century film in this newsletter (we’re going steadily!) - and do say hi if you see me at the screenings for Audition and Red Sorghum (as well as the other Zhang Yimou films at the Garden) or anywhere else really.

All best,

Sayyid Aki xo