Posted 12 Jun 2023 by George Parsons in

Following a screening of Sean Baker’s Tangerine, we hosted a panel discussion in partnership with oestrogeneration, a magazine platform highlighting the voices of trans women and transfeminine people in the UK.

In this clip, Jaye Hudson, Bambi Jordan Phillips, and June Bellebono discuss the accessibility of iPhone filmmaking, what kind of films are made on lower budgets, and desires to see trans representation in genre films.

Posted 09 Jun 2023 by George Parsons in

Watch film programmer Erifili Missiou’s take on Medusa Deluxe, the audaciously original debut from writer-director Thomas Hardiman.

This one-take, labyrinthine whodunnit could be easily pigeonholed as another technical marvel. Oscar-nominated cinematographer Robbie Ryan (Fish Tank, The Favourite) surpasses expectations, blending pop grittiness with a snake-like camera movement that slyly progresses from conversation to conversation, room to room, suspect to suspect. Yet, Medusa Deluxe never ceases to be a gripping murder mystery that keeps us at the edge of our seats.

The film’s real appeal though is its hydridic tone, a unique osmosis of campness and pub talk, comedy and thriller. The seamless result is also due to outstanding performances, which give it character and depth. To say that emerging director Thomas Hardiman shows promise with this bold debut is an understatement.

Posted 08 Jun 2023 by George Parsons in

A joint presentation from Chinese Cinema Project and The Garden Cinema. Director Wang Xiaoshuai was in conversation with Tony Rayns following this screening. Wang Xiaoshuai’s epic, multi-generational portrait of lives lived under China’s one child policy is both breathtaking and heartbreaking.

Posted 06 Jun 2023 by George Parsons in

The Garden Cinema is delighted to host a weekend of screenings and events celebrating the films and music of one of the UK’s foremost artists: Sally Potter.

This retrospective anticipates the 14 July release of Sally’s debut album, Pink Bikini, a semi-autobiographical collection of songs about growing up female in London in the 1960s, as a young rebel and activist.

Sally will be live at the Garden Cinema for Q&As following Orlando and Yes and giving special introductions to The Party and Ginger & Rosa. Additionally, Sally will be discussing her album, film music, and more with Miranda Sawyer on Friday 9 June.

Posted 05 Jun 2023 by Abla Kan in

Writer-director Carolina Cavalli’s darkly comic feature debut, which received its world premiere at the 2022 Venice Film Festival, is a deliciously satirical character study of a twentysomething looking for purpose… and maybe also a friend.

We had the opportunity to chat with Carolina over zoom about the film, her previous work, her time studying in Paris, audience expectations and the particular role of childhood friends in the lives of expat children!

Amanda will be screened from 9 June at the Garden Cinema.

Posted 05 Jun 2023 by George Parsons in

We recently joined forces with the International Booker Prize, global film distributor and streaming service MUBI and the award-winning bookseller Foyles for a very special live event and screening.

The organisers of the International Booker Prize, which celebrates the best in fiction translated into English from another language, want to encourage people who love translated fiction to explore more global cinema, and vice versa, so they have invited the team at MUBI to match six great films from around the world with the books on the shortlist for this year’s prize. The curated films reflect the themes or tone of the relevant book and have been approved by each author.

On May 26, we hosted a special live event: an intimate Q&A featuring the winners of this year’s International Booker Prize 2023: Georgi Gospodinov, author of Time Shelter, and the book’s translator, Angela Rodel. The Q&A, hosted by writer and editor Sarah Shaffi, was followed by a screening of One Fine Morning, directed by Mia Hansen-Løve (France, Germany, 2022), which MUBI has paired with Time Shelter.

Posted 04 Jun 2023 by George Parsons in

Mike Leigh and Gary Yershon’s ongoing discussion of the acclaimed director’s films continued at The Garden Cinema with a screening and Q&A for Another Year (2010).

Over the course of four seasons, Another Year explores the life of a sublimely happy older married couple, Tom and Gerri (Jim Broadbent and Ruth Sheen), and their various friends and family members, who struggle to find the happiness that Tom and Gerri have cultivated.

Posted 23 May 2023 by George Parsons in

Mike Leigh in Conversation – Part 1: Episode 6

Mike Leigh and Gary Yershon’s ongoing discussion of the acclaimed director’s films continued at The Garden Cinema with a screening and Q&A for Vera Drake (2004).

Vera Drake lives with her husband Stan and their grown-up children, Sid and Ethel. They are not rich, but they are a happy, close family. But selfless Vera has a secret: without accepting payment, she helps young women to end unwanted pregnancies.

Join our newsletter