Press room

Seasons and Special Events:

• All Kaiju Attack! 70 Years of Japanese Monster Movies – Wed 7 Aug – Wed 28 Aug
• Outdoor Cinema 2024 – Wed 21 Aug – Sun 1 Sep
• Francis Alÿs: Ricochets – Recreations: Three Films on Children’s Play – Thu 8 Aug 

Regular Programme strands:

• Senior Community Screenings: Monster – Mon 5 Aug & Copa 71 – Mon 17 Aug 
• Relaxed Screenings: The Fall Guy – Mon 12 Aug & Made In England: The Films Of Powell & Pressburger – Fri 30 Aug
• Pay What You Can Screenings – every Fri
• Experiments in Film: New Shores & In the Stone House [16mm] by Jerome Hiler – Thu 29 Aug 

In August the Barbican is delighted to present a late summer programme of Outdoor Cinema 2024. Now in its 3rd year, the programme Film nights under the city lights, is a sparkling lineup of films, set in the iconic Barbican Sculpture Court, complete with a selection of street food vendors and bars. 

Supported by Associate Partner Mastercard and Destination Partner Culture Mile BID, there’s something for all cinematic tastes including: The Grand Budapest Hotel, Marie Antoinette, Wild Strawberries, Pariah, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Godzilla Vs. Hedorah, The Boy and the Heron and An American in Paris; and music concert films including the World Premiere of blur: Live At Wembley Stadium, Prince’s Sign O’ the Times and Björk: Biophilia Live. 

Other August highlights include All Kaiju Attack! 70 Years of Japanese Monster Movies, programmed to coincide with the 70th anniversary of the first Godzilla film. The Barbican, in collaboration with the Japan Foundation, is screening a selection of the wildest, more interesting Japanese monster movies across seven decades, with introductions from experts. 

Recreations: Three Films on Children’s Play is a trio of films about childhood which form a dialogue with the documentary Children’s Games, an ongoing project documenting children at play around the world. This programme has been curated to complement the Barbican Gallery Francis Alÿs: Ricochets

Further highlights include Experiments in Film, which this month presents an evening of films by Jerome Hiler, an American experimental filmmaker and painter; Senior Community Screenings include the Japanese mystery film Monster and the women’s football documentary Copa 71; and Relaxed Screenings include the action filled The Fall Guy and Martin Scorsese’s documentary Made in England: The Films of Powell & Pressburger.

Seasons and Special Events: 

All Kaiju Attack! 70 Years of Japanese Monster Movies
Wed 7 Aug – Wed 28 Aug 

Cinema 1 

To celebrate the 70th anniversary of the first Godzilla film, Barbican Cinema looks back to a selection of the finest Japanese monster movies, alongside ScreenTalks with authors and kaiju enthusiasts introducing the films, and a live music performance.

While these films featuring gigantic kaiju (literally ‘strange beasts’) have long been much loved in Japan, until recently the reception in the West has been inconsistent, with crude dubbing and savage edits to running times, often making the story-lines incoherent, which has led to mockery. 

In recent years, as restored versions of the Japanese originals with English subtitles have become easier to access, these films have been met with greater appreciation, culminating this year when Godzilla Minus One became the first kaiju film to win an Academy Award. 

Programme:

Mothra Vs. Godzilla (12A) + introduction by Jasper Sharp
Japan 1964, dir Ishirō Honda, 89min, in Japanese with English subtitles 

Wed 07 Aug, 6.30pm, Cinema 1 

Destroy All Monsters (12A) + introduction by Kazuko Hohki Kaiju assemble 

Japan 1968, dir Ishirō Honda, 89min, in Japanese with English subtitles 

Wed 14 Aug, 6.30pm, Cinema 1 

Gamera: Guardian of the Universe (PG) + introduction by Steven Sloss

Japan 1995 dir Shusuke Kaneko, 95min, in Japanese with English subtitles 

Sun 18 Aug, 5.45pm, Cinema 1 

Shin Godzilla + introduction by Helen McCarthy

Japan 2016, dir Hideaki Anno, Shinji Higuchi, 120 min, in Japanese with English subtitles 

Tue 20 Aug, 6.15pm, Cinema 1 

Outdoor Cinema: Godzilla Vs. Hedorah (PG)

Japan 1971, dir Yoshimitsu Banno, 85min, in Japanese with English subtitles

Sun 25 Aug, 8.30pm, Sculpture Court 

Mothra (PG) + live performance from Frank Chickens
Japan 1961 dir Ishirō Honda, 101min, in Japanese with English subtitles 

Wed 28 Aug, 6.15pm, Cinema 1 

Outdoor Cinema 2024: Film nights under the city lights 
Wed 21 Aug – Sun 1 Sep
Barbican Sculpture Court 

The Barbican Cinema Curators have created a unique outdoor summer programme, inspired by some of film’s most original storytellers, among them Wes Anderson, Sofia Coppola, Vincente Minnelli, Kamal Amrohi, Michel Gondry, Dee Rees, Hayao Miyazaki, and Ingmar Bergman, alongside the work of three of music’s most inventive artists, Prince, blur and Björk.

The Outdoor Cinema 2024 is supported by Associate Partner Mastercard and Destination Partner Culture Mile BID.

 

Programme:

The Grand Budapest Hotel (15)

USA 2013, dir Wes Anderson, 95min, captioned.

Wed 21 Aug, 8.30pm
Barbican Sculpture Court

Björk: Biophilia Live (U)

UK 2014, dir Nick Fenton, Peter Strickland, 96min

Thu 22 Aug, 8.30pm

Barbican Sculpture Court

Marie Antoinette (12A)

USA/France/Japan 2006, dir Sofia Coppola, 118min

Fri 23 Aug, 8.30pm

Barbican Sculpture Court

The Boy and the Heron (12A) 

Japan 2023, dir Hayao Miyazaki,124min, in Japanese with English subtitles

Sat 24 Aug, 8.30pm

Barbican Sculpture Court

Godzilla Vs. Hedorah (PG)

Japan 1971, dir Yoshimitsu Banno, 85min

Sun 25 Aug, 8.30pm

Barbican Sculpture Court

Sign O’ the Times (15)

USA 1987, dir Prince, 85min

Mon 26 Aug, 8.30pm

Barbican Sculpture Court

Wild Strawberries (PG)

Sweden 1957, dir Ingmar Bergman, 91min

Tue 27 Aug, 8.30pm

Barbican Sculpture Court

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (15)

USA 2004, dir Michel Gondry, 108min

Wed 28 Aug, 8.30pm

Barbican Sculpture Court

Pariah (15)

USA 2011, dir Dee Rees, 86min

Thu 29 Aug, 8.30pm

Barbican Sculpture Court

Pakeezah (PG)

India 1972, dir Kamal Amrohi, 147min

Fri 30 Aug, 8.15pm

Barbican Sculpture Court

blur: Live At Wembley Stadium - World Premiere

UK 2014, dir Toby L, 124mins

Sat 31 Aug, 8.30pm

Barbican Sculpture Court

An American in Paris (U)

USA 1951, dir Vincente Minnelli, 113min

Sun 1 Sep, 8.30pm
Barbican Sculpture Court
 

Francis Alÿs: Ricochets – Recreations: Three Films on Children’s Play 
Thu 8 Aug, 6.30pm
Cinema 2 

These films show different glimpses of childhood, from three distinct points of time and place. Forming a dialogue with Children’s Games (1999-present), which is an ongoing project documenting children at play around the world.

Full programme info: www.barbican.org.uk/whats-on/2024/event/francis-alys-recreations-three-films-on-childrens-play 

Regular Programme Strands

Senior Community Screenings 
Welcoming 60+ cinema goers to watch the latest new releases every other Monday morning:

Monster
2023 Japan, dir Hirokazu Kore-eda, 127min
Mon 5 Aug, 11am
Cinema 2 

Winning best screenplay at Cannes, the latest film by Hirokazu Kore-eda (Broker, Shoplifters) is a mysterious foray into cause and effect, and the role of truth and innocence. When her young son begins to act strange, a single mother demands answers from his school, in this mysterious drama. 

Copa 71 (PG) (AD)
USA 2023, dirs Rachel Ramsay & James Erksine, 90min
Mon 19 Aug, 11am
Cinema 2 

An inspiring documentary about the 1971 Women’s Football Cup, and sexism in the football sphere. Told by the pioneering women who participated in it and built from archive unseen for fifty years, this is the extraordinary story of the 1971 Women’s Football World Cup, a tournament witnessed by record crowds that has been written out of sporting history.

 

Relaxed Screenings
Relaxed screenings take place in an environment that is specially tailored for a neurodiverse audience, as well as those who find a more informal setting beneficial:

The Fall Guy (12A) (AD)

USA 2024, dir David Leitch, 126min
Mon 12 Aug, 6.10pm
Cinema 3 

Ryan Gosling is tasked with hunting down a movie star who has gone missing from the film set of his director ex-girlfriend, played by Emily Blunt. Loosely based on the Lee Majors-starring 1980s TV series about stunt performers, The Fall Guy is full of high-octane action and laugh-out-loud moments.

Made in England: The Films of Powell & Pressburger (12A) (AD)

UK 2024, dir David Hinton, 133min

Fri 30 Aug, 12pm

Cinema 3 

Martin Scorsese dives into the works of the English and Hungarian filmmaking legends, who thrived in the face of adversity during World War II, and their influence on cinema.

Pay What You Can Screenings
Every Friday one of the new release film screenings is priced Pay What You Can. 
This is for customers where ticket price may be a barrier, or for those who want to help others enjoy a visit to the cinema; audience members are invited to pay between £3-£15.

Experiments in Film: New Shores & In the Stone House [16mm] by Jerome Hiler
New Shores, USA 1971-87, dir Jerome Hiler, 35min, 16mm
In the Stone House, USA 2012, dir Jerome Hiler, 35min,16mm
Thu 29 Aug, 6.30pm
Cinema 2 

Part of the New American Cinema Movement, Jerome Hiler started screening his films publicly in the late 1990s in San Francisco.

Featuring New Shores (1971-87) and In the Stone House (2012), this event offers a rare glimpse into the artistry and contemplative vision of one of avant-garde cinema's most distinctive voices. Hiler’s artistry lies in his ability to blend everyday moments with meditative, often haunting, imagery, offering viewers an exploration of personal transitions.