Summer is here, and the weather keeps getting warmer - and since there are some very exciting releases on the horizon, consider this your annual reminder that there’s no better way to beat the summer heat than watching a film in our lovely air conditioned cinema. (Jude’s ice cream from The Lexi Bar is an optional but highly recommended addition!)
From My Imaginary Country, a Chilean documentary full of irrepressible hope from master documentarian Patricio Guzmán, to Chevalier, a striking biopic of a virtuoso unjustly erased from history, this month’s programming has been varied and diverse. In the second half of the month, we’ve got an equally broad array of titles on our screens!
We’ve rounded up some of the highlights below.
ASTEROID CITY arrives at The Lexi on Friday 23 June.
Wes Anderson's latest feature finally lands at The Lexi on 23 June, boasting a truly all-star cast (Tom Hanks, Scarlett Johansson, and Steve Carrel, to name just a handful). A whimsical blend of sci-fi and romance, Asteroid City takes place against the backdrop of a dusty, sun-bleached American desert town - where a gigantic meteor crater is the largest tourist attraction. When a star gazing convention is disrupted by a world-changing event, things all get a bit extra-terrestrial. Watch the trailer here.
PRETTY RED DRESS plays from Friday 30 June.
In South London, Travis has just returned from prison, and is now at a loose end. When he becomes fascinated with a glamorous red dress which he gifted his partner, an aspiring musician (played by Alexandra Burke!), he finds himself embarking on an uplifting journey of self-discovery - uncovering some surprising truths not just about himself, but also his family, along the way. Time Out calls Pretty Red Dress ‘the long overdue expansion of Black masculinity that the big screen has been crying out for’. Watch the trailer here.
INLAND opens Friday 23 June at The Lexi.
Mark Rylance stars alongside Rory Alexander in Inland, a modern day folk tale which unfolds in rural england. When a young man returns from a psychiatric hospital to his hometown, an enigmatic father figure and the dense woodlands he once knew well guide him into a journey between past and present, as he seeks answers to the questions which surround his mother’s mysterious disappearance many years before. Watch the trailer here.
BLACK HISTORY STUDIES: THE KILLING OF THE FIFTH ELEMENT screens Sunday 25 June.
Drawing on the idea that there are five key elements to hip-hop (a theory attributed to Afrika Bambaataa of the hip-hop collective Zulu Nation), The Killing of the Fifth Element focuses on the element of ‘Historical Knowledge of the Movement’. A fascinating look into the history of hip-hop, artists and academics examine the role of knowledge, questioning whether it still plays a key role in the ever-evolving genre. Watch the trailer here.
Looking ahead...
Looking further ahead to July, we’re really excited for Oppenheimer and Barbie, two of the year’s most hotly anticipated releases. Keep an eye out - we’ll have more information about when we’ll be screening these two titles very soon.
Lexi Updates
The Sustainability Institute
We’re looking forward to welcoming Jess Schulschenk, the director of The Sustainability Institute, to The Lexi this month, as she visits London from South Africa. Our partner charity, we’ve been working with the S.I. to support their ecovillage and educational programmes for many years now.
Last month, the children at the S.I. were given a hands-on lesson about where their food comes from - with a focus on the importance of sustainable, regenerative food growth.
That's it for June! Stay tuned for our next update in July.
Gen Sandle
Marketing and Communications Manager
