Martin Scorsese’s epic Killers of the Flower Moon, and Ken Loach’s (alleged) last-ever feature. October’s going to be a great month for film lovers.
Here’s the rundown of some of the great titles you can expect from this month’s programme…
THE OLD OAK arrives Friday 6 October.
From Kes to I, Daniel Blake, Ken Loach is the uncontested master of British social realism - and now he’s returning to the North East of England in what’s set to be his last ever film: The Old Oak. The Old Oak is the last pub standing in an ex-mining town, and the last public hub where locals can gather. Its owner, TJ, is fighting hard to keep it open. When a group of Syrian refugees are re-homed in the struggling town, TJ forms a friendship with a young refugee named Yara, who has a passion for photography. But not all the locals are so welcoming: burning with resentment, some in the community see the newcomers as an additional threat to a town that’s already on its knees. A moving account of community, solidarity, and misguided fear, The Old Oak is an honest, hopeful and compassionate portrait of modern Britain.
THE PIGEON TUNNEL opens on Friday 20 October.
For years, David Cornwell - better known by his pen name, John le Carré - was as mysterious and enigmatic as his novels. Avoiding the press for most of his life, and with a tendency to speak rather cryptically, it wasn’t until the publication of his memoir, The Pigeon Tunnel, that Cornwell made his own story public, revealing the man behind the celebrated stories of espionage, cold war anxieties, and double-crossing betrayals. Now, acclaimed documentarian Errol Morris is casting even greater light on the novelist in this engaging and deeply human film. From Cornwell’s troubled childhood, to his stint as a spy, to the final years of his life, the curtain has been lifted on one of Britain’s most beloved contemporary writers.
Lexi Members are able to attend an early preview of The Pigeon Tunnel on Thursday 19 October, ahead of general release.
FRESH DRESSED screens on Thursday 19 October.
We’re continuing Hip Hop’s 50th birthday celebration with an engaging documentary all about the history of hip hop fashion. Starting all the way back in 19th century America, to the streets of the Bronx, all the way to high fashion runways, Fresh Dressed traces the enduring relationship between hip hop and fashion, which has seen many famous faces cross over from music into fashion design and back again. Co-produced by none other than Nas, and featuring interviews with legends including Pharrell Williams and A$AP Rocky.
KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON arrives on Friday 20 October.
The Guardian has described Martin Scorsese’s latest film as ‘the richest, strongest movie he’s made in nearly 30 years’. Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro and Lily Gladstone, Killers of the Flower Moon takes us to the great plains of Oklahoma, where the native Americans of the Osage Nation have found unimaginable wealth in the form of black gold under the surface of their territory. But their good fortune is overshadowed, as members of the Osage tribe are murdered under mysterious circumstances - sparking a major FBI investigation. Based on the true story of the 1920s Osage murders, and drawing on David Grann’s best-selling work of nonfiction ‘Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI’, this is a sweeping period epic which captures the blood-stained history of modern America.
SMOKE SAUNA SISTERHOOD screens from Sunday 22 October.
Sundance award-winning documentary Smoke Sauna Sisterhood delves into the sauna rituals of the women of Estonia’s Voro community, which are so distinctive that they’re featured in UNESCO’s ‘Intangible Cultural Heritage’ list. Director and cinematographer Anna Hints immerses us in the near-magical setting of the smoke sauna: hidden away in a mossy forest, in the dark safety of the sauna, women speak of their secrets and their experiences; they cleanse their bodies and take dips in icy waters. The resulting film is an intimately-shot and atmospheric account of solidarity and sisterhood. You’ll leave the screen feeling reborn.
OUR RIVER… OUR SKY opens on Friday 27 October.
An Arabic-language drama from director Maysoon Pachachi, Our River... Our Sky takes place in Baghdad, 2006, where Iraqis try to maintain a semblance of normality against the backdrop of unpredictable sectarian violence. Sara, a single mother and novelist, struggles to write amidst the constan t noise of mortars and gunfire - turning her skills instead to constantly researching the city’s ever-rising death toll. When her closest friend and neighbour, Sabiha, a Christian, is forced into exile, Sara finds herself searching for an escape for herself and her daughter. A unique insight into the lives of ordinary Iraqis in the devastating wake of the US-led invasion, it’s a brave portrait of hope in the face of uncertainty.
On Sunday 29 October, we’ll be holding a Q&A session with Our River… Our Sky director Maysoon Pachachi, hosted by Carin von Drehle.
LEXI UPDATES
We’ve got some new award nominations to add to our ever-growing (metaphorical) trophy cabinet! We’ve been nominated for the New London Awards in their Community category. It’s a hugely prestigious architectural award with an international Jury.
The Lexi Hub, which houses Screen Two, has also been longlisted for a Dezeen Award, run by the world’s most popular design magazine, Dezeen!
And of course, we’ve got our fabulous architects RISE Design Studio, and brilliant contractors CBC Design and Build to thank for these nominations.
