ICA is closed from the 30 May – 3 June inclusive.
When the ICA Cinema opened on The Mall in 1968, it did not open to the public. Instead, under the guise ‘Club Deluxe’ it operated as a film club screening new works evolving outside the mainstream, for ICA Members only. This conception was a sign of the times, both in tune with the unabashed enthusiasm for a medium in the midst of revolution and in opposition to a rampant censorship that meant new revelatory works like Jean-Luc Godard’s Weekend were deemed un-rateable and thus illegal to show to the general public.
Cinema in 2023 finds itself in a very different position than it did in 1968. Amidst a rampant corporatisation and generally insipid and risk-averse spirit, it is easy to become despondent about the future of cinema today, to wonder if we are in that ‘ignominious, irreversible decline’ that Susan Sontag wrote about more than two decades ago. In a time of artistic uniformity, of remarkably style-less house styles, the need for spaces dedicated to truly independent and original voices is as desperate in 2023 as it was in 1968. The obstacles may have changed but the necessity of overcoming them has not.
As the spaces dedicated to showcasing work outside the commercial sphere continue to shrink, the life cycle for a film beyond its festival run remains uncertain. In the same spirit with which Club Deluxe was founded, Off-circuit aims to provide a platform to new films that have yet to receive a proper spotlight in the UK, facilitating a continuous connection between these profoundly rich works and audiences on the lookout for something new and different.
Off-Circuit offers audiences a chance to encounter this generation's landmark films on screen for the very first time, carving out a much-needed theatrical space for this generation's seminal and medium-redefining artists.
Off-Circuit is generously supported by the Edwin Fox Foundation.
From 27 September
UK PREMIERE
I'm Not Everything I Want to Be
After the Soviet invasion of Prague, a young female photographer, Libuše Jarcovjáková, strives to break free from the constraints of Czechoslovak normalization and embarks on a wild journey towards freedom, capturing her experiences on thousands of subjective photographs.
Thu 24 October, 6.30pm
More screenings from 25 October
UK PREMIERE
Matt and Mara + Q&A with Kazik Radwanski
Mara, a young creative writing professor dealing with a strained marriage, reunites with Matt, a charismatic, free-spirited author from her past. But as their mutual connection grows, pressure also mounts against their close, but undefined, relationship. Followed by an in-person Q&A with filmmaker Kazik Radwanski.
Sun 3 November, 8pm
More screenings from 8 November
UK PREMIERE
True Chronicles of the Blida Joinville Psychiatric Hospital in the Last Century, when Dr Frantz Fanon Was Head of the Fifth Ward between 1953 and 1956 + Q&A with Abdenour Zahzah
Set in 1953 at a psychiatric clinic in Blida, Algeria, and shot on location, the film follows Frantz Fanon, a young black psychiatrist, as he is appointed head doctor. Algerian filmmaker Abdenour Zahzah’s latest work is an illuminating portrait of the lesser-known yet critical early work of a physician, renowned politician, and decolonial activist.
Fri 22 November, 7pm
More screenings from 23 November
C'est pas moi + Q&A with Denis Lavant
Both a deeply personal journey through cinema and a caustic examination of the power and politics of image-making, Leos Carax's C'est pas moi is an exhilaratingly free-form act of self portraiture that draws inspiration from Rimbaud, Godard and Tintin alike.
Tue 3 December, 6.30pm
More screenings from 6 December
UK PREMIERE
Favoriten + Q&A with Ruth Beckermann
Favoriten is one of the most culturally diverse neighborhoods in Vienna and the starting point of Ruth Beckermann’s latest documentary, in which she accompanies a class of pupils from the age of seven to ten. Followed by an-person Q&A with filmmaker Ruth Beckermann.
Past Programme
From 30 August
Last Things + Memories of an Unborn Sun
From 11 August 2024
Our Body
From 2 August 2024
Outside Noise + Q&A with Ted Fendt
From 10 July 2024
A Prince
From 25 June 2024
Foremost by Night
From 6 June 2024
UK PREMIERE
You Burn Me + Q&A with Matías Piñeiro
From 23 May 2024
UK PREMIERE Regardless of Us
From 10 May 2024
Mambar Pierrette
From 18 April 2024
UK PREMIERE Grace + online Q&A
From 5 April 2024
The Human Surge 3
From 22 March 2024
Music + Q&A with Angela Schanelec
From 8 March 2024
Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell
From 23 February 2024
Unrest + online Q&A with Cyril Schäublin
From 2 February 2024
UK PREMIERE A Woman Escapes in 3D + Q&A
From 14 December 2023
UK PREMIERE Mal Viver
From 14 December 2023
UK PREMIERE Viver Mal
From 1 December 2023
LONDON PREMIERE Pictures of Ghosts + Q&A
From 16 November 2023
UK PREMIERE Human Flowers of Flesh + Q&A
From 27 October 2023
UK PREMIERE Man in Black + Q&A with Wang Bing
no. 236848.