Love Film

4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days, dist, by London's Artificial Eye

We all know about the latest big budget releases and where to find our local multiplex. But film isn’t just about blockbusters and clean cut stars waltzing down the red carpet. London is a fast-growing hub of arty, indie and exciting film, cinemas and shops that provide a welcome and inspiring break from the usual Hollywood fare. Vera Brozzoni takes you on a guide on how to find the best of Arthouse London.

Cinema and Producer
One of the most important arty cinemas is the Ritzy in Brixton, part of the Picturehouse franchise that counts various cinemas in London (Clapham, Greenwich, Notting Hill and Stratford) and outside. Unlike the majority of cinemas, the Ritzy is not only culturally engaged, but socially:
“We work with local producers and directors to promote and screen their films”, says Rob Belfield, who has been manager of the Ritzy for four years after working in Multiplexes.
“Last year we produced, screened and sold a DVD called Brixton, a collection of shorts made by locals. We also work hard with the local community, participate to their market every Saturday, collaborate with associations and organizations. We do all this to get young people more involved with cinema and the arts instead of losing them to crime. We even try to work with the police! But at the end of the day we also need to screen blockbusters like Spider-Man 3 to get all the rest financed”.
Ritzy Picturehouse, Brixton Oval, Coldharbour Lane, SW2 1JG
 www.picturehouses.co.uk/cinema

 Cinema and Festivals
On the opposite side of the town, in what could be described as ‘dodgy Dalston’ is the Rio cinema. But manager Charles Rubinstein’s take on local community is different:
“We have an educated, mostly adult audience as the local teens prefer to take a bus and go to Multiplexes. We even screened Pirates Of The Caribbean last weekend, but nobody came to see it! So we’d rather stick to edgy, off-beat releases like Zodiac or This Is England”.
The Rio has a unique range of events:
“We do the annual London Turkish Film Festival (the only Turkish-dedicated festival in England), and the biennial Kurdish Film Festival. These are our own creations, but we’re also a venue for the East End Film Festival. And even if we are not great with teenagers, we have a wide selection for different ages: free screenings for local schools and a big programme for children, including special Parents & Babies screenings. For the elderly, we get funds to provide them with the Classic Matinees: old fashioned films plus free tea and cake. This is our way of taking care of the locals”.
Rio , 107 Kingsland High Street, E8 
www.riocinema.ndirect.co.uk

Distributor
London film is very different if seen from the perspective of a distributor.
Robert Beeson, longtime managing director of cult distribution company Artificial Eye, explains that “The government does nothing for companies like us. The UK Film Council gives around £300,000 to Universal every year, whereas on a small release we get £ 5000. We endlessly try to balance that, but you can’t ask to finance avant-garde cinema with Lottery money given by people who don’t know enough about avant-garde.
But, on the plus side London has a great ( and growing) niche of film lovers: our biggest success was the release of Hidden by Michael Haneke. We are also proud to distribute DVDs of Andrej Tarkovskij and Béla Tarr, two masters of world cinema”.
In 2007 Artificial Eye will release a slot of films from Cannes and Berlin Film Festivals, including this year’s Cannes Palme D’Or winner 4 months, 3 weeks, 2 days  along with French romcom Not Here To Be Loved.
www.artificial-eye.com  

DVD Rentals
Of course it’s not easy to find a Tarkovskij DVD in your local Blockbuster shop, but there is a hidden gem in the heart of East London that caters for the established and burgeoning avant-garde lover.
Close-Up is a huge video shop in 139 Brick Lane, specializing in all kinds of World cinema divided by country and director, plus a section on experimental films and documentaries.
Manager Karen Harfmann has been running the shop from when it first opened in 2005:
“The nature of the business is local, yet we have customers coming from all around London; people find out about the place when they’re having a walk on weekends. This area is very artistic and cultural and we get lots of students and interesting people”.
With an uncommon collection of rarities and import DVDs, Close-Up is a goldmine for all film buffs.
Close –Up, 139, Brick Lane, www.close-upvideo.com

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