Sun 26 Sep • Double bill

SINCE OTAR LEFT (Depuis qu'Otar est parti) (15) 2.00

France/Belgium 2003) dir.Julie Bertuccelli 102m. Subtitles.
Esther Gorintin, Nino Khomasuridze, Dinara Drukarova, Temur Kalandadze.

“Life's no breeze in post-Soviet Tbilisi, but there's camaraderie behind the daily bickering in the apartment shared by grandma Eska (Gorintin), daughter Marina (Khomasuridze) and granddaughter Ada (Droukarova). Their lives, however, seem to revolve aroud the absent Otar, Eska's beloved son, a qualified doctor who left for Paris. Bad news filtering through from the French capital may may be about to change everything, but not perhaps if the doting grandmother remains happily in the dark... First-time director Julie Bertucelli's documentary experience shows in the way she lets us soak in people and places before a plot emerges to shape bitter truth and familial affection into serio-deception. One of the year's hands-down loveliest films.”
(Trevor Johnston, Time Out)

+ UZAK (Distant) (15) 4.00

(Turkey 2002) dir.Nuri Bilge Ceylan 110m. Subtitles.
Muzafer Ozdemir, Mhemet Emin Toprak, Zuhal Gencer Erkaya, Nazan Kirilmis.

“Ceylan's 3rd feature is a marvellously astute account of a friendship disintegrating under pressure from time, place and social difference. Mahmut lives in Istanbul. Barely concealing his reluctance, he agrees to put up Yusuf, a cousin from his Anatolian village, while he looks for work. Unfortunately for both, Yusuf begins to outstay his welcome.”
(Geoff Andrews, Time Out)

Tue 28 Sep • Parents & Babies Club

SINCE OTAR LEFT (15) 1.00

(France/Belgium 2003) dir.Julie Bertuccelli 102m. Subtitles.
Esther Gorintin, Nino Khomasuridze, Dinara Drukarova, Temur Kalandadze.

An opportunity for parents with babies to visit the cinema without having to find a baby sitter or worry about their babies causing disturbance. A secure space is provided for pushchairs.

Adm £5/£4 Concessions

Thur 30 Sep • Parents & Babies Club

HERO (12A) 1.00

(China 2002) dir.Zhang Yimou 99m. Subtitles.
Jet Li, Tony Leung, Maggie Cheung, Zhang Ziyi, Donnie Yen, Daoming Chen.

An opportunity for parents with babies to visit the cinema without having to find a baby sitter or worry about their babies causing disturbance. A secure space is provided for pushchairs.

Adm £5/£4 Concessions

Sun 3 Oct • Pedro Almodóvar double bill

TALK TO HER (15) 1.45

(Spain, 2002) dir.Pedro Almodóvar 113m. Subtitles.
Javier Cámara, Darío Grandinetti, Leonor Watling, Rosario Flores, Geraldine Chaplin.

“What at first might appear a beautiful but insubstantial confection steadily grows to become Almodóvar's most mature and richly rewarding film to date. Light, magisterial and extraordinarily fresh – do treat yourself.”
(Time Out)

+ BAD EDUCATION (La Mala Educación) (15) 4.00

(Spain 2004) dir.Pedro Almodóvar 105m. Subtitles.
Gael García Bernal, Fele Martínez, Daniel Giménez Cacho.

“A tortuous love triangle refracted through three time-periods and myriad layers of make-believe, Almodóvar's latest is full of autobiographical flourishes and teases, starting in 1980 with the character of a new-wave film director, Enrique Goded (Martínez) rummaging through the tabloids for inspiration. Into his office steps a young man (Bernal) who claims to be his old school friend and first love Ignácio Rodriguez, bearing a screenplay which riffs on their abuse and separation at the hands of the predatory Father Manolo (Cacho) at Catholic school during the repressive 60's. Enrique is tantalised, but finds that the priest's seeds of perfidy have born strange and terrible fruit... This teeming tragedy is Almodóvar's most ambitious film.
(Nick Bradshaw, Time Out)

Tue 5 Oct • Parents & Babies Club

HERO (12A) 1.00

(China 2002) dir.Zhang Yimou 99m. Subtitles.
Jet Li, Tony Leung, Maggie Cheung, Zhang Ziyi, Donnie Yen, Daoming Chen.

An opportunity for parents with babies to visit the cinema without having to find a baby sitter or worry about their babies causing disturbance. A secure space is provided for pushchairs.

Adm £5/£4 Concessions

Thur 7 Oct • Parents & Babies Club

THE MOTORCYCLE DIARIES (15) 1.00

(US/Argentina/Chile/Peru 2004) dir.Walter Salles 126m. Subtitles.
Gael Garcia Bernal, Rodrigo de la Serna, Mia Maestro, Gustavo Bueno, Jorge Chiarella.

An opportunity for parents with babies to visit the cinema without having to find a baby sitter or worry about their babies causing disturbance. A secure space is provided for pushchairs.

Adm £5/£4 Concessions

Sat 9 Oct • Matinee

Maps of Oppression 1.15

A programme of short films from/about Palestine and Israel, presented by FM Arts as part of the Shared Melody, Shared Narrative festival, a series of events in and around the European Social Forum. With speaker Reem Fadda, from the Sakakini cultural centre, Ramallah, talking about art and occupation.

25 KILOMETRES (15)
(Palestine 2004) dir.Nahed Awwad 15m. Subtitles.
A journey through checkpoints and rocky roads leading from Ramallah to Beit Sahour where the film-maker's family lives. Awarded second prize at the Palestinian Silver Screen, Ramallah International Film Festival, July 2004 .

+ A WALL IS A WALL IS A WALL IS A WALL (15)

(Sweden 2004) dirs.Pilar Zaratiegui Gomez/Cecilia Parsberg/Jacob Munkberg 3m.

With sound sourced by DJ WattsRiot/Fun-da-mental.

+ SECRET HEBRON, THE SCHOOL RUN (15)
(Palestine 2003) dir.Donna Baillie 28m. English commentary.
Prevented by Israeli soldiers from using the Israeli-only roads in Hebron, Palestinian children took to scrabbling across the roofs of the old city to try to get to school safely.  Their inevitable encounters with the Israeli army were filmed on hidden camera.  Nominated for the Rory Peck features award, 2003.

+ YOU REAP WHAT YOU SOW (15)

(Br 2003) dir.Nick Hillel 12m.

Political drama about the Middle east set on the London underground. Stuck going round on the circle line, a man battles with his conscience... The film blurs the boundaries between politics, art and drama, using sound design, animation and split-screen effects.

+ NOT IN MY GARDEN (15)

(Israel 2000) dir.Shiri Wilk 49m. Subtitles.

The story of Ramya, a village in in existence since the british mandate, unrecognised by Israel and denied basic infrastructure and services - now almost completely surrounded by the Jewish city of Carmiel - 'a neighbourhood for new immigrants'. A story of popular struggle and petty racism.

Adm £5/£3 Concessions

Sun 10 Oct • Double bill

MY ARCHITECT: A SON'S JOURNEY (PG) 1.45

(US 2003) dir.Nathaniel Kahn 116m. Documentary.

“Louis I Kahn ranks among America's greatest modern architects, yet by the time of his sudden death in 1974, not only did he leave debts of half a million dollars but his body lay unclaimed for two days because he'd scratched out the contact details on his passport. It was one last act of evasion in a turbulent personal life for, he had also fathered illegitimate children. Among them is Nathaniel Kahn, director/narrator of this unique celluloid elision of therapy and celebration. A fascinating, touching human story.”
(Trevor Johnston, Time Out)

+ THE RETURN (12A) 4.00

(Russia 2003) dir.Andrei Zvyagintsev 110m. Subtitles.
Ivan Dobronravov, Vladimir Garin, Konstantin Lavronenko, Natalia Vdovina.

“Life's tough for kids... especially if, like Ivan, all you recall of your dad derives from a photo taken over a decade ago. Still, at least Ivan's older brother Andrey looks out for him when other boys tease him; so does their mum, at least until the pair arrive home to find a sleeping man who, she says, is her long-lost husband... Zvyagintsev's Venice prize-winner is a model of suspenseful story-telling. The acting, too, is terrific. Very highly recommended indeed.”
(Time Out)

Tue 12 Oct • Parents & Babies Club

BRIDE & PREJUDICE (12A) 1.00

(Br/US 2004) dir.Gurinder Chadha 110m.

Aishwarya Rai, Martin Henderson, Daniel Gillies, Naveen Andrews, Namrata Shirodkar, Indira Varma, Nadira Babbar.

An opportunity for parents with babies to visit the cinema without having to find a baby sitter or worry about their babies causing disturbance. A secure space is provided for pushchairs.

Adm £5/£4 Concessions

Wed 13 Oct • Classic Matinee

BRIDE & PREJUDICE (12A) 2.30

(Br/US 2004) dir.Gurinder Chadha 110m.
Aishwarya Rai, Martin Henderson, Daniel Gillies, Naveen Andrews, Namrata Shirodkar, Indira Varma, Nadira Babbar.

NB. With a 15 minute interval

Thur 14 Oct • Parents & Babies Club

BRIDE & PREJUDICE (12A) 1.00

(Br/US 2004) dir.Gurinder Chadha 110m.
Aishwarya Rai, Martin Henderson, Daniel Gillies, Naveen Andrews, Namrata Shirodkar, Indira Varma, Nadira Babbar.

An opportunity for parents with babies to visit the cinema without having to find a baby sitter or worry about their babies causing disturbance. A secure space is provided for pushchairs.

Adm £5/£4 Concessions

Sat 16 Oct • Black History Month matinee

BANG! BANG! IN DA MANOR (15) 3.30

(Br 2003) dirs.Sean Mendez & Negar Esfandiary 68m.

A social investigation into the disproportionate levels of violence and murder suffered by the Black community in Britain. This documentary identifies the failure of the British educational system, the breakdown of family units and consumerism/capitalism as significant contributory factors into this phenomenon. With interviews from gunmen, underground arms dealers, drug users and victims of violence; the film attempts to define the social environment which conditions and nurtures the desire to consume and destroy. Filmed over six months, the film has been described as the most graphic and disturbing documentary ever made in Britain.

+ discussion with the film makers and participants in the film

£5/£3 Concs

Sun 17 Oct • Black Science: Visions of the Future Treble bill

Black culture has a rich heritage of escapism and fantasy. Much of this history uses science fiction to explain the realities of the black experience. 'Black Science: Visions of the Future' features a treble bill of rare black films at the Rio based on escape, fantasy and revolution and a music event (23 Oct) and talks (27 Oct) at The Triangle, 129-131 Mare Street, E8 3RH (tel: 8525 4330). For info, email: remi@psychoticculture.com. Black Science is presented by Critical Minds in association with SPACE.

THE SPOOK WHO SAT BY THE DOOR (15) 12.15

(US 1973) dir. Ivan Dixon 102m.

Richard Nixon demanded that The Spook who sat by the door be removed from screens just two days after it's 1973 release. The film tells the tale of a black CIA agent who learns from the secret service to then use these skills to encourage revolution within black America.

+ BORN IN FLAMES (15) 2.15

(US 1983) dir. Lizzie Borden 80m.

America has just been subjected to the most peaceful revolution in its history. But there is still disharmony within the country.Dismayed by the lack of progress, a group of women set about taking the revolution to a place beyond our imaginations.

+ BROTHER FROM ANOTHER PLANET (15) 3.50

(US 1984) dir. John Sayles 108m.

A classic comedic sci-fi film, Brother from another planet is about an alien who falls to earth, landing in Harlem. Confused by his surroundings, our alien quickly learns how to communicate with the curious earthlings he encounters

• Fri 22 Oct – Thur 4 Nov

3rd London Kurdish Film Festival

We are pleased to present the 3rd London Kurdish Film Festival, organised in partnership with the Kurdish community.

The two year gap since our last festival means that we have a lot of catching up to do. And so this time it's a packed two weeks of exciting, challenging and, occasionally, controversial movies from all over the world by Kurdish film makers or about Kurdish issues. Inevitably and importantly, this year many of the films look at aspects of the Iraq War and its aftermath from the Kurdish perspective.

Highlights are plentiful and much is unmissable: Nigel Roffe-Barker's behind-the-headlines drama ASYLUM, Fariborz Kambari's unforgettable BLACK TAPE: A TEHRAN DIARY, Anwar Sindi's moving BEFORE DAWN, Kawa Akreyi's portrait of evil CHEMICAL ALI, Jaleel Zangana's portrayal of two Kurdish folk heros KHOLA PIZA and MAMA RASHA, Marina Caba Rall's clever parable LAST MINUTE, Yüksel Yavuz's slice of life on the edge A LITTLE BIT OF FREEDOM, Jano Rosebiani's shocking investigation SADDAM'S MASS GRAVES, Halil Uysal's childhood journey TALL MIRROR, Sarbast Rasel's dramatic tale of life on the run TODAY - TOMORROW, Hiner Saleem's warm tale set in a cold climate VODKA LEMON, Bahman Ghobadi's sketchbook WAR IS OVER! and the world premiere of Nuray Sahin's FOLLOW THE FEATHER, the first feature film in the Kurdish Zazaki dialect.

The Closing Gala is the powerful and topical TURTLES CAN FLY the new film by Bahman Ghobadi, director of A TIME FOR DRUNKEN HORSES. It won the top prize at the San Sebastian International Film Festival in September and will be released by ICA Projects next year. Plenty to see, plenty to talk about and many of the filmmakers will be here to do just that. They'll also be around to advise and encourage the next generation of film makers taking part in workshops throughout the festival.

The festival is presented by the Kurdish Film Festival Organising Committee in conjunction with the Rio Cinema.

The festival receives funding support from Film London's Education and Audience Development Fund and the London Borough of Hackney Cultural Forum.

TICKETS
£7 (opening & Closing Galas)
£5.50 (evening and weekend screenings)
£3.50 (weekday shows before 5.00pm)

A Festival Pass offering admission to all films will be on sale at the Rio
Box Office costing £40 (Friends of the Rio £36).

The Festival programme booklet will be available from Tuesday 19 October. To receive a copy by post, e-mail: kff@riocinema.org.uk. Click here for full programme.

Tue 26 Oct • Parents & Babies Club

VODKA LEMON (PG) 1.15

(Fr/It/Switz/Armenia 2003) dir.Hiner Saleem 90m. Subtitles.
Romen Avinian, Lala Sarkissian, Ivan Franek.

"Hiner Saleem's gentle tragi-comedy tells of Hamo, an ageing widower, who finds love in, of all places, a cemetery. But it's also the story of his tiny Kurdish village – a remote, snowbound outpost where the real and the surreal agreeably co-exist. With his wife in the ground, his only hope rests in an adult son who has immigrated to France. Saleem surrounds his protagonists with a colourful gallery of eccentrics – the bickering couple who buy Hamo's wardrobe, only to find themselves with no way to cart it home; Hamo's other son, who gives away his daughter's hand in marriage in return for a non-existent dowry; and the mysterious horseman who trots through scenes without so much as a word of explanation. The real star, though, is the rugged, mountainous landscape: a winter wonderland that will have you blinking in chilly awe. The marvel is that Saleem - like Aki Kaurismaki before him – finds human empathy and alcohol-fuelled bonhomie flourishing in such a forbidding and melancholy wilderness.”
(Neil Smith, BBCi Films)

An opportunity for parents with babies to visit the cinema without having to find a baby sitter or worry about their babies causing disturbance. A secure space is provided for pushchairs.

Adm £5/£4 Concessions

Sat 30 Oct • Late Night

The Times 48th London Film Festival presents

SELF HELP (15) 11.15

(Br 2003) dir.Tes Noah Asfaw 13m.
Two sad lads find hope and a brief connection through a Curtis Mayfield song.

+ BULLET BOY (15)

(Br 2004) dir.Saul Dibb 91m.
Ashley Walters, Luke Fraser, Claire Perkins.

Ricky (Ashley Walters, AKA So Solid Crew's Asher D) is just out of a Young Offenders Institute, heading home to Hackney and determined to go straight. Instead he heads straight into trouble when he becomes involved in a street confrontation, siding with best friend Wisdom (Leon Black). Evocatively filmed in East London BULLET BOY is a dramatic portrait of two kids growing up in the inner city, confronted with tough choices in an increasingly violent environment.

Adm £8 (available in advance only from LFF 020 7928 3232 or on the door

Sun 7 Nov • Double bill

DARK WATER (15) 2.15

(Japan 2002) dir.Hideo Nakata 101m. Subtitles.
Hitomi Kuroki, Rio Kanno, Mirei Oguchi, Asami Mizukawa, Fumiyo Kohinata, Yu Tokui.

“In the midst of a messy divorce, Yoshimi (Kuroki) moves with her small daughter Ikuku (Kanno) into a dump of an apartment block. Trying to start a new life on her own is stressful enough, but she could hardly have anticipated the wet patch on the ceiling spreading alarmingly... DARK WATER will leave you wrung-out, terrified, tearful, but, most of all, elated to have seen a great horror film worthy of the description.”
(Trevor Johnston, Time Out)

+ WOMAN OF THE DUNES (15) 4.15

(Japan 1964) dir.Hiroshi Teshigahara 124m. Subtitles. New print.
Eiji Okada, Kyôko Kishida, Hiroko Ito.

“When an entomologist comes to the titular dunes on a research jaunt, villagers suggest he stay overnight with a widow whose house nestles inside a deep sandpit. Next morning, the urbane man wakes up a powerless detainee, soon reduced to his most elemental impulses: water, sex, sleep. Never less than enthralling, WOMAN OF THE DUNES nods stoically to humankind's adaptive powers while letting rip an existential primal scream.”
(Jessica Winter, Time Out)

Tue 9 Nov • Parents & Babies Club

MY SUMMER OF LOVE (15) 1.15

(Br 2004) dir.Pawel Pawlikowski 86m.
Natalie Press, Emily Blunt, Paddy Considine.

An opportunity for parents with babies to visit the cinema without having to find a baby sitter or worry about their babies causing disturbance. A secure space is provided for pushchairs.

Adm £5/£4 Concessions

Wed 10 Nov • Classic Matinee

UNDER THE TUSCAN SUN (12A) 2.30

(US 2003) dir.Audrey Wells 113m.
Audrey Wells, Diane Lane, Sandra Oh, Lindsay Duncan, Raoul Bova.

Newly divorced fortysomething Frances (Lane) takes a ten-day trip to Tuscany and falls in love with a rundown villa while out sightseeing. She buys it on impulse and sets about starting a new life in Italy.

NB. With a 15 minute interval

Thur 11 Nov • Parents & Babies Club

MY SUMMER OF LOVE (15) 2.30

(Br 2004) dir.Pawel Pawlikowski 86m.
Natalie Press, Emily Blunt, Paddy Considine.

An opportunity for parents with babies to visit the cinema without having to find a baby sitter or worry about their babies causing disturbance. A secure space is provided for pushchairs.

Adm £5/£4 Concessions

Sun 14 Nov • Double bill

BEFORE SUNRISE (15) 2.15

(US 1995) dir. Richard Linklater 101m.
Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy, Andrea Eckert, Hanno Pöschl, Erni Mangold.

“Céline is on her way back from Budapest to study at the Sorbonne; Jesse is at the end of a eurorail tour. They meet on a train just outside Vienna; by the time they reach the station, they've hit it off well enough for Jesse to propose that Céline spend the next 14 hours wandering the city with him, until his flight leaves for the States. Funny, poignant and perceptive, this is a brilliant gem.”
(Geoff Andrews, Time Out)

+ BEFORE SUNSET (15) 4.15

(US 2004) dir. Richard Linklater 80m.
Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy, Vernon Dobtcheff, Louise Lemoine Torres, Rodolphe Pauly.

“It looks like a walk in the park, but Linklater's magic-hour impromptu lights up passions and possibilities most films don't dream of. A more seasoned follow-up to BEFORE SUNRISE: a modest resumption of a love story whose pristine naturalism is never breached by its concurrent self-reflexiveness as a fiction and a sequel. A beautifully vibrant and big-spirited film.”
(Nick Bradshaw, Time Out)

Tue 16 Nov • Parents & Babies Club

THE CORPORATION (PG)

(Canada 2003) dirs. Jennifer Abbott & Mark Achbar 144m.
Documentary.

An opportunity for parents with babies to visit the cinema without having to find a baby sitter or worry about their babies causing disturbance. A secure space is provided for pushchairs.
Adm £5/£4 Concessions

Thur 18 Nov • Parents & Babies Club

MY SUMMER OF LOVE (15) 1.00

(Br 2004) dir.Pawel Pawlikowski 86m.
Natalie Press, Emily Blunt, Paddy Considine.

An opportunity for parents with babies to visit the cinema without having to find a baby sitter or worry about their babies causing disturbance. A secure space is provided for pushchairs.

Adm £5/£4 Concessions