SAT 18 Apr • The Royal Opera House in HD Digital

CARMEN (PG) 2.30
Opéra comique in four acts by Georges Bizet

Libretto: Henry Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy after Prosper Mérimée’s novel
Conductor: Antonio Pappano
Director: Francesca Zambello
Cast: Anna Caterina Antonacci, Jonas Kaufmann, Norah Amsellem, Ildebrando d’Arcangelo, Jacques Imbrailo, Matthew Rose.

The Spanish heat and gypsy passion of Carmen take to the stage as The Royal Opera presents this great core masterpiece in a production new in 2007. Francesca Zambello's vibrant direction with Tanya McCallin's richly coloured designs create the sun-drenched and sultry world of 19th-century Spain, with its ranks of soldiers and crowd of peasants, its gypsies and bullfighters, its spectacle and its deadly, white hot emotions. Italian-born Anna Caterina Antonacci plays the fickle temptress of the title, a role for which she has been greatly acclaimed. Heart-throb German tenor Jonas Kaufmann is Don José, the soldier she forces to murderous jealousy over her affair with the bullfighter Escamillo. This outstanding cast, under the baton of Royal Opera Music Director, Antonio Pappano, play out this famous story with its sexy solos, rousing choruses, impassioned arias and Spanish dances of one of the most famously tuneful of all operas the seductive Habanera and the Toreador's Song are just two of its many familiar melodies. With show-stopping imagery, ear-catching music and heart-stopping drama, it's easy to see why, since it first appeared on the Paris stage in 1875, Bizet's Carmen has remained one of the most enduringly popular works in the entire opera repertory.

Approximate running time: 165 mins (including one interval)

£12/£10 Concs & Friends of the Rio

• FRI 24 Apr – Wed 29 Apr

EAST END FILM FESTIVAL

The East End Film Festival returns to the Rio. Showcasing hot new talent, homegrown films alongside larger independent releases, and special events, all to inform and inspire a new generation of filmmakers and audiences from across London and beyond, and to raise the profile of this vibrant and diverse area - London’s East End. Writer and filmmaker Iain Sinclair will take over the Rio Cinema for a weekend to show the cinematic roots of his new book. Screenings and discussions present a secret Hackney history that spans from Orson Welles to Patrick Keiller, Joseph Losey to John Smith, Miranda Pennell to Tony Grisoni , as well as screening key films MR ARKADIN (Welles) and THE CRIMINAL (Losey). There will be a a Q+A with Sinclair on the Saturday following the double bill and a roundtable discussion with leading Hackney and East End filmmakers on the Sunday.

See www.eastendfilmfestival.com for further details.

SONG OF SPARROWS (15) 6.30

(Iran 2008) dir. Majid Majidi 96m. Subtitles.
Mohammad Amir Naji, Maryam Akbari, Hossein Aghazi, Kamran Dehghan.

Karim, fired from his job as an ostrich farmer, ventures off to Tehran to earn some money and find means to upgrade a broken hearing aid desperately needed by one of his daughters. Using amateur actors, this beautifully crafted, deeply humanistic, sometimes hilarious story set among society’s underprivileged, explores how capitalism and technology can corrupt man, making him lose spiritual purity and all-important connections to family, friends and nature.

£7/£5.50 Concs

SAT 25 Apr • East End Film Festival

The Iain Sinclair Weekend Day 1

London’s East End is excavated by the city’s most celebrated chronicler. ‘Hackney, That Rose-Red Empire’ is Iain Sinclair’s personal record of the area of London in which he has lived for almost forty years. Hackney was once an Arcadian suburb of grand houses, orchards and conservatories that has (some believe), declined into a zone of asylums, hospitals and dirty industry. Persistently revived, reinvented and betrayed, it has become a symbol of inner-city chaos, crime and poverty. The Olympics, Sinclair argues, are a final attempt to clamp down on a renegade spirit, seeking to complete the process: erasure disguised as ‘progress’.

THE CRIMINAL (12A) 1.30

(UK 1960) dir. Joseph Losey 92m.
Stanley Baker, Margit Saad, Sam Wanamaker, Patrick Magee, Noel Willman, Gregoire Aslan.

“Joseph Losey’s THE CRIMINAL (1960) and MR ARKADIN (1955) by Orson Welles: two rarely seen cult films with no obvious local pedigree; both of which, by indirect paths (the only kind worth exploring), haunt my recent book, Hackney, That Rose-Red Empire. THE CRIMINAL was the reason for my first visit to Dalston, in the early Sixties. A prison drama, shot in lustrous black-and-white by Robert Krasker. Losey, an exiled American director who had worked with Brecht, presents a fated London gangster with a film noir conclusion in a snowfield out of Trauffaut’s Shoot the Pianist. The script, echoing Brendan Behan with its songs and rituals, is by Alun Owen (who was then living near De Beauvoir Square). Stanley Baker, a friend of Albert Dimes and other Soho faces of the time, has something of the look and style of a later Hackney resident, Tony Lambrianou (the Kray associate).” (Iain Sinclair)

+ MR. ARKADIN PG) 3.30

(US 1955) dir. Orson Welles 91m.
Orson Welles, Michael Redgrave, Akim Tamiroff.

“MR ARKADIN, in its alternative version, gave my book its subtitle: ‘Confidential Report’. A model of how to make a paranoid detective fable out of a tall tale; out of home movie improvisations, old friends brought back, yet again, to do the business. The monstrous, whale-like Arkadin hires an investigator to tease out the story of his own past. Witnesses, having made their contribution, are murdered. Welles is composing a delirious suicide note to his career, a film built to be lost. And meanwhile its director slipped into London to shoot an interview with a bunch of old ladies, living in an almshouse behind the Hackney Empire (where he was rehearsing Moby Dick). But that’s another story...” (Iain Sinclair)

+ discussion with Iain Sinclair, introduced and chaired by Chris Petit

£7/£5.50 Concs

SUN 26 Apr • East End Film Festival

The Iain Sinclair Weekend Day 2

Hackney, That Rose-Red Empire (15) 12.00

In this programme of films and discussions, Sinclair presents a cinematic trawl through the borough with a rich tapestry of classic cinema clips, documentary pieces and contemporary film. The afternoon is broken into three parts: The Set Up, The Twist, and The Pay Off, before you step back into the 'real' Hackney to muse on what you have seen.

Watch out for Patrick Keiller's Stoke Newington expedition as imagined by Daniel Defoe, Orson Welles' visit to the Hackney Empire, John Smith’s seminal GIRL CHEWING GUM, activist group Open Dalston’s film on demolition of Four Aces / Labyrinth in Dalston Lane, Emily Richardson’s recent Hells Angels footage, plus further work from Simon Pummell, Rachel Lichtenstein, Miranda Pennell, Anja Kirschner, Tony Grisoni, and Javier Correa.

The panel titled 'Images of the Lost, the Reforgotten and the Resistance' will include Sinclair alongside Tony Grisoni, Emily Richardson, Anja Kirschner, Miranda Pennell, Javier Correa, John Smith and be chaired by Gareth Evans from Vertigo Magazine.

Programme supported by LUX

£8/£6 Concs

Complete schedule:

PART I: THE SET UP (113 mins approx)

Introduction by Gareth Evans & Iain Sinclair

FILM ON IAIN FOR GUARDIAN
(2009) dir. Shehani Fernando 7m.

LONDON (extract)
(1994) dir. Patrick Keiller 5m.
Local footage from Keiller's critically acclaimed documentary.

THE CARDINAL AND THE CORPSE (extract)
(1992) dir. Chris Petit 3m.
Sinclair explores the weirder fringes of the London used-book trade in Brick Lane.

AROUND THE WORLD WITH ORSON WELLES (extract)
(1955) dir. Orson Welles 5m.
Welles journeys to the Hackney Empire as part of his 1955 British mini-series.

60s DIARY EDIT
(1969) dir. Iain Sinclair 15m.
Extract from communal 8mm diary film kept between 1969 - 1975 by Iain Sinclair and Laurence Bicknell

GIRL CHEWING GUM
(1976) dir. John Smith 12m.
Classic experimental film which draws attention to the cinematic codes and illusions it incorporates by denying their existence.

SIDNEY KIRSH
(2009) dir. Rachel Lichtenstein 8m.
A look at the life of one of Hackney's long term Jewish residents, the legendary barber and black cab driver, Sidney Kirsh.

IN BETWEEN
(2008) dir. Javier Correa 18m.
An attempt to collect fragments of lost memories through an exploration of the former German hospital, the people that inhabit it and the landscape that surrounds it.

TEMPTATION OF SAINTHOOD
(1993) dir. Simon Pummell 12m.
Story of Daniel Paul Schreber, one of Freud's most famous cases, who believed he had an erotic relationship with God.

LOST SOUND
(2001) dir. Graeme Miller and John Smith 28m.
The potential of chance is explored as the sound retrieved from fragments of discarded audio tape discovered within a small area of East London is combined with images of the places where it was found.
 
BREAK - 20 MINS
 
PART II: THE TWIST (76 mins approx)

TRANSIT
(2006) dir. Emily Richardson 7m.
Transit journeys through the East End of London quietly observing the shifting architectural and social landscape.

FISTICUFFS
(2004) dir. Miranda Pennell 11m.
This unique approach to filming a pub brawl ensures the viewer is aware of the choreographed nature of the violence, with the actors being as invulnerable as those in the TV Westerns that inspired the film.

BLOCK
(2005) dir. Emily Richardson 12m.
Incidental activities taking place inside and outside a South London tower block over the period of several months.

BLIGHT
(1994-6) dir. John Smith 16m.
Documentary of the campaign by local residents to protect their homes from demolition during the construction of the M11 link road, exploiting ambiguities from the material to produce new meanings.
 
POLLY II - PLAN FOR A REVOLUTION IN THE DOCKLANDS
(2006) dir. Anja Kirschner 30m.
Part satirical sci-fi, part soap opera set in the not-so-distant future, portraying the lives of pirates and outcasts surviving in the flooded ruins of East London.
 
BREAK - 20 MINS
 
PART III: THE PAY OFF (105 mins approx)
 
SAVE OUR HERITAGE (extract)
(2008) dir. Winstan Whitter 10m.
A sequel to Whitter's acclaimed documentary LEGACY IN THE DUST on the history of the Dalston's Four Aces Club.

Panel Discussion: Images of the Lost, the Reforgotten and the Resistance
Chaired by Gareth Evans with: Iain Sinclair, Tony Grisoni, Emily Richardson, Anja Kirschner, Miranda Pennell, Javier Correa and John Smith (45 mins approx)
 
MEMO MORI
(2009) dir Emily Richardson 26m.
Memo Mori is a journey through Hackney tracing loss and disappearance. With commentary and readings from Hackney, That Rose-Red Empire.
 
KINGSLAND
(2008) dir. Tony Grisoni 21m.
Rooted in the experiences and lives of the North London Kurdish community.

MON 27 Apr • East End Film Festival

LODOS (15)

(Turkey 2008) dir. Didem Erayda 94m.

When a woman finds a man beating his girlfriend in a park she attacks him. Believing him to be dead, the two women flee. This unexpected crime takes them to the road, in a film dealing with disappearance, coincidence, insanity, failure and dreams. Lodos, a Turkish word for a strong Mediterranean wind, follows them on their journey. This debut feature by a first time female director explores relationships, alienation, cruelty and violence in modern urban life. With a focus on city living, relationships and women’s issues, this film examines violence towards women and its wider impact on society.

£7/£5.50 Concs

TUE 28 Apr • East End Film Festival

Dalston Docs 6.15

SAVE OUR HERITAGE (15)

(UK) dir. Winstan Whitter 40m.

A short sequel to Whitter’s highly acclaimed feature documentary LEGACY IN THE DUST about the history of Dalston’s Four Aces Club. The Club was at the forefront of East London’s nightclub scene from it’s reggae days of the 70’s to it’s groundbreaking status as the birth of acid house and rave culture in the 80’s. the building was eventually condemned by Hackney Council in the late 90’s and has controversially been knocked down to make way for luxury flats and the East London extension line.

+ LIFE ON THE GRAVE SIDE (15)

(UK) dir. Marie Bryant 32m.

This is a poignant, warm and entertaining portrait of Abney Park Cemetery in Stoke Newington and of those who frequent this extraordinary Victorian burial ground.

+ HANDSOME BASTARD (15)

(UK) dir. Guy Bolongaro 24m.
A charming tale of a veteran artist and East Ender.

+ discussion

£7/£5.50 Concs

WED 29 Apr • East End Film Festival

East End Heritage Matinee

THE LONDON NOBODY KNOWS (PG) 2.30

(UK 1967) dir. Norman Cohen 53m.

Based on Geoffrey Fletcher's book and narrated by James Mason, this fascinating look at London in 1967 captured the strange, hidden and unfamiliar sights of a changing metropolis, from abandoned music-halls to egg breaking factories. Forty years on, much that was weird and wonderful then has now vanished forever and all that remains is this unique time capsule of a bygone age.

+ POOL OF LONDON (PG) 3.45

(UK 1951) dir. Basil Dearden 82m.
Bonar Colleano, Earl Cameron, Susan Shaw, Renee Asherson, Moira Lister.

This tale of crime and forbidden love in London’s Docklands is a gripping portrayal of a forgotten city. The film offers a fascinating look into the racial politics of another era, featuring the first interracial relationship in a British film. The story concerns a member of a ship’s crew as his life takes a serious turn when he finds himself becoming embroiled in a robbery in the City.

£6/£5 Concs/free for the over 60’s + tea and cake

WED 29 Apr • East End Film Festival

Documents (15) 6.45

A varied programme of short documentaries from across the UK and beyond; from the gay village of Vauxhall to the illegal coalmines of Eastern Europe and from the thrill of the speedway to the hidden underground world of graffiti art.

STEEL HOMES
(UK) dir. Eva Weber 10m.

SPEEDWAY
(Sweden) dir. Peter Magnusson 6m.

A VILLAGE STROLL WITH DAVID HOYLE
(UK) dir. Nathan Evans 15m.

CLOSE YOUR EYES AND LOOK AT ME
(UK) dir. Lindsey Dryden 6m.

SANCTUARY
(UK) dir. Lovejit Dhaliwal 4m.

LEFT BEHIND
(Germany) dirs. Fabian Daub & Andreas Grafastein 13m.

ALTERED EGOS
(UK) dirs. John Molinari & Teilo Vellacott 25m.

£7/£5.50

SAT 2 & Mon 4 May • The Royal Ballet in HD Digital

TALES OF BEATRIX POTTER (U) 2.00
Ballet in one act

Choreography: Frederick Ashton, Music: John Lanchbery
Production: Anthony Dowell, Designs Christine Edzard.
Conductor: Paul Murphy, Royal Ballet Sinfonia
Cast: Victoria Hewitt, Ricardo Cervera, Jonathan Howells, Gemma Sykes, Gary Avis, Bennet Gartside, Laura Morera, David Pickering, Zachary Faruque, Giacomo Ciriaci, Johna Loots, Joshua Tuifua, Steven McRae.

‘Tales of Beatrix Potter’ was created in 1971 for a film, bringing alive with astonishing accuracy the famous images and stories of Beatrix Potter. The dancers of The Royal Ballet are dressed and masked to look just as we know them from the illustrations. Against the evocation of the countryside in the designs, to a score specially created from popular Victorian and Edwardian melodies, John Lanchbury's music is utterly captivating, inspiring spirited playing from the Royal Ballet Sinfonia conducted by Paul Murphy. Christine Edzard's designs conjure up a lost England of field mice and Berkshire black pigs, of foxgloves and shady groves. Swept up in the ballet's childlike exuberance, the entire cast delivers outstanding portrayals of such colourful figures as Jemima Puddle-duck, Mr Jeremy Fisher, Mrs Tiggy-winkle and the irrepressible Peter Rabbit come to vibrant life on stage and Ashtons warm and witty, yet demanding, choreography creates a piece of charm and grace for all ages.

Running time: 73 mins

£10/£8 Concs & Friends of the Rio/£5 Under 15’s

SAT 16 May • Matinee

La Scala Opera in HD Digital

DON CARLO (PG) 2.00
Opera in 4 acts by Giuseppe Verdi

Conductor: Daniele Gatti, Directed by: Stephane Braunschweig.
Cast: Stuart Neill, Ferruccio Furlanetto, Fiorenza Cedolinis, Dalibor Jenis, Matti Saliminen, Dolora Zajick.

Don Carlo is possibly the most intense, deep, nuanced, rich and masterful work of the "mature" Giuseppe Verdi. It is also the Verdi opera that exists in the most number of versions. This version which inaugurated the 2008-09 La Scala Opera season is the 1884 Four Acts version that Verdi reduced and changed into Italian from the original 1867 Five Acts version in French. Taking a few liberties with historical truth, Verdi's opera, based on Schiller's play, focuses on the fatal father-son relationship between King Philip II of Spain and his emotionally deranged son Don Carlo. But Carlo's derangement has a Hamlet-like cause in that Elisabetta, the young woman he loves, is forced to marry his father.

Running time: 205 mins (including one interval)

£12/£10 Concs & Friends of the Rio

Book for Verdi's Aida (3rd May) at the Hackney Empire and obtain admission at £10 to our screening of Don Carlo upon presentation of your ticket stub. Please visit www.hackneyempire.co.uk to book your tickets.

SAT 30 May • Hackney Friends of the Earth presents

THE AGE OF STUPID (12A) 3.15

(UK 2009) dir. Fanny Armstrong 92m.
Pete Postlethwaite.

Pete Postlethwaite plays the only fictional character in this fascinating study of climate change set in the devastated world of 2055. As ‘The Archivist’, the last man on earth, he takes the audience through his salvaged news clips and interviews from the early 21st Century asking ‘why didn’t we stop climate change when we had the chance?’. A passionate, urgent, and often terrifying documentary of what could be.

+ discussion with climate change activists

£6/£5 Concs