Outdoor Cinema Screenings at the Barbican include Princess Mononoke and Mothra this August 2022

Date: 2022 May 13 22:39

Posted by Joe

The good folks from the Barbican in London have sent us details of their up coming Outdoor Cinema. It's set to run from Tuesday 23rd August until Sunday 28th August 2022. The theme is our connection to the natural world, which ties in nicely with with films our readers will like.

The classic kaiju Mothra film from 1961 will be shown on Wednesday 24th August 2002 at 20:00.

While fans of Studio Ghibli can enjoy Hayao Miyazaki's Princess Mononoke on Saturday 27th August 2022 at 20:30. Miyazaki's action adventure movie is always a joy to catch on the big screen!

It's not everyday you get to see such great movies fantastic location outdoors. As always with events like these we advise booking early to avoid disappointment.

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Press release as follows:



Outdoor Cinema Screenings at the Barbican celebrate our connection to the natural world

Tue 23 Aug - Sun 28 Aug 2022
Barbican Sculpture Court

https://www.barbican.org.uk/whats-on/series/outdoor-cinema

Following last year's successful series, Barbican Cinema is delighted to again present a late summer programme of evening open-air screenings, bringing together all the Barbican art forms - cinema, music, theatre, dance and visual art - set against the spectacular architectural backdrop of the Barbican Sculpture Court.

This year's Outdoor Cinema programme compliments Our Time On Earth -Barbican's major exhibition celebrating the power of global creativity to reignite respect and inspire awe and wonder for our beautiful planet - with stunning films which celebrate our connection to the natural world.

The programme kicks off with the iconic concert film Pink Floyd Live at Pompeii,, which sees the legendary rock group playfully subvert the genre, by performing at the famed amphitheatre located among the ruins of Pompeii. Playing to almost no audience, save for a limited film crew, the film is an unexpected and alluring visual experience, as the camera lingers on the vast, empty landscapes of Pompeii. Made circa 1972, the film gives an almost mythical snapshot of Pink Floyd at the height of their fame and influence, as they cycle through some of their most famed tracks of the time such as "Echoes, Part 1" "Careful with That Axe, Eugene" and "A Saucerful of Secrets".

Two celebrated films from two iconic Japanese production companies, Toho and Studio Ghibli, remind us of the mystical power of nature over humans.

One of the most eternally popular and iconic characters from the legendary Japanese film production company Toho, Mothra has been a staple across the kaiju (giant monster) genre. Before she teamed up with Godzilla, Rodan and other kaiju superstars, Mothra made an unforgettable, vibrant debut in Ishirō Honda's hugely enjoyable monster movie. Mayhem ensues when her two miniature priestesses (Emi and Yumi Itō, better known by their stage name, The Peanuts), are kidnapped from their tropical island home by greedy capitalists from the land of Rolisica (a thinly veiled parody of the USA).

An epic battle between animals and humans is the backdrop of Studio Ghibli's stunning fantasy Princess Mononoke which established Japanese director Hayao Miyazaki's as a master of animation. Prince Ashitaka, a young warrior, becomes cursed by a demon and seeks a cure, encountering the mysterious princess San and ending up in the midst of an epic war between forest spirits and humans. An epic quest to restore the natural balance unfolds, told through some of the most beautiful animation ever seen on the big screen. The screening here anticipates the arrival of RSC's production of Studio Ghibli's My Neighbour Totoro on Barbican Theatre's stage in the autumn.

Continuing the theme, the Friday-night Outdoor Cinema treat is a double-bill featuring the wildly imaginative, wonderfully detailed work of celebrated French animator René Laloux. His visually stunning animated fantasy film, La Planète Sauvage centres around the struggles between humans and a series of extra-terrestrial creatures, which inhabit the beautifully illustrated titular planet. Other worldly landscapes populated by strange phallic creatures across wild, brightly coloured planets are heightened by a haunting score made up of psychedelic jazz-funk courtesy of composer, and frequent Serge Gainsbourg collaborator, Alain Goraguer. Also, screening is Les escargot, a beautifully crafted fable centring on a farmer trying to fertilise his crops and the dramatic consequences of his unconventional methods.

In a world of disappearing sea ice, Figuring Bodies of Water is a curated evening of work by contemporary artists and filmmakers including Susan Schuppli, Anne Duk Hee Jordan and Jean Painlevé, among others. These watery, visually curious films explore ideas around queer ecologies and investigate how hermaphroditic, transgender, and gender-swapping examples of aquatic life are constantly shifting sexual gears to adapt to human environmental irresponsibility.

And closing this year's Outdoor Cinema, is Julie Dash's seductive, lyrical Daughters of the Dust, shown here in a recent 2K restoration. Aside from the film's lush visuals courtesy of celebrated cinematographer and artist Arthur Jafa, Daughters of the Dust is also notable for being the first film directed by a Black woman to receive nationwide distribution to American theatres, which then played to packed houses for four months in New York. This classic, 1991 magic realist drama tells the story of a Black Southern family through a focus on the multi-generational female relationships and how African traditions and mythology contribute to the creation and maintenance of their community. The film is one of immense importance and influence, most notably inspiring the visual aesthetic of Beyonce's Lemonade.

Gali Gold, Head of Barbican Cinema comments:

"It's a joy to bring together the Barbican's art forms with this year's outdoor programme of magical, creative and environmentally sensitive films. The experience of watching a film in the Barbican's own amphitheatre, the Sculpture Court, is like no other, and these films will gain a unique value, watched within our urban outdoor."

LISTINGS
All screenings take place on Barbican Sculpture Court.

Tue 23 Aug, 8.30pm
Pink Floyd Live at Pompeii (U)
Belgium, West Germany, France, 1972, Dir Adrian Maben, 92 min

Wed 24 Aug, 8.30 pm
Mothra (PG)
Japan 1962, Dir Ishirô Honda, 101mins

Thu 25 Aug, 8.30 pm
Figuring Bodies of Water (PG)
Dirs Various, 95mins

Fri 26 Aug, 8.30 pm
La Planète Sauvage (PG)
France, Czech Republic 1973, Dir René Laloux, 72 min
plus
Les escargots
France, 1965, Dir René Laloux, 11 mins

Sat 27 Aug, 8.30 pm
Princess Mononoke (PG)
Japan 1997, Dir Hayao Miyazaki, 133 min

Sun 28 Aug 2021, 8.30 pm,
Daughters of the Dust (PG)
US 1991, Dir Julie Dash, 112 min

Ticket prices:
Standard £18; Members £14.40; Corporate Members £13.50; Under 14 £10; Young Barbican £5 (Limited availability)

The Barbican believes in creating space for people and ideas to connect though its international arts programme, community events and learning activity. To keep its programme accessible to everyone, and to keep investing in the artists it works with, the Barbican needs to raise more than 60% of its income through ticket sales, commercial activities and fundraising every year.
Donations can be made here: barbican.org.uk/donate

About the Barbican
A world-class arts and learning organisation, the Barbican Barbican pushes the boundaries of all major art forms including dance, film, music, theatre and visual arts. Its creative learning programme further underpins everything it does. Over 1.1 million people attend events annually, hundreds of artists and performers are featured, and more than 300 staff work onsite.

The architecturally renowned centre opened in 1982 and comprises the Barbican Hall, the Barbican Theatre, The Pit, Cinemas 1, 2 and 3, Barbican Art Gallery, a second gallery the Curve, foyers and public spaces, a library, Lakeside Terrace, a glasshouse conservatory, conference facilities and three restaurants. The City of London Corporation is the founder and principal funder of the Barbican Centre.

The Barbican is home to Resident Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra; Associate Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra; Associate Ensembles the Academy of Ancient Music and Britten Sinfonia, Associate Producer Serious, and Artistic Partner Create. Our Artistic Associates include Boy Blue, Cheek by Jowl, Deborah Warner, Drum Works and Michael Clark. The Los Angeles Philharmonic are the Barbican's International Orchestral Partner, the Australian Chamber Orchestra are International Associate Ensemble at Milton Court and Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra are International Associate Ensemble.

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Our Time on Earth is Barbican's major exhibition celebrating the power of global creativity to transform the conversation around the climate emergency. Through art, design, science, music and philosophy, the exhibition presents a range of radical visions for the future of all species. A journey through immersive, interactive installations and digital works, the exhibition invites visitors to experience a range of perspectives of our shared planet,exploring Earth as a community to which we all belong - humans as just one species among millions.

Aiming to reignite respect for our essential and complex biosphere and inspire awe and wonder for our beautiful planet, the exhibition explores different ways of existing on Earth and finding ways to reconnect with them, while also looking at the role technology has to play in deepening our understanding and connection to the natural world. Our Time on Earth encourages visitors to take an active role and leave feeling empowered to make positive change.

Our Time on Earth presents 18 works, including 12 new commissions, from 12 countries around the world to create a series of innovative new collaborations. With works including Liam Young's speculative and provocative Planet City about returning stolen lands and freeing the world for rewilding, the exhibition brings together academics, architects, artists, activists, designers, ecologists, engineers, environmental campaigners, researchers, scientists, technologists and writers, highlighting the need to work in collaboration across disciplines to tackle climate change together.