Robert Slodmak, London
Germany’s loss was Hollywood’s gain in the 1920s and 30s, when masters like Murnau, Lang and Lubitsch fled across the Atlantic. But the underpraised Siodmak shaped American cinema as much as any of them. His name is synonymous with film noir, and he directed some of the best, including The Killers (which marked the debut of Burt Lancaster) and 1948 New York thriller Cry Of The City, a key influence on Scorsese, which gets an extended release here. There’s room for his non-noirs too, such as camp classic Cobra Woman (21 & 22 Apr).
BFI Southbank, SE1, Tue to 30 Apr
Jauja & Viggo Mortensen Q&A, London
He bestrode Hollywood and Middle Earth like a rugged colossus after The Lord Of The Rings, but Mortensen never looked like the sort of actor who was content to cash in on stardom. Instead he took on smaller and more challenging roles (most notably as David Cronenberg’s leading man in films such as A History Of Violence), explored other arts (writing, painting, photography, poetry, even singing), and founded an independent publishing house. In Lisandro Alonso’s acclaimed new revisionist western Jauja, Mortensen returns to both his Danish and his Argentinian roots (he lived there as a child), playing a Danish-speaking soldier and father struggling to settle in 19th-century Patagonia – a role only he could play, in other words. He’s on hand after a preview on Wednesday to discuss his career and the film.
Curzon Soho, W1, Wed
Leeds Young Film Festival
The festival proper has too many great films from around the world to list, but as an added bonus, over Easter, Leeds Town Hall is being converted into The Film House, a one-stop “family film adventure”. A day pass (from £6.50) gives you access to dozens of activities, from film-making and CBBC talks and workshops to movie-themed mass karaoke to a display of movie cars (including Tim Burton’s Batmobile and Back To The Future’s DeLorean). There are films playing there, too: popular fare like a Frozen sing-along, Paddington and The Lego Movie, but also more rarefied attractions, such as George Méliès shorts with live music, or Mimika’s puppetry-meets-digital animation show Small Worlds. Plus of course, an Easter egg hunt.
Various venues, Mon to 10 Apr
Liverpool Small Cinema
When we think of independent cinema, we tend to think of the films rather than the places we watch them in. But the latter are making a comeback, as shown by this new temporary 60-seat establishment, installed in a former courtroom. Initiated by arts collective Re-Dock, the emphasis is on community and memory: in other words, the exact opposite of your corporate multiplex. It’s all been done via donations and volunteers, and will screen films by local artist and film groups, such as film blog Celluloid Wicker Man, which presents swinging London oddity Herostratus (Thu) and the Liverpool radical film festival, which will host a discussion around Ken Loach’s Spirit Of ‘45 (22 Apr).
From today
