Running from Thursday June 28 to Thursday July 5 at Conway Hall, the inaugural Looking In, Looking Out promises "an innovative series of screenings, workshops and talks, in which modern and classic cinema is examined and enjoyed in a philosophical context." The programme begins with only the second ever UK screening of An Encounter With Simone Weil, Julia Haslett’s 2010 profile of the controversial French philosopher and activist (trailer below). Will Self will present the case for why Andrei Tarkovsky’s Mirror (1975) is the most beautiful film ever made, while Nigel Floyd explores existentialism via David Cronenberg’s Crash (1996).
Further highlights are a celebration of the women of old Hollywood, capped by an always welcome outing for Gloria Swanson’s immortal turn in Billy Wilder’s 1950 noir masterpiece Sunset Boulevard; Dr Lucy Bolton and Sophie Mayer analysing the phenomenological impact of Andrea Arnold’s work; plus a closing night paranoia classic double bill comprising John Carpenter’s They Live (1988) and David Lynch’s Eraserhead (1977). Rowdy Roddy Piper and the Lady In The Radiator, together at last! For the full schedule – including a raft of intriguing panel discussions – be sure to check the Conway Hall website.
