Talk + Screenings

In partnership with Serpentine’s General Ecology project and to mark the Serpentine Galleries’ exhibition Pierre Huyghe: UUmwelt (until 10 Feb 2019), philosopher Flora Katz discusses her extensive research into Pierre Huyghe’s archive and his visionary site-specific work Untilled (Documenta 13, Kassel, 2012). The talk is accompanied by a series of artists films reflecting on landscape and care across species, including Huyghe’s A Way in Untilled.

In this inspirational and epic drama Pierre Schoeller (The Minister) conveys the scale of events of the 1789 French Revolution from the point of view of ordinary people, who, for the first time, were able to power events and develop a national consciousness instead of remaining passive victims.

Followed by a Q&A with director Pierre Schoeller

Winner of the Best Director Award at the Cannes Film Festival 2018, Pawel Pawlikowski (Ida) melds the personal with the political in this epic romance. In the ruins of post-war Poland, passionate lovers Wiktor and Zula are performing musicians forced to play into the Soviet propaganda machine, who dream of escaping to the West. Sumptuously shot in luminous B&W, Cold War spans decades and nations to tell a heartbreaking story of ill-fated love.

This ecological dystopia by Richard Fleischer, sees an overpopulated New York in 2022, struggling with the increasing scarcity of natural resources. Detective Thorn (Charlton Heston) is investigating the murder of a businessman with ties to the Soylent food corporation, which came up with a solution to feed the teaming masses, Soylent Green, a product allegedly made from plankton. But the truth behind it lies behind horrendous secrets that Thorn’s investigation will reveal.

1989, East Berlin. When Christiane, a staunch socialist, witnesses her son’s arrest on a protest march, she falls into a coma. She wakes up eight months later, but her son, Alex, is warned that any shock might be fatal to her. He tries to conceal all traces of triumphing capitalism, in any way he can. What begins as a little white lie gets more and more out of hand as Alex’s mother, who feels better every day, wants to watch TV and even leaves her bed one day…

Young French student Xavier (Romain Duris) leaves behind his long-term girlfriend (Audrey Tautou), to spend his last year of studies in Barcelona. He settles into a large apartment with seven other European exchange students and, gradually, learns to know them and himself far better than he might have expected. This European ensemble cast garnered by Cédric Klapish shows Romain Duris as engaging as ever and reveals Belgian actress Cécile de France to the eyes of the world.

In Mariannes Noires, seven different French-born women of African descent confront their own unique identities and challenge the expectations of French society. While some came from great privilege, and others came from nothing at all, they each have attained a high level of success and influence, which they use to increase visibility for Black women in France.

Followed by a Q&A with Mame-Fatou Niang, co-director and Olivette Otele, professor of Colonial History at Bath Spa University.

After a special briefing for the journal Nature announced the possible extinction of a part of mankind before the end of the 21st century, French writer and activist Cyril Dion and actress and director Mélanie Laurent carried out an investigation in ten different countries to figure out what may lead to this disaster and above all how to avoid it. During their journey, they met the pioneers who are re-inventing agriculture, energy, economy, democracy and education. With this topical documentary, they try to convey what could be the world of tomorrow…