Found Footage Festival
Celebrate the disregarded magic that was the VHS through tapes that have been collected from thrift stores and garage sales. The results are, predictably, obscure, diverse and hilarious. Co-presenters Joe Pickett, from The Onion, and Mick Prueher, from the US’s Late Show With David Letterman, take the audience on a tour through a number of unearthed videocassettes, including bizarre corporate training flicks and unloved home movies. The past makes for fertile ground.
June 29, 7.30pm & 9.30pm. June 30, 9.30pm
Soho Theatre, £15
21 Dean Street, W1D 3NE
Tube | Oxford Circus
sohotheatre.com
South Africa Revisted
Two South African music docos make up this double header: Searching For Sugarman explores the myth of singer Sixto Rodriguez, a SA legend; and Under African Skies recalls Paul Simon’s journey to Africa for the writing and recording of his seminal Graceland LP. There’s also a braai in the interval – now that’s lekke.
Sun, July 1. 5pm, £9.50+
Tricycle Cinema, NW6 7JR
Station | Brondesbury
dochouse.org
Twisted Fairytales
To celebrate Summer Solstice, get down to The Nightjar, Shoreditch, as Babicka wormwood vodka hosts an evening of fairytales. Three storytellers will be unveiling seriously adult takes on Rapunzel, Red Riding Hood and Cinderella – and there’ll be feisty cocktails conjured by head bartender Marian Beke.
Free | Mon, June 25. 7.30pm
The Nightjar, EC1V 1JB
Tube | Old Street
facebook.com/babickavodka
Diamonds: A Celebration
In a year promising to be the most British in living memory, Buckingham Palace opens its doors to the public for a limited time only. Tours take you behind the scenes, including the Grand Hall and a 450m walk of the gardens, and this special exhibition gives you a peek at some of Her Majesty’s finest jewels.
June 30-July 8 & July 31-Oct 7 (9.45am-6.30pm)
SW1A 1AA
Tube | Victoria
royalcollection.org.uk
Up At The O2
This new London attraction takes you on a 90-minute journey to the very top of the O2 dome in Greenwich. You’ll get dressed up in a jumpsuit, and then, in parties of 30, ascend a 190m long tensile fabric walkway on the roof of the O2 to a viewing platform located 53m above ground level. From there you’ve got 360 degree panoramic views of the City, in all its resplendent, Olympic-welcoming glory. It’s such an ace idea you wonder why no one has done it before.
£22 | Soho Theatre, SE10 0DX
June-Sept, 10am-10pm.
October-May, 10am-5pm
Tube | North Greenwich
upattheo2.co.uk
Pleasance Ahoy
The first of 10 pop-up comedy gigs the length of the country kicks off this afternoon at The Canal Cafe. It’s all part of the Comedy Canal Boat journey, featuring a narrow craft making its way from London to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. There’ll be interviews, podcasts, and more to download. Ahoy maties.
Free | Thurs, June 28. Boat launches 1pm & gig 7.30pm
W2 6ND | Tube | Old Street
pleasanceahoy.com
Indian Film Fest
”New Indian cinema is exciting adventurous and volatile, just like the country itself,” says director Ketan Mehta. The current shift in Indian filmmaking, away from Bollywood glamour towards a grittier realism, is evident in this closing week’s festival programme, which includes London-set crime drama Tooting Broadway.
Until July 3
Various
londonindianfilmfestival.co.uk
