1 – 23 November 2025
In the Realm of Acting: Performance On and Off Screen explores the multifaceted nature of acting through a collection of films that approach the subject with distinctive themes and forms. Spanning periods and geographies, none of the selected titles can be easily categorised as fiction or non-fiction; instead, they imaginatively collapse the boundary between reality and drama.
The season brings together rare and underseen works alongside multiple UK theatrical premieres, including a new 4K restoration of The Written Face by Daniel Schmid with kabuki star Bando Tamasaburo V at its core; The Lion Sleeps Tonight, a French-Japanese co-production directed by Nobuhiro Suwa and starring Nouvelle Vague legend Jean-Pierre Léaud; and Directing Actors by Jean Renoir by Gisèle Braunberger, offering a unique glimpse into the directorial method of one of cinema’s great masters. Featuring films from diverse cultural contexts, the programme highlights a wide array of traditions and social milieux from the ritualised mourning practices of women in Southern Italy and the fierce longing to appear in a film shaped by the social conditions of 1990s Iran, to intimate portraits of identity in flux, caught between public image and private self in the height of international stardom.
What does it mean to embody another? How does the relationship between actor and viewer shape our understanding of performance? What do the dynamics of power, control, and collaboration reveal about the creative process? And how do we act in our everyday lives, constantly negotiating between different versions of ourselves? Through bold cinematic works, In the Realm of Acting: Performance On and Off Screen invites deeper reflections on the complexities and fluidity of performance, identity, illusion, and truth.
In the Realm of Acting: Performance On and Off Screen explores the multifaceted nature of acting through a collection of films that approach the subject with distinctive themes and forms. Spanning periods and geographies, none of the selected titles can be easily categorised as fiction or non-fiction; instead, they imaginatively collapse the boundary between reality and drama.
The season brings together rare and underseen works alongside multiple UK theatrical premieres, including a new 4K restoration of The Written Face by Daniel Schmid with kabuki star Bando Tamasaburo V at its core; The Lion Sleeps Tonight, a French-Japanese co-production directed by Nobuhiro Suwa and starring Nouvelle Vague legend Jean-Pierre Léaud; and Directing Actors by Jean Renoir by Gisèle Braunberger, offering a unique glimpse into the directorial method of one of cinema’s great masters. Featuring films from diverse cultural contexts, the programme highlights a wide array of traditions and social milieux from the ritualised mourning practices of women in Southern Italy and the fierce longing to appear in a film shaped by the social conditions of 1990s Iran, to intimate portraits of identity in flux, caught between public image and private self in the height of international stardom.
What does it mean to embody another? How does the relationship between actor and viewer shape our understanding of performance? What do the dynamics of power, control, and collaboration reveal about the creative process? And how do we act in our everyday lives, constantly negotiating between different versions of ourselves? Through bold cinematic works, In the Realm of Acting: Performance On and Off Screen invites deeper reflections on the complexities and fluidity of performance, identity, illusion, and truth.
This programme is curated by Yuriko Hamaguchi and presented in partnership with The National Film and Television School.
Programme
Saturday 1 November, 6.30pm
Opening Night
UK Premiere: The Written Face + Introduction
A fantastical exploration of performance, The Written Face drifts through the twilight between reality and dreams, drawing out the artistic philosophies of kabuki star Bando Tamasaburo V and other legends like Kazuo Ohno, captured with Daniel Schmid’s singular aesthetic vision.
Saturday 8 November, 4.00pm
Stendalì: Still They Toll + Jane B. for Agnès V. + Introduction
A collaboration between Cecilia Mangini and Pier Paolo Pasolini records a vanishing female mourning ritual in Southern Italy as a meditation on culturally coded expressions of grief and collective memory. This screens with Agnès Varda's imaginary biopic of Jane Birkin, unveiling multiple Janes – both cultural icon and woman.
Sunday 16 November, 6.30pm
Directing Actors by Jean Renoir + Salam Cinema + Introduction
A rare behind-the-scenes glimpse of Jean Renoir’s rehearsal reveals his distinctive directorial method, and a renowned Iranian New Wave filmmaker Mohsen Makhmalbaf transforms an open casting call into a vivid human tapestry, in this dual screening.
Sunday 23 November, 12.15pm
The Lion Sleeps Tonight + Introduction
In sunlit La Ciotat, Jean (Jean-Pierre Léaud), an actor haunted by the past, is drawn into a children’s filmmaking adventure. Born from a real-life workshop, The Lion Sleeps Tonight celebrates the joy and magic of collective creation.
Saturday 1 November, 6.30pm
Opening Night
UK Premiere: The Written Face + Introduction
A fantastical exploration of performance, The Written Face drifts through the twilight between reality and dreams, drawing out the artistic philosophies of kabuki star Bando Tamasaburo V and other legends like Kazuo Ohno, captured with Daniel Schmid’s singular aesthetic vision.
Saturday 8 November, 4.00pm
Stendalì: Still They Toll + Jane B. for Agnès V. + Introduction
A collaboration between Cecilia Mangini and Pier Paolo Pasolini records a vanishing female mourning ritual in Southern Italy as a meditation on culturally coded expressions of grief and collective memory. This screens with Agnès Varda's imaginary biopic of Jane Birkin, unveiling multiple Janes – both cultural icon and woman.
Sunday 16 November, 6.30pm
Directing Actors by Jean Renoir + Salam Cinema + Introduction
A rare behind-the-scenes glimpse of Jean Renoir’s rehearsal reveals his distinctive directorial method, and a renowned Iranian New Wave filmmaker Mohsen Makhmalbaf transforms an open casting call into a vivid human tapestry, in this dual screening.
Sunday 23 November, 12.15pm
The Lion Sleeps Tonight + Introduction
In sunlit La Ciotat, Jean (Jean-Pierre Léaud), an actor haunted by the past, is drawn into a children’s filmmaking adventure. Born from a real-life workshop, The Lion Sleeps Tonight celebrates the joy and magic of collective creation.
no. 236848.