Sat 6 Oct • Black History Month

Jazz Shorts (U) 2.00

The history of Jazz is the history of a great African-American creation; a vibrant, evolving art form that both mirrored and helped to change the history of Black America throughout the 20th century. This programme of short movies made between 1929 and 1944 pays tribute to the talents who made it possible: the all-time greats and the long forgotten performers, all caught in time by another social phenomenon still in its infancy: the sound film.

LOUIS ARMSTRONG (US 1931) 3m.
A rare glimpse of the young jazz genius as he sings and plays I Cover the Waterfront.

BLACK AND TAN (US 1929) 17m.
In their first film appearance Duke Ellington and his orchestra impart a bluesy mood to a melodramatic tale that features actress-dancer Fredi Washington.

FATS WALLER (US 1942) 3m.
Fats Waller growls a definitive version of his own perennial composition Ain't Misbehavin'.

SYMPHONY IN BLACK (US 1935) 10m.
Duke Ellington's symphonic A Rhapsody of Negro Life was the basis for this short film, which also features the young Billie Holiday.

CAB CALLOWAY'S JITTERBUG PARTY (US 1935) 10m.
The eternally energetic Cab Calloway performs two numbers at the Cotton Club, and takes his friends down to Harlem for a jitterbug party.

ST. LOUIS BLUES (US 1929) 17m.
The only film appearance of the legendary blues singer Bessie Smith is a dramatisation of the classic blues refrain of a woman left alone by her roving man.

JIMMY LUNCEFORD AND HIS DANCE ORCHESTRA (US 1935) 10m.
One of the most exciting bands of the 1930s in an exhilarating mix of rhythm, song, dance and suits...

MILLS BLUE RHYTHM BAND (US 1938) 10m
Fredi Washington (again). Hambree Hamilton. Blues McAllister. The Three Dukes. Forgotten names but still great entertainers.

RUFUS JONES FOR PRESIDENT (US 1933) 20m.
Legendary singer Ethel Waters and an unbelievably talented 7 year old Sammy Davis Jnr. star in this musical fantasy.

JAMMIN‚ THE BLUES (US 1944) 10m.
Often quoted as the best jazz short ever, this features saxophonist Lester Young and a memorable rendition by Marie Bryant of On the Sunny Side of the Street.

Advisory Note: these films were mostly made for contemporary general audiences and some of them reflect widely accepted attitudes of the time. Ethnic stereotyping is as wrong today as it was 75 years ago. However, not to show these films as they were originally seen would be to deny that such attitudes and times ever existed.

£4/£3 Concessions

Sat 6 Oct • Black History Month

FREEDOM ROAD: SONGS OF NEGRO PROTEST (U) 4.00

(UK 1964) dir. Robert Fleming 40m. Digital

In this award-winning documentary Cleo Laine heads a strong group of singers in a memorable programme of songs of protest from the days of slavery to the civil rights movement. Standouts include Laine's version of Billie Holiday's Strange Fruit.

+ followed by live performance from Zoe Gospel Promotions' Gospel Choir.

Admission free

Sat 13 Oct • Black History Month

WITH OR WITHOUT FIDEL (PG) 1.30

(UK 2007) dir. Ishmahil Blagrove 57m. Digital.

Filmed during the most precarious period in Cuba's history, the documentary reveals the aspirations and vulnerabilities of a country that stands on the brink of change and questions whether the Revolution can survive without Fidel.

+ Q&A with filmmaker

£4/£3 Concession

Sun 21 Oct • Black History Month

AFRICA'S GREATEST RESOURCE (PG) 11.15am

(UK 2007) dir. Steve O Taylor 47m. Digital.

Documentary by local filmmaker about the slave trade + Q&A with filmmaker.

Admission free

Sun 21 Oct • The Times BFI 51st London Film Festival

For the fourth year, the Festival is bringing films beyond central London to local cinemas across the capital. The Rio is proud to be one of these venues, and are delighted to be screening the following two films:

DOL: THE VALLEY OF TAMBOURINES (15) 1.30

(Autonomous Region of Kurdistan/France/Germany 2006) dir. Hiner Saleem 90m. Subtitles.
Nazmî Kirik, Belçim Bilgin, Omer Çiaw Sin.

Exquisitely shot tale of a groom on-the-run through the Kurdish mountains. The Turkish-Kurdish village of Balliova borders Iran and Iraq, and is the site of border disputes that have devastated the area. With Kurdish guerrilla fighters active, the Turkish military patrol the area, oppressively clamping down at the mere hint of violence or aggression. It's in these circumstances that villagers Azad and his fiancée Nazenin are to be married, but their plans are ruined when a fight with Turkish soldiers breaks out during their wedding ceremony, resulting in a Turkish commandant being shot and Azad going on the run, leaving Nazenin behind. Azad embarks on an odyssey that takes him to Kurdish regions in both Iran and Iraq, revealing and revelling in diverse aspects of his peoples' culture and circumstances. Exquisite to watch, but often uncomfortable viewing, the cinematography of Andreas Sinanos (who has worked extensively with Theo Angelopolus) beautifully captures the fascinating landscape of the Kurdish mountains and valleys, while director Hiner Saleem (VODKA LEMON, KILOMETRE ZERO) delivers a searing satire about the treatment of the Kurds with a sense of politics and mischief that is reminiscent of Godard at his peak.

£7

TUYA'S MARRIAGE (15) 3.45

(China 2007) dir. Wang Quan An 96m. Subtitles.
Yu Nan, Bater, Sen'ge.

One of the unforeseen pleasures of this year's Berlinale, Golden Bear-winning TUYA'S MARRIAGE is the story of one woman's struggle to support her family, set against the backdrop of a disappearing way of life. Tuya is a young Mongolian woman, whose husband Bater is incapacitated by injury. With 100 sheep to tend and two young children to support, Tuya reluctantly agrees to divorce Bater and find a new husband, but only on condition that any would-be suitors agree to support Bater as well as the rest of the family. As she receives a series of dodgy candidates, her hapless, drunken but kind-hearted neighbour Sen'ge looks on... An enjoyable slice-of-life drama suffused with gentle humour, the film also benefits from director Wang Quan An's eye for composition and Lutz Reitemeier's photography, which make the film look at times almost like a Steppes-Western. But most appealing of all are the film's characters, particularly the flawed, stubborn but resolutely determined Tuya.

£7

Tickets available in advance online from www.lff.org.uk, by telephone 020 7928 3232 or from the Rio Cinema box office

Fri 26 Oct • Late night shorts

Future Shorts (15) 11.15pm

The Future Shorts festival races into its new season this October with a hard-hitting and supremely stimulating collection of world cinema. Highlights include the multi award-winning Romanian masterpiece A TUBE WITH A HAT, rising director Dougal Wilson's fantastic Jarvis Cocker music video, a rock'n'roll love story in TROUT, as well as the recent winner at the legendary Sarajevo Film festival and many more.

TROUT
(UK 2007) dir. Johnny Barrington
Life for a young Scottish couple is altered after a bizarre chain of events.

A TUBE WITH A HAT
(Romania, 2006) dir. Radu Jude
Missing the tube with the hat, young Marian gets his dad up early to help fix the TV before the afternoon movie.

BARE
(India, 2006) dir. Santana Issar
A daughter’s search to find meaning, if any, in her relationship with her alcoholic father.

BECKENRAND
(Germany, 2006) dir. Michael Koch
The setting is a packed swimming pool at the height of summer. A group of teenagers catch the pool attendant’s attention and a confrontation leads to a tragic misunderstanding…

SPIDER
(Australia, 2007) dir. Michael Koch
It's all fun and games until someone loses an eye.

DON’T LET HIM WASTE YOUR TIME
(UK 2006) dir: Dougal Wilson
Here's the clip for the smashing lead-track off Jarvis. You really shouldn't take driving tips from Mr. Cocker

+ a free beer with ticket

£6/£5 Concessions

This special Black History Month event aims to introduce audiences to Ghanaian films and film makers. It coincides with the celebrations marking the 50th anniversary of Ghana's Independence, an event that marks the beginning of Pan African Freedom.

Since independence, Ghana has had its highs and lows; today it is still viewed as a nation in much need of development. Recent debt relief promises and conditionalities have advanced and hindered progress, but for the most part Ghanaians are optimistic about their future. This optimism however, is not always reflected through the media in the UK.

In the past Ghanaian artists have played a part in addressing this gap through music, dance and film. Veterans such as Kwaw Ansah and Kwesi Owusu, who in the 80s and 90s produced classics that were considered to be ‘entertainment with a social message’, continue to inspire promising Ghanaians filmmakers within the UK to seek, portray and share social issues relevant to African culture. Flourishing Directors such as Julius Amedume, Beyonder and Akua Ofosuhene continue to recreate these social themes through subject matter that is new-found and stimulating.

The free screenings at the Rio will look at films that adopt a ‘Sankofa’ approach (meaning return and get it), address the magic in and of Ghanaian filmmaking, and showcase the hidden talents contributing towards Ghanaian filmmaking today.

The festival is a partnership between WORLDwrite (www.worldwrite.org.uk), AFFORD (www.afford-uk.org), Arcola Theatre (www.arcolatheatre.com) and The Rio Cinema.

Screenings and discussion will held at the Arcola Theatre and the Rio Cinema.

For more info see also: www.ghanaianfilmfestival.co.uk

Sat 27 Oct • Ghanaian Film Festival

Documentary programme 1.30

Opening introductions from Akua Ofosuhene and Kwaku Mensah

+ A SHORT STORY FOR MY NIECE, THE YAA ASANTEWAA STORY (PG)

(Ghana 2007) dir. Akua Ofosuhene 15m. Digital.

2007 is the 50th anniversary of Ghanaian independence from British rule. The descendants of Queen Yaa Asantewaa I, recount the story of the war of the Golden Stool of Ashanti, that marked the start of British rule.

+ HEAR MY VOICE (PG)

(UK 2007, Documentary) dir. Kwaku Mensah 30m. Digital.

A short film of interviews with local men, women and young people on the legacy of slavery and abolition.

+ ONE DAY TAFO (12A)

(Denmark/Ghana 1991) dir. Erik Knudsen 70m. Digital.

One Day Tafo is a uniquely poetic film, transcending generally accepted form. Being half Danish, half Ghanaian – and thereby a consequence of a marriage of cultures – the filmmaker embarks on a spiritual exploration of what connects people and peoples.

Admission free

HERITAGE AFRICA (12A) 4.00

(Ghana 1988) dir. Kwaw Ansah 127m. Digital.
Kofi Bucknor, Ian Collier, Amima Misa, Peter Whitbread, Tommy Ebow Mensah, Evans Oma Hunter, Alexander Duah, Joy Otoo, Harry Owusu.

Set in Ghana during 1948 – 1951, this tale depicts Kwesi Atta Bosomefi, a vain loyal servant of the British Crown who is rewarded with a unique promotion as the first African District Commissioner (DC). In his new role, he must help quell anti-colonial agitation, putting him at loggerheads with his own people. A further complication arises when he is chosen by his family to protect a 500 year old heirloom, containing the family’s spirit.
Winner: Grand Priz Etalon De Yennega, PAFF 1989; Outstanding Film, London FF 1989.

Admission free

A GOAT'S TAIL (15) 11.15pm

(Ghana/UK 2006) dir. Julius Amedume 110m. Digital.
Godfrey Nortey, Lesley Cook, Simon James Morgan, Jason Ramsey, Paul Kwabena Akorfala, Danny John Jules.

Kojo is a taxi driver living and working in Ghana. Sleeping on his break he is awakened by Cynthia, a beautiful young traveling actress. She’s in Ghana for the day and hires Kojo to show her some tourist attractions. The day ends with a sexual encounter and a reluctant promise from Cynthia to invite Kojo to England. Four months later Kojo arrives on Cynthia’s doorstep. Filled with ambitions of making money and fulfilling his dreams of succeeding as a poet, he soon finds out that the grass isn’t greener on the other side and people are not what they seem.

+ Q&A with Julius Amedume

Admission free

The 2007 Annual General Meeting of the Rio Centre (Dalston) Ltd. will be held in the auditorium of the Rio Cinema on Sunday 28 October, starting promptly at 11.30am. Please arrive from 11.00am onwards in order to register your attendance. Tea and coffee will be available.

Everyone is welcome and Members (either as a Friend of the Rio or a Rio programme subscriber) of more than three months' standing are entitled to vote in the election of our Board of Directors, the cinemas governing body. In particular, there is currently a vacancy for the post of Honorary Treasurer. You might like to consider standing for election yourself. If you are interested in becoming a Director, please contact the Rio's Honorary Secretary, Andy Cawdell andy.cawdell@dove-tail.co.uk as soon as possible. To avoid spam traps, please include the words "Rio AGM" in the subject line.

There will be a light buffet and drinks reception afterwards and your Voting Card will entitle you to a £2 discount off our afternoon Julie Delpy double bill of BEFORE SUNSET and TWO DAYS IN PARIS.

We look forward to seeing you there.

AMA (12A) 1.30

(UK 1991) dir. Kwesi Owusu 84m. Digital.
Thomas Baptiste, Anima Misa, Georgina Ackerman, Roger Griffiths, Nil Oma Hunter, Joy Elias-Rilwan, Gary Marius.

During this film based on the Akan belief of Ancestral Visitation, we meet Ama, a highly perceptive 12 year old who becomes the medium for an ancestral prophecy. She finds a computer floppy disk in the English countryside containing startling information. Her ancestors reveal who she really is and set her on a mission to save her father (Thomas Baptiste) and brother (Roger Griffiths) from death.

Admission free

LOVE BREWED IN AN AFRICAN POT (12A) 3.30

(Ghana 1981, Drama) dir. Kwaw Ansah 118m. Digital.
Amina Misa, Reginald Tsiboe, George Wison, Jumoke Debayo, Emmanuel AGBENOWU, Kofi Yirenki, Emmanuel Dadson.

Set in Ghana during the 1950s, Aba (Amina Misa) becomes a dress maker instead of going to university and falls in love with Joe, a semi-illiterate auto mechanic (Reginald Tsiboe). His love is less courageous than her’s and his fisherman father warns him not to play with fire. Their relationship is also threatened by Aba’s father who intends to have her married to a prominent lawyer.
Winner: FESPACO, Best Director Oumarou Ganda Prize 1981; UNESCO Award, 1982.

Admission free

DIGITALIS (PG) 11.15pm

(UK 2003) dir. Robert 'Beyonder' Asare 5m.

This afro futurist musical short is a mixture of creative photography and spoken word.
Nominated Best Short Film, Black Filmmakers International Film Festival, 2002; Best Short on DV, The Raindance Film Festival, 2002.

+ LAST ANGEL OF HISTORY (PG)

(UK 1995) dir. John Akomfrah 45m.

The film that started Afro Futurism. A sci fi drama-documentary on Afro-futurism and black unpopular culture. A computer hacker enters a Faustian pact in which he trades his soul for secrets of his future. From Africa to the moon and back. THE LAST ANGEL OF HISTORY takes us on a voyage, from the margins of black culture to its interstellar heart. The film charts a new interface, striking up connections and dialogues between diverse black interstellar parties who have so much in common, and yet for the most part remain unaware of each other's existence. THE LAST ANGEL OF HISTORY features some of the great Star travellers in music and literature  of our times, from Sun Ra to Nichelle Nichols, George Clinton to Lee Perry, A Guy Called Gerald, Goldie and Underground Resistance. Its an interstellar star gig!
Winner: Prix Paul Robeson For Cinema, FESPACO Film Festival, Burkina Faso, 1996.

Admission free

SYNDROMES AND A CENTURY (15) 1.30

(Thailand/France/Austria 2007) dir Apichatpong Weerasethakul 106m. Subtitles.
Arkanae Cherkam, Jaruchai Iamaram, Sakda Kaewbuadee.

The young Thai filmmaker Apichatpong Weerasethakul is one of the most exciting, original and seductive talents in world cinema today. SYNDROMES is a Buddhist meditation on the mysteries of love and attraction, the workings of memory and the ways in which happiness is triggered. It places the same characters in two different environments: a simple clinic in a rural village and a modern medical complex in a large city. Add touches of absurdist humour and the result is mesmerising.

£6/£5 Concessions

Festival partner

London Chlldren's Film Festival 17 – 25 Nov
brought to you by the Barbican & the ICO in partnership with Film London

KOBRA’S DECISION (Tasmim-e Kobra) (U) 1.30

(Iran 2007) dir. Sirous Hassanpur 86m. Subtitles.
Zeinab Sohrabi, Hooriyyeh Mirmohammadi, Mohaddaseh Heidari.

Far from her family, a nomadic girl, Kobra, settles in a new village where she discovers new friends and the pleasure of learning new things. In this lovely story we discover local crafts, customs and festivities with Kobra as she comes to appreciate the possibilities of her new life.
In Persian with subtitles.

Followed by quick and easy craft activity – learn how to weave. Free and open to all. If busy, activity may be first-come first-served.

All tickets £4.50 (or Early-Bird Film offer £2.50 if booked before Fri 2 Nov.

Future Shorts (15) 11.15pm

The Future Shorts festival rolls into November with a strong and diverse line-up including the BAT FOR LASHES video for hit record WHAT'S A GIRL TO DO? , multi-festival award-winner MILAN from Germany and many more wonderful films from around the world.    

YOUTH
(UK 2007) dir. Jane Linfoot
Youth is comprised of three observational vignettes. Filmed in a naturalistic style, this short focuses on the minutiae of adolescence.
    
WHAT'S A GIRL TO DO? / BAT FOR LASHES
(UK 2007) dir. Dougal Wilson
Giant mascot headed BMXers pedal, hop and twist in sync to the subtle pulsing break beats of this trip hop masterpiece by Bat for Lashes.
    
MONKEYLOVE
(Japan 2005) dir. Royston Tan
In the winter landscape of Hokkaido, a guy in a monkey suit is searching for lost love. A meditation on life and art, love and longing, "Monkey Love" is lyrical, enigmatic, pensive, whimsical and spare - like a haiku.
    
T.O.M
(UK 2006) dir. Tom Brown and Daniel Gray
The journey of a young boy.
    
OH GREAT, NOW LOOK WHAT HAPPENED
(Netherlands 2007) dir. Gerbrand Burger and Tijmen Hauer
A compelling and enigmatic impression of an unexpected and strange event.
    
LIVING IN THE DARK
(Australia 2005) dir. Thomas Leung
A young man remembers a childhood with a blind father and his own temporary sunglasses.
    
MILAN
(Serbia 2007) dir. Michaela Kezele
Yugoslavia during the 1999 NATO air raids: two brothers are making plans to go and play hide-and-seek in the forest.
    
COPENHAGEN CYCLES
(US 2005) dir. Eric Dyer
A cyclist travels through a fantastical, collaged reconstruction of Denmark's capital city.

+ a free beer with ticket

£6/£5 Concessions

Festival partner

London Chlldren's Film Festival 17 – 25 Nov
brought to you by the Barbican & the ICO in partnership with Film London

Short & Sweet (U) 1.30

A lovely selection of animated stories from around the world, suitable for even the youngest children. It’s ‘hello’ to old Aardman favourite SHAUN THE SHEEP, and new friends including a cheerful witch, a carrot-loving hare and a penguin with big dreams! All films are in English or without dialogue.
Programmed for the LCFF by Showcomotion Young People’s Film Festival, Sheffield.

Followed by quick and easy finger-puppet making activity. Free and open to all. If busy, activity may be first-come first-served.

All tickets £4.50 (or Early-Bird Film offer £2.50 if booked before Fri 2 Nov.

Kinosound presents Nosferatu Revamped!

NOSFERATU, A SYMPHONY OF HORROR (PG) 11.30pm

(Germany 1922) dir. FW Murnau 93m.
Max Schreck, Greta Schröder.
Silent, with live electronic soundtrack by Nacho Martin.

A rare opportunity to catch Nacho Martin back at the Rio with the first film he ever scored here, NOSFERATU starring Max Schreck as the bat-eared, rat-toothed vampire bringing plague to Dalston. For this one-off screening he will be joined on stage by Tara Jaff, playing live harp amongst the decks and electronics, while exotic aerialist Leo Hedman will perform from the rafters. Ticket includes a free drink on arrival. Book now... for the dead travel fast!

www.kinosound.co.uk

£7.50/£5.50

5th London Kurdish Film Festival

The Rio Cinema is delighted to present the 5th London Kurdish Film Festival, organised in partnership with the main Kurdish community centres in the United Kingdom – Halkevi/Malagel Kurdish and Turkish Community Centre in Hackney, Kurdish Cultural Centre (KCC) in Lambeth, Kurdish Community Centre (KCC) in Haringey and Kurdish Exile Association (KEA) in Kensington and Chelsea.

This year's festival will present an extraordinary variety of films made by Kurdish film makers or about Kurdish issues: features, classics, documentaries, shorts and animated films, from all over the world. For the first time this year, the London Kurdish Film Festival is organising a short film competition in honour of the greatest Kurdish director Y?lmaz Güney who died in Paris in exile after escaping form the prosecution of the Turkish state for his political views. The competition will take place every year from now on and is open to Kurdish and non-Kurdish directors. The week promises to be packed with exciting, challenging and, occasionally, controversial movies. There will also be discussions with film makers, and workshops for aspiring young film makers. Highlights will include: Jamil Rostami's JANA GEL, film narrated from the novel written by the late Kurdish intellectual Ibrahim Ahmed, Hiner Saleem's DOL selected for the Berlinale competition in 2007 and BENEATH THE ROOFTOPS OF PARIS featuring Michel Piccoli, A. Martiyosyan’s classic silent film made in 1932, YAZIDI KURDS, Shavkat Amin Korki’s CROSSING THE DUST winner of the Singapore International Film Festival, Kawa Akrayi and Huseyin Umaysiz’s WAITING FOR THE RAIN, Germany based Kurdish director Zuli Aladag’s ANGER and many others. The festival also includes many award winning short films and a diverse range of fascinating and powerful documentaries.

The full program wil be available in early November.

www.lkff.co.uk