Rio Cinema
Upcoming Events (39)
THE MOMENT
A sharp, chaotic mockumentary from Charli XCX at Rio Cinema, skewering fame as a superstar rides arena-tour fever. Satire meets glossy pop spectacle in a self-aware portrait of a culture where the party never ends.
Classic Matinee: Sunset Boulevard
Join Rio Cinema for a Classic Matinee of Sunset Boulevard, Billy Wilder’s darkly glamorous film-noir. In a March nod to Women’s History Month, Gloria Swanson’s Norma Desmond graces the big screen in a stylish, razor‑sharp cinema experience.
THE SECRET AGENT
Screening of THE SECRET AGENT at Rio Cinema: a bold, immersive Brazilian political thriller by Kleber Mendonça Filho, delivering tense, thought-provoking storytelling that showcases contemporary cinema with sharp, audience-respecting artistry.
SIRÂT
Screening of SIRÂT, Oliver Laxe’s Cannes Jury Prize-winning fever dream, a hypnotic road movie and apocalyptic thriller about a father and his son on a quest to a remote Moroccan rave in search of a vanished daughter.
RZA presents THE MYSTERY OF CHESS BOXING
RZA presents a live introduction and screening of the 1979 cult kung fu classic The Mystery of Chess Boxing at Rio Cinema, as the Wu-Tang founder guides audiences through this martial-arts cinema milestone.
Pink Palace: BATTLESHIP POTEMKIN x PET SHOP BOYS
Experience Eisenstein's Battleship Potemkin as a silent cinema classic brought to life with a live score by the Pet Shop Boys at Rio Cinema in London, pairing iconic editing with synth-driven music for a distinctive, intimate screening.
Bad Trip: Horror Psychedelia Screening
This final screening in Dream Emulator’s LSD Season at Rio Cinema pairs Osamu Sato’s cult LSD: Dream Emulator with related art, film and games in a psychedelic, rave-infused cinema experience.
MOUTH TO MOUTH + Q&A
Special screening of Mouth to Mouth at Rio Cinema, followed by a Q&A with writer-director Alison Fairweather Murray and Philip Ilson, Artistic Director of the London Short Film Festival. A sharp coming‑of‑age drama about Sherry’s search for belonging and independence.
Dead Man's Wire
Screening of Dead Man's Wire at Rio Cinema—a gripping documentary recounting the 1977 Meridian Mortgage hostage standoff, tracing Tony Kiritsis's dramatic demands and the international stir it sparked.
La Grazia
Screening of La Grazia, the Italian drama from Paolo Sorrentino, at Rio Cinema. A sweeping exploration of love, duty and personal freedom starring Toni Servillo, with English subtitles. A stylish, thought-provoking night at Dalston's cinema.
Broken English
Screening of Broken English, a documentary portrait of Marianne Faithfull, tracing six decades of fame through interviews, archival material and her final recorded performance, directed by BAFTA nominees Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard, at Rio Cinema.
Murcof (Live AV)
Murcof performs a live audiovisual techno/ambient set at Rio Cinema in London.
Saturday Morning Picture Club: My Neighbour Totoro
Join Rio Cinema's Saturday Morning Picture Club for a family-friendly screening of My Neighbor Totoro (animated classic). Craft activities begin at 10:15am, then the screening at 11:00am in the historic venue.
La Bohème
Screening of Puccini’s La Bohème at Rio Cinema, East London. A 21st-century film adaptation by English Touring Opera, shot on London locations and directed by Robin Norton-Hale, delivering romance, heartbreak, and operatic grandeur on the big screen.
Varda Film Club: One Sings, The Other Doesn't
Screening of Agnes Varda's One Sings, The Other Doesn't at Rio Cinema, tracing the decades-long struggle for women's abortion rights in 1960s-70s France. Introduced by Bells Kennedy-Compston of the Varda Film Club; presented in French with subtitles.
London Boys + Q&A
A provocative documentary screening at Rio Cinema about masculinity and Islamophobia in East London, tracing second-generation Bangladeshi men and their bikes as a way to navigate identity and racism, followed by a Q&A with the filmmakers.
Fleshpot on 42nd Street: Screening + Short
Screening of Fleshpot on 42nd Street at Rio Cinema, a bold 1970s exploitation film spotlighting Dusty in Times Square, with a short feature, offering a Warhol-inspired, sex-fueled look at showbiz, desire, and urban nightlife.
Doc 'N Roll: RAVE CULTURE: A NEW ERA + Q&A
Screening of Doc 'N Roll: RAVE CULTURE — A NEW ERA + Q&A at Rio Cinema. This documentary revisits late-80s underground raves in England, tracing breakbeat culture and social sparks, followed by a moderated Q&A with historians and artists.
We Are Making A Film About Mark Fisher
Screening of the artist-collective film We Are Making A Film About Mark Fisher at Rio Cinema, tracing a fictional ghost-story character through Mark Fisher's writings and life, with interviews from Jodi Dean and Andy Beckett—an intimate, thought-provoking cine-essay.
Japanese Film Club: Linda Linda Linda
Join the Japanese Film Club at Rio Cinema for a 4K restoration screening of Nobuhiro Yamashita's Linda Linda Linda, celebrating its 20th anniversary with a pristine print restored in 2025. A beloved Japanese indie classic shown with English subtitles in London.
Doc'n Roll x Rio: A CENTURY IN SOUND + Q&A
Screening of a documentary about Japan’s Ongaku Kissa listening cafés at Rio Cinema, with a Q&A. Traces post-war Japan’s sound culture from classical to rock and celebrates devoted audiophiles and intimate listening rooms.
Arabic Cinema Club: London Premiere - A Sad and Beautiful World
Join the Arabic Cinema Club at Rio Cinema for the London premiere of A Sad and Beautiful World, Cyril Aris' drama tracing three decades of love, loss and resilience. Lebanon's official Oscar entry after Venice, a moving, intimate screening at 7pm.
Naturist Screening: NIGHT STAGE
A naturist film screening at Rio Cinema: a bold Brazilian erotic thriller by Marcio Reolon and Felipe Matzembacher shown in a contained space near Screen 2, with towel seating and a discreet, adult-only atmosphere.
Death Wish: TV Party Screening
A late-evening screening at Rio Cinema titled TV PARTY, TONIGHT! Death Wish, presenting Death Wish: An Invocation of our Demon alongside reels by Maya Deren, Curtis Harrington, Marjorie Cameron, Kenneth Anger and others. A ritual of occult cinema in London's film scene.
The Judgement Hall Festival: The Legend of Suram Fortress + Live Score
Closing-night at Rio Cinema features a double screening of The Legend of Suram Fortress with a newly commissioned live score by Neptunian Maximalism, presented as part of The Judgement Hall Festival's site-specific restoration program.
Classic Matinee: Sister Act
HR Giger Featurette Screening
At Rio Cinema, a featurette screening spotlighting HR Giger's Necronomicon and his influence on Alien's biomechanical imagery. This art-house showcase blends cinema history with design, offering a rare, visually striking glimpse into one of sci-fi's most iconic creators.
DEPARTURES + Q&A
A British comedy-drama about a tumultuous relationship told through monthly secret trips to Amsterdam, leading to dramatic fallout, introduced by a post-screening Q&A at Rio Cinema in London.
Departures – Naturist Screening
Experience a naturist screening of Departures at Rio Cinema in London—a British comedy-drama about a chance airport encounter and secret trips to Amsterdam, held in a dedicated naturist space near Screen 2 with towel etiquette and the adjoining Ludski bar.
TV Party: The Documentary + Best of Glenn O’Brien's TV Party
Screening at Rio Cinema of the documentary TV Party plus the best of Glenn O’Brien’s TV Party. The program surveys late-70s New York cable culture, mixing sub-realism, satire, and party-forward TV moments that still spark discussion today.
Saturday Morning Picture Club: Chicken Run
Kids and families can kick off with crafts at 10:15 am and settle in for Chicken Run at 11:00 am at Rio Cinema's Saturday Morning Picture Club, a fun, family-friendly screening in a historic venue.
Ego Death: An LSD Dream Emulator Rave
Enter a psychedelic London night at Rio Cinema as Ego Death hosts a rave inspired by LSD: Dream Emulator, powered by the Dream Emulator Soundsystem with visuals from the 1998 game, delivering an immersive, trippy club experience.
Queer Horror Nights: THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW with Shadow Cast
Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) screen at Rio Cinema with a live Shadow Cabaret from London's queer cabaret scene, featuring drag kings and queens throughout the screening and a late-night cabaret finale.
Classic Matinee: HARD TRUTHS
Classic Matinee screening of Mike Leigh's HARD TRUTHS at Rio Cinema, a fierce, compassionate contemporary drama about family life, anchored by Marianne Jean-Baptiste's towering performance and Leigh's sharp, dark humor.
Doc'n Roll x Rio: PARADISE UK Premiere + Q&A
UK premiere of Paradise, a documentary tracing Portugal's early 90s dance-rave explosion, followed by a Q&A with director Daniel Mota and producers João Ervedosa and Maria Guedes at Rio Cinema, London.
Dear Mr Manley + Q&A
Screening of a WWI-era documentary at Rio Cinema: Dear Mr Manley, followed by a Q&A. Rediscovered letters from soldiers thanking Mildmay Club secretary Ralph Manley reveal wartime care parcels, community resilience, and intimate local history.
Women from Hackney's History Premiere + Panel
Premiere of a moving documentary commissioned by the Hackney Society, tracing the lives of eleven Hackney women across three centuries, followed by a panel discussion. Filmed at multiple Hackney locations and screening at Rio Cinema. The project features archival materials, local
Classic Matinee: JAWS
Classic Matinee at Rio Cinema: Jaws returns to the big screen. Spielberg’s suspenseful summer blockbuster follows Chief Brody, Hooper, and a fearsome great white, delivering iconic thrills and timeless cinema history.
Classic Matinee: THE FULL MONTY
Rio Cinema hosts a Classic Matinee screening of The Full Monty, the beloved British comedy about unemployed steelworkers who form a male dance troupe to raise money. A witty, unforgettable big-screen classic for cinema fans.