Zombies, bikes and ham in the top five film events happening this week

Every Monday, we round up the most exciting film events happening in London over the coming week, from pop-ups and one-offs to regular film clubs, outdoor screenings and festivals. Here’s this week’s top five…

1. The Walking Dead Experience 

Frank ‘The Shawshank Redemption’ Darabont’s apocalyptic zombie TV series, ‘The Walking Dead’, is one of the most popular programmes on US cable and a cult hit over here, too. To celebrate the imminent Blu-ray and DVD release of season three, the Ritzy is laying on a themed zombie evening that invites fans to turn up dressed as their favourite characters – and perhaps win a prize for their efforts – before settling down for a marathon five-hour screening of the first series on the big screen. There’ll be themed cocktails on offer, and every ticket buyer also gets a bag of sweets, a box of popcorn and a beer, so you can enjoy the apocalypse in luxurious style… Ritzy Picturehouse, Coldharbour Lane, Brixton, SW2 1JG. Sat Oct 5, 8pm – £15, £13 concs.

2. Bicycle Film Festival: ‘Wadjda’

Who would have thought an intercontinental film festival about the bicycle and its place in modern culture would ever gather momentum? But here it is in its tenth year, once again extolling the virtues of the humble two-wheeler. Because there’s only so much bicycle malarky one can take in a single sitting, the three-day festival is dominated by bite-size short film packages on the subjects of urban riding, adventure cycling and road racing. It closes on Sunday with a welcome screening of Saudi director Haifaa Al Mansour’s wonderful bike-related social statement, ‘Wadjda’. Barbican Cinema, Barbican Centre, Silk St, EC2Y 8DS. Sun Oct 6, 8pm – £10.50.  

3. Classic Cinema Club: ‘A Man Escaped’

The true story of a French Resistance fighter’s escape from imprisonment by the Gestapo was the inspiration for ‘A Man Escaped’: ‘The story is true. I give it as it is, without embellishment,’ claimed director Robert Bresson. However, by pushing beyond the authentic period detail into a more transcendental realm, Bresson transforms this simple story into a meditatitive masterpiece. The result is the kind of film that inspires awe, even in an atheist. Ealing Town Hall, New Broadway, W5 2BY. Fri Oct 4, 7.30pm – £6, £5 concs.

4. Spanish Film Festival: ‘Jamon, Jamon’ + Jordi Molla in conversation

Tough-guy export Jordi Molla (‘Blow’, ‘Colombiana’) discusses his career, followed by a screening of this wildly popular sex comedy. ‘Jamon, Jamon’ is ‘Carry On’ as scripted by Lorca, a hysterically sombre farce pointing up the connections between sex and food. The title is an obscure sexual compliment: machinist Silvia (Penélope Cruz) enslaves wealthy stripling José (Molla) with her ham-flavoured nipples. But as one might expect from a man so fixated, José is in thrall to his mother Conchita, who doesn’t want him married to the daughter of the town whore. It’s bound to end in tears… Ciné Lumière, 17 Queensbury Place, SW7 2DT. 8pm. Sat Oct 5 – £12, £10 concs.  

5. Olivia Colman & ‘Tyrannosaur’

Olivia Colman graduated from TV sad-sack roles to major cinema seemingly overnight, but the big catalyst was undoubtedly her staggering performance in writer-director Paddy Considine’s disturbing social-realist tragedy. Her astonishing turn scales the same excruciatingly fragile heights as Emily Watson in ‘Breaking the Waves’: technically polished without feeling studied, empathetic but never overbearing or saccharine. It’ll be fascinating to hear her discuss her work in this and many other fine films. Curzon Soho, 99 Shaftesbury Avenue, W1D 5DY. 6.20pm. Thu Oct 3 – £17.50.

For the full list head to Time Out’s film events page.

Tags: Bicycle Film Festival, classic cinema club, film, film events london, london spanish film festival, olivia coleman, walking dead