Close Up

18 - 25 March 2023: Radio On introduced by Chris Petit

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Radio On
Chris Petit, 1979, 100 min

Discontent
Chris Petit, 2024, 10 min (Work-in-progress)

Introduced by Chris Petit

A sui generis deconstruction of the road movie, Christopher Petit’s Radio On rates, by any measure, among the coolest films of the late 1970s. Its plot is minimalist: a man (David Beames) drives from London to Bristol upon learning of his brother’s suicide, seeking to learn more about the circumstances of his death. But this journey grows increasingly strange as he crosses paths with a succession of eccentric characters (including memorable appearances by Sting and Lisa Kreuzer). Shot by Wim Wenders collaborator Martin Schäfer, Radio On’s spare, hypnotic beauty is propelled even further by its incomparably atmospheric soundtrack, featuring Kraftwerk, David Bowie, Devo, Robert Fripp, and others.


This screening is in support of Chris Petit and Emma Matthew's crowdfunding campaign to save their son Louis from severe drug-resistant epilepsy. Please donate generously here: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/we-are-raising-money-for-medication