Fests and events in the UK.

"Hardly any Britons know that in 2004, [Alain] Robbe-Grillet was elected one of the 40 'immortals' of the Académie Française in recognition of his great contribution to French literature," writes Stuart Jeffries in the Guardian. "And yet Robbe-Grillet's work will be celebrated in London this weekend with a season of films and discussions about his influence on literature and the visual arts at the Serpentine Gallery [tonight!] and the Institut Français [tomorrow]. The season could be taken as both remedy and apology for decades of neglect. It will culminate with the premiere of Gradiva, his 10th film since his directorial debut in 1963 with L'Immortelle."

Also tonight: Pandora's Box, with the world premiere of a live Paul Lewis score, at Colston Hall in Bristol. Paul McGann writes, "It represents the peak of silent-era cinema and is one of the most adult pictures ever made."

"The 51st London film festival will play host to new features from Ang Lee, Michael Moore, Julian Schnabel, Sean Penn and Todd Haynes," reports Xan Brooks. "Inevitably, the ongoing war in Iraq will be taking a supporting role.... Lightening the mood, the festival also promises master-classes with the likes of Harmony Korine, Laura Linney and Robert Rodriguez. The most quirky event of all, however, looks set to be an on-stage double-header in which the director David Lynch and the singer Donovan discuss the merits of transcendental meditation."

Simon Crerar passes along the enthusiasm for the lineup from the co-sponsor, the London Times. October 17 through November 1.

For the Independent, Charlotte Cripps previews the London Spanish Film Festival, through September 27.

Posted by dwhudson at September 15, 2007 6:21 AM