various cinemas

Returning with another provocative, penetrating array of non-fiction films, The Open City Documentary Festival is setting up camp at London cinemas this spring. Barbican, Bertha DocHouse, BFI, Close-Up Film Centre, Institute of Contemporary Arts, and Rich Mix are all hosting the best in documentary filmmaking from around the world. This year’s edition will show 125 films and 16 Expanded Realities projects, from 31 different countries. The teeming line-up opens with two films by Armenian cinematic pioneer Artavazd Pelechian, which make richly poetic use of archival footage. There'll also be a chance to see gems including Powwow People (Apr 18), Sky Hopinka's exploration of a Native American gathering, and a double bill of two international works about community organising, Filme Pin and An Incomplete Calendar (Apr 16), followed by a discussion with the filmmakers. The lineup also includes a roundtable on family cinema, a party, and free exhibition A Sense of Space.