A collection print of Festen and Daïchi Saïto’s own 35mm films lead the November diary. Belfast offers a day working with Super 8, while Karlsruhe opens the projection room for a hands-on changeover workshop.
Peter J. Knight
MCP | Creative Labs
A print in a collection becomes much more useful when it can be shown. So does a set of projectors when there are people who know how to prepare the film and run them. November’s diary offers opportunities to see both sides of that relationship, with screenings from named collections and workshops that put film into participants’ hands.
The distinction between watching and learning matters here. A public screening gives us access to a particular print. A day with a camera or in a projection room offers a way into the work behind it. Neither needs to promise more than it can deliver to be worth making time for.
London: Festen from the Cinema Museum’s collection
The Cinema Museum in Kennington is showing Thomas Vinterberg’s Festen on Wednesday 4 November 2026 at 19:30, using a 35mm print from its own collection. Leo Krenzer will introduce the film. Doors open at 18:30 and tickets are £10.
Official screening details and ticket link
The collection credit is the useful detail. It connects the object being cared for with the presentation the audience will see. There is no need to assume that a film’s production method tells us how this particular performance will be projected: the museum specifies the exhibition print.
For a collection venue, a screening can also make otherwise less visible work tangible. Inspection, preparation and presentation are what turn a stored print into an evening’s programme. An introduction is a welcome opportunity to give that physical copy some context alongside the film itself.
London: Daïchi Saïto brings his own 35mm prints
At the ICA, Sonic Cinema and the Japan Foundation present three films by Daïchi Saïto on Saturday 28 November 2026 at 18:00 in Cinema 1. The programme is projected from the artist’s personal 35mm prints, with Saïto attending for a Q&A with curator Oliver Dickens.
The films are earthearthearth (30 minutes), Trees of Syntax, Leaves of Axis (10 minutes) and Engram of Returning (18 minutes 30 seconds). Programme and booking information
Here the format belongs to the discussion of the work. Saïto’s optical and photochemical processes are part of what the programme is presenting, and the prints come from the artist rather than an unspecified circulating copy. The conversation afterwards gives the audience a chance to ask about those choices.
The ICA states that cinema events are for over-18s unless otherwise indicated. Cinema 1 has ramp access and a wheelchair space with a companion seat; contact the venue in advance if a particular seating arrangement is needed.
Belfast: a day shooting and processing Super 8
DUBH Film Lab’s workshop at Beanbag Cinema, Belfast, runs on Friday 6 November 2026, 11:00–18:00. Helena Gouveia Monteiro leads a group through shooting with a Super 8 camera, processing the film and viewing the results. The listed price is £80 with materials included, for a maximum of six participants.
Workshop details and application instructions
This is aimed at professional visual artists who are beginners in the medium. The festival asks applicants to email its box office with a short account of their practice and a link to their work. A place needs to be confirmed by the organiser; the six-person limit is not a statement that six places remain.
The small group has a useful practical purpose. Shooting and processing within the same day lets participants connect their decisions with the result while the experience is still fresh. Preparing material for projection or transfer is included in the course description, although it should not be mistaken for training to operate a public cinema’s projection room.
Karlsruhe: getting to grips with 35mm changeovers
Kino im Blauen Salon, at Karlsruhe University of Arts and Design in Germany, offers its Aktwechsel workshop on Saturday 21 November 2026, 13:00–17:00. The four-hour introduction covers identifying film materials and formats, assessing and preparing a print, loading film and working with two projectors for changeovers.
The advertised fee is €40, reduced to €20 for eligible concessions, with free participation for HfG students. Registration is required through the projection email address on the official workshop page.
It is a useful international entry in the diary because the practical content is explicit. Someone considering the course can see that it goes beyond a tour of the room. The venue describes opportunities to handle and screen film as part of the session.
It remains a taster course. A first session can establish interest and introduce careful working habits, but independent operation requires further supervised experience. Anyone travelling from abroad should confirm a place and the teaching language with the organiser before booking travel.