Press room

A SUMMER OF CINEMA EVENTS EXPLORING SOUND AND SONIC EXPERIENCE  

22 MAY – 31 AUGUST 2025 
 
Images available here: FREQUENCIES 

Throughout summer 25, the Barbican presents Frequencies: the sounds that shape us, a cross-arts programme which explores the power of sound and sonic experience to shape how we move, think, feel and to inspire change.  

Highlights within Frequencies include Feel the Sound a bold new multi-sensory exhibition experience that examines our relationship to sound; the world premiere of a new version of the award-winning Virtual Reality experience In Pursuit of Repetitive Beats; live music events and concerts, a film series, and Rebel Radio a month-long programme of broadcasts, talks, workshops, club experience and screenings celebrating London’s Pirate Radio story and exploring radio as a space for community, creativity, and subversion.   

Among the cross-arts programme, Frequencies are an exciting line-up of events on the Barbican’s cinemas, including events in Experiments in Film, Deeper Into Movies: WARP VISION; Rebel Radio, Refugee Week, Good Vibrations, Relaxed Screenings in The Sound of Neurodivergence and Outdoor Cinema. 

• Experiments in Film: God Bless the Child + Conversation – Tue 27 May
• Deeper Into Movies: WARP VISION – Sat 14 June
• Rebel Radio: Rewinding the Airwaves: An Archive Mixtape of Pirate Radio and Black Media – Mon 16 & Mon 30 Jun
• Refugee Week: Haiyu – Wed 18 Jun
• Rebel Radio: Young Soul Rebels + ScreenTalk – Thu 26 Jun
• Good Vibrations: The Sound of Neurodivergence – Wed 2 Jul & Tue 8 Jul
• Outdoor Cinema – Wed 20 Aug – Sun 31 Aug 

Frequencies is part of Barbican’s Summer 2025, a programme packed with unmissable events in Theatre, Music, Cinema, Visual Arts and more, including Encounters: Giacometti; Fiddler on the Roof and Good Night, Oscar in the Barbican Theatre; Concerts Khatia Buniatishvili & Friends and CBSO Orchestral Qawaali with Abi Sampa; as well as the Summer Jazz Series, featuring Herbie Hancock celebrating his 85th birthday; film season Queer 70s: LGBTQ+ Cinema in the Decade after Stonewall and special concert series Classical Pride 2025 celebrating PRIDE in June; and more. The full programme is available here.  

Experiments in Film , 
God Bless the Child (15 *)
A multi-media presentation and discussion with Conversation between Christoper Harris and Kodwo Eshun 
Tuesday May 27, 6.30pm
Cinema 2

Experiments in Film presents God Bless the Child a multi-media, work-in-progress screening that delves into the filmmaker Christopher Harris' first autobiographical project; comparing the US care system to life in Senegal, blending personal history, archive, and 16mm footage.  

Drawing on his experience in foster care, Harris weaves together photographs and official records with film material from Senegal. He examines the structures of social welfare and child services along with Black childhood in the US. 

Harris will be joined by Kodwo Eshun to explore the themes of his work and discuss the archival materials that are the foundation of his upcoming experimental essay film: records from the Archdiocese of St. Louis, family photographs, his childhood adoption listing. An open conversation and audience ScreenTalk offer a chance to engage directly with Harris. This event has been developed in collaboration with Valentine Umansky and the Tate Modern. Special thanks to Christopher Harris and Kodwo Eshun.  

DEEPER INTO MOVIES: WARP VISION
Sat 14 June, 2.30pm 
Cinema 1

WARP VISION: Selected Video & Experimental Shorts digs deep into the Warp archives to present a curated selection of iconic and rare music videos, shown from original master tapes. Spanning the label’s history, the collection includes work by Chris Cunningham, The Daniels, Andrew Norman Wilson, Jarvis Cocker, Alex Rutherford, Hiro Murai, and more, celebrating how Warp helped turn the music video into an art form and finally presented on the big screen - as they were meant to be seen. French-born, New York-based digital artist and self-described “creative mercenary” Freeka Tet will also present work as part of the Barbican programme, expanding the event’s engagement with the experimental and the uncanny. 

Rebel Radio 
Sun 1 – Mon 30 June  
 
Across June and across the Barbican, the sound of resistance and reinvention is explored in this celebration of pirate radio and its lasting impact on music, culture and community. Pirate radio was a rebellious force that gave Black British music and underground sounds a platform when mainstream stations wouldn’t. It shaped UK culture then, and its influence continues today. 

The radical influence of pirate radio is explored through a programme of live radio broadcasts, a Rinse FM party, Sunday Selecta listening sessions, talks, workshops, a 6-part podcast series and two film programmes - Rewinding the Airwaves: An Archive Mixtape of Pirate Radio and Black Media - plus a screening of Isaac Julien’s seminal debut feature Young Soul Rebels.

Rewinding the Airwaves: An Archive Mixtape of Pirate Radio and Black Media is a curated archive mixtape that dives deep into the rich, rebellious world of UK pirate radio and ground-breaking Black media from the 1980s and 1990s. This collection unearths rare documentaries and broadcasts that explore the untold histories behind the pirate airwaves, shining a light on the DJs, activists, and cultural pioneers who risked legal repercussions to amplify sounds and perspectives that would otherwise go unheard. From the thumping beats of jungle and reggae to urgent debates on race, identity, and representation, these films capture the raw energy and radical spirit of a movement that shaped the cultural landscape of the UK. 

Breaking the Silence: Pirate Radio, Black Media, and Voices of Resistance (15*) 
Mon 16 Jun, 6.30pm
Cinema 2 

Two documentaries capturing the spirit of resistance and creativity that defined 1980s underground broadcasting. 

These screenings delve into the radical impact of Black-led pirate radio in the UK, spotlighting its role in amplifying unheard voices and challenging mainstream narratives. 

Featuring a full episode from The Bandung File, a bold Channel 4 series edited by Darcus Howe and Tariq Ali, and an episode of Bacchanal, the programme explores how Black media tackled race, representation, and activism head-on. 

Highlights include coverage of the JBC raid, exposing the struggles Black communities faced in asserting control over their own narratives and media spaces. Also, a look into the work of DBC, showcasing how pirate radio served not just as entertainment but as a vital form of cultural resistance. With thanks to the BFI National TV Archive, Matthew Harle and Ian Greaves. 

Airwaves of Rebellion: Youth, Identity, and the Fight for Community Radio (15*)
Mon 30 Jun, 6.30pm
Cinema 2 

A programme of films diving into the energy and impact of youth-led pirate radio in 1980s–90s Britain, showing how young broadcasters defied mainstream media to amplify underrepresented voices. In this programme: Black and White Pirate Show (1987), features a rare exchange between veteran white pirate broadcasters and rising Black DJs. It explores their shared love for radio while exposing cultural divides and differing motives behind pirate broadcasting in London. From a broader lens, Ebony Pirates (1983) delves into debates over the criminalisation of non-commercial radio, with voices from the Dread Broadcasting Company and BBC’s John Peel. A decade later, Pirates (1993) reflects on pirate radio’s lasting impact and the ongoing struggle of unlicensed broadcasters. 

Featuring an introduction from Rob Burkitt, producer for 'Black and White Pirate Radio Show'. 

With thanks to the BFI National TV Archive, Matthew Harle and Ian Greaves.
Special thanks to Roger Shannon, Steve Sklair and Rob Burkitt. 

Young Soul Rebels (18) (AD) + ScreenTalk with actor Mo Sesay hosted by Tobi Kyeremateng
UK/France/Germany/Spain 1991, Dir Isaac Julien, 105min
Thu 26 Jun, 6.15pm 
Cinema 3 

Isaac Julien paints a unique perspective of Black British masculinity in his bold and stylish debut feature Young Soul Rebels. Youth culture meets identity politics in this part-thriller, part-gay love story set in London in 1977, in the hedonistic world of pirate DJs Chris and Caz which is shattered when a close friend is killed.  

The film will be followed by a ScreenTalk with actor Mo Sesay hosted by Tobi Kyeremateng.  

Refugee Week 
16-22 June 

Haiyu (18) + ScreenTalk 
Sweden / Western Sahara 2024, Dirs Alex Veitch, Brahim B. Ali, Mohamedsalem Uered and Anna Klara Åhrén, 90min
Wed 18 Jun, 6.20pm 
Cinema 2

Haiyu focusses on one of Western Sahara’s greatest singers, Mariem Hassan, whose life and music have given comfort and hope among the ongoing tragedy committed to the Sahrawis throughout the colonial era continuing up to this very day and has been used as a tool in the fight for independence in Africa's last colony.   

In the Sahara desert, the voice of one of North Africa's greatest singers still echoes. A voice that has engaged and given hope to a forgotten struggle. Mariem Hassan’s life and music have been deeply affected by the ongoing tragedy committed to the Sahrawis throughout the colonial era continuing up to this very day. Her songs have been given comfort and hope and have been used as a tool in the fight for independence in Africa's last colony, Western Sahara. 

This year marks 50 years since the Sahrawis people were forced into exile. Haiyu will be followed up by a Q&A with the filmmakers and Danielle Smith, founder of Sandblast, an organisation dedicated to building awareness and solidarity for the indigenous Saharawis of Western Sahara. 

Relaxed Screenings: Good Vibrations: The Sound of Neurodivergence
Curator, co-founder of Stims Collective and Barbican Emerging Film Curator Alumna, Lillian Crawford curates two events exploring neurodivergent responses to sound and music within a cinema space:  

Relaxed Screening: Eden + introduction by curator Lillian Crawford (15) 
France 2014, Dir Mia Hansen-Løve, 131mins
Wed 2 Jul, 6.10pm 
Cinema 3 

An immersive odyssey of a DJ’s rise and fall set at the height of French rave culture in the 90's, from director Mia Hansen-Løve. 

Inspired by her brother Sven’s musical life and career, Mia Hansen-Løve recreates the spirit and atmosphere of a formative era through a pulsating soundtrack including music by Daft Punk. It is a story of trying to make the big time, and never quite making it. 

The film pushes the boundaries of what is expected of ‘relaxed screenings’, considering the positive sensations and emotions audiences may experience through sound and music. 

Eden features an international cast, including Félix de Givry, Pauline Etienne, Greta Gerwig, and Brady Corbet. 

Relaxed Screening: Good Vibrations Shorts Programme + ScreenTalk (18*)
Tue 8 Jul, 6.30pm 
Cinema 3 

From silence to dissonance, neurodivergent relationships to sound are explored in this diverse shorts programme featuring animated and experimental depictions of hypersensitivity. 

Neurodivergent responses to sound and music vary greatly, often producing powerful images and feelings both positive and negative. This programme of short films goes on a journey through worlds of silence and noise, mirroring radical and dynamic soundscapes with powerful imagery crafted through experimental techniques and vivid animation. It presents a sonic journey through neurodiverse experience. 

The screening will be followed by a ScreenTalk with curator and co-founder of Stims Collective, Lillian Crawford, plus a panel of filmmakers exploring questions about hypersensitivity and differing relationships to sound. Screened in a relaxed screening context, the panel asks if the volume should be turned down or up.

Curated by Lillian Crawford with Jonathan Gleneadie 

[sound of subtitles] 
UK 2021 Dir: Seo Hye Lee 2 min
Silent throughout, this short film invites the audience to imagine the nature of soundscapes through the art of captioning. 

A is for Autism 
UK 1992, Dir: Tim Webb, 11 min
The first British film to feature the voices of autistic people describing their sensory experiences of the world. 

Music & Clowns 
UK 2020, Dir: Alex Widdowson, 7 min
An animated documentary exploring the director’s relationship with his brother Jaimie, a person with Down syndrome, and his connection to music and comedy. 

A Brief History of Circles 
UK 2023, Dir: Georgia Kumari Bradburn, 8 min
An experimental video essay which uses circles and waves to explore neurodivergent experience by creating a rich voiceover soundscape which intensifies and calms itself. 

One Thousand and One Attempts to Be an Ocean 
France 2022, Dir: Yuyan Wang, 12 min
A representation of the experience of perceiving the world without depth perception, consisting of internet ‘satisfying videos’ and a soporific sound design. 

Outdoor Cinema 2025
Film nights under the stars
Wed 20 Aug – Sun 31 Aug  
Barbican Sculpture Court 

Outdoor Cinema 2025 is supported by Associate Partner Mastercard and Destination Partner Culture Mile BID.  

Barbican Cinema’s Outdoor Cinema returns this summer with a specially curated programme of films to watch under the city stars, in the dramatic surroundings of the Barbican Sculpture court, complete with a selection of food stalls and bars. A number of films in this year’s programme, including David Lynch’s Dune, Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives, Koji Hashimoto’s The Return of Godzilla, Julian Henriques’ Babymother, Claire Denis’ Beau Travail and Björk’s Cornucopia are notable for their inventive and immersive soundscapes. 

Dune (12A) 
USA 1984, Dir David Lynch, 131min  
Wed 20 Aug, 8.45pm 
Barbican Sculpture Court 

In the year 10,191 Paul Atreides (Kyle MacLachlan), the son of a Duke, is embroiled in a life-and-death struggle with the merciless Harkonnens for control of the invaluable ‘spice’ in David Lynch’s wildly ambitious imagining of Frank Herbert’s 1965 story. 

Decades after its mixed reception, Dune can now be reevaluated as a truly unique and thrilling sci-fi extravaganza by one of cinema’s most exciting visionaries. The production design and visual effects, not least the scenes with the gigantic sandworms, and the extraordinary, Oscar-nominated sound design make for an incredible cinematic spectacle.

Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (12A) 
Thailand 2010, Dir Apichatpong Weerasethakul, 109min  
Thu 21 Aug, 8.30pm  
Barbican Sculpture Court  

A mere plot synopsis cannot do justice to Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s hypnotic marvel about a dying man who moves to the countryside for his last days, where the apparition of his dead wife and his estranged son, in the form of a hairy jungle spirit, reunite with him. 

Exploring themes of memory, afterlife and reincarnation, this is an intense, dreamlike journey into another world, including a memorable encounter with a forlorn princess and a talking catfish. Haunting and moving, the film boasts otherworldly sound design from Akritchalerm Kalayanamitr, creating a tangible and immersive encounter with the spiritual world. The film deservedly won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival.  

The Return of Godzilla (12A*) + recorded intro by kaiju expert Steven Sloss 
Japan 1984, Dir: Koji Hashimoto, 103min 
Sat 23 Aug, 8.30pm  
Barbican Sculpture Court 

Nine years after the last of the Showa-era Godzilla films, the iconic kaiju made a triumphant movie return in 1984. Ignoring all the previous films save the 1954 original, Koji Hashimoto’s reboot returned to the dark roots of the first film, updating the film’s sociopolitical commentary for the late Cold War era. Here, the radioactive monster returns to wreak destruction on Japan and subsequently inflames tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union. 

The imaginative special effects and 1980s aesthetics update Godzilla for a new era, while the thunderous sound effects, from the monster’s chilling roar to Reijiro Koroku’s stirring score, make for an intense and exciting cinema experience. 

Babymother (15) 
UK 1998, Dir Julien Henriques, 82min  
Barbican Sculpture Court 

Shot on location in Harlesden, North London, Anita (Anjela Lauren Smith) is a young mother who dreams of becoming a dancehall star. Living on a council estate and raising two children alone means that money is tight, but she has all the talent and ambition she needs to make it big – plus the support of her two best friends with whom she forms her vocal group, Sharon (Caroline Chikezie) and Yvette (Jocelyn Esien).  

The rhythms of London’s reggae scene are woven through Julien Henriques’ stylish and pioneering film, featuring bold and energetic musical numbers that speak to the legacy of dancehall culture in the capital.  

Beau Travail (15) 
France 1998, Dir Claire Denis, 93min 
Fri 29 Aug, 8.30pm  
Barbican Sculpture Court 

Claire Denis reimagines Herman Melville’s Billy Budd in her extraordinary masterpiece, in which passions simmer in the male environment of the French Foreign Legion. 

Voted one of the 10 best films of all time in a recent Sight & Sound poll, Beau Travail delves into the tensions within a French Foreign Legion regiment in the former colony of Djibouti, when the arrival of a handsome young soldier provokes a crisis in Galoup, a grizzled sergeant-major (Denis Lavant). Jealous and inexplicably shaken, Galoup resolves to destroy the younger man.

Björk’s Cornucopia (12A) 
Portugal 2025. Dir Ísold Uggadóttir, 98min 
Sat 30 Aug, 8.30pm  
Barbican Sculpture Court 

Björk’s latest concert film is an electrifying experience; one that is underscored by a poignant socio-political message about the need for climate change action. A fantastical, fungi-inspired set design, wild floral and aquatic visuals and stunning costumes designed by Balmain's Olivier Rousteing and Iris van Herpen are the backdrop to her unique voice, as she performs songs including “Mouth’s Cradle”, “Sue Me” and “Isobel”. The set also includes two songs, “Ovule” and “Atopos”, performed live for the first time. 

See here for the full Outdoor Cinema programme press release.