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Ikarie XB-1 (PG)

Cold War Visions

— ,Cinemas
silhouetted figure at the end of the corridor

Set in the year 2163, one of Czechoslovak cinema’s most influential films sends astronauts on a mission to discover life in a new galaxy, only to confront them with the horrors of their own world.

Adapted from Stanisław Lem's 1955 novelThe Magellanic Cloud, Ikarie XB-1 blends space travel and nuclear tensions, some of the Cold War’s defining themes. Jindřich Polák’s visionary work has echoed through cinema history, and is said to have inspired canonic space-age films, such as Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) and Gene Roddenberry's original Star Trek series. 

Beautifully restored in 4K, with striking black and white cinematography and production design that rivals its better-known successors, Ikarie XB-1 stands as one of Czechoslovak cinema’s most ambitious achievements.

Tagged with: Cinema Cold War Visions

The screening on Wednesday 1 April will be introduced by season curator Teodosia Dobriyanova.

In Czech with English subtitles 

Film information
  • Release year   1963
  • Country of origin   Czechoslovakia
  • Director   Jindřich Polák
  • Runtime   1hr 26mins

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Location
Barbican Cinema 1 is located within the main Barbican building on Level -2. Head to Level G and walk towards the Lakeside Terrace where you’ll find stairs and lifts to take you down to the venue floor.   

Address
Barbican Centre
Silk Street, London
EC2Y 8DS

Public transport
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