London’s cinematic landscape is expanding its boundaries with the introduction of The Underground Cinema at 180 Studios. Following a month-long theatrical residency of Kahlil Joseph’s BLKNWS: Terms & Conditions, the venue is shifting its focus toward the intersection of auditory and visual art with the Sound & Vision film season.
Running from April 10 through June 4, 2026, the curated program transforms the space into a sanctuary for music-oriented cinema. The season is designed as a weekly exploration, pairing feature-length documentaries and live concert films with a rotating exhibition of high-concept music videos in the adjacent gallery space.
The programming reflects a broad appetite for both the avant-garde and the archival. From the ballroom culture of 1980s New York to the isolated genius of ambient pioneers, the season seeks to document the figures who shaped global soundscapes. This approach mirrors a growing trend in “event cinema,” where the venue’s atmosphere is as critical to the experience as the film itself.
A Curated Timeline of Sonic Pioneers
The season opens with a focus on the overlooked histories of jazz and Afrobeat. The first week features Getting It Back: The Story of Cymande (2022), directed by Tim Mackenzie-Smith, which explores the influence of the UK’s premier jazz-funk outfit. This represents followed by Alex Gibney’s 2014 documentary Finding Fela, a deep dive into the political and musical legacy of Fela Kuti.
Modern electronic music also takes center stage. One of the season’s most anticipated screenings is secret life at the coliseum, a 2024 film by LOOSE. The project captures Fred again.. Performing his album secret life for an intimate crowd of 100 fans at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on June 11, 2024, contrasting the massive scale of the venue with the ambient nature of the performance.
The program further expands into the realm of identity and technology. Keyboard Fantasies (2019) follows the late-career resurgence of transgender musician Beverly Glenn-Copeland, whereas Sisters with Transistors (2020) documents the women who pioneered electronic composition, including Delia Derbyshire and Suzanne Ciani.
Screening Schedule and Key Dates
| Film Title | Focus/Subject | Screening Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Getting It Back: The Story of Cymande | UK Jazz-Funk | April 10–16 |
| Finding Fela | Fela Kuti / Afrobeat | April 17–23 |
| secret life at the coliseum | Fred again.. Live | April 24–30 |
| Keyboard Fantasies | Beverly Glenn-Copeland | May 1–7 |
| Paris Is Burning | NYC Ballroom Culture | May 8–14 |
| Bowie: The Final Act | David Bowie | May 15–21 |
| Sisters with Transistors | Women in Electronic Music | May 22–28 |
| Ryuichi Sakamoto: Coda | Ryuichi Sakamoto | May 29–June 4 |
Beyond the Feature: The Director’s Lens
While the main cinema hosts the feature films, the adjacent exhibition space provides a complementary experience through a rotating program of music videos. The curation here is specific: it highlights music videos directed by established filmmakers, emphasizing the cinematic quality of the short-form medium.
Visitors can expect to witness works such as Romain Gavras’s “Gosh” for Jamie xx and Melina Matsoukas’s “Formation” for Beyoncé. Other featured directors include Gabriel Moses (Travis Scott’s “4×4”), Kahlil Joseph (Flying Lotus’s “Until the Quiet Comes”), and Chris Cunningham’s iconic work on Aphex Twin’s “Windowlicker.” This dual-track programming allows the venue to bridge the gap between traditional documentary storytelling and the abstract visual language of the music industry.
The Cultural Impact of the Sound & Vision Season
The inclusion of Paris Is Burning (1990) and Ryuichi Sakamoto: Coda (2017) suggests a desire to examine the intersection of art and survival. Paris Is Burning remains a seminal text on the drag ball culture of New York, while Coda provides an intimate look at Sakamoto’s final creative efforts following a cancer diagnosis and his activism against nuclear power.
By housing these films within “The Underground Cinema,” 180 Studios is positioning itself as more than a movie theater; it is acting as a cultural archive. The sequence of films—moving from the jazz fusion of Cymande to the final creative acts of David Bowie—creates a narrative arc that spans decades of sonic evolution and social change.
For those looking to attend, tickets are available exclusively through the official 180 Studios website. Given the intimate nature of the venue and the specific dates for each film, the season is expected to operate on a high-demand, limited-capacity basis.
The Sound & Vision season concludes on June 4, 2026, marking the end of this specific music-centric cycle. Future programming for The Underground Cinema is expected to be announced following the close of the season.
We would love to hear your thoughts on this curation. Which of these sonic pioneers has most influenced your own taste? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
