Samizdat is back for its fourth year! Glasgow: 30th September–4th October Aberdeen: 10 & 11th October Ayr: 23rd October Edinburgh: 9 & 10th November

~ Come see how she got these (emotional) scars ~ We're excited to be starting Leith Kino's October programme with the explosive revolutionary DIY parody film The People's Joker. This notoriously unoffical, unlicensed, and unruly reimagining of the Clown Prince of Crime explores the character as an unconfident, closeted trans girl who hopes to make it as a comic in a Gotham City where comedy has been outlawed. Vera Drew writes, directs, and stars in the film alongside a procession of recognisable faces from America's alternative comedy scene. Deemed “the boldest queer debut since Superstar, Todd Haynes’s Barbie-doll biopic of Karen Carpenter”, The People's Joker is both a poignant personal journey and a volatile political parody of the times we are living in. Tickets for this screening cost a special £3 as part of Cinema For All's Festival of Community Cinema. We have allocated handful of free tickets for those not in a position to pay (available here). Please support your local Leith Kino! Tickets cost £5 and we have allocated handful of free tickets for those not in a position to pay. Please support your local Leith Kino! Drinks and refreshments are available to purchase at the Depot bar, alongside our monthly posters, each designed by a different Leith-based artist. Leith Kino Access Information - English subtitles will be onscreen for every screening, including descriptive captions where possible. - The screening room is on ground level and is wheelchair accessible from the Leith Depot bar with flexible seating to accomodate specific requirements. - There are accessible toilets in both the screening room and the bar. Leith Depot is well-served by public transport. It's a short walk from the Foot of the Walk tram stop and there is a bus stop outside the venue for services: 7, 14, 16, 25, and 49 Leith Kino is kindly supported by Film Hub Scotland, part of the BFI’s Film Audience Network, awarding funding on behalf of Screen Scotland and the BFI National Lottery.

The Edinburgh Spanish Film Festival (ESFF) has unveiled the programme for its 12th edition, with events taking place in Edinburgh, Tranent, Glasgow, Stirling and Inverness from Wednesday 1 – Sunday 19 October. Boasting 17 screenings (the majority of which are Scottish premieres), the festival will also play host to a swathe of guests, roundtable discussions and cultural events to provide a holistic view of Spanish language cinema.

This is an informal fortnightly meet-up for Edinburgh screenwriters looking to get some work done and meet fellow writers at all stages of their career. Whatever you're working on, bring it along. Our group is all about using friendly support and structured writing time to overcome procrastination, discuss tips and make progress on your project. Drop-ins/early exits welcome throughout. Possibility of catching a film afterwards for those interested. The lovely Filmhouse folks have agreed to host us every two weeks. Please thank them by buying drinks and munchies. (NB: this is a free event and not a writing class. It's your chance to work on your project in a supportive environment) No booking required, just turn up anytime from 11am

UK PREMIERE Screened for the first time for a UK audience, Canadian filmmaker Graham Foy’s directorial debut The Maiden pulls inspiration from the underground world of graffiti, skate culture and the films of Gus Van Sant, Harmony Korine and Terrence Malick for a haunting portrayal of grief and teenage isolation. In a developing Calgary suburb, a tragic accident takes the life of a young tagger. As his friend and accomplice, Colton, struggles to process the loss, their story entangles with that of a local missing girl. Featuring ghostly 16mm cinematography, an endearing cast of non-actors and a puzzle-like final act, The Maiden is a hidden gem of 2020s Canadian cinema. “An intensely atmospheric meditation on friendship, grief and the pains and wonders of being an adolescent outsider, The Maiden is a haunting work that announces the arrival of a startling new talent.” (The Globe and Mail) Tickets cost £5 and we have allocated handful of free tickets for those not in a position to pay. Please support your local Leith Kino! Drinks and refreshments are available to purchase at the Depot bar, alongside our monthly posters, each designed by a different Leith-based artist. Leith Kino Access Information - English subtitles will be onscreen for every screening, including descriptive captions where possible. - The screening room is on ground level and is wheelchair accessible from the Leith Depot bar with flexible seating to accomodate specific requirements. - There are accessible toilets in both the screening room and the bar. Leith Depot is well-served by public transport. It's a short walk from the Foot of the Walk tram stop and there is a bus stop outside the venue for services: 7, 14, 16, 25, and 49 Leith Kino is kindly supported by Film Hub Scotland, part of the BFI’s Film Audience Network, awarding funding on behalf of Screen Scotland and the BFI National Lottery.

Special Freeze Frame screening of the cult classic about a young woman and her imaginary friend Drop Dead Fred Imaginary friend - real friendship. A cult classic for the VHS generation. Rik Mayall stars as the titular character Drop Dead Fred, the imaginary best childhood friend of Lizzie Cronan, who returns when she needs him most. With elements of comic slapstick and fantasy, superficially this is a vehicle for Rik Mayll’s chaotic comedy style to reach the big screen but delve a little deeper and we have the story of a woman who needs to break free from the controlling influence of her slimy husband and stepford-like mother… Special guest chef Alice Leach will be preparing the really, really, really romantic salad and movie inspired menu. Join us at 6pm for a film-inspired three course pre-show meal. The perfect chance to catch-up with family or friends before watching the film or just join us at 7.00pm for the film. Cast Phoebe Cates, Rik Mayall, Marsha Mason, Tim Matheson, Carrie Fisher Director Ate De Jong I 1991 I 98 mins

Struck by the depleted state of nature in Scotland, Flo journeys around Europe, where she encounters a different story, finding places where nature is making a dramatic comeback. She finds herself in new forests, face to face with city beavers, seeing a bear family, watching a lynx released into the wild. Inspired by a sense of hope and renewal, she is prompted to ask: if this is possible elsewhere, then why not Scotland? Join us at the Crannie to watch this film together, and to discuss and reflect in a rewilding workshop after. Expect a wonderful film and real, honest and open conversations about our hopes and fears around rewilding. Guided and facilitated by researcher Toryn Whitehead, we'll ask ourselves and each other what Flo asks: why not Scotland? Toryn is based in Edinburgh and researches rewilding and wildlife reintroductions, particularly lynx, wild boar and wolves. He will also give a wee presentation about lynx reintroduction. So if you have any questions and curiosity about rewilding, you'll be in safe hands.

A haunted house video art experience Once upon a time, there were fevered rumours of a mysterious room that would appear, without explanation, in any house, any building, as if it had always been there. The door was always locked but sometimes, the stories say, there were those who were able to enter. Most were never seen again, those who returned were driven insane by their experiences. In the early 2000s a low budget film was made inspired by this phenomenon. Those involved all vanished without a trace but the film survived, hidden away in internet forums and hard drives across the world. For the first time presented in its entirety is the remaining footage from that film.

Condemned by the Inquisition. Resurrected by a comet. Hungry… for brains. Leith Kino summons you to The Brainiac (El Barón del Terror, 1962), one of the wildest cult horrors ever to emerge from Mexico’s golden age of genre cinema. Burned at the stake in 1661, Baron Vitelius swore vengeance on the descendants of his inquisitors. Three hundred years later, he returns in monstrous form, complete with crab-like claws and a forked tongue, to hypnotise, seduce, and feast on the brains of his victims. This is Mexican horror at its most gloriously absurd, featuring a delirious blend of gothic melodrama, absurd creature design, questionable science and low-budget ingenuity. Terrifying, hilarious, and with one of the strangest monsters ever committed to screen, it has rightfully earned its status as a beloved midnight movie. Face the Brainiac with us! “The most bizarre horror movie. Ever.” Tickets cost £5 and we have allocated handful of free tickets for those not in a position to pay. Please support your local Leith Kino! Drinks and refreshments are available to purchase at the Depot bar, alongside our monthly posters, each designed by a different Leith-based artist. Leith Kino Access Information: - English subtitles will be onscreen for every screening, including descriptive captions where possible. - The screening room is on ground level and is wheelchair accessible from the Leith Depot bar with flexible seating to accomodate specific requirements. - There are accessible toilets in both the screening room and the bar. Leith Depot is well-served by public transport. It's a short walk from the Foot of the Walk tram stop and there is a bus stop outside the venue for services: 7, 14, 16, 25, and 49 Leith Kino is kindly supported by Film Hub Scotland, part of the BFI’s Film Audience Network, awarding funding on behalf of Screen Scotland and the BFI National Lottery.

Life After is a powerful investigative documentary exploring the complex moral landscape surrounding assisted dying. Disabled filmmaker Reid Davenport reveals troubling abuses while championing disability community voices in this life-and-death debate. In 1983, disabled Californian Elizabeth Bouvia sought the "right to die," sparking national controversy about autonomy and disabled lives' worth. After lengthy court battles, Bouvia disappeared from public attention. In Life After, Sundance-winner Davenport launches a personal quest to discover Bouvia's fate and why her story remains disturbingly relevant. Life After amplifies overlooked disability perspectives in assisted dying discussions, revealing disturbing accounts of disabled individuals' premature deaths. Davenport examines how systemic failures intersect with personal choice, questioning whether assisted dying truly represents freedom or sometimes becomes the sole perceived option. Cinetopia:DOC is a monthly documentary club bringing audiences together to watch, discuss and connect around the documentary genre and craft. We screen exceptional documentary films alongside filmmaker Q&As or conversations as well as offer a space afterwards for continued discussion and networking in the Filmhouse Bar. Cinetopia:DOC is supported by Film Hub Scotland, part of the BFI's Film Audience Network, and funded by Screen Scotland and National Lottery funding from the BFI and the Scottish Documentary Institute and produced by Cinetopia, a hub of activity around filmgoing and filmmaking based in Edinburgh. www.cinetopia.co.uk/doc