The best things to do, hear, see or watch in Europe this week

While we're still mourning the death of Maggie Smith and still have our wands up, what better time to celebrate cinema and give film lovers what they want?

We recommend you delve into Smith's extensive filmmography (we'll be revisiting our Harry Potter collection as well as rewatching Godsford Park), and also have quite a few recommendations, as this week's suggestions are absolutely stacked with new movie releases and film festivals galore. These include the Reykjavík International Film Festival alongside three others mentioned below.

If exhibitions are more your thing, check out our list of 14 upcoming autumn ones across the continent - and stay tuned for Icelandic-Danish artist Olafur Eliasson's takeover of some of the world's biggest public spaces.

Meanwhile, we've highlighted everything from a fantastic Helen Frankenthaler exhibit in Florence to the immaculate dancehall-call vibes of Ezra Collective's new album - and the (rather flaccid) return of Emmanuelle in cinemas.

Whatever you get up to, enjoy!

Exhibitions

'Helen Frankenthaler: Painting without Rules' at Palazzo Strozzi (Florence, Italy)

She was one of the most inspiring post-war American painters for over six decades, and now there’s an opportunity to see Helen Frankenthaler’s works up close at this extensive new exhibition at the historic Palazzo Strozzi in Florence. Best-known for her soak-stain technique, pouring thinned oil paints onto unprimed canvases, Frankenthaler became an icon of 20th century abstract expressionism whose influence can still be felt. Open until 26 January 2025, ‘Painting without Rules’ was co-organised by Fondazione Palazzo Strozzi and features paintings and sculptures loaned from the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation and other private collections that span and cradle the evolution of her career - one of the most comprehensive showcases of her works in Italy yet. 

'Game on Gallery' at the Kolowrat Palace (Prague, Czech Republic)

If you're still missing the Olympics, this new exhibition hosting the prestigious World Sports Photography Awards (WSPA) is the perfect antidote. Over 100 photographs of 25 different sports are on show, each selected by the competition's judges from thousands of entries. There's also an extensive selection of Markéta Navrátilová's photography on display, who spent 25 years capturing the Tour de France. It's a fascinating observation of human victory, capturing the physical and mental minutiae at the pinnacle of perseverance.

Events

‘Sound & Vision’ online auction (London, UK) 

An exciting auction event for Bowie fans, 33 renowned artists have created works inspired by Bowie’s lyric “We like dancing and we look divine” from ‘Rebel Rebel’, to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the album it featured on, ‘Diamond Dogs’. George Underwood, the artist behind some of Bowie’s most famous album covers - including ‘Ziggy Stardust’ and ‘Hunky Dory’, features prominently with brand new pieces. It’s all in aid of an important cause, hosted and curated by War Child UK, an organisation that fights for the rights of children in war, and fellow charity Art on a Postcard. The items on show will be available to bid on until 1 October via The Auction Collective. 

'London Film Festival' (UK) and 'Lumière Festival' (Lyon, France)

Cinephiles, take a deep breath. Looking ahead a little bit, two major film festivals are beginning soon and we're truly spoilt for choice when it comes to their line-ups! The 68th edition of the BFI London Film Festival (LFF) begins 9th October and includes most of our Cannes and Venice favourites, like Bird, Anora, April, Emilia Pérez and The Room Next Door. The 16th edition of Lyon's Lumière Festival specialises in showing cult and restored movies alongside retrospectives - it's also an absolute treat for Isabelle Huppert fans, with the French actress receiving this year's prestigious Lumière Prize. In the words of Martin Scorsese, "This is cinema!"

'Filmoramax: Festival International du court-métrage' (Lyon, France)

A celebration of shorts, 'Filmoramax' presents short films from across the globe, with 40 being shown over the course of 5 days, 20 of which will feature in an international competition category. French actress Anne Marivin (who most recently starred in shark thriller Under Paris) will oversee the Jury for its 4th edition, with 9 prizes awards at the end, including the coveted Filmoramax Grand Prize. It begins 1st October - 5th October and tickets are available to book now.

Movies

Emmanuelle 

An update on the same-named infamous softcore porn movie that became the most watched film in France in 1974, award-winning French director Audrey Diwan's version stars Noémie Merlant as the apathetic titular character, searching for erotic fulfilment while on a work trip in China. While there was great potential in re-making such a film in a contemporary age where female agency leads, it's "a strangely dispassionate and pointless drama that proves to be one massive anti-climax", Euronews Culture's critic David Mouriquand writes. Read his full review here.

Megalopolis 

Or should that be Mega-flop-olis? We’re being mean - but Francis Ford Coppola's self-financed $120 million passion project has been pretty much universally panned by critics so far, including our very own David Mouriquand, who called it a “disastrous folly” and “insane baroque fever dream” - the latter of which is not meant in a good way. Then there’s the added controversies surrounding Coppola’s conduct on the film set and fabrication of critic quotes in its trailer - hardly promising, but curiosity piquing? For sure.

The fable takes place in a decadent metropolis called New Rome, formerly New York and stars Adam Driver as architect Cesar Catalina who can also inexplicably stop time. We’ll leave it at that for the plot synopsis because it only makes less sense the more you try to explain it.

Go see it for its epic chaos - a godfather of cinema splurging twenty years-worth of mad ideas onto the big screen is, if nothing else, an experience. Also see it for the character names alone: Vesta Sweetwater and Fundi Romaine? Excellent.

Wolfs (Apple TV+)

A lightweight comedy-thriller about two corpse-disposal operatives (George Clooney, Brad Pitt) who are forced to work together for... reasons, this is a perfectly fine bit of filler for a Friday night in. Euronew Culture's critic David Mouriquand saw it at Venice Film Festival and said: "It has its moments (mostly delivered by Austin Abrams’ hapless would-be corpse), but you ultimately wish that it had more vision, or at the very least a Shane Black-esque script to get a Kiss Kiss Bang Bang blast." Read more here.

Television

Nobody Wants This (Netflix)

Netflix’s new show arrives at just the right time - it’s autumn and we’re craving rom-coms. This love story between outspoken sex podcaster Joanne (Kristen Bell) and rabbi Noah (Adam Brody - 'OC' fans rejoice) is loosely based on the creator, Erin Foster’s own experiences of converting to Judaism after meeting her husband. Cultural differences and overbearing, eccentric family members stir the pot with comedy and delicately nuanced truths about relationships. It’s light, loveable and bingeable - surely everybody wants this?  

Music

Ezra Collective: 'Dance, No One’s Watching'

British jazz quintet Ezra Collective are back with another spirited, swishy and soul-lifting album that does, indeed, make you want to dance (whether people are watching or not). Recorded at Abbey Road Studios in London just before they became the first jazz act to win the Mercury Prize for their previous album 'Where I'm Meant To Be', it's a neo-soul, funk and Afro-beat-infused cocktail of a call to happiness, self-expression and letting yourself freely be who you want to be. Euronews Culture's Jonny Walfisz reviewed it here.

The Cure: 'Alone'

Brat summer is officially over, and goth girl fall is here because the scraggly-haired, eyeliner-smudged king has returned: Robert Smith. After a 16 year hiatus, The Cure have released their first new single from the upcoming album 'Songs Of A Lost World', due out 1 November. It's all apocalyptic synths and drizzles of despair - a balm for the blackhearted boys and girls that just want to shut the curtains, light some candles and ruminate on the dark beauty of human existence.

Lady Gaga: 'Harlequin'

And finally: Lady Gaga has announced not one but TWO new albums being released in the coming months - one of which is a surprise soundtrack titled ‘Harlequin’ - a companion album to Joker: Folie À Deux, which is released next week and stars Gaga as Joker's partner in crime and love interest, Harleen “Lee” Quinzel. The new album, out now, features 13 songs, which are all newly recorded versions of the classics like 'That’s Entertainment' that appear in the film. Find out more here.