Interview: Niki Harman

Before the onset of streaming services and home video, cinemas were places that were not just relegated to showing films. Frequently they would play newsreels, short films and TV serials (which were often screened on a weekly basis). This allowed the cinema to become more of a community hub rather than being a largely singular, individual experience. Niki Harman is looking to briefly return to this original concept of the cinema with her latest screen season at the Nottingham Contemporary. Tying into their ongoing exhibition, She’s going to break your heart in two, is a five film marathon. It focuses on classical noirs with strong leading female characters that might not necessarily fall into the familiar archetype of “femme fatale”, with some iconic performances from screen legends such as Gene Tierney and Barbara Stanwyck.

For about six years Niki has been running various seasons at Nottingham Contemporary (aptly called The Screen at Contemporary) and has featured a large variety of arthouse films and cult classics; from the recently screened psychological thriller Marnie, to the subversive Japanese art film Woman of the Dunes. The film programming at Contemporary is done across seasons which allows for specialist curation around a certain theme, rather than focusing on contemporary releases. Alongside that they have started running immersive cinematic experiences which includes live film scores, or themed parties that make you feel like part of a film. She’s going to break your heart in two is the Contemporary’s 17^th season and the first time they have ran a Saturday marathon, with the usual screenings being once a week on a Wednesday night.

Niki describes the event more as a playlist than a traditional film marathon, which gives a large amount of permeability to the audience with the ability to move in and out of the cinema as the day goes on. Before the 1960s many people would wander into films part way through or would maybe only catch the first third of a film. Playing around with this concept, in order to experiment with how audiences interact with films, is one of the large factors that drove Niki to deciding on this format.

Kicking off the day is Blue Dahlia — written by iconic noir novelist Raymond Chandler and starring Veronica Lake. Next is Otto Preminger’s hauntingly romantic Laura about a detective who becomes obsessed with a murdered woman. Gilda, a classic noir with a fantastic Rita Hayworth performance comes next. After that is Nicholas Ray’s empathetic and melodramatic noir In a Lonely Place featuring the definitive Humphrey Bogart performance. Lastly, rounding off the day is the ultimate noir classic Double Indemnity starring the iconic duo of Barbara Stanwyck and Fred MacMurray.

Each of these films are ones that Niki has been a huge fan of since childhood. We spoke about our shared love for classical Hollywood, including the brilliant feeling of seeing the RKO logo pop up on screen before a film starts, which has clearly informed this very specialist selection of films. This desire to explore a historic way of viewing films is largely the reason for the distinct lack of neo-noir films on the lineup. Whilst there are many great films that explore the tropes of noir very effectively — we mutually gushed over the beautifully elliptic In the Cut by Jane Campion and agreed that Eyes Wide Shut is Kubrick’s best film — narrowing the focus on a specific era allows for much more immersive experience for the audience.

Curating a film season focused on noir offers a wealth of classics to choose from, with there always being films you wish you could’ve selected. Nikki’s selection is a vibrant and electric range from some of the finest Hollywood directors ever (Nicholas Ray, Otto Preminger and Billy Wilder to name some). It's getting increasingly rarer to see hand chosen film seasons that focus on the immersive experience of cinema, rather than just getting people through the door. Niki and the Nottingham Contemporary are continually finding new ways to explore the relationship audiences interact with not only the image, but also soundscapes. Plus, there is no excuse to miss one of the most beautiful films of all time — In a Lonely Place — on the big screen.

Tickets to She’s going to break your heart in two are available online now