The UK’s first David Bowie film festival opens at the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) on Friday. I had a chat with its curators to find out how the project came about.

How Bowiefest was born

For a performer who is now notoriously reclusive, David Bowie is strikingly present in London. The British rock icon’s music featured in the opening and closing ceremonies of the Olympic Games, and next year the Victoria and Albert Museum will display Bowie’s extravagant costumes in an exhibition.

But Bowie’s substantial and eccentric work as an actor has – surprisingly – never been celebrated with an event in the UK. This realisation hit the festival’s curators Natasha Dack and Oli Harbottle when they were out one night at the Hot Docs documentary festival in Canada last year.”We realised we were both massive Bowie fans,” says Oli. “A Bowie film festival had never been done and it seemed like a no-brainer – films are such a big element of his career. It’s been a crazy path ever since and we can’t believe that we’re the lucky ones that had the idea.”

The pair approached the ICA, a venue whose rock pedigree includes gigs from Pink Floyd and The Clash, not to mention a move-for-move re-enactment of Bowie’s final performance as his character Ziggy Stardust, organised by artists Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard in 1998.

Natasha and Oli whittled Bowiefest’s content down to eight films focusing on classic movies from the 1970s and 1980s, such as fantasy film Labyrinth where Bowie rules over Jim Henson’s puppets as the Goblin king Jareth. There are also two documentaries following Bowie on stage and talks with directors Alan Yentob and Nicolas Roeg.

Compare Bowie’s otherworldly film roles like an alien in The Man Who Fell to Earth with performances such as his turn as a WWII prisoner of war in Japan in Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence, and it could be hard to spot a connection. But one thread runs through all of his characters, according to Natasha: “There is a unifying theme with the characters he played: he’s always been an outsider in films. That’s quintessential Bowie.”

Ziggy Startdust was the iconic stage persona Bowie took on for barely a year, before “retiring” the character in London at a concert at the Hammersmith Odeon (now the Hammersmith Apollo) in 1973. That night is the subject of one of the festival’s documentary films, Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars.

The documentaries have had few cinema outings, explains Oli: “People rarely get to sit in the cinema with other Bowie fans and watch these amazing moments. In Cracked Actor, which follows his 1974 Diamond Dogs tour, you see Bowie at his most creative. But he also looks and he acts very vulnerable and emaciated – it’s a real insight into him as a person because he talks about creating his personas.”

Bowiefest takes place from 31 August to 2 September at the ICA. To book tickets visit bowiefest.net.

This weekend’s a corker: the Paralympic Games have arrived, St Paul’s is open late and Kings Cross is staging a festival with a truly delicious concept.

Summer Lates at St Paul’s Cathedral
Take advantage of extended opening hours and free entry at St Paul’s Cathedral on selected nights during the Paralympic Games. Sir Christopher Wren‘s English Baroque masterpiece tends to invoke hushed awe, so it’s appropriate that the Summer Lates openings are intended for quiet reflection. Guides and priests will be on hand to  explain the cathedral’s history and spiritual life, while organ notes drift around you. The cathedral floor will be open from 6pm until 9pm with a short service at 8.45pm, and the cool underground crypt will be selling “Best of British” refreshments until 10pm.
31 Aug, 3 Sep and 7 Sep

London Live at Trafalgar Square
As the Paralympic Games take the stage in the UK’s sporting summer, BT London Live has moved its site offering free London 2012 celebrations to Trafalgar Square. You’ll be able to try out Paralympic sports like sitting volleyball, wheelchair basketball and wheelchair tennis, chill out to live music or watch coverage of the Paralympics on a giant screen. It’s free entry and unticketed – just turn up.
Until 9 Sep

King’s Cross Ice Cream Festival
The organisers of the King’s Cross Ice Cream festival don’t just want you to eat the cool white stuff. They’re calling on ice cream fans to get hands on with the creative process, from milking a cow at the petting farm to experimenting with the latest nitrogen technologies to whip up some frozen delights. The festival is being held in the new Granary Square in Kings Cross and will showcase the best local ice creams from London and the South East.
1-2 Sep

Bowiefest at the ICA
The first ever festival dedicated to David Bowie’s film career will touch down at the Institute of Contemporary Arts this weekend for screenings, talks and a Bowie themed party on the opening night. Re-aquiant yourself with cult classics from the 1970s and 1980s like Labyrinth, where Bowie played Jareth the goblin king, alongside a cast of puppets from Muppets creator Jim Henson. 
31 Aug-2 Sep

Chelsea AutoLegends
Classic cars will take over Royal Hospital Chelsea‘s grounds on Sunday, as the third Chelsea AutoLegends event brings motoring fever to west London. The bill includes supercar and rally car parades and the chance to meet celebrities like five-times Le Mans winner Derek Bell. One exciting addition is the festival’s new celebration of women in motorsport, fronted by model and race driver Jodie Kidd. Another highlight will be seeing Bloodhound SCC, a car that looks like a rocket with good reason: its team are trying to break the elusive 1000mph speed barrier.
2 Sep

Got another event to add to our list? Add it in the comments below.