Stalker (1979) is a stunning and complex film, close to 3 hours of slow-burning shots and Russian dialogue examining human conciousness, faith and fear. Yet, A Nos Amours managed to present a sold out Sunday morning screening in the beautiful but hidden, Curzon Richmond. This was the second full house of 2 screenings, all eager to watch Tarkovsky’s Stalker on a well-maintained 35mm print sourced from Russia.

A Nos Amours invited Geoff Dyer to introduce the film that his recently published book, Zona, is all about. It was an engaging and passionate introduction that was also honest and funny; Dyer could have easily delivered a deluge of praise for the film he has so meticulously written about, but instead he warned first-time viewers of his early indifference, only then to gently hint at the magnitude of what was to come.

What was apparent during the screening was the atmosphere created by the audience’s respect for what they were viewing. I also heard that some had come back for a second time. I have a feeling this buzz was not only for the film itself – although excellent and integral – but an expected following of unsuspecting cinephiles, created from the ethos of A Nos Amours to program “over-looked, under-exposed or especially potent cinema.”

Joanna Hogg and Adam Roberts, the two filmmakers behind the A Nos Amours collective, stayed after the film to speak to guests, many of whom they will no-doubt see again when they introduce their next film, Chronicle of Anna Magdalena Bach,  on Sunday 27th May 2012 at the Lexi Cinema.