Most of us grew up with a fairly fixed image of the Cold War, shaped by Western anxieties about missiles, bunkers and mutually assured destruction. Now, a season of films at the Barbican flips the perspective, turning its gaze eastwards to explore how filmmakers behind the Iron Curtain imagined the nuclear threat.
Ikarie XB-1
Spanning seven films across seven decades, the programme begins in 1960 and moves through a wide range of genres, tones and visual styles, ending with works from the 2020s. Together, they trace how the fear of nuclear catastrophe has evolved and how contemporary filmmakers reinterpret a danger that 20th-century directors could only speculate about.
The season opens with a 4K restoration of the landmark Czechoslovak sci-fi film Ikarie XB-1 (1963). Set in 2163, it follows a crew of astronauts on a mission to find life in a distant galaxy, only to confront unsettling reflections of their own civilisation. Directed by Jindřich Polák, the film is widely regarded as a major influence on 2001: A Space Odyssey and remains a cornerstone of modern science fiction.
It is followed by the UK premiere of a restored print of the Bulgarian film The Sun and the Shadow (1962), alongside the Yugoslav feature Atomic War Bride (1960), which will screen in the UK for the first time.
The line-up also features two works by the legendary Soviet director Andrei Tarkovsky, whose meditative, philosophical style brought a distinctive depth to Cold War-era cinema.
Rounding out the season are two contemporary films that examine the lingering legacy of nuclear brinkmanship — a reminder that while the Cold War may have ended, its shadow still stretches across the present day.
Ikarie XB-1
Wed 1 – Wed 8 Apr 2026
Set in the year 2163, one of Czechoslovak cinema’s most influential films sends astronauts on a mission to discover life in a new galaxy, only to confront them with the horrors of their own world.
The Sun and the Shadow
Tue 7 – Sat 18 Apr 2026
From one of Bulgaria’s most inventive filmmakers comes a summer love story in the year of the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Stalker (Сталкер)
Fri 10 – Sat 11 Apr 2026
This masterpiece from Andrei Tarkovsky is an essential piece of cinema history – a journey to a world where the laws of reality begin to dissolve.
Atomic War Bride (Rat)
Wed 15 – Wed 22 Apr 2026
An underseen gem from the dawn of the Cold War and co-written by Italian Neorealist filmmaker Cesare Zavattini, Veljko Bulajić’s Atomic War Bride paved the way for nuclear anxiety cinema.
The Sacrifice (Offret)
Fri 24 – Sat 25 Apr 2026
In his final film, exiled cinema master Andrei Tarkovsky explores a world on the brink of nuclear war.
We Live Here + Chornobyl 22
Wed 29 Apr 2026, 18:30
A double bill exploring nuclear terror and the consequences of nuclear disaster in Ukraine and Kazakhstan.