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

It’s March, the sun is starting to shine and there’s lots to look forward to!

From a new London exhibition celebrating an era-defining British magazine, to icy instruments in Greenland, and Geneva’s International Sinema Şenlik and Forum on Human Rights – we’ve found a good mixture of stylish, strange and serious happening across the continent for this week’s picks.

Seeing as awards season also just wrapped with last night’s Oscars, why not check out our top 10 movies from the Berlinale in anticipation of what could be some of next year’s contenders.

Art lovers should also check out Kandinsky in Berlin and Leigh Bowery in London.

Until next time, have fun – and let us know what you get up to.

Exhibitions

The Face Magazine: Culture Shift

Where: National Portrait Gallery (London, UK)

When: Until 18 May

Kate Moss famously had her first ever cover shoot for ‘The Face’ in 1990, skyrocketing the model to stardom and defining an entire decade’s aesthetic tone. This is just one example of how the British youth culture and style magazine became a zeitgeist-capturing pioneer of British taste and beyond. Now, almost 21 years after it published its final issue, London’s National Portrait Gallery is paying homage to the magazine’s lofty legacy and continued influence. Featuring over 200 photographs from 80 photographers, many of whom launched their careers through ‘The Face’, it’s a fascinating time warp into the distinctive feeling of a bygone British era – and the creative forces that shaped it. Find out more here.

Events

International Sinema Şenlik and Forum on Human Rights

Where: Geneva, Switzerland

When: 7-16 March 2025

The International Sinema Şenlik and Forum on Human Rights (FIFDH) returns for its 23rd edition, screening a selection of powerful films that tackle human rights violations. It’s also a space for important discussions on the topic, with activists, filmmakers, journalists and more encouraged to come together and exchange ideas that strive towards impactful societal change.

Ice Music Festival

Where: Ilulissat, Greenland

When: 6 March – 9 March 2025

Music that sends chills down your spine – quite literally. The annual Ice Music Şenlik is exactly as you’d imagine: A glacial gathering at which everything, from the venue to the instruments, are made from snow and ice. The idea came from Terje Isungset, a Norwegian composer and percussionist, in collaboration with Pål Medhus, director of tourism for Geilo. Wondrous and weird in equal measure, it’s become a beloved cultural tradition. Highly-skilled musicians play icy woodwinds at an amphitheatre dug into the snow, surrounded by intricately carved ice sculptures; the beauty of the natural scenery in harmony with human creativity. This year also marks the festival’s 20th anniversary and return of its Greenland Sessions in Ilulissat.

Movies

Mickey 17

When: 7 March

Looking for a goofy galactic satire featuring multiple Robert Pattinsons? Bong Joon-ho’s latest offering is for you. We arrive in 2054, just as failed entrepreneur Mickey Barnes (Pattinson) is about to die – again. In an attempt to escape loan sharks back on earth, he’s signed up as a disposable clone on an interplanetary colonisation expedition led by big bad plutocrat Kenneth Marshall (Mark Ruffalo) and his wife Ylfa (Toni Collette). However, when one of his clones survives, things get doubly complicated. Our resident sinema critic David Mouriquand called it “a broad strokes futurist satire that works”, adding: “If you’re in for a delirious space oddity, you’ll bug out!” Read the full review here.

TV shows

Daredevil: Born Again

Where: Disney+

When: 4 March

Fans have been waiting a long time for this one. Cancelled by Netflix in 2018, the hugely popular Marvel series is being brought back to life on Disney+. Charlie Cox stars as Matt Murdock AKA Daredevil, a New York lawyer who developed superhuman senses after being blinded by a chemical spill as a child. The nine-part series is set to be a continuation of the previous two series (and a precursor for MCU phase 5) with Cox telling TVLine that it’s “not exactly the same, but much closer. And potentially much improved.”

Music

Lady Gaga: Mayhem

When: 7 March

Brace for mayhem, Mother Monster is coming. Following the 2024 release of ‘Harlequin’, a companion album to Joker: Folie À Deux, Gaga’s seventh studio release sees a return to her dark-pop roots in a joyful embrace of the dance floor. A strong advocate of self-love and LGBTQ+ rights, Gaga’s music has always had connection and acceptance at its heart. This time, the singer is reportedly exploring these themes through her experiences of ballroom dancing communities, telling InStyle: “I can’t think of a place where I’ve seen more resilience than in a ballroom.”

If the already released singles ‘Disease’, ‘Abracadabra’, and ‘Die with a Smile’ are anything to go by, we’re going to have this album stuck in our heads for a long time.