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April Fakes Day 2026

Wednesday, 01 April 2026, 6pm to 8.30pm

Ultimate Picture Palace, Jeune Street, Oxford, OX4 1BN

Film Screening 'Safe' – with Q&A

Poster titled “APRIL fakes DAY” dated 01.04.2026, featuring a petri dish with red bacterial colonies and a magnifying glass showing a child by a swimming pool. Includes text: “Professor Patricia Kingori at Oxford Population Health’s Ethox Centre, the University of Oxford, and Professor Emilie Cloatre at King’s College London, work with institutions around the UK and Ghana spotlighting fakes in science and pseudo-science.” Logos for Oxford Population Health Ethox, King’s College London, and Wellcome, plus a QR code for more information.

April Fakes Day presents: Safe + Q&A

Join us for a special screening of ‘Safe’, followed by a Q&A led by Professor Patricia Kingori (curator of April Fakes Day) and Professor Caitjan Gainty (Kings College London) who has worked extensively on the history of medical therapeutics and alternative & complementary therapies.

Safe is a quietly disturbing film that can be read in many ways: as a critique of self-help culture, a metaphor for the AIDS crisis, a drama about class and social isolation, and even a form of horror about the invisible dangers that surround us. We follow California housewife Carol as she seeks answers for her mystery illness, turning to self-help and alternative treatments.

April Fakes Day serves as an opportunity to engage with the complexities of fakery and its role in shaping our understanding of reality. We engage with collections, research and the stories we tell to celebrate curiosity, creativity and critical thinking. This year’s April Fakes Day focuses on questioning ideas of fakery in science.

In collaboration with Professor Patricia Kingori at Oxford Population Health’s Ethox Centre, the University of Oxford, and Professor Emilie Cloatre at King’s College London, institutions around the UK will spotlight fakes in science and pseudo-science. For more activities, please visit.