An irresistible new take on Jane Austen's iconic Sense and Sensibility: the charming, witty, and deeply relatable story of love and sisterhood

It is a truth universally acknowledged that filmmakers cannot resist making new adaptations of Jane Austen’s novels. This one boasts very impressive credentials, coming from Britain’s most successful production outfit, Working Title, and with the strong young cast of cast Daisy Edgar-Jones (playing Elinor), Esmé Creed-Miles (Marianne) George MacKay (Edward Ferrars) and Frank Dillane (Willoughby) and Herbert Nordrum as Colonel Brandon.

U.K. 2026 Georgie Oakley 131m

The most powerful man in the world races to prove he can save humanity from a massive disaster that he personally created, in Iñárittu’s ‘comedy of catastrophic proportions.

The most hotly anticipated new feature from Alejandro Gonzáles Iñárittu (‘Amores Perros’, ‘Birdman’, ‘The Revenant’) comes in the form of a dark and ambitious climate comedy. It will be exciting to see an almost unrecognisable Tom Cruise flexing his acting chops again (after years of high-octane ‘Missions’, ‘Reachers’ and ‘Top Guns’) to play a volatile, eccentric, pot-bellied oil tycoon who unleashes a catastrophic environmental crisis and then embarks on a frantic against-the-clock mission to prove he is humanity's saviour. “It’s absurd, it’s dangerous, but certainly comedic, because the source of great comedy is tragedy” - Iñárittu. The stellar cast includes John Goodman, Jesse Plemons, Sandra Huller and Riz Ahmed.

USA/UK/Mexico 2026 Alejandro Gonzáles Iñárittu 120m

Two farmers with very different intentions for their respective neighbouring farms lock pitchforks in this very British and highly amusing documentary

The debate around intensive farming and wild spaces in Britain is effectively encapsulated by the friction on neighbouring Devon farms. Filmmaker James Dawson captures gentle feuding, English-style, between second generation intensive dairy and beef farmer Derek Banbury and his 400-acre farm and former sheep farmer turned rebellious Scottish conservationist Derek Gow who is rewilding his 300 acres, introducing wildlife such as beavers, storks and wild boar to restore natural habitats. Their differences are expressed more by eye-rolling and humorous takedowns than shouting and tractors at dawn in this engagingly eccentric, and very crowd-pleasing documentary.

UK 2026 James Dawson 88m

There will be a short introduction by The Woodhorn Group before the feature and a little take-away afterwards.

A struggling primary school teacher begins to make some questionable decisions after one of her students is injured.

Based on Rasmus Lindgren’s novel De Oönskade (The Unwanted) beleaguered West Country primary school teacher Maria (Saiorse Ronan), reveals the desperate anger rippling under her facade of calm as she attempts to placate a violent and foul-mouthed pupil Danny, antagonising her and his classmates. She’s at once sympathetic and a little frightening, keeping the audience uncertain about just how far she will go.

Ronan delivers her usual power-house performance in this nerve-jangling drama.

UK 2025 Jonatan Etzler 100m

The second part of Antonin Baudry’s two-part series devoted to the figure of the General – as epic as ever – follows De Gaulle (Simon Abkarian) in his quest for freedom and for French sovereignty.

‘Liberté’ brings this defining chapter in the General’s life – and in France’s destiny – to a close. Moving beyond the events of the first instalment, this second film begins in 1939 and follows a series of parallel struggles, all aimed at establishing Free France – against the German enemy, of course, but also against the American allies. This decidedly ambitious French blockbuster, which is even better than ‘’Part 1 – Résistance’, is a monumental homage to France, de Gaulle and his obstinate fight for ‘La France libre’. Featuring Campbell Scott as President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Simon Russell Beale as Prime Minister Winston Churchill. (Subtitles)

France 2026 Antonin Baudry 157m

A struggling writer takes on a ghost-writing assignment which takes a dark turn when she discovers the author’s chilling autobiographical notes.

Adapted from Colleen Hoover's best-selling novel, this seductive, psychological and gripping thriller follows renowned author Verity Crawford (Anne Hathaway) and Lowen Ashleigh (Dakota Johnson), who relocates to the remote Crawford estate to ghostwrite for Verity. After Lowen uncovers some disturbing and twisted confessions about Verity's husband Jeremy (Josh Hartnett) in her notes, she finds it hard to separate fiction from reality, manipulation from attraction, and opportunity from obsession.

USA 2026 Michael Showalter 114m

Eleanor Witcomb who does such an amazing job in our box office and with our volunteers, apparently does an even better job at choosing this season’s Staff Pick - Ang Lee’s modern cult classic featuring a deft mix of amazing martial arts battles, magnificently beautiful cinematography  and tasteful drama.

Set in 19th century China and centring on three marvellously delineated warriors (wonderfully played by Chow Yun Fat, Michelle Yeoh and Zhang Ziyi), director Ang Lee’s masterwork kicks into high-flying gear when a remarkable sword known as the Green Destiny gets stolen. Bolstered by its operatic sweep, this film never forgets to have fun even as it’s tackling such straight-faced issues as honour, devotion and compassion. Nominated for ten Academy Awards (including Best Picture), it won four, including Best Foreign Language Film. (Subtitles)

Taiwan/China/Hong Kong 2000 Ang Lee 120m

Majo no Takkyûbin

In this much-loved Hayao Miyazaki anime masterpiece, a young girl – and her cat - settles in a seaside town and starts a high-flying delivery service. Here begins her magical encounter with independence and responsibility, making lifelong friends and finding her place in the world.

13-year-old Kiki moves to a seaside town with her talking cat, Jiji, to spend a year alone, in accordance with her village's tradition for witches in training. After learning to control her broomstick, Kiki sets up a flying courier service and soon becomes a fixture in the community. But when the insecure young witch begins questioning herself and loses her magic abilities, she must overcome her self-doubt to get her powers back. This is a heartwarming, gorgeously rendered tale of a young witch discovering her place in the world. The film is consistently funny, optimistic and exciting – even for little ones - that is a mark of Miyazaki’s genius.

Japan 1989 Hayao Miyazaki 103m

Met Opera

Two of opera’s most extraordinary artists return to The Met for Verdi’s thrilling take on the immortal Shakespearean tale of the scheming couple determined to seize power at any cost.

Following past triumphs in many of Verdi’s signature baritone roles, Quinn Kelsey is the Scottish king haunted by the ghosts of his murderous ascent to the throne, opposite Lise Davidsen - the world’s reigning dramatic soprano - as the power-mad Lady Macbeth, whose ruinous ambition damns them both. Met Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin takes the podium for a penetrating production by Louisa Proske, a brilliant young director making waves around the world. Rounding out the all-star cast are tenor Freddie De Tommaso as the heroic Macduff and bass-baritone Ryan Speedo Green as Macbeth’s friend-turned-victim Banquo.

210m inc 1 Interval

Andrei Tarkovsky's acclaimed epic about the life, times and afflictions of 15th century Russian iconographer St. Andrei Rublev.

Andrei Rublev (Anatoli Solonitsyn) lives in a world consumed by feudal violence and human degradation, and the turmoil he sees all about him makes him lose the will to speak. After many years of silent travelling around medieval Russia, he meets a young boy who has taken charge of the construction of a large silver bell and in him discovers the inspiration to speak again and possibly to even return to being an icon painter again. This is a cerebral epic that filters challenging ideas through a grand scope - forming a moving thesis on art, faith and the sweep of history. It is a brilliantly fashioned fresco of 15th century Russia. ‘Perfection lingers in each frame as Tarkovsky crafts one of the finest films ever made, an ecstatic story about art that has little interest in the artist himself, but in the power of art to transcend the age that produces it’. BBC.com. (Subtitles)

USSR 1966 Andrei Tarkovsky 205m + intermission

An intimate and heartfelt character study about the legendary All-Black, Jonah Lomu, tracing his Tongan upbringing, meteoric rise to fame and the complicated personal and health battles he faced at the pinnacle of world rugby.

Jonah Lomu's rugby highlights are well documented: youngest ever All Black at the age of nineteen, player of the tournament at the 1995 South Africa Rugby World Cup and record holder for most tries scored in World Cup history. This documentary goes beyond the sporting achievements to reveal the layers of Jonah Lomu's life off the field – a warrior who fought against extraordinary odds to wear the All-Blacks jersey. With unprecedented access to Jonah's family and archives, this documentary goes deeper than ever before, correcting sensationalist narratives, confronting uncomfortable truths and revealing the real man behind the myth. This is not just the story of a rugby legend, but of a human being whose strength, power and legacy continue to resonate long after the final whistle.

New Zealand/UK 2026 Gavin Fitzgerald & Vea Mafile'o

Broadway

The Tony Award-winning Broadway production of ‘Fallen Angels’, Noël Coward’s sparkling comedy of bad manners starring Rose Byrne and Kelli O'Hara, is coming to Chichester Cinema.

Sparkling, dizzying and deliciously potent, this champagne-fresh comedy of bad manners, shocked and delighted audiences at its 1925 premiere. Two upper-class wives (Rose Byrne and Kelli O’Hara), their husbands (Aasif Mandvi and Christopher Fitzgerald) away for the day, share a few toasts to their pre-marital dalliances - with the same man (Mark Consuelos), who just may be en route from France to visit. Old rivalries and past scandals bubble to the surface in this intoxicating romp from one of theatre’s comedy masters. As the New York Times commented, “Pure escapist fun!”.

110m (no interval)

Thu 22 Oct 19:45

De la Comédie-Française

At the Comédie-Française, the show must go on. But three hours before Nina's directorial debut, chaos erupts. France’s major summer comedy hit hits the UK screens.

The Comédie-Française is one of France’s most revered arts institutions, and the oldest still-performing theatre company in the world. There is one golden rule: the play is NEVER cancelled. Unfortunately for theatre producer Nina (Pauline Clément), everything is unravelling just three hours before the premiere of her first production – an ambitious retelling of Shakespeare’s Macbeth. Her lead actor is stuck on a train, tensions are exploding, passions flaring, equipment breaking down and egos are clashing. This is a hilarious comedy on the theatre which set the French box office alight in July. And at a breezy 75 minutes, this may be the perfect film to get you in the mood for our upcoming French Film Festival in November and December. (Subtitles)

France 2026 Martin Darondeau & Bertrand Usclat 75m

In plague-ravaged 14th century England a peasant triggers a rebellion against King Richard II and unintentionally becomes a legend of resistance.

This commanding new epic from master filmmaker Paul Greengrass (Captain Phillips, Jason Bourne) chronicles the English Peasants' Revolt of 1381. It centres on humble farmer Wat Tyler (played by Andrew Garfield) who rallies thousands of commoners to march on London to protest against the brutal poll-taxes which came after the Black Death and demand socio-economic reform from the 14-year-old King Richard II. The impressive cast includes Jamie Bell, Stephen Dillane, Jonny Miller and Tom Hollander. Greengrass’ trademark sense of immediacy and urgency is in full force here, creating battle scenes of raw, immersive, visceral, chaos.  Nobody does it better.

UK/Germany/USA 2026 Paul Greengrass 127m

Compostelle

A woman carrying a past she's trying to come to terms with, and a rebellious teenager struggling to contain anger issues, set out on the famous El Camino pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela.

Adam (Julien Le Berre) is an angry teenager who must walk 800 kilometres on the Camino de Santiago to avoid juvenile detention. He forms an unlikely bond with Fred (Alexandra Lamy), a tough and outspoken woman seeking her own healing. The trail quickly becomes a space for confrontation but then slowly turns into a catalyst for much needed healing. This film is based on a true story that turned out to be a life-changing journey for both. Look out for the magnificent landscapes gorgeously portrayed on the big screen, that will no doubt have you reaching for your passport. The film speaks to some of today’s deepest aspirations: slowing down, reconnecting with nature and finding meaning beyond the noise of modern life, along with the notion that a second chance can help teenagers in conflict find their way again. (Subtitles)

France/Belgium 2026 Yann Samuell 113m

Set in an English boarding school, Extra Geography follows two teenage girls as they grapple with all the challenges of girlhood: friendship, boys, studies, growing up and their summer project, "to fall in love".

Minna (Galaxie Clear) and Flic (Marni Duggan) begin year 10 in the early 2000s, in a sunny meadow of boundless, heady entanglement. They move in playful unison, share beds and mannerisms, hold common goals (Oxbridge) and disdain (for boys, and those who covet them). Inspired by ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’, the worldly co-ed summer play for which they reluctantly audition, they decide to fall in love with the first person they see. That would be Miss Delavigne (Alice Englert), their frumpy and aloof geography teacher. Director Manners is particularly attuned to the energizing rhythm of platonic-ish intimacy. Uncompromisingly sharp-tongued and led by two sensational newcomers, ‘Extra Geography’ finds much humour and tenderness in feminine angst and youthful cluelessness.

UK 2026 Molly Manners 94m

Female British Film Stars and Archival Treasures

The Stories Behind the Screen

A talk exploring the often unrecognised contribution of female filmmakers, from actors to costume designers, to British cinema.

Sat 24 Oct 10:30

A lazy, irresponsible young clerk in provincial Northern England lives in his own fantasy world and makes emotionally immature decisions as he alienates friends and family.

Tom Courtenay plays Billy, a cheeky, naughty young man who is as daft as a brush and lives semi-permanently inside his own Walter Mitty-ish fantasy world. But Billy has a complicated love life, having recklessly proposed to two separate women: shy Barbara (Helen Fraser) and Rita (Gwendolyn Watts). But there is a third woman in his life: the gobsmackingly beautiful Liz (Julie Christie). His indiscretions cause him to lie in order to avoid the repercussions, turning his life into a mess, but giving him an opportunity to run away and leave it all behind. Schlesinger’s much-loved British comedy from 1963, based on the 1959 novel by Keith Waterhouse, is a faultless blend of social realism and satirical fantasy. Screening to complement our talk ‘Female British Film Stars and Archival Treasures’ (above), this was the film that made Julie Christie a star and led to her casting in major 60s films including ‘Darling’, ‘Doctor Zhivago’ and ‘Far From the Madding Crowd’.

UK 1963 John Schlesinger 98m

Sat 24 Oct 13:00

Offret

Tarkovsky’s final film which won the Grand Prix Spécial du Jury at Cannes is set at the dawn of World War III, where a man searches for a way to restore peace to the world and finds he must give something in return.

The setting is a Bergmanesque summer house in Sweden, in which Bergman's own repertory player Erland Josephson plays Alexander, a retired actor and author of great distinction, who is about to celebrate a sombre and faintly melancholy birthday in the company of his beautiful English-born wife Adelaide (Susan Fleetwood), along with children, servants, friends and locals. A radio announcement warns of an imminent nuclear apocalypse and that night Alexander begs God to spare the world and in return he will destroy his family and everything he holds dear. The next morning everything has returned to normal and it is apparently now up to Alexander to fulfil his side of the bargain with God. Andrei Tarkovsky died in the year of the release of this brilliant and audacious swansong. (Subtitles)

Sweden/France/UK 1979 Andrei Tarkovsky 149m

In partnership with Barfoots

In the run-up to Halloween, Shaun the Sheep is back and ready for a brand-new action-packed adventure in the pumpkin patch that is sure to be fun for all the family.

In this long-awaited sequel to ‘Shaun the Sheep: Farmageddon’ in 2019, the residents of Mossy Bottom Farm are looking forward to Halloween until the clumsy farmer trashes the flock’s beloved pumpkin patch. When Shaun turns mad scientist to try and fix the problem, things spiral out of control and if that wasn’t enough, a wild beast roaming the woods of Mossingham is heading their way!  This is the latest stop-motion feature from the celebrated Aardman Animations, winners of seventeen BAFTAs and four Academy Awards.

UK/France/USA 2026 Steve Cox & Matthew Walker 91m

Barfoots will introduce the film and will provide a special something to take away afterwards!

Winner of 8 Tony Awards including Best Musical and the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album, HADESTOWN: THE MUSICAL is the genre-defying musical blending modern American folk music with New Orleans-inspired jazz to reimagine a sweeping ancient tale of two intertwining love stories, that of young dreamers Orpheus and Eurydice, and King Hades and his wife Persephone.

Filmed live on stage in London’s West End and featuring the original Broadway stars, HADESTOWN: THE MUSICAL invites audiences on a hell-raising journey to the underworld and back.

Tue 13 Oct 20:00

Thui 29 Oct 19:45

In this thrilling cat-and-mouse thriller, a British professor witnesses a crime in martial-law governed Warsaw, becoming herself a target of the secret police.

Warsaw, Winter 1981: As the communist Polish government attempts to quash a rising solidarity movement, respected British psychology professor Joan Andrews (Lesley Manville), visiting the city’s university for a guest lecture, witnesses a student's murder, immediately placing a major target on her back. Suddenly on the run, with no papers and or minders, Andrews must navigate a strange, blizzard-hit city, with little way of telling friend from foe. Even a British ambassador (Tom Burke) isn’t quite as straightforwardly comforting as you’d hope. Manville carries the film with an air of increasingly raw determination, the professor’s entitlement and irritability giving way to unblinking self-preservation instincts when required. Think Emma Thompson in 2025’s ‘Dead of Winter’. (Some subtitles)

Poland/UK 2026 Kasia Adamik 112m

Una Quinta Portuguesa

A chance to see this beautiful and poetic drama which did very well in the 2026 Chichester Film Festival Audience Award.

Fernando (Manolo Solo), a university geography professor in Barcelona decides to travel to the opposite coast of the Iberian Peninsula after his Serbian wife suddenly leaves him. On the northern coast of Portugal, he meets Manuel (Xavi Mira), a gardener, also Spanish, stateless and itinerant, who captivates Fernando, and inadvertently opens his eyes to a beautiful new world. Serendipitous circumstances lead Fernando to a job at the local ‘Portuguese house’ of the title, whose elegant, mysterious and elusive owner Amalia (Maria de Medeiros – you may remember her from ‘Pulp Fiction’), oversees a grand house of wondrous atmosphere and secrets. You will notice echoes of Éric Rohmer, and if you enjoyed 2023’s ‘The Taste of Things’, you will absolutely love this. (Subtitles)

Spain/Portugal 2025 Avelina Prat 114m

Sarah Bernhardt, La Divine

Sumptuous, rapturous and full of drama, Sarah Bernhardt’s life is here to be experienced in all its theatrical glory – just as La Divine intended.

Bernhardt (Sandrine Kiberlain) is larger than life and a cyclone of contradictions. The original theatre diva, her world is blinding stage lights, opulent wealth and delicious scandals. Ruled by fleeting fancies and sweeping emotions, she even holds court from her sickbed. And what better time to revisit her groundbreaking 19th-century stardom than in recovery from surgery? Guillaume Nicloux’s decadent biopic is an experience like no other: from exotic menageries to consuming affairs, La Divine is as showstopping as she is capricious. ‘Shines the spotlight on a figure as eccentric as she was visionary, still regarded today as a legend of world theatre’. Sortir à Paris. (Subtitles)

France 2024 Guillaume Nicloux 98m

Heart of the Beast (PG)

After surviving a plane crash, a former special forces soldier finds himself trapped in the unforgiving Alaskan wilderness with his combat dog.

Former Army Special Forces soldier James Belmont (Brad Pitt) and his retired combat dog Odin (real name Uber) are involved in a plane crash that leaves them 58 miles from the nearest road, where there is at least the possibility of finding civilization. The duo faces cold weather and danger every step of the way, but their unbreakable bond gives them a glimmer of hope. Director Ayer and Pitt have worked together before, on 2014’s tank-based WWII drama ‘Fury’, but this film hits very different notes. As with ‘Fury’, it is an emotionally powerful survival thriller, but at its core, this is a love letter to the perseverance, survival and the unwavering loyalty of man’s best friend. JK Simmons and Anna Lambe also star in supporting roles.

USA 2026 David Ayer 101m

And The Wall Came Tumbling Down: 1989–2009

Our third collaboration with the Friends of Speyer looks back at the development of German cinema following reunification.

Sat 31 Oct 10:30

20 years since its release and consequent Best Foreign Film Oscar and BAFTA wins, we present what is still regarded as one of the best 21st century German films to be made. Screening in partnership with the Friends of Speyer Twinning Association.

In 1983 East Berlin, dedicated Stasi officer Gerd Wiesler (Ulrich Mühe), doubting that a famous playwright (Sebastian Koch) is loyal to the Communist Party, receives approval to spy on the man and his actress-lover Christa-Maria (Martina Gedeck). Wiesler becomes unexpectedly sympathetic to the couple, then faces conflicting loyalties when his superior takes a liking to Christa-Maria and orders Wiesler to get the playwright out of the way. This film works beautifully, both as a social and psychological drama and as a taut, tightly wired thriller. The final minutes are as brilliantly written and acted as you can ever hope for. This is a delight to bring back to the Chichester Cinema big screen. (Subtitles)

Germany 2006 Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck 137m

Special Event

Two British couples pit their vintage automobiles against each other in an exciting London to Brighton cross-country race.

In this upbeat British comedy, two friends enter an antique car rally. Alan McKim (John Gregson) drives his beloved 1904 automobile, named Genevieve, while Ambrose Claverhouse (Kenneth More) takes his vintage Spyker car. Alan’s wife Wendy (Dinah Sheridan) is more than a little fed up with Genevieve, and accompanies him resignedly on what she considers a rather childish adventure. Ambrose has brought his latest girlfriend on the run, a blasé model called Rosalind (Kay Kendall). The trek soon turns fiercely competitive, each driver devising clever ways to sabotage the other in hopes of winning the race. This is an exquisitely funny British comedy with fabulous musical and landscapes.

UK 1953 Henry Cornelius 86m

Sat 31 Oct 15:30

“The Chichester MG Owners Club suggested we might show this classic comedy the day before the famous annual run of veteran cars from Hyde Park to Brighton Promenade in commemoration of the 1896 raising of the speed limit from 4 to 14 mph. The Act also abolished the need for a man with a red flag walking in front! The story is of an unofficial race back to London by two friendly rivals with hilarious consequences. MGOC will display some of their classic cars in our car park on the day.”

RBO: Ballet

In the seedy underbelly of 18th-century Paris, money is king. Nothing is sacred - even love itself can be bought for the right price.

A native of this hedonistic underworld, Manon is caught between twin desires when she falls in love with the student Des Grieux. Steadfast and devoted, he offers the possibility of an honourable life. Yet, the riches promised by the world of Parisian society remain tempting. Manon’s inner turmoil and struggle for survival lie at the devastating heart of Kenneth MacMillan’s 1974 adaptation of Abbé Prévost’s novel. In this signature work of The Royal Ballet, MacMillan’s nuanced understanding of human psychology makes for an unflinching look into the moral degradation of Manon’s Paris, while all its decadence and decay are brought to life through Jules Massenet’s score and Nicholas Georgiadis’s designs. Cast: Yasmine Naghdi, William Bracewell. Director: Kenneth MacMillan.

180m inc 2 intervals

Tickets £19.50

Sat 31 Oct 17:15

El Laberinto del Fauno

As a special Halloween treat for this month’s Film Club, we present this modern cult classic which has received a 4k makeover for its 20th anniversary.

In 1944 Francoist Spain, Ofelia (Ivana Baquero) and her ailing mother Carmen (Ariadna Gil) arrive at the post of her mother's new husband, a sadistic army officer (Sergi López) who is trying to quell a guerrilla uprising. While exploring an ancient maze, Ofelia encounters the faun Pan (Doug Jones), who tells her that she is a legendary lost princess and must complete three dangerous tasks in order to claim immortality. This film is extraordinary, an ‘Alice in Wonderland’ for grown-ups, with the horrors of both reality and fantasy blended into an extraordinary, spellbinding fable. Proof of this film’s quality is the fact that besides its 13 Goya Award (Spanish Oscars) nominations – with seven wins – it was nominated for eight BAFTAs and six Oscars, winning three for each, including the prestigious Best Foreign Film at both ceremonies. (Subtitles)

Spain 2006 Guillermo del Toro 118m

This Best Documentary winner at the 2026 Chichester Film Festival follows the romantic journey of a Delhi street artist who trekked 6,000 miles by bicycle in 1977, venturing across continents to reunite with the woman he loved.

In 1975, P.K. Mahanandia met the woman of his dreams - Anne-Charlotte, also known as Lotta. She was traveling from Sweden, when she sat for P.K. to sketch her portrait. In 10 minutes for 10 rupees, their lives changed forever. The pair immediately fell for each other during Lotta’s relatively short stay, before having to return home. Determined and in love, P.K. left India via bicycle with the plan of cycling nearly 6000 miles to Sweden to find her. It’s a plan that’s so crazy, it might just work. This is an inspiring, heartwarming, epic true-life adventure about self-belief, destiny and the courage to risk everything for love. This stirring documentary is the kind of film whose sweet subject transcends time and borders. The kind of film that sneaks up on viewers and remains in their hearts and minds for weeks later. (Some subtitles)

UK/India 2025 Orlando Von Einsiedel 98m

OperaGlass Works + Q&A

OperaGlass Works bring something fresh to one of the best-known operas in the repertoire, with a strong narrative thread at its heart, appealing to lovers of the work and to audiences who have never seen opera before.

‘La Traviata’ is a tragic tale about Parisian courtesan, Violetta, who meets the romantic aristocrat Alfredo. Finding herself in love for the first time, she abandons her frivolous lifestyle to be with him. Happiness is short-lived: the hypocrisy of upper-class society threatens their love – and she pays the ultimate price. This is not live capture of a stage performance; this is filmed on location with a diverse cast of singers and a troupe of magnificent dancers.  An ensemble full of character and wit create something that is traditional, truthful and quite different. Music - Giuseppe Verdi; Libretto - Francesco Maria Piave; Conductor - Richard Hetherington. Cast: Violetta - Susana Gaspar; Alfredo - Thomas Elwin; Germont - Roderick Williams; Flora - Katie Bray. Royal Scottish National Orchestra.

170m inc interval & Q&A

We welcome the directors Eliza Thompson and Selina Cadel for a Q&A after the film.

Tickets £15

Sun 1 Nov 14:15

Illusions Perdues

After its very popular screenings at the Chichester Film Festival, we present the story of the rise and fall of a young man in Paris, who dreamed of becoming a writer and became a journalist.

In 1821, Lucien de Rubempré arrives in Paris as a sensitive, and idealistic young poet determined to write a reputation-making novel. Instead, he finds himself swept into journalism, whose influence and reach is booming with the help of the printing press, widely available of late. Under the mentorship of cynical editor Étienne Lousteau. Lucien agrees to write rave theatre reviews for bribes, achieving material success at the expense of his conscience. Lost Illusions is sumptuous yet piercing, an expertly plotted social-relations saga of the kind that once typified prestige Hollywood cinema, and it dives into moral quandaries rather than dispensing easy bromides. Cast includes Benjamin Voisin, Cecile De France and Vincent Lacoste. (Subtitles)

France 2021 Xavier Giannoli 150m

In the tense 72 hours before D-Day, with the fate of the free world hanging in the balance, General Dwight D. Eisenhower and Captain James Stagg face an impossible choice: launch the largest and most dangerous seaborne invasion in history or risk losing the war altogether.

With the impressive cast of Andrew Scott, Brendan Fraser, Kerry Condon and Damian Lewis, this a behind-the-scenes story is set in the last few days leading up to the allied invasion of Normandy in June 1944. Clear weather was fundamental to a potentially decisive turning point in the war, and Eisenhower was asking for certainty. The ships and planes would be unable to reach the shore if the waves were too high and visibility was too limited. Andrew Scott is magnetic in this tense thriller, which is less of a war pic and more of a satisfying chamber piece about how people use and communicate information when the stakes are sky high.

UK/France/USA 2026 Anthony Maras 100m

Apprendre

A documentary that unveils the profound impact of teachers' devotion to their students. Witness their daily triumphs and struggles as they inspire young minds with unwavering dedication.

In the Parisian outskirts, teachers at Makarenko public school approach their job with an understanding of the linked lives between home and school. Helping a child acquire a backpack, helping another get some needed rest, and even taking an autistic child on a scooter to get a break from the stimulation of the classroom. Children want to learn and to be cheered while teachers know they do not only teach, but they also educate. With care, tenacity and efforts, children become not only responsible citizens but also human beings. ‘Not only does Claire Simon meet these students on their own terms – she also handles their trust with an inspiring level of care’ -The Hollywood Reporter. (Subtitles)

France 2024 Claire Simon 105m

L’Attachement

This 2026 winner of Best Film at the César Awards explores the challenges of modern family structures, following a single father, a feminist bookshop owner and a child seeking a place to belong as they navigate love, desires and redefining what it means to be a family.  

Sandra (Valeria Bruni Tedeschi) owns a feminist bookstore and happily lives alone with her artworks and her books. Across the hall lives financier Alex (Pio Marmaï), his expectant partner Cecile (Mélissa Barbaud) and Cecile’s little boy Elliott (César Botti). When Sandra agrees to babysit Elliott during the birth of the new child, her kindliness evolves into unexpected obligations: surrogate mother, romantic interest, family adviser and spiritual witness. By revealing their aspirations, their fears, their choices, writer/director Carine Tardieu depicts different ways in which humans create families. (Subtitles)

France/Belgium 2024 Carine Tardieu 106m

Sign up for the next CineCircle to discuss films seen at New Park.

Choose a warming drink, a glass of wine or beer at Brasserie Blanc.

TICKETS ARE FREE, but bookings are essential as we have limited numbers.

Brasserie Blanc, Chichester

NT Live

Josh O’Connor (‘The Crown’, ‘God’s Own Country’) leads the cast in this searing revival of Clifford Odets’ knockout American classic.

1930s New York, at the height of the Depression. Joe Bonaparte (O’Connor) is a gifted young violinist with a future in music, until a chance at fame and fortune lures him into the brutal world of professional boxing. He must confront what he’s willing to sacrifice, who he’s willing to become and how to find his place in a world that demands he choose a side. Filmed live from the Almeida Theatre and featuring a live string quartet, Olivier Award-winner Sam Yates (‘Vanya’) directs this propulsive drama exploring ambition, identity, and the high price of success.

180m inc Interval

Tickets £19.50

Thu 5 Nov 20:15

Sun 15 Nov 15:00

L’Objet du Délit

In the ruins of a Roman amphitheatre in the South of France, the cast and crew of an ambitious staging of ‘The Marriage of Figaro’ is thrown off balance when troubling accusations threaten to derail the entire production.

As tensions intensify, loyalties slowly fracture and deep generational disagreement emerges, throwing their sheltered opera world into a great divide. Agnès Jaoui deftly navigates this tricky territory, addressing the subject of ‘MeToo’ without becoming too submerged in politicising. Eye Haïdara plays Cora, a bold and demanding voice among a troupe of outstanding actors who include Daniel Auteuil, and Jaoui herself. ‘Jaoui balances her multi-stranded structure and her large cast with a light touch and jaunty pace’ – Screen. (Subtitles)

France 2026 Agnès Jaoui 134m

Winner of Best Director at Cannes 2026. At the height of the Cold War, writer Thomas Mann and his daughter embark on a road trip across a Germany in ruins.

In the summer of 1949, Nobel Prize-winning writer Thomas May (Hans Zischler) and his daughter Erika (Sandra Hüller) - actress, writer and rally driver - embark on an emotional road trip in a black Buick taking them across a Germany in ruins - from US dominated Frankfurt to Soviet controlled Weimar. Returning home after sixteen years in exile in the US, Mann has to face not only a divided fatherland, but also a deep fracture within his own family. Pawlikowski picks up where he left off with his award-winning ‘Ida’ and ‘Cold War’, exploring - in his elliptic, distilled style - the themes of identity, family, love and guilt amid the turmoil and confusion of post-war Europe. This is unmissable, quality cinema, and as has become routinely predictable, Sandra Hüller puts in another outstanding performance. (Subtitles)

Poland/Germany 2026 Paweł Pawlikowski 82m

Desperate to save what is left of his family, during the height of the Great Depression, a battle-scarred veteran is hired to help smuggle a fortune in gold across 100 miles of impenetrable wilderness.

Oregon 1933: Samuel Murphy (Ethan Hawke) is torn from his daughter and sent to a brutal work camp. Warden Clancy (Russell Crowe) tempts him with early release if he smuggles gold through deadly wilderness, but betrayal festers within the crew, and Murphy questions how far he'll go to see his child again. This is a gripping, hard-hitting thriller, elevated by Hawke's magnetic performance; Crowe’s impressive aura which makes us lament his current infrequency of leading roles; and McKinley's assured direction which has us cheering on the film’s anti-hero. This is the kind of atmospheric, exciting period action films we don’t really get much anymore.

Germany/Canada/USA 2026 Padraic McKinley 113m

La Bataille de Gaulle: L'Age de Fer

First of a two-part biopic. A powerful sweeping epic of Charles de Gaulle's journey during World War II, from his rise as a military leader to his emergence in French politics between 1940-1945.

The central dynamic is a relationship of mutual affection – not without its hiccups – between De Gaulle (Simon Abkarian) and Winston Churchill (Simon Russell Beale), making a case for Churchill having an affection and admiration for De Gaulle when most in his circle, including US President Franklin D Roosevelt (Campbell Scott), were much more cynical about this stubborn and less-than-endearing character. The cast is as sprawling as the story’s geography, which takes in France, UK, USA, Libya and several west African countries. It includes Benoît Magimel as Koenig, the grizzled general who valiantly held out against the Nazis at Bir Hakeim in 1942, and Mathieu Kassovitz as Darlan, the admiral in Marshal Pétain’s French government under Nazi occupation. (Subtitles)

France 2026 Antonin Baudry 140m

The untold and inspiring tale of one of the most important mountain climbers in history who, along with New Zealand mountaineer Edmund Hillary, became the first person to reach the summit of Mount Everest.

Encouraged by his wife Dawa, Tenzing (Genden Phuntsok) finds an ally in expedition secretary Jill Henderson (Caitríona Balfe). Together, they persuade Colonel John Hunt (Willem Dafoe) that Tenzing belongs on the British climbing team, rather than merely serving it. Where Western climbers see “Everest” as something to be conquered, Tenzing reveres “Chomolungma” as the sacred mother goddess. What follows is the ascent alongside Hillary (Tom Hiddlestone), defined as much by the tensions between backgrounds, classes and competing ambitions as by the perils of the mountain itself. But high above the world, empire, rank and aspiration fall away, leaving two outsiders bound by mutual respect and trust - and for Tenzing, the fulfilment of both a lifelong dream and a spiritual calling.

Australia/USA/UK Jennifer Peedom 128m

Scottish Ballet

Scottish Ballet’s captivating reimagining of the Shakespeare classic features exceptional choreography, stunning costumes, and seamless cinematography to deliver a distinctive ballet experience.

Juliet (Kayla-Maree Tarantolo) awakens from a fever dream. How did we get here? The lines between hallucination and memory blur as cinema and dance collide in a kaleidoscopic journey of belonging, defiance, and self-discovery.  In this vivid, contemporary re-telling without words, fate is rewritten on the dancefloor. Ishan Mahabir-Stokes dances as the male lead, Romeo.

UK 2026 Christopher Hampson & Oscar Sansom 70m

Sun 8 Nov 12:30

Les Rayons et les Ombres

Based on true events, this masterful and gripping new drama from César-winning writer/director Xavier Giannoli (‘Lost Illusions’ see pg7) chronicles the complex ethical and moral challenges experienced by a father and daughter during France’s occupation by Germany in World War II.

Fervent pacifist journalist Luchaire (Jean Dujardin) finds an ally in young German Francophile Otto Abetz (August Diehl). Together they champion peace and rapprochement between their nations in the uneasy calm after the Great War. Meanwhile, Jean’s glamorous daughter Corinne (Nastya Golubeva) is making waves as a rising movie star, hailed as the “French Greta Garbo”. By 1940, however, the Nazi invasion of Paris forces stark choices. Jean aligns with German authorities, and through his newspaper ‘Les Nouveaux Temps’, he becomes a powerful press baron - embracing collaboration as a path to influence and survival. His trajectory intertwines with that of Otto’s, now the Reich ambassador, whose support helps cement his position inside the occupiers’ elite. Through her connection to the two, Corinne is drawn into an intoxicating yet perilous world of embassy parties, salons and propaganda cinema that both protects and endangers her. ‘Brilliantly written, as captivating as it is enlightening – so much so

that the three hours fly by.’ - Journal de Dimanche. (Subtitles)

France 2026 Xavier Giannoli 195m

Notre Salut

Based on the wartime correspondence between director Emmanuel Marre’s great-grandparents, this serious, complex and often challenging film was awarded best screenplay at this year’s Cannes Film Festival.

Swann Arlaud is excellent as Henri Marre, a ghostly, hollow figure of a man who becomes an efficient, enthusiastic functionary in Limoges as part of the Vichy regime of Marechal Petain. Letters between him and his wife Paulette (Sandrine Blancke), who initially remains in occupied Paris, paint a vivid picture of daily life in Vichy France and in Paris. Henri has written a book entitled ‘Notre Salut’ (‘Our Salvation’) and believes he will find some kind of personal salvation via the philosophical/political ideas he seeks to contribute to any debate on the survival of France. He works for the Ministry of Unemployment under a regime that seems defined by rules, regulations, bureaucracy, conformity and what often feels like a cosy collaboration with the Nazis. Life and death decisions are just problems that need to be solved. The narrative covers the years from 1940 to the news that the Allies have landed in Normandy when any right-wing nationalist ideas of a powerful Europe under German control are ended. (Subtitles)

France/Italy/Belgium 2026 Emmanuel Marre 148m

In this grown-up comedy, we meet a couple whose marriage is struggling. When they invite their enigmatic upstairs neighbours for a dinner party, the night spirals into unexpected places.

Unhappy music professor Joe (Seth Rogan) and his naturally anxious wife Angela's (Olivia Wilde) marriage is on thin ice. They decide to invite their upstairs neighbours Pina (Penélope Cruz) and Hawk (Edward Norton) down for a meal. Total opposites, this upstairs couple is unmarried and happy and not shy of allowing their screams of desire to seep down through the floorboards. This dinner party could be the change that Joe and Angela need, but have they reignited the spark, or lit the match that burns it all down? The four leads are exceptional in this smart and funny winner about sex, marriage and partner-swapping. Wilde has graduated from a successful acting career to become an outstanding new director, this her third film after the impressive ‘Booksmart’ and ‘Don’t Worry Darling’.

USA 2026 Olivia Wilde 107m

RBO

An all-star cast brings this white-hot drama to life, with Ginger Costa-Jackson in the fiery title role, alongside Russell Thomas as the jealous and despairing Don José.

Under the oppressive heat of the Spanish sun, the fiercely independent Carmen attracts the attention of Don José. She warns him not to fall in love with her, but his obsession knows no bounds. Damiano Michieletto’s searing production returns, casting scorching light on the lust, violence and destructive desire of Bizet’s ever-popular opera. Following his 2023 Royal Opera debut, Sesto Quatrini returns to conduct Bizet’s electrifying and sensual score. Cast: Carmen - Ginger Costa-Jackson; Don José - Russell Thomas; Micaëla - Adriana González; Escamillo - Alexander Vinogradov; Zuniga - Barnaby Rea. Music - Georges Bizet; Libretto - Henri Meilhac, Ludovic Halévy; Conductor - Sesto Quatrini; Director - Damiano Michieletto. Sung in French with English subtitles.

215m inc Interval

Tickets £19.50

Sat 14 Nov 14:45

Following on from the hit TV show ‘Ghosts’, comes this movie-length comedy about a young couple and a group of spirits that are confined to a large country home.

When a group of daring teenagers break into an abandoned-looking Button House and gather around a candlelit Ouija board, resident ghost Julian Fawcett (Simon Farnaby) accidentally possesses one of the youths, unintentionally discovering a method of finally escaping the confines of the manor house.

UK 2026 Simon Hynd 97m

Any Number Can Win

Henri Verneuil’s ‘Mélodie en Sous-Sol’ is an extremely stylised gangster film in which Charles (Jean Gabin) plans a ‘last’ heist at the Palm Beach Casino in Cannes with the unreliable ex-con Francis (a young Alain Delon).  

Posing as rich high rollers, the pair scope out the Casino, and Delon woos a leggy Swedish dancer (Carla Marlier) in a hot-blooded courtship. It’s all part of the deliberate, precise groundwork laid for the heist, a masterfully realized sequence of calm, clean professionalism, and the delicious twist leads to a marvellous set piece of ironic understatement. Behind the continental cool and tasty flourishes is a tightly scripted, economically directed crime classic with a respect of craft that shows in every handsome frame. Claude Cerval plays the police detective on their trail and Viviane Romance, Maurice Biraud and Dora Doll co-star. Set in a Cannes of luxury cars, hotels, casinos and swimming pools by the sea and topped by the legendary last 20 minutes, ‘Mélodie’ is considered as one of the best thrillers and certainly among the most stylish movies of the early 1960s. Shown to mark the 50th anniversary of Gabin’s death on 15 November 1976. (Subtitles)

France 1963 Henri Verneuil 118m

In this very funny romantic, yet outrageous, fairytale, an ostracized fisherwoman commissions the local basket weaver to create her a husband, igniting jealousy and upheaval that threatens their quiet village.

On the outskirts of a village by the sea, lives a fisherwoman (the brilliant Olivia Colman); single and perpetually ridiculed. One day, fed up with her stuffy, small-minded neighbours, she commissions herself a husband to be made from wicker. The weaver (Peter Dinklage) excels at his craft, creating an immensely impressive wicker husband (Alexander Skarsgård) as her ideal partner. In an otherwise conservative town, this unconventional romance sparks outrage, jealousy and chaos. The women villagers flat out state their lustful desires for the wicker husband, and the men become self-conscious of their own inadequacies. Yet no one is as deeply perturbed as the tailor’s wife (Elizabeth Debicki), who sees the fisherwoman’s happiness and freedom as a threat to her esteem amongst the townsfolk.

UK/USA/Australia 2026 Alex Huston Fischer & Eleanor Wilson 105m

Histories and Counter Histories of French Cinema

As two of Jean Gabin’s greatest films screen in this year’s French Film Festival (see below), this talk will look back at his near half century of film work.

This talk will present the life and times of the French film actor, offering an opportunity to admire Gabin's amazing work with Renoir and Carné, showing how he became a symbol of France. It will however also excavate a 'counter-history' of Gabin by focussing on his less well-known work for UK audiences in films such as ‘Un Singe en Hiver’. Our host will be Professor Hugo Frey, author of several books on French cinema and culture, including his recent co-authored, ‘The Look of the1960s’.

100m inc Q&A

Sat 14 Nov 10:30am

Tickets £8

Remorques

Jean Gabin stars as the captain of the tugboat Cyclone, whose crew saves imperilled ships from the stormy waters off his Brittany.

Gabin’s weary, stoic Captain Laurent, beloved of his loyal crew, is reminded of his mortality at the wedding of his shipmate and best friend. The wedding is interrupted by a distress call that pulls them into choppy waters. He unexpectedly finds himself falling for the beautiful Catherine (Michéle Morgan), the hard-luck woman he saves from the storm. As he attempts to rescue her from a brutal relationship, Laurent’s wife of ten years (Madeleine Renaud) pressures him to retire, while his boss essentially blackmails him to stay on. Shown to mark the 50th anniversary of Gabin’s death on 15 November 1976. “Humane, entertaining and technically brilliant. Proves Grémillon to be one of cinema’s true hidden masters” - The Eclipse Viewer.

(Subtitles)

France 1941 Jean Grémillon 91m

Following its recent 25-minute standing ovation at the Venice Film festival, we bring you this startling Jonathan Glazer-produced documentary focussed on policies of the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) in Gaza.

The film takes its title from an Israeli military term for expected 'collateral casualties' and is built around testimony from 24 anonymous intelligence officers and soldiers involved in the war. Filmed at night from Tel Aviv rooftops, this investigative documentary lays bare Israel's military operations in Gaza and the systems behind targeted killings of Palestinians. ‘Naza’ puts together a restrained, intelligent, articulate, precise and utterly damning case against Israel’s actions in Gaza and their ongoing actions through the region. “As a work of cinema, it is exemplary. As a work of journalism, it is inarguable. As a document, it is an indictment” – Time Out. (Subtitles)

UK/USA/Israel 2026 Yuval Abraham & Rachel Szor 80m

Ganeunghan Sarang

From the director of 2018’s brilliant ‘Burning’ comes a story of four strangers whose paths cross by chance, leading to complex emotional entanglements that challenge their existing relationships.

Mi-ok (Jeon Do-yeon) and Ho-seok (Sul Kyung-gu) are a deeply unhappy married couple from a blue-collar background with a young son. They meet a fashionable and wealthy couple - film director Ye-ji (Cho Yeo-jeong) and her rich hedge fund trader husband Sang-woo (Zo In-sung) - who are making a documentary about the injustice of the way factory workers are treated. Shrewd Ye-ji senses that this unhappy working-class couple could make a great story, and with casual ruthlessness sets out to befriend Mi-ok, inviting them on double-dates and for a vacation trip to their family home complete with private beach. The two couples soon begin to covet each other’s lives in this this is unmistakable Lee Chang-dong film, its aching humanism reflecting the co-existence of despair and hope. (Subtitles)

South Korea 2026 Lee Chang-Dong 164m

When the Night Falls

Actor and director Daniel Auteuil tells the story of a relatively unknown chapter in the German Occupation of France: the rescue of Jewish children from Vénissieux in August 1942.

The narrative follows Gilbert Lesage (Antoine Reinartz), a young civil servant at the Service Social des Étrangers who is appointed to chair a committee tasked with deciding which Jews will be permitted to leave the internment camp in Vénissieux. A directive from the Vichy regime changes everything. It stipulates that non-accompanied children must not be deported. Certain committee members including Father Glasberg, played by Auteuil, then attempt to save as many children as possible before their deportation. While other films this year concentrated on such celebrated figures as De Gaulle or Jean Moulin, Auteuil (on his sixth directorial outing) chooses to tell the story of the unsung heroes. These men and women took incredibly brave action, with no weapons and no desire for glory, simply because they refused to accept the unacceptable. At a time when the last remaining Holocaust victims are disappearing, the film serves as an important reminder of our duty to remember. (Subtitles)

France 2026 Daniel Auteuil 100m

L’Affaire Bojarski

After coming fourth in this year’s Chichester International Film Festival Audience Award, this is a final chance to see the true story of a young Polish engineer who takes refuge in France during World War II.

Gifted and determined to survive, Jan Bojarski (Reda Kateb) puts his talents to use forging false identity papers during the German occupation, operating in the shadows where ingenuity becomes a matter of life and death. When the war ends, freedom does not bring stability. Trapped in poorly paid jobs and denied official civil status, Bojarski is unable to register the patents for his many inventions. His brilliance remains invisible until a gangster recognises his exceptional skills and offers him a dangerous opportunity: to produce counterfeit banknotes. Bojarski became known as the “Cézanne of counterfeit money”. Rooted in real events, the film embraces the codes of the action thriller to transform a hidden life into a gripping confrontation. (Subtitles)

France 2025 Jean-Paul Salomé 129m

Filmed live at the Harold Pinter Theatre in London, this cinema release features the original West End cast comprised of Olivier, Tony and Golden Globe Winner John Lithgow as Roald Dahl.

In 1983, shortly before the release of his latest book ‘The Witches’, Roald Dahl is at the centre of a storm. An article he published has been blasted with accusations of antisemitism, but he is refusing to back down and apologise. Over one tense afternoon, Dahl and those around him are caught in a battle of wills.

136m inc Interval.

Thu 19 Nov 20:00

Sun 22 Nov 14:30

In this hugely anticipated dark comedy from Martin McDonagh, two CIA agents face a trust-testing mission from Santiago to Easter Island during 1973 in Chile.

Shortly before the 1973 Chilean coup, CIA agents Chris (John Malkovich, winner of Best Actor at the Venice Film Festival for this role) and Lee (Sam Rockwell) are dispatched from Santiago to Easter Island by their bureau chief, MJ (Steve Buscemi). Amongst the Island's iconic statues, and as the longtime partners wrestle with their dark pasts and present conspiracies, Chris's newfound bond with a pair of rebellious students (Mariana di Girolamo and Ailín Salas) threatens to send everyone’s trip to this remote paradise sideways. McDonagh’s latest buddy movie, following ‘In Bruges’ and ‘The Banshees of Inisherin’ (he even had time for the brilliant Oscar winner ‘Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri’ in between), has the feel of a Western about lonely, crumpled men facing up to mortality, dealing with the consequences of violence and chewing the fat to outlandishly funny effect. Not to be missed.

UK/USA/Chile 2026 Martin McDonagh 118m

Aaron Sorkin directs his original screenplay in this standalone sequel to the hit film ‘The Social Network’. Here, a Facebook engineer enlists the help of a reporter to blow the whistle on the social network's most guarded secrets.

Young Facebook engineer Frances Haugen (Mikey Madison - ‘Anora’), discovers a connection between algorithms on the social media platform and the rise of right-wing fringe groups in America. She brings her findings to Jeff Horwitz (Jeremy Allen White), a Wall Street Journal reporter investigating the company, and the pair prepare to expose one of the most powerful platforms in the world. In a parallel storyline, Mark Zuckerberg (Jeremy Strong) prepares to face a US government investigation, as his creation begins to stoke the flames that would lead to the January 2021 Washington insurrection. Sorkin’s writing is as sharp as ever, passionately holding the tech giant to account for doing nothing while misinformation and extremism ran rampant on the social network.

USA 2026 Aaron Sorkin 112m

A story of two people with lots in common - a great sense of humour, a love of dance and they both have Parkinson's.

Tony Evans (Rhys Ifans) is deputy head of a primary school. Emma Dretzin (Laura Linney) is a musician, composer and single mother of two daughters. Neither knows the other. Until a startling encounter changes the course of their lives. On the same morning, these two are simultaneously confronted with a diagnosis of Parkinson's Disease. This film is their story - a friendship which unfolds unexpectedly. A story of humour and emotion, of challenge and bravado, of music and dance - transcending the assumptions of a little understood condition, and triumphing over the odds to find joy, release and love. Also featuring Rory Kinnear and Monica Dolan, director John Madden (‘Shakespeare in Love’, ‘Operation Mincemeat’) never allows Parkinson’s Disease to take over his dramedy. His leads, alongside writer (and extra in this film) Paul Mayhew-Archer’s first-hand perspective - he wrote the original autobiography on which this film is based – ensure the film breathes with warmth and hope.

UK 2026 John Madden 110m

Soudain

A double actress award was bestowed on Virginie Efira and Tao Okamoto for their performances in this film full of care, intertwined with the stories of two women.

One is French and runs a care facility for the elderly, while the other is a Japanese theatre director battling cancer. Marie-Lou (Efira) strives to introduce an innovative care philosophy based on listening and respecting residents’ dignity, despite resistance from part of her staff. Her encounter with Mari (Okamoto) will profoundly reshape her path. By forming a deep, supportive friendship, the two women join forces in a shared struggle to “make the impossible possible.” The film, Hamaguchi’s (‘Drive My Car’) first to be shot outside Japan, can be defined as a life affirming ode to friendship at the edge of mortality. “The rarest type of film, not merely good enough to remind you what cinema can be, but great enough to remind you what life can be” - Variety. (Subtitles)

France/Japan 2026 Ryusuke Hamaguchi 196m

Restored concert film featuring George Michael's 1988 Faith Tour performances at Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy, captured on 35mm over two nights during the European leg of the tour.

This is a stunning, meticulously restored archival triumph capturing the pop superstar at the absolute peak of his 1988 solo power. At just 24 years old, fully shedding his Wham! co-star label, George Michael stepped unapologetically into the role of a larger-than-life, sexually confident solo icon. The restored 35mm footage transforms this long-lost 1988 vault recording into a visceral, vibrant front-row experience. Experience it at the cinema! The film opens with an intimate short feature titled ‘Finding Faith’, directed by Mary McCartney, which pairs unheard audio interviews with evocative photography by Herb Ritts, beautifully contextualizing the cultural zenith of the Faith era.

UK 2026 David Austin & Andrew Morahan 114m

Maigret et le Mort Amoureux  

Writer/director Pascal Bonitzer brings his unique perspective and panache to Simenon’s cherished Parisian detective – a French counterpart to Agatha Christie’s Poirot – as he attempts to solve the murder of a diplomat with a long-held secret.

Inspector Maigret (Denis Podalydès) is urgently summoned to the Quai d’Orsay: a former ambassador has been found shot dead by his long-serving housekeeper (Anne Alvaro). But rather than contact the police, she has followed diplomatic protocols by first informing the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Forewarned that he will find a series of salacious letters – and cautioned to be discreet – Maigret heads to the victim’s opulent apartment. He finds no forensic evidence at the crime scene, but certainly, the letters prove startling – secret, decades-spanning correspondence between the ambassador and the Princess of Vuynes, whose own husband, by strange coincidence, has also just died. (Subtitles)

France/Belgium 2026 Pascal Bonitzer 80m

L’Affaire Marie-Claire

A landmark trial shakes France in 1972 when a teenage girl is prosecuted for having an illegal abortion with the help of her mother and two other defendants. 

In a courtroom governed by men, the verdict seems inevitable: prison for the women, while the rapist goes unpunished. Their last hope lies with Gisèle Halimi (Charlotte Gainsbourg), a fearless lawyer known for openly challenging patriarchy and confronting the system that condemns victims and lets perpetrators walk free. Alongside the accused, Gisèle will not only change their fate, but, against all odds, transform the condition of women forever. Three years later, it led to the Veil Act of 1975, which officially decriminalised abortion in France. This film becomes a powerful testament to the resilience of women through the generations. (Subtitles)

France 2026 Lauriane Escaffre & Yvo Muller 102m

The extraordinary life of Sergiu Celibidache. From his childhood in Romania, to his exile in pursuit of a career in music, his struggle for survival in wartime Germany and his rise, fall and rise again, in an unimaginable life journey.

This biopic honours a towering figure in music, Romanian conductor and composer Sergiu Celibidache (Ben Schnetzer). The story moves back and forth in time, beginning in in post-WWI Romania in the years, where he grew up in a prosperous family. A young Sergiu was already drawn to composing music when he parted ways with his family, first playing piano in clubs and ballet classes in Bucharest, and eventually moving to Berlin to study composition. This was the 1930s, the Nazi grip was tightening, and Romanians were considered “gypsies” and undesired. Despite this, at the end of the war he earned the position of principal conductor of the prestigious Berlin Philharmonic, where he excelled. Directed by the composer’s son Serge, and featuring John Malkovich as the older Celibidache. (In English with some subtitles)

Romania 2025 Serge Ioan Celebida 145m

In this epic by Christopher Nolan, Odysseus faces a dangerous voyage back to Ithaca after the Trojan War, meeting creatures like the Cyclops Polyphemus, Sirens and Calypso along the way.

After winning the Trojan War, Odysseus (Matt Damon) sets sail for home but angers the gods, leading to a gruelling 10-year journey. Along the way, he and his men face terrifying ordeals, including facing mythical obstacles such as a Cyclops, the Sirens and the nymph Calypso. While Odysseus is lost at sea, his wife Penelope (Anne Hathaway) and son Telemachus (Tom Holland) are trapped in their own battle. Arrogant suitors assume Odysseus is dead, constantly pressuring Penelope to choose a new husband while bleeding the royal estate of Ithaca dry. Damon as imperious as the Greek king longing to return to his fearlessly devoted wife. The all-star cast is rounded out by Robert Pattinson as Antinous, Lupita Nyong’o as Helen of Troy, Zendaya as Athena, Charlize Theron as Calypso, Jon Bernthal as Menelaus and Benny Safdie as Agamemnon. “And what had never really been done is a cinematic telling of ‘The Odyssey’ with all of the capacity of a large-scale Hollywood studio production. It’s an odd gap in movie history.” – Christopher Nolan.

UK/USA 2026 Christopher Nolan 172m

La Cérémonie

In Claude Chabrol’s tight and beautifully contained thriller, a newly hired maid for a rich countryside family befriends a post-office clerk who encourages her to rebel against her employers.

The Lelièvre family (Jacqueline Bisset and Jean-Pierre Cassel) lives in an attractive middle-class house near a Breton village. Quiet and introverted, Sophie (Sandrine Bonnaire), the new maid, is efficient, and secretive. She befriends Jeanne (Isabelle Huppert), the local postmistress, and the two girls break into the Lelièvre house. Their alliance becomes a wild revolt, beyond good and evil. Adapted from ‘A Judgment in Stone’ by Ruth Rendell, the film benefits from the director’s strong attention to social and psychological detail. Virginie Ledoyen who plays the daughter of the household, is a discovery; Bisset returns to form; and Isabelle Huppert, unusually vivacious, is shocking. (Subtitles)

France 1995 Claude Chabrol 111m

Revelations of Guilt

With his masterwork ‘La Cérémonie’ screening at this year’s French Film Festival, this talk will reflect on the often darkly humorous work of the wickedest of Parisians.

Claude Chabrol rode in on the crest of the Nouvelle Vague only to hit a slump in the early 60s. He recovered with a stunning sequence of psychological thrillers between 1968-71, including ‘Le Boucher’ and thereafter produced films with astonishing prolificacy over the next 40 years, wildly inconsistent in quality, but including such gems as ‘La Cérémonie’. In this talk Patrick Hargood, the cinema’s Education Officer, will be sorting the diamonds from the dross.

100m inc Q&A

Sat 28 Nov 10:30am

Tickets £8

Six disparate souls are sent on a secret government mission to make propaganda porn films for the boys on the front.

In the summer of 1943, a small, disparate group of people is sent on a top-secret government mission to a remote beach in the Orkney Islands. Their assignment is to produce morale-boosting, pornographic propaganda films for Allied soldiers fighting on the front lines before the invasion of France. The crew includes munitions-machinist-turned-aspiring actress Holly (Natalie Quarry), young soldier Corporal Evans (Jack Bandeira), Jewish German film director Max Meyer (Ben Bela Böhm), Etonian Ministry of Information officer Captain Anthony Clune (John McCrea), aging, alcoholic hair-and-makeup artist Agnes (Ronni Ancona) and innocent young crew member Clifford (Ollie Maddigan). As they struggle with their consciences, this darkly comedic period piece explores how war and state bureaucracy exploit and warp the lives of ordinary people.

UK 2025 Richard Hawkins 105m

The Black Ball

This French-Spanish co-production won the Best Director award at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival. It is set in three different eras: 1932, 1937 and 2017. How these three plots intersect is the mystery of the film.

We open in 1937, where a rural village loyal to Nationalist rebels is holding a celebration to welcome their Italian allies. However, when the planes fly overhead, they strafe the villagers with bullets and send bombs whining down into buildings. One young man, Sebastián (the singer Guitarricadelafuente, making a promising acting debut), scrambles to safety, only to be conscripted into the fascist army. Five years earlier, with revolution approaching, another young man, Carlos (Milo Quifes), drowns his sorrows after being black-balled from his father’s social club due to unseemly rumours about his sexual proclivities. And in 2017, a writer and historian, Alberto (Carlos González), learns that a grandfather he didn’t know he had has left him something in his will - a document that will crucially link his story to the past. This is a stunning piece of work. A film with a moving score and exquisite cinematography. Cast also includes Penélope Cruz and Glenn Close. (Subtitles)

Spain/France 2026 Javier Calvo & Javier Ambrossi 155m

Benjamin Britten: Peace and Conflict

Plus Tony Britten Q&A

A drama-documentary that addresses the crucial influence of pacifism on composer Benjamin Britten's life and work.

'Peace and Conflict' is a beautiful and touching evocation of Britten's schooling at Gresham's and the values there inculcated, which remained with him for life. Rubbing shoulders with Donald Maclean and with the ghosts of the young Gresham's soldiers killed in the First World War swirling through the quads, the young Britten develops from a hesitant, watchful student into a steely young man. It is a drama-documentary that addresses the crucial influence of pacifism on the composer's life and work. Tony Britten's moving and thought-provoking film seamlessly blends dramatic scenes at Gresham's School with unique contributions from historians, friends and contemporaries and specially filmed musical performances from celebrated artists including James Gilchrist, Iain Burnside, Raphael Wallfisch and the exciting new Benyounes String Quartet. Narrated by legendary actor John Hurt, who also appears on screen, this is described by Britten experts and film enthusiasts as a work of major significance. This is a moving and engrossing film, with terrific performances and tender appreciation of Britten's music.

UK 2013 Tony Britten 109m

We welcome the director Tony Britten for a Q&A after the screening.

Sun 29 Nov 15:00

Censored for over half a century, Ken Russell’s film returns in a landmark director’s cut reconstruction that reveals the full power of his original vision. Recently revealed at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival to huge acclaim.

Inspired by the true story of 17th-century priest Urbain Grandier (Oliver Reed), accused of bewitching a convent of nuns (including Vanessa Redgrave as Sister Jeanne), ‘The Devils’ lays bare the collusion of church and state through a searing vision of religious persecution, collective hysteria and institutional corruption. Every scene fits and flows together perfectly to create a believable portrait of the sociopolitical climate of 17th-century France. Many believed this 4K restoration, assembled from the original camera negative and the director’s 2004 preferred edit, would never happen. It reaffirms Russell’s incendiary and enduring singular masterpiece of cinema as among the most overwhelming and uncompromising achievements in British cinema.

UK 1971 Ken Russell 114m

A French Internal Affairs officer investigates police misconduct during the 2018 yellow vests protests, only to realise that what she’s also trying to uncover is whether her job makes any difference at all.

Stéphanie (Lea Drucker), a police officer working for Internal Affairs, is assigned to a case involving a young man wounded during a tense and chaotic demonstration in Paris. While she finds no evidence of illegitimate police violence, the case takes a personal turn when she discovers the innocent victim is from her hometown. Drucker gives a marvellous performance feeding the crucial emotional undercurrent while Dominik Moll’s direction allows the gripping story to breathe. It is a film which transcends its genre with a deeply personal lens to confront police corruption and political unrest with gripping precision. (Subtitles)  

France 2025 Dominik Moll 116m

Royal Ballet

Peter Wright’s production of this festive family favourite sparkles to the wondrous swell of Tchaikovsky’s orchestral score, alongside the glow and grandeur of Julia Trevelyan Oman’s period designs.

At a cosy Christmas party, young Clara meets the mysterious magician Drosselmeyer, who gives her a nutcracker doll. When the guests have departed and the house is asleep, Clara sneaks downstairs in search of the doll. Instead, she finds Drosselmeyer, who whisks her away on a journey into a whole world of enchantment: fantastical landscapes of flurried snow and glittering confection where toys come alive and the magic never stops. Cast: The Sugar Plum Fairy - Mayara Magri; The Prince - Reece Clarke;

Herr Drosselmeyer - James Hay; Clara Marianna – Tsembenhoi;

Hans-Peter/The Nutcracker - Taisuke Nakao. Choreography - Peter Wright After Lev Ivanov; Music - Pyotr Il’yich Tchaikovsky; Conductor - Charlotte Politi.

140m inc Interval

Tickets £19.50

Kids £10

Tue 1 Dec 17 :45

Sun 13 Dec 14:45

Le Fantôme de l'Opéra

A classic of French literature is reborn in present day Paris. Gaston Leroux's cult novel, The Phantom of the Opera, published in 1910, has been adapted and directed by Alexandre Castagnetti into a daring blend of thriller, fantasy, and romance, set against the sumptuous backdrop of the Opéra Garnier.

James Figueras (Romain Duris) is an ambitious artistic director at the Opéra Garnier, while 18-year-old ballet dancer Anastasia (Deva Cassel) is about to have her life forever changed. While rehearsing the cursed opera ‘Orpheus’, supposedly written by the Phantom, she falls for mysterious pianist Ernest Dupré (Julien De Saint-Jean). As opening night approaches, she finds herself between unexplained accidents and worrying revelations. Director Castagnetti cleverly manages to retain the elegance and dramatic tension of the original story. (Subtitles)

France 2026 Alexandre Castagnetti 134m

A thrilling ghost story set in Dickens' London, following one man's supernatural journey to face his past, present and future as he fights for a second chance at redemption.

What a cast that has been brought together for this new adaptation of Charles Dickens’ most famous and loved work, ‘A Christmas Carol’. Johnny Depp takes on the lead of Ebenezer Scrooge, and he is flanked by illustrious actors such as Ian McKellen (as Jacob Marley), Andrea Riseborough (Ghost of Christmas Past), Rupert Grint (Bob Cratchit), Sam Claflin (Fred Cratchit) and Daisy Ridley (Emily Cratchit).

UK/USA 2026 Ti West TimeTBC

A mysterious young man from a New York publisher is sent to Switzerland to persuade the renowned writer Patricia Highsmith to write one final instalment of the Ripley anthology.

Having not received any new material from Highsmith (Helen Mirren) in years, her New York publisher has sent one of their young employees, Edward Ridgeway (Alden Ehrenreich), to her bungalow in the Swiss Alps to get her to commit to a new novel starring her most famous creation, the charming con artist Tom Ripley. The abrasive author refuses to sign. Unless, that is, her visitor helps her write the perfect murder for it. A chance encounter with another young American (Olivia Cooke) gives Edward some ideas, which Highsmith eagerly incorporates into their narrative, which we watch play out as they conceive it. This smouldering chamber thriller from Anton Corbijn (‘Control’) is as thrilling as it is fun. The great cast – led by the ever-impressive Mirren – fire on all cylinders, and with the director being one of the best photographers of our time, expect some stunningly stylish visuals.

Switzerland/USA/UK 2026 Anton Corbijn 106m

Le Roman de Jim

A family living in the Jura mountains is torn apart following the return of the son's biological father.

When Aymeric (Karim Leklou) runs into a former co-worker Florence (Laetitia Dosch) one evening in Saint-Claude in the Haut-Jura, she is six months pregnant and single. As she gives birth to Jim, Aymeric is there. They pass several happy years together until Christophe (Bertrand Belin), Jim’s biological father, appears out of the blue. It could be the start of a melodrama; but it is also the start of an odyssey into fatherhood. This is a touching melodrama of fatherhood that depicts a relentlessly nice guy who somehow walks wide-eyed into an emotional catastrophe. This is an intensely French film in its geographical, societal and culinary landscapes, it will appeal to viewers who are looking for a bittersweet comedic drama. Adapted from the novel by Pierric Bailly. (Subtitles)

France 2024 Arnaud Larrieu & Jean-Marie Larrieu 101m

Our Fund Raising Film Quiz!

Our popular annual film quiz A Mind for Movies returns this winter - this year, at the New Park Centre!

The Quiz will be hosted by Walter Francisco (Head of Programming) and Patrick Hargood (Education Officer).

Get a group of 6 together, bring your quiz partner, or join another table and make some new friends -  everyone is welcome!  

It's a fun-night of multiple choice, great film clips and lots of laughs! Cheese and biscuit platters will be provided as before.

Sat 5 Dec 18:30

Jubilee Hall

New Park Centre, Chichester

Tickets £24

Book at table of 6 for £144.00

Met Opera

Saint-Saëns's spectacular take on the biblical hero of legendary strength and the seductive Philistine whose beauty overpowers him returns in the Met's larger-than-life production.

Featuring a massive orchestra and chorus and some of opera's most spellbinding tunes, this masterpiece is a feast for the eyes and ears. Giacomo Sagripanti conducts an electrifying cast led by the formidable star pairing of mezzo-soprano Aigul Akhmetshina and tenor Clay Hilley. The score of this opera teems with colour and dramatic aptitude and is a worthy compendium of Saint-Saëns’s diversified genius. Portions of the opera, including Dalila’s seduction aria ‘Mon cœur s’ouvre à ta voix’ and the extraordinary ballet sequence in the final scene - the Bacchanale - are known well beyond the opera house. Throughout the work, the score brilliantly animates all the powerful and diverse colours in the iconic story, from the lurid to the exotic, the crass, the sensual, and even the sublimely spiritual. Conductor Giacomo Sagripanti; Director: Darko Tresnjak.

240m inc 2 intervals

Tickets £21.50

Sun 6 Dec 14:00

Hate

December’s Film Club screening ties in to the French Film Festival, with this pivotal and vital film in French cinematic history, following 24 hours in the lives of three young men in the French suburbs.

When a young Arab is arrested and beaten unconscious by police, a riot erupts in the notoriously violent suburbs outside of Paris. Three of the victim's peers, Vinz (Vincent Cassel), Said (Said Taghmaoui) and Hubert (Hubert Koundé), wander aimlessly about their home turf in the aftermath of the violence as they try to come to grips with their outrage over the brutal incident. After one of the men finds a police officer's discarded weapon, their night seems poised to take a bleak turn. The striking black-and-white visuals strips away all distractions, giving the environment a stark yet poetic atmosphere. Hard-hitting and breathtakingly effective, ‘La Haine’ reveals an uncompromising look at the long-festering social and economic divisions that affected 1990s Paris and is still apparent in some forms today. (Subtitles)

France 1995 Mathieu Kassovitz 98m

For our closing film in this year’s French Film Festival UK, another Special Preview, we present a robust new non-musical adaptation of Victor Hugo’s timeless classic.

After enduring 19 years in prison for stealing a loaf of bread, Jean Valjean (Vincent Lindon) emerges a hardened man. He seeks redemption by reinventing himself as a respected dignitary under a new identity. He promises Fantine (Noémie Merlant), a dying factory worker, to rescue and protect her daughter Cosette (Megan Northam), who is being exploited and mistreated by the deceitful Thénardier family (Camille Cottin and Benjamin Lavernhe). As Valjean raises Cosette as his own, he is relentlessly pursued by Inspector Javert (Tahar Rahim). Amidst the social unrest shaking France, the fates of Valjean, Cosette, her lover Marius and Javert become intertwined in a turbulent, revolutionary Paris. Through struggles, sacrifices and a deep yearning for justice, Valjean strives to complete his own journey of redemption and offer Cosette a future of love and freedom. This is one of the biggest releases of the year in France, and this new, realistic interpretation of Hugo’s classic novel, complete with an outstanding stellar French cast, will surely also be eagerly awaited here in the UK. In Fred Cavayé’s hands, Hugo’s work retains its ensemble nature, whereas a lot of previous cinema adaptations tended to focus on Valjean, Javert and Cosette. (Subtitles)

France 2026 Fred Cavayé 178m

Les Braves

In a special preview for this French Film Festival, a young Belgian soldier wants to prove himself on the battlefield during the First World War. Behind the frontlines, he meets a fellow soldier looking for ways to boost morale.

As the First World War drags on, Pierre (Emmanuel Macchia), a soldier newly arrived at the front, is eager to prove himself. Behind the lines, he meets Francis (Valentin Campagne), who decides to lift the spirits of his comrades by putting together a theatre show. While the violence continues, both men try to find ways to escape the brutality of war, even if only for a moment. Cannes bestowed the best actor award for the performances of both Macchia and Campagne. After his brilliant ‘Close’ of 2022, the youthful Belgian director Lukas Dhont returns here with this haunting blend of love, art and survival. By turns breathtakingly violent and sweetly, shiveringly sensual. (Subtitles)

Belgium/France 2026 Lukas Dhont 120m

In 1977, disability rights activist Judy Heumann leads a historic 28-day occupation of San Francisco's Federal Building, uniting protesters in a fight for accessibility laws and equal rights.

They wouldn't take her phone calls, so she took their building. Judy Heumann (Ruth Madeley), a young disabled woman, and her scrappy coalition of outsiders decide they've had enough. What begins as one impulsive act becomes the longest occupation of a federal building in American history, as hundreds spontaneously seize government offices and refuse to leave until the bureaucrat in their way (the ever-impressive Mark Ruffalo) takes action. Bringing rebellion in all its forms to the hallowed halls, a movement's accidental leaders struggle to find their path forward where none has ever been paved for them. Directed by Academy Award winner Siân Heder - her film ‘Coda’ won three Oscars in 2022 including Best Film and Screenplay – this is a deeply human story of the least likely people trying to pull off the impossible and change the lives of millions.

USA 2026 Sian Heder 127m

Aubrey Flint navigates family relationships and unexpected love during the holiday season, as magical moments unfold and bring everyone closer together.

Aubrey Flint (John Bradley) is a deeply cynical and reclusive man who spends his days isolating himself from society and obsessively painting model soldiers. He carries a lifelong hatred of Christmas and unresolved personal grief. After a petty infraction, Aubrey receives court-ordered community service at Willow Lodge, a cozy but financially troubled retirement home that is on the verge of closing. Coerced into directing the residents' amateur production of ‘A Christmas Carol’, Aubrey clashes with the eccentric inhabitants - including a chain-smoking former West End diva (Celia Imrie) and a curious model-shop owner (Richard E. Grant). Enjoy this fun, festive and heart-warming Christmas offering which also includes Karl Pilkington and Jim Broadbent in its cast.

UK 2026 Jack Spring 98m

Cinema’s Love-Hate Relationship with Continuing the Story

With five sequels screening this season, is this a sign of success or the enemy of originality?

The question of whether a sequel surpasses an original has long fuelled film debates. But while some sequels are celebrated, most are labelled ‘diminishing returns’. Do the eight sequels making up most of the top 10 highest-grossing films indicate success or prove that original stories are being squeezed out? In this illustrated talk, film journalist Matt Goddard will journey through the storied history of cinematic sequels, and how it has inspired legendary debates that film lovers can’t resist.

100m inc Q&A

Sat 12 Dec 10:30am

Tickets £8

OperaGlass Works + Q&A

An old house in the country, a young governess, orphans, one Condition… and ghosts. The opera by Benjamin Britten and Myfanwy Piper, based on a short story by Henry James.  

OperaGlass Works were about to open with a stage production of ‘The Turn of the Screw’ just when Lockdown began. They had been rehearsing for six weeks and the production was at such an exciting point that they just couldn’t let it go. So they made a film. This is not capture of a live performance. Shot on location at Wilton’s Music Hall, the extraordinary atmosphere of this mid-nineteenth-century theatre suits the haunting ambiguities of this opera perfectly. The whole space, every corner, is used to tell the story. This is a new way to film opera: the presence of the camera is declared, the intimacy of performing to a live audience is replaced by the singers singing directly into the lens. Starring Robert Murray (Quint and Prologue), Rhian Lois (Governess), Leo Jemison (Miles), Alys Mererid Roberts (Flora), Gweneth Ann Rand (Mrs. Grose), Francesca Chiejina (Miss Jessel).  Sinfonia of London is conducted by John Wilson. Directed by Dominic Best and Selina Cadell and Eliza Thompson.

120m + 25m Q&A – No Interval

We welcome the directors Eliza Thompson and Selina Cadel for a Q&A after the film.

Tickets £15

Sat 12 Dec 15:00

The 2026 Cannes Film Festival Grande Prix winner – second only to the Palme d’Or (also screening in this season – see ‘Fjord’ on pg42), sees a high-powered executive's meticulously controlled existence unravel, pushing him toward breaking point.

Russia, 2022. Amidst the comfortable trappings of affluence and domesticity, corporate executive Gleb (Dmitriy Mazurov) finds himself under siege on all fronts. At home, he is haunted by suspicions that his increasingly distant wife Galina (Iris Lebedeva) is unfaithful. At work, he contends with a demand from local authorities to draft a quota of employees for the war in Ukraine. A pressure cooker in cinematic form, ‘Minotaur’ uncovers and indicts the heart of societal darkness with searing clarity. Andrey Zvyagintsev (‘Leviathan’) is an indisputable master of current cinema, his peerless twist-laden parable provides intimately drawn performances, stark visual power and a window into the Russian people’s soul-death under Putin. (Subtitles)

France/Latvia 2026 Andrey Zvyagintsev 135m

Druk

Oliver Hickey from the Box Office and Projection has stepped forward this season to present his ‘Staff Choice’. A high quality, riotously entertaining tragicomedy that may not have received the exposure it deserved on release, coming out in the Covid years. The film is masterfully helmed by Thomas Vinterberg (‘Festen’, ‘The Hunt’) and focusses on an intriguing concept in which four friends decide to test a theory that maintaining a constant blood alcohol level will improve their lives.

Martin (Mads Mikkelsen) and three other disaffected teachers decide to follow a theory that promotes methodically prescribed all-day drinking to battle depression. To get their mojo back they furtively imbibe clear spirits decanted into mineral water bottles. Merely keeping a steady and low alcohol level inevitably proves too much as Mikkelsen’s Martin slides into alcoholism. ‘Another Round’ spirals into an ironic portrait of debauchery loaded with vicious twists, leading to hectic decisions both wrenching and hilarious. It’s a joy to see Vinterberg and Mikkelsen find their groove again. (Subtitles)

Denmark 2020 Thomas Vinterberg 115m

This love letter to the movies and the people who make it follows a virtuoso cellist from a family of musicians who returns to Los Angeles after 20 years on the road. Look out for our special Sunday screening which includes a live cello and piano performance.

A gifted cellist, Alex Serian (Pedro Pascal), enters the high-stress world of Hollywood film scoring. This musical process triggers a nonlinear, 15-to-20-year chronicle of flashbacks explaining why he left Los Angeles and what happened in his past. Music, which has been the constant, all-consuming river of his life, has carried Alex on an adventure that changed him forever. Tony Gilroy, screenwriter of many hits including the ‘Bourne’ film series, directs his third film – you may remember his first, 2007’s ‘Michael Clayton’. Here, he skilfully crafts the musical score as an active narrative layer, cutting between live orchestration and Alex's real-life reflections. Also stars Olivia Wilde (‘The Invite’), Will Arnett (‘Is This Thing On’) and Hank Azaria.

USA 2028 Tony Gilroy 124m

We are delighted to bring you the 2026 Cannes Palme d’Or winner, a drama about an immigrant Romanian family living in Norway which is subject to a judicial investigation and local scrutiny.

The Gheorghius, a devout couple of Romanian  and Norwegian heritage (Mihai, played by Sebastian Stan and Lisbet, played by Renate Reinsve)  resettle in a village set in a distant fjord where they become close to their neighbours, the Halbergs (Lisa Carlehed and Markus Scarth Tønseth). Their children bond despite their different education. When adolescent Elia Gheorghiu (Vanessa Ceban) shows up at school with some bruises on her body, the community asks itself if the traditional education that the Gheorghiu children get from their parents would have anything to do with it. This film is brim-full with class: both leads were recent Oscar nominees – Stan for ‘The Apprentice’ and Reinsve for ‘Sentimental Value’ – while you may remember director Cristian Mungiu for his brilliant 2007 Palme d’Or winner ‘4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days’ cementing him as a defining figure of the Romanian New Wave. (Subtitles)

Romania/France/Norway 2026 Cristian Mungiu 146m

Set in 1949, the Shikishima family confronts a fresh catastrophe two years after surviving their previous ordeal with the legendary monster.

War reduced Japan to zero, and Godzilla plunged it into minus. Two years have passed since then, and the country has faced agonizing struggles to achieve recovery and finally reclaim its daily life. Its 1949, and former military pilot Kōichi Shikishima (Ryunosuke Kamiki) has settled down with his wife Noriko (Minami Hamabe), and their adopted daughter Akiko (Sae Nagatani). Now, another monster threat looms over post-war Japan in the form of a dragon-like creature dubbed Ghidorah. The family re-teams with naval engineer Kenji Noda (Hidetaka Yoshioka), alongside keen meteorologist Makoto Aoyama (Masami Nagasawa) in a bid to stop this new kaiju. This follow-up to 2023’s Oscar-winning ‘Godzilla Minus One’ dazzles with smart social commentary and jaw-dropping effects. (Subtitles)

Japan 2026 Takashi Yamazaki 135m

Gertrude Bell, the most powerful woman in the British Empire in her day, shaped the destiny of Iraq after WWI in ways that still reverberate today.

Gertrude Lowthian Bell, sometimes called the “female” Lawrence of Arabia was a British adventurer, archaeologist and political powerhouse, who helped shape the modern Middle East after World War I. Voiced and executive produced by Tilda Swinton, the film chronicles Bell's journey into the uncharted Arabian desert and all-male halls of colonial power with never-seen-before archival footage of the region shot a century ago. The film takes us into a past that is eerily current. Adding to this are dramatization interviews with actors playing people that Bell knew in her time and could tell us about her.

UK/USA/France 2016 Sabine Krayenbühl & Zeva Oelbaum 95m

An ambitious defense lawyer expertly represents her clients, including those who are accused of sexual assault. However, she finds out that the law does not provide justice after being herself attacked by a coworker.

A young, ambitious trial lawyer (Cynthia Erivo) brilliantly navigates the ruthless London court system where she is unmatched in her defense of the accused, including men charged with sexual assault. Just as her career is taking off, a life-altering event forces her to reckon with her belief in the judicial system that was once the core of her identity. Erivo delivers a brilliant charismatic performance as this complicated character, effectively conveying the thrill of having power and then the trauma of losing it entirely. Unlike Suzie Miller’s one-woman West End play of the same name starring Jodie Comer which recounted the events, this is an ensemble film which dramatises them, with an ensemble cast which includes ‘De Gaule’’s Simon Russell Beale.

UK 2026 Susanna White 106m

In this amazing stop-motion fantasy film, we follow the adventures of Prue McKeel as she sets off to the forests outside Portland to find her kidnapped brother.

After crows abduct her baby brother Mac, Prue ventures into the secret, living ecosystem of the Impassable Wilderness. Aided by her classmate Curtis, she encounters talking animals and figures like the Bandit King and Alexandra while navigating an escalating conflict. A girl's desperate quest to save her baby brother unfolds into a spectacular, high-stakes adventure through a forbidden forest full of enchanted creatures, endearing allies and formidable adversaries - where an entire hidden realm hangs in the balance. In an era of automation, Laika Studios, known for its gorgeous animations ‘Coraline’ and ‘Kubo and the Two Strings’, delivers its most ambitious film yet - a bold fusion of human-crafted artistry and cinematic storytelling.

USA/UK 2026 Travis Knight 132m

The life of British filmmaker David Lean, from his strict upbringing to becoming a master of epic cinema. Features rare archival footage and insights from contemporary directors.

David Lean was one of the greatest film directors of all time. He redefined what movies could be, but his singular vision and dogged determination to film the impossible gained him the reputation of being an obsessive maverick. He was a master of his art, able to create love and beauty on screen, but whose own life was often messy, rootless and painful. This is an in-depth study of the man and his films. “A dashing retrospective for a cinematic titan” - The Guardian; “Sumptuous David Lean documentary… suitably epic… unquestionably, a must-see” - The Times; “Carefully curated ephemera paints a fascinating portrait” - Screen Daily; “An enthralling celebration of one of the visionaries” – Variety.

UK 2026 Barnaby Thompson 105m

Hanarokushô Ga Akeru Hi Ni

In this new strikingly dreamy Animé, a young boy aims to launch his late father's firework with his brother and friend, before the demolition of their factory.

Chichi (voiced by Miyu Irino), and his wilder-spirited kid brother Keitaro (Riku Hagiwara) live with their father Eitaro (Takashi Okabe), a widower, who’s family business is creating handmade fireworks in a factory surrounded by lush forest. Soon, government officials reclaim the land due to bad debts, replacing forests with solar panels, and want to demolish the now abandoned factory. But Keitaro will only go out with a literal bang, hoping to set off a fireworks to remember, that will forever honour the spirit of his family and the lands that surround. The brainchild of Yoshitoshi Shinomiya (‘Your Name’), this offers a heady blend of painterly backgrounds, beautiful character animation and a finale to be remembered. (Subtitles or Dubbed)

Japan 2026 Yoshitoshi Shinomiya 76m

Ingmar Bergman’s enduring modernist masterpiece returns to cinemas in a beautiful new 4k remaster for its 60th Anniversary.

Famed stage stress Elisabeth Vogler (Liv Ullmann) suffers a moment of blankness during a performance and the next day lapses into total silence. Advised by her doctor to take time off to recover from what appears to be an emotional breakdown, Elisabeth goes to a beach house on the island of Fårö in the Baltic Sea with only Anna (Bibi Andersson), a nurse, as company. Over the next several weeks, as Anna struggles to reach her mute patient, the two women find themselves experiencing a strange emotional convergence. Bergman’s radical psychological masterpiece continues to push the limits of cinema even today. Extraordinary and tantalising, it fully deserves its classic status, and Bibi Andersson gives one of cinema’s greatest performances. (Subtitles)

Sweden 1966 Ingmar Bergman 85m

Magalhães

Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan leads a Spanish expedition to the Spice Islands in 1519. He quells mutinies, attempts to subjugate indigenous people and ultimately faces death in the Philippines.

It is the 16th century. Magellan (Gael Garcia Bernal), a young and ambitious Portuguese navigator, rebels against the power of the King, who doesn't support his dream of discovering the world. He persuades the Spanish Crown to fund his bold expedition to the fabled lands of the East. The voyage is exhausting beyond expectations, with hunger and mutiny pushing the crew to their limits. Upon reaching the islands of the Malayan Archipelago, Magellan's mind changes. He becomes obsessed with conquest and conversion, not unlike the deranged conquistador of ‘Aguirre Wrath of God’, which sparks violent uprisings beyond his control. This is not the myth of Magellan, but the truth of his journey. This visually hypnotic, deliberately paced historical epic, will completely immerse you in this meditation on power, mythology and colonial ambition.

Portugal/Spain/Philippines 2025 Lav Diaz 160m

The A-list cast of Robert De Niro, Ben Stiller, Blythe Danner and Owen Wilson returns for the latest ‘Meet the Parents’ sequel also featuring Ariana Grande. Guaranteed fun viewing for the Christmas season.

A young man named Henry (Skyler Gisondo), son of Greg (Stiller) and Pam Focker (Teri Polo), faces family chaos when he decides to marry a strong-willed woman named Olivia (Artiana Grande) who appears to be his complete mismatch. She is a life coach and former FBI hostage negotiator, Henry is the molly-coddled son of Greg, who this time finds himself as the chief interrogator of the new family member, a role so efficiently played by the family’s patriarch, Jack (De Niro), who inevitably finds Olivia to be the perfect addition to his family.

USA 2026 John Hamburg

Berliner Philharmoniker

Can classical music be humorous? Absolutely! The Berliner Philharmoniker and their chief conductor Kirill Petrenko will demonstrate this at the 2026 New Year’s Eve Concert: in his sparkling ‘Symphonie Classique’, Sergei Prokofiev parodies the music of Haydn and Mozart.

Dmitri Shostakovich also had the First Viennese School in mind when he wrote his witty ‘Double Concerto for Piano and Trumpet’. In this performance, pianist Alexander Malofeev, born in 2001, makes his debut alongside principal trumpeter David Guerrier. Kirill Petrenko also sets off a fireworks display of mischief with Richard Strauss’s ‘Till Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks’. Enjoy this lively New Year’s Eve celebration live at Chichester Cinema!

120m - tbc

Thu 31 Dec 16:00

Tickets £19.50