The Parish Boy’s Progress, From Book to Film to Musical

With a new production of ‘Oliver!’ at Chichester Festival Theatre, this talk will trace the history of the many adaptations of the story, from Dickens’s novel to stage and film versions, dramas and musicals.

It is over 185 years since the novel was serialised; since then there have been countless films and television series. This talk by Education Team member Andrew Vance, illustrated with a range of clips, will look at the films from the 1909 Vitograph Studios version up to Roman Polanski’s 2005 film, including David Lean’s famous adaptation with Sir Alec Guinness. Other famous actors who have played Fagin include Lon Chaney, George C Scott, Richard Dreyfuss and Ben Kingsley. It will explore the ways in which depictions of Fagin have changed from Dickens’s original characterisation, including the persistent accusations of antisemitism. Lionel Bart cast Ron Moody, a comic actor, as Fagin in his musical, who then went on to play the role in the Oscar winning film directed by Carol Reed. We can look forward to a new adaptation of ‘Oliver!’, directed by Matthew Bourne, at the Chichester Festival Theatre this summer.

100m (inc 10m Q&A)

Sat 27 Jul 10:30

In the Auditorium

Tickets £7.50

1948 Version

In Charles Dickens' classic tale, an orphan wends his way from cruel apprenticeship to den of thieves in search of a true home. This is the definitive version, and we are delighted to screen it at New Park to complement the Chichester Festival Theatre Summer musical production of ‘Oliver!’.

When 9-year-old orphan Oliver Twist (John Howard Davies) dares to ask his cruel taskmaster, Mr. Bumble (Francis L. Sullivan), for a second serving of gruel, he's hired out as an apprentice. Escaping that dismal fate, young Oliver falls in with the street urchin Artful Dodger (Anthony Newley) and his criminal mentor, Fagin (Alec Guinness). When kindly Mr. Brownlow (Henry Stephenson) takes Oliver in, Fagin's evil henchman Bill Sikes (Robert Newton) plots to kidnap the boy. This masterly adaptation of the Dickens novel by director David Lean brims with unforgettable scenes and performances, especially Guinness's Fagin and Newton's genuinely frightening Bill Sikes.

UK 1948 David Lean 105m

Follows Hans Jürgen Höss, the son of Auschwitz Camp Commandant Rudolf Höss (from the recent ‘The Zone of Interest’), when he confronts his father's involvement in the murder of over a million Jews during the Holocaust.

The Höss clan was fictionally captured in Jonathan Glazer’s Academy Award-winning ‘The Zone of Interest’. Now, the family that inspired the disturbing saga is focused on in this new documentary. The documentary centres on two stories, one of Auschwitz survivor Anita Lasker-Wallfisch and another of Höss recalling his own childhood in the family villa at Auschwitz. The two meet 80 years later, and together with their children, Kai Höss and Maya Lasker-Wallfisch explore their very different hereditary burdens. The documentary includes original excerpts of Rudolf Höss’ autobiography, written shortly before his execution. We will be rescreening ‘The Zone of Interest’to complement this documentary. (Some subtitles)

USA 2024 Daniela Volker 110m

In this heartwarming drama, a woman is struggling through her daily routine both at home and at the local chicken factory (Chuck Chuck Baby), when an old flame comes back into the picture.

Present day, industrial North Wales. Helen (Louise Brealey) lives with her ex-husband (Celyn Jones), his 20-year-old girlfriend (Emily Fairn), their new baby - and his dying mother Gwen (Sorcha Cusack). Helen's mundane world takes a surprising turn with Joanne's (Annabel Scholey) return; they were the objects of the other's secret teenage passions. Encouraged by Helen, Joanne starts a playful wooing game. As they fall in love, Helen's zest for life returns but Joanne feels the walls close in as she faces something darker from her past. This is a bighearted, crowd-pleasing tale of love, liberation and female empowerment which boldly uses some musical standards (including Neil Diamond’s ’Dirty Old Town’ and The Pogues’ ‘Dirty Old Tow’) to convey the high emotional stakes at play.

UK 2023 Janis Pugh 101m

When the White House deems a Nasa mission too important to fail, a marketing expert is directed to stage a fake moon landing as back-up.

Brought in to fix NASA's public image, sparks fly in all directions as marketing ace Kelly Jones (ScarlettJohansson) wreaks havoc on launch director Cole Davis's (Channing Tatum) already difficult task.

This is a sharp, stylish comedy-drama set against the high-stakes backdrop of NASA's historic Apollo 11 moon landing.

USA 2024 Greg Berlanti

A paranoid, secretive surveillance expert has a crisis of conscience when he suspects that the couple he is spying on will be murdered. This tense, paranoid thriller presents Francis Ford Coppola at his finest.

Surveillance expert Harry Caul (Gene Hackman) is hired by a mysterious client's brusque aide (Harrison Ford) to tail a young couple, Mark (Frederic Forrest) and Ann (Cindy Williams). Tracking the pair through San Francisco's Union Square, Caul and his associate Stan (John Cazale) manage to record a cryptic conversation between them. Tormented by memories of a previous case that ended badly, Caul becomes obsessed with the resulting tape, trying to determine if the couple are in danger. Hackman is superb in this brilliant conspiracy thriller which has been restored and reissued. Winner of the Palme d'Or at Cannes 1974, Coppola's film confirms its status as a classic, a movie of real authority.

USA 1974 Francis Ford Coppola 113m

La Macchina Ammazzacattivi

The third (and least known) film in our Italian Neo-Realism season follows a man who is given a special power which he quickly begins to use, and abuse. Rossellini’s highly stylised satire is a morality tale that marks a transition in the filmmaker’s career.

A photographer in a small fishing village is visited by a man who claims to be Saint Andrea. The Saint gives him a special camera device to solve the village's ills - by taking a photograph of an existing picture, the photo subject dies. Initially sure of his good intentions, he aims the weapon at human injustice, but discovers in the process that good and evil are intertwined. Inspired by the commedia dell’arte, complete with political allusions and a strong moral message, the film was initially abandoned by Rossellini in 1948, only to be completed four years later. (Subtitles)

Italy 1952 Roberto Rossellini 83m

Exhibition on Screen

No artist better captures the essence and allure of Venice than Giovanni Antonio Canal, better known as Canaletto. This film offers an immersive journey into his remarkable life and art.

Sun 28 Jul 17:30

Wed 31 Jul 13:45

In this sequel to one of Pixar’s best recent films, we follow Riley in her teenage years as she encounters new emotions.

The little voices inside Riley's (Kensington Tallman) head know her inside and out - but now, everything changes as Riley is introduced to a new emotion: anxiety.

USA 2024 Kelsey Mann 100m

The commandant of Auschwitz and his wife strive to build a dream life for their family in a house and garden next to the camp.

The film observes Rudolf Höss (Christian Friedel) and his wife Hedwig (Sandra Hüller) as they live their happy family life right next door to the concentration camp. Shot like a casual European dramedy about a family at their summer home, the reality that surrounds them is revealed only by the barbed wire fences, small details in conversation, skies filled with smoke, bursts of sound design, and the piercing score. Friedel as Höss is frightening in his mundanity and Hüller as Hedwig gives the film its twisted humanity. The moments where Hedwig is cruel to her house staff almost feel like a relief - evil we can see even if it’s so much milder than what’s over the walls. In the novel from where this screenplay has been adapted, the lead was named Paul Doll. Glazer, best known for ‘Sexy Beast’ and ‘Under the Skin’, specifically chose to name his main character Rudolf Höss (almost identical to Rudolf Hess) to bring the weight of a well-recorded historical character living in a specific place and time. (Subtitles)

USA 2023 Jonathan Glazer 105m

Walter Francisco will be revealing his first Film Festival programme on the 1st August, and everyone is invited. Together with Patrick Hargood from the Cinema's Education Team, they will guide you through the various strands, talks, special events and hidden gems.

Free snacks and drink will be offered.

Thu 1 Aug 11:00

FREE - Tickets must be booked in advance (Get in quick!)

Tickets on sale for Members from Thu 4 Jul 10am,

and for the General Public from Fri 5 Jul 10am.

When 93-year-old Thelma Post gets duped by a phone scammer pretending to be her grandson, she sets out on a treacherous quest across the city to reclaim what was taken from her.

Inspired by a real-life experience of director Josh Margolin's own grandmother, this film puts a clever spin on movies like ‘Mission: Impossible’, shining the spotlight on an elderly grandmother as an unlikely action hero. With infectious humour, Margolin employs the familiar tropes of the action genre in hilarious, age-appropriate ways to tackle aging with agency. In the first leading film role of her 70-year career, June Squibb (‘About Schmidt’, ‘Nebraska’) portrays the strong-willed Thelma with grit and determination, demonstrating that she is more than capable of taking care of business - despite what her daughter Gail (Parker Posey), son-in-law Alan (Clark Gregg), or grandson Danny (Fred Hechinger) might believe. There is no doubting Squibb’s charisma, expertly supported by recently deceased Richard Roundtree (‘Shaft’).

Switzerland/USA 2024 Josh Margolin 97m

Sigmund Freud (Anthony Hopkins) and converted atheist C.S. Lewis (Matthew Goode) meet as their worlds are going through drastic change.

September 1939, Hitler has just invaded Poland and set Europe at war. Freud arrived in London a year earlier, after the Nazis marched into Vienna, whilst Lewis is an Oxford don who has not yet written his beloved Narnia books, but has recently embraced Christianity after years as a nonbeliever. These two titans of 20th-century thought meet at the psychoanalyst’s London home to discuss God, father figures and, of course, sex. This lavish film is based on a modest off-Broadway play that captivated theatre audiences a decade ago. Playwright Mark St. Germain worked with director Matthew Brown to reshape his two-character drama into this intriguing film, which also benefits from wonderful cinematography and production design.

UK 2023 Matthew Brown 108m

Theatre Royal, Windsor

Shakespearian titan Ian McKellen, stars in this thrilling and uniquely modern take on The Bard’s classic tragedy. In cinemas nationwide for a special one night event on 27th February, the screening will include an exclusive recorded Q&A with Ian McKellen and Director Sean Mathias.

Tue 27 Feb 20:15

Tue 9 Apr 19:45

NT Live

The multi award-winning production of Noël Coward’s provocative comedy featuring Andrew Scott (‘Vanya’, ‘Fleabag’) and Indira Varma (‘Macbeth’).

Thu 18 Jul 19:00

Sun 21 Jul 13:30

Follow the supernatural story of Ellen as she discovers the truth of a Viking artifact that accompanies her journey through the ages.  

Brought to you by Chichester Fimmakers, the local community led film production company supported by an inspiring line up of cast, crew, emerging talent from across Sussex and Hampshire, and the multi-BAFTA winning actress Kate Winslet.

A girl dressed in 14th century garb is discovered lifeless in a darkened farm barn. Adopted by the farmer and his family, the girl begins to notice something strange. She doesn't appear to age.  Upon the death of her adopted parents, she is accused of witchery and chased from the village. Some years later she is discovered again, lifeless.  Her back punctured and covered with dried blood. She is awoken by voices from a distant past and the reminder of something mysterious that she has held close all this time.  She doesn't remember her life before, but her path ahead becomes suddenly clear when a message from the King of The Vikings is revealed.

The Barn is a community led film production with a professional industry cast and crew supported by local skills and talent.   Founded in 2023, Chichester Filmmakers works with local amateurs, semi-professionals, youth, and anyone wanting to either develop their film industry skills, progress their career, or dip their toe in the film making process, and is supported by a variety of local and national organisations from the film industry including Chichester Community Development Trust, Old Chapel Productions, Shouting Sound & Motion Productions, Weald & Downland Living Museum, Graded Films (Arundel), Let’s Make Films, ScreenSkills UK, Chichester City Council, and many others.  Learn more at www.SussexFilms.com and iMDb

In this delicate coming-of-age story, four generations of women are on a midnight road trip like no other.

Mary  (Mia O'Connor) is a cheeky 12-year-old Dublin schoolgirl who is bravely facing the fact that her beloved Granny (Rosaleen Linehan) is dying. When a mysterious young woman (Charlene McKenna) turns up with a message for her Granny, Mary gets pulled into an unlikely adventure. The woman is the ghost of Granny's own mother, who has come to help her daughter say good-bye and guide her safely out of this world. She needs the help of Mary and her mother Scarlett (Sharon Horgan), who embark on a road trip to the past. This is a journey across the barriers of time, where one of the travellers is dead, one of them is dying, one of them is driving and one of them is just starting out. A very charming film.

Luxembourg/Italy 2023 Enzo D'Alò 85m

A nightclub performer living a double life, and a young single father meet, sparking a search for identity. A touching story about a cross-cultural queer romance that’s both raw and heartfelt.

Mechanic Luke (Ben Hardy) is a 26-year-old single dad trying to raise his son in Essex. One night, he unintentionally happens upon an underground club night and doesn’t recognize that it’s specifically for queer South Asians. When the gorgeous and sexy Aysha (Jason Patel) hits the stage, he’s utterly transfixed. Unable to deny the spark between them the pair are forced down the unexpected path of transformation, where they must question their identities and confront their individual truths. The film alternates between the thrill of raw desire, the gravity of familial responsibility and the transformative power of being seen for who you really are. Hardy and Patel shine in one of the must-see romances of the Summer, their chemistry is often divine, and the latter delivers such a layered and charismatic performance you’re with it till the end.

UK 2023 Sally El Hosaini & James Krishna Floyd 119m

Gru, the world’s favourite supervillain- turned-Anti-Villain League-agent, returns for an exciting, bold new era of Minions mayhem.

Gru (Steve Carell), Lucy (Kristen Wiig), Margo (Miranda Cosgrove), Edith (Dana Gaier) and Agnes (Madison Skyy Polan) welcome a new member to the family, Gru Jr., who is intent on tormenting his dad. Besides this, the family is also faced with a new nemesis in Maxime Le Mal (Will Ferrell) and his femme fatale girlfriend Valentina (Sofia Vergara), and the family is forced to go on the run. Packed with non-stop action and filled with the signature subversive humour that is sure to delight audiences of all ages.

USA 2024 Chris Renaud & Patrick Delage 95m

At a Scandinavian psychiatric hospital, an uneasy triumvirate of a murderer, a therapist and a policeman all have a vested interest in unearthing the truth, and a deepening co-dependency threatens to consume them all. For lovers of Nordic Noir.

This is the true story of Mads Lake (Gustaf Skarsgård), a restless, elusive and hypersensitive man who confesses to crimes he doesn't remember committing. His psychotherapist Anna Rudebeck (Andrea Riseborough) and the policeman Soren Rank (Stellan Skarsgård) who follows his case push Mads to relive the memories of a tormented past in which violence suffocates every moment. Riseborough is as usual – brilliant, and we are treated to not only Gustav Skarsgård, but to his father Stellan as well. Director Huang is a director and screenwriter, but also and most of all a world-famous artist. After moving to the UK to study art, it is in Europe that his career took off. (In English)

Finland/China 2022 Ran Huang 131m

The sequel to the 1996 disaster epic ‘Twister’, will follow a new story and cast of characters and promises to bring back some of that good, old dusty action.

This time the adventures of the crazy storm-chasers involve a tornado ripping through Reno and even a rare fire tornado that threatens an oil refinery. The new generation which include Glen Powell (‘Top Gun: Maverick’), Daisy Edgar-Jones (‘Where the Crawdads Sing’) and Maura Tierney (‘American Rust’) will get to ‘enjoy’ the thrill of chasing after the deadly cyclones. This is that perfect summer film full of unbelievable stunt sequences, clever one-liners and just the right amount of humour thrown in. And yes, of course there will be some livestock twirling through the air.

USA 2024 Lee Isaac Chung

OPEN AIR SCREENING

AT PRIORY PARK, CHICHESTER

To live in Barbie Land is to be a perfect being in a perfect place. Unless you have a full-on existential crisis. Or you're a Ken. Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling star in the smartest blockbuster of the summer.

Barbie herself is living her best life in her perfect Barbie world, partying of an evening with Barbies who are political leaders, supreme court judges and Nobel laureates (including Dua Lipa and Issa Rae), and a castrato chorus of beach-bunny Ken clones when suddenly she is assailed with the terrible thought of dying. Weird Barbie tells her she must journey to the real world outside to sort this out and so she and Ken arrive in scuzzy Santa Monica in time-honoured fish-out-of-water style. Greta Gerwig serves up a frothy confection of fashion and fun coupled with searing social critique of the iconic doll in the movie Barbie.

Fri 9 Aug 20:15 at Priory Park  

Gates Open 19:00

Special Family Ticket: £28 (2 Adults & 2 Kids)

Advance Tickets £12.50 (£14.50 on the day if available)  

Kids £3 (£3 on the day if available)

OPEN AIR SCREENINGS AT PRIORY PARK:

Screenings take place at Chichester's beautiful Priory Park.

Part of the prestigious Chichester International Film Festival.

Bring a Picnic Blanket or Chair, and a Picnic Basket filled with your favourite goodies.

Drinks & Snacks available

OPEN AIR SCREENING

AT PRIORY PARK, CHICHESTER

Can an ordinary Lego mini-figure stop an evil tyrant from gluing the universe together. This is the perfect family film for anyone who loves Lego… and that’s everyone!

Emmet (Chris Pratt) is a basic Lego figurine who always follows the rules, when he is mistakenly identified as an extraordinary being and the key to saving the world. He finds himself drafted into a fellowship of strangers who are on a mission to stop an evil tyrant's (Will Ferrell) plans to conquer the world. Watch out for many mini-figures from your childhood including Batman, Superman, C3PO, R2D2, Dumbledore and Gandalf. Elizabeth Banks, Morgan Freeman and Liam Neeson head up the rest of the voice cast. This modern-day cult classic turns 10-years-old this year, and this is a very rare opportunity to see it on the big outdoor screen.

Sat 10 Aug 16:00

TICKETS:

Special Family Ticket: £28 (2 Adults & 2 Kids)

Advance Tickets £12.50 (£14.50 on the day if available)  

Kids £3 (£3 on the day if available)

Sat 10 Aug 16:00 at Priory Park  

Gates open 15:00

OPEN AIR SCREENINGS AT PRIORY PARK:

Screenings take place at Chichester's beautiful Priory Park.

Part of the prestigious Chichester International Film Festival.

Bring a Picnic Blanket or Chair, and a Picnic Basket filled with your favourite goodies.

Drinks & Snacks available

Jam

A young, expectant wife must figure out how to stop her husband's nightmarish sleepwalking habits before he harms himself or his family. A quality chiller!

Two young and charming expectant parents are happily thriving together in a small urban apartment. A very pregnant Soo-jin (Jung Yu-mi) whole-heartedly supports her husband, Hyun-su (Lee Sun-kyun), as he pursues a moderately successful acting career. One night, she finds him sitting silently at the edge of their bed. He then ominously says, “Someone is inside”, before collapsing into a deep sleep. This is a thriller/horror that will leave you guessing. Like the almost supernatural landscape of slumber, Yu’s brilliant debut is at times mysterious, but thhere is no room for rest, as each scene, each character and each beat of this film are tightly crafted with precision and attention to detail.

South Korea 2023 Jason You 95m

Let’s get dressed up in our best 1960’s outfits, to celebrate this 80’s classic. Singing and dancing along to the spectacular 1960’s soundtrack is not only allowed, but fully encouraged! Let’s make this one the most memorable Saturday night of 2024!

‘Dirty Dancing’ represents a lot of what made eighties cinema so great. There’s the obsession with the sixties, Jennifer Grey, Patrick Swayze, a brilliant soundtrack, and of course a story about the guy from the wrong side of the tracks and the upper class girl above him in certain respects.

In the summer of 1963, the innocent Baby (Jennifer Grey) vacations with her parents at a holiday resort. One evening she is drawn to the staff quarters by stirring music, where she meets Johnny (Patrick Swayze), the hotel dance instructor, who is as experienced as Baby is naive. Baby soon becomes Johnny's pupil in dance and love. Following some trials and tribulations,  Johnny returns to put his holiday love centre stage ("nobody puts Baby in a corner") in the iconic final dance sequence. There is no suggestion of a happy ever after; the point is that they have shown each other and us how to live. We defy you not to cry and cheer at the same time.

Viaggio in Italia

An unhappily married couple attempts to find direction and insight while vacationing in Naples.

Sharing a passionless existence together, married English couple Alexander (George Sanders) and Katherine Joyce (Ingrid Bergman) travel to Naples after inheriting a villa. On the verge of divorce, with neither one's disposition warming to the other, they decide to spend the rest of the trip separately. Katherine visits museums and historical sites, whereas Alexander goes to Capri to unwind with drinks. However, during the course of their vacation, the Joyces both undergo changes. Ridiculed when it first appeared in 1953, but correctly acclaimed as masterwork a few years later by the Cahiers du Cinéma critics - who became the French New Wave. This film marks the point where neo-realism begins to be rejected and anticipates the modernism of Antonioni's ‘L'Avventura’. (Some subtitles)

Italy 1954 Roberto Rossellini 97m

In Aid of Stonepillow

The wondrous story of how the world's greatest inventor, magician and chocolate-maker became the beloved Willy Wonka we know today.

Based on the extraordinary character at the centre of ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,’ Roald Dahl’s most iconic children's book and one of the best-selling children's books of all time. Timothée Chalamet stars in the title role, featuring his early days as an eccentric chocolatier and how he met the Oompa-Loompas on one of his earliest adventures. Chalamet and newcomer Calah Lane lead the incredible ensemble cast which includes Matt Lucas, Mathew Baynton, Sally Hawkins, Keegan-Michael Key, Rowan Atkinson, Jim Carter, Tom Davis, Olivia Colman, Simon Farnaby and Hugh Grant.

USA/UK 2023 Paul King 116m

Sun 11 Aug 17:00

TICKETS:

Special Family Ticket: £28 (2 Adults & 2 Kids)

Advance Tickets £12.50 (£14.50 on the day if available)  

Kids £3 (£3 on the day if available)

Sun 11 Aug 16:00 at Priory Park  

Gates open 15:00

OPEN AIR SCREENINGS AT PRIORY PARK:

Screenings take place at Chichester's beautiful Priory Park.

Part of the prestigious Chichester International Film Festival.

Films start at 20:15

Bring a Picnic Blanket or Chair, and a Picnic Basket filled with your favourite goodies.

Drinks & Snacks available

This special screening is put on in Aid of Stonepillow.

A charity in Chichester helping prevent homelessness and empowering homeless people to transform their lives.

40th Anniversary Remaster: Considered by critics as the greatest concert film of all time, this is the perfect way to end a weekend of open-air screenings. Newly restored in 4K.

Director Jonathan Demme (‘Philadelphia’, ‘The Silence of the Lambs’) captures the frantic energy and artsy groove of Talking Heads in this concert movie shot at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre in 1983. The band’s frontman, David Byrne, first appears on an empty stage, armed with only an acoustic guitar and is gradually joined by bassist Tina Weymouth, drummer Chris Frantz, keyboardist Jerry Harrison and a cadre of backup singers as they perform the band’s hits, culminating in an iconic performance featuring Byrne in an enormous suit. 'Stop Making Sense' brilliantly represents Demme’s endless love of musical performance and gleeful urgency.

USA 2024 Jonathan Demme 88m

Sun 11 Aug 20:15 - Priory Park

Gates open 19:00

TICKETS:

Advance Tickets £12.50 (£14.50 on the day if available)  

OPEN AIR SCREENINGS AT PRIORY PARK:

Screenings take place at Chichester's beautiful Priory Park.

Part of the prestigious Chichester International Film Festival.

Bring a Picnic Blanket or Chair, and a Picnic Basket filled with your favourite goodies.

Drinks & Snacks available

Mon Crime

François Ozon’s latest film is a joyous comedy set in 1935 Paris, which sees a young actress acquitted of murdering a famous French Producer. However, this is where the story just begins.

Madeleine (Nadia Tereszkiewicz), a pretty, young, penniless and talentless actress, is accused of murdering a famous producer (Jean-Christophe Bouvet). Helped by her best friend Pauline (Rebecca Marder), a young unemployed lawyer, she is acquitted on the grounds of self-defence. A new life of fame and success begins, until the truth comes out. French A-listers Isabelle Huppert (a silent movie queen), Fabrice Luchini (the pedantic magistrate) and Danny Boon (a suave bon vivante) complete the cast. This is a funny, beautifully charismatic film, full of brilliant characters, gorgeous costumes and captivating production design. It is a delicious bit of feel-good French farce from master director François Ozon. (Subtitles)

France 2023 François Ozon 102m

Kuru Otlar Üstüne

A young teacher hopes to be transferred to Istanbul after four years of mandatory service in a remote village, but an accusation may derail his work and private life.

Nestled away in wintry East Anatolia, public-school art teacher Samet (Deniz Celiloğlu) yearns to leave the sleepy village for cosmopolitan Istanbul. Further disenchanted when he and colleague Kenan (Musab Ekici) come under public scrutiny, Samet fears circumstances will keep his dreams of a new life permanently out of reach. A silver lining is a budding relationship with fellow teacher Nuray (Merve Dizdar) who develops connections with both Samet and Kenan. As with all of Ceylan’s films, this features compelling patient storytelling, it is often mesmerising and is filled with an undeniable atmosphere. (Subtitles)

Turkey 2023 Nuri Bilge Ceylan 197m

A race-car driver (Elvis Presley) wiles his time in Las Vegas working as a waiter to pay for his new engine and soon strikes up a romance with a beautiful young woman.

Musically gifted race-driver Lucky Jackson wants to score enough money for a new car motor so he can win the Grand Prix. When he encounters sexy swimming instructor Rusty (Ann-Margret), he considers staying around longer. After Lucky loses his winnings in the hotel pool, he's forced to remain in Vegas long enough to win back his dough - but now he also wants to win the Rusty's heart. Unfortunately, so does his slick racing enemy Elmo (Cesare Danova). Next to ‘Jailhouse Rock’, this is one of Elvis Presley's finest films, and is a rare Elvis movie in which he is not just complemented, but also challenged by a song-and-dance co-star of comparable sexual energy and anatomical expressiveness.

USA 1964 George Sidney 85m

Two rival motorcycle gangs terrorize a small town after one of their leaders is thrown in jail.

Johnny (Marlon Brando) and his motorcycle gang roll into Carbonville for a biker competition and raise enough hell to get kicked out of town. They repair to nearby Wrightsville and continue their reign of terror. The local sheriff (Robert Keith) is helpless to stop them, but when a rival gang arrives, he manages to arrest their leader, Chino (Lee Marvin). Meanwhile, Johnny finds himself attracted to the sheriff's daughter, Kathie (Mary Murphy), and decides to stick around.

USA 1954 Laslo Benedek 79m

Raise Ravens

A haunting Spanish tale of innocence lost and one that stays with you long after you have watched it. Critically acclaimed when it was first and has gone on to become a classic of Spanish cinema.

Late one night Ana (Ana Torrent), a melancholic 8 year-old girl, sees a woman leaving the dark and oppressive family home after overhearing her father die in the next room. Ana merges the real and the imaginary as she scrutinises her bourgeois family after her father’s death, a philandering army officer, and her mother (Geraldine Chaplin), whom he has destroyed. This film brilliantly captures the thoughts and feelings of a young girl and her family as they go through turbulent times amid the backdrop of the Franco regime. Torrent has produced two of the very best child performances put on film: first in Víctor Erice’s ‘Spirit of the Beehive’ (1973), and then in this film, three years later. (Subtitles)

Spain 1975 Carlos Saura 110m

Against the backdrop of a shared obsession with Bollywood fantasy, a Pakistani Muslim woman, and her Canadian-born daughter come of age in two different eras. A colourful and fun story of a fraught mother-daughter relationship.

Azra (Amrit Kaur), a Pakistani woman living in Toronto, is worlds apart from her conservative Muslim mother Mariam (Nimra Buchar). When her father suddenly dies on a trip home to Pakistan, Azra finds herself on a Bollywood-inspired journey through memories, both real and imagined, from her mother's youth in Karachi to her own coming-of-age in rural Canada. The film glows with colour, music and imagination, and a lively lead character we are delighted to follow. We are presented with a heart-warming story of the bond between a mother and daughter, with an intergenerational dual-stranded narrative beautifully woven together. An astounding debut feature by a female writer-director with flair. (Some subtitles)

Pakistan/Canada 2023 Fawzia Mirza 97m

An exhilarating black-and-white serio-comedy from Noah Baumbach, with a stellar star turn by co-writer Greta Gerwig in Woody Allen vein.

Baumbach's terrific film looks at the life of an adorable misfit in 2012 New York City with the verve of French New Wave film from 1962. Gerwig plays a bright, scattered 27-year-old who's still living as though it's her first year out of college. No matter whether she's sporting genuinely amusing dialogue or making a fool of herself, Gerwig is embraceable, unpredictable and possessed of gifts for physical comedy that can be simultaneously graceful and bumbling. She can behave lamentably and embarrassingly and you can still love her for it. This is probably Gerwig's defining acting performance. The film is a delight!

USA 2012 Noah Baumbach 86m

ON FILM AND LIVE JAZZ SESSION

LET’S GET LOST

Documentary on the life of jazz trumpeter, singer and drug addict Chet Baker. With fascinating series of interviews with friends, family, associates and lovers, interspersed with film from Baker's earlier life and some modern-day performances.

This film intercuts footage from the 1950s, when he was part of West Coast Cool, and from his last years. We see the young Baker, he of the beautiful face, in California and in Italy, where he appeared in at least one movie and at least one jail cell (for drug possession). We also see the aged Baker, detached, indifferent, his face a ruin. This is an atmospheric black-and-white portrait of a jazz trumpet player, an exemplar of West Coast "cool jazz" in the age when rapid-fire bebop was hot, whose life, career and face were ruined by his various addictions. This outstanding film was nominated for the Best Documentary Oscar in 1988

USA 1988 Bruce Weber 120m

plus

LIVE JAZZ GIG

To compliment the documentary, we bring you an intimate musical portrait of Chet Baker using the drum-less quartet format that he gravitated toward in his latter performances and giving a chance to explore Chet’s music and style in a quietly focussed way; especially given the artistic weight of the four performers.  

On vocals, following his highly enjoyable contribution to last year’s Ronnie Scott’s evening, international vocal star Ian Shaw returns pairing with the peerless virtuosity of Steve Fishwick on trumpet; jazz aficionados amongst you would surely agree that no trumpet/vocal couple are better qualified to explore Chet’s musical legacy. Complimenting these two giants is the towering talent of guitarist Phil Robson; after proving an outstanding leader of contemporary guitar players in the UK, Phil spent the best part of the last decade living and working in New York City establishing himself as a world class improvising guitarist before settling in the west of Ireland. The masterful undertones of bassist Andrew Cleyndert (who also produces this session) return to complete this musical tribute to the truly iconic Chet Baker.

Tickets £22

Kaurismäki’s road comedy follows a Russian band with out-of-date hairstyles and large, odd boots who, in the mood for new freedoms, decide to seek fame in the USA.

An enthusiastic Siberian rock 'n' roll band, The Leningrad Cowboys, journeys to New York with their manager (Matti Pellonpää) and a dead member who froze to death before his dreams of success could be realized. They land a gig in Mexico, and the band, including the dead member strapped to the top of their Cadillac, drives there through the country that birthed rock music, meeting various characters along the road to success. Meanwhile, a crazed fan (Kari Väänänen) from home chases them down. This band of eccentric goofballs, maybe the worst band in rock-and-roll history, starts at the legendary CBGB club in Manhattan and proceeds to travel cross-country playing anywhere they can, creating an unusual marriage where the East is greeted with a restrained approval. This is a hilarious picaresque tale which throws off some clever cross-cultural insights. (Subtitles)

Finland/Sweden 1989 Aki Kaurismäki 79m

Fred Zinnemann's powerful and fervent multiple Oscar-winner - featuring one of the all-time most famous Hollywood scenes - still packs a punch today.

At an Army barracks in Hawaii in the days preceding the attack on Pearl Harbor, lone-wolf soldier and boxing champion "Prew" Prewitt (Montgomery Clift) refuses to box, preferring to play the bugle instead. Hard-hearted Capt. Holmes (Philip Ober) subjects Prew to a gruelling series of punishments while, unknown to Holmes, the gruff but fair Sgt. Warden (Burt Lancaster) engages in a clandestine affair with the captain's mistreated wife (Deborah Kerr). This Columbia classic which won eight Oscars, is chiefly remembered for the iconic scene of Kerr and Lancaster rolling about together in the Hawaiian surf, but there is so much more… especially a magnificent ensemble cast that also includes Frank Sinatra and Ernest Borgnine.

USA 1953 Fred Zinnemann 118m

Joseph L. Mankiewicz's (‘Guys and Dolls’) 1953 Shakespeare adaptation exploring the life and death of larger-than-life Julius Caesar is a triumph, benefiting from a super ensemble cast.

Brutus (James Mason) is convinced by a scheming band of Roman senators, led by Caius Cassius (John Gielgud), that his dear friend Julius Caesar (Louis Calhern) intends to dissolve the republic and install himself as monarch, and he joins a conspiracy to assassinate him. Brutus stirringly defends his actions, but when Mark Antony (Marlon Brando) responds with a speech that plays upon the crowd's love for their fallen leader, a battle between the two factions is assured. Brando delivers a mix of grief, rage, cunning and ferocity all with a naturalistic approach that was ground-breaking at the time.

USA 1953 Joseph L. Mankiewicz 120m

Plus Q&A with director Kit Vincent

Faced with a terminal diagnosis, a filmmaker enlists his family on an intimate and darkly humorous journey to help them come to terms with his illness.

When he was 24, film-maker Kit Vincent was diagnosed with a brain tumour; doctors said that he could expect to live four to eight years. In this documentary that walks the line between humour and grief, Vincent hangs out with his parents (who divorced when he was a teenager), all of them falling into deep, soul-searching conversations that most of us spend a lifetime avoiding having with family. Lawrence (Kit’s father) has found ways of dealing with what’s happening – he has converted to Judaism, started painting and turns the spare room into a farm to grow medicinal cannabis. This is a very good film by a very talented filmmaker exploring the rarely documented nuances of living with a terminal illness.

UK 2023 Kit Vincent 94m

We are delighted to welcome the film’s director Kit Vincent for a Q&A after the screening.

Howard Hawks' timeless screwball comedy about a newspaper editor who uses every trick in the book to keep his ace reporter ex-wife from remarrying. A classic comedy famous for its sharp and witty exchanges.

When hard-charging New York newspaper editor Walter Burns (Cary Grant) discovers that his ex-wife, investigative reporter Hildy Johnson (Rosalind Russell), has gotten engaged to milquetoast insurance agent Bruce Baldwin (Ralph Bellamy), he unsuccessfully tries to lure her away from tame domestic life with a story about the impending execution of convicted murderer Earl Williams (John Qualen). But when Hildy discovers Williams may be innocent, her reporter instincts take over. Without ‘His Girl Friday’, there may never have been the sexy, Tarantino-esque witty banter we see on our screens today.

USA 1940 Howard Hawks 92m

This compelling film follows the journey of 16 year old Mira, whose sexy, rebellious coming-of-age is disrupted by her young mother who never got to come-of-age herself.

In a strict boarding school nestled in the Himalayas, 16-year-old Mira (Preeti Panigrahi) is chosen as the first ever female head pupil. She meets new student Sri (Kesav Binoy Kiron) and it stirs an interest she’s never had before. Soon, she’s spending as many stole moments as she can with the new boy, threatening her social and academic standing, and her relationship with her mother Anila (Kani Kusrati). This film has far more on its mind than a simple coming-of-age narrative, and it’s hard to believe that this is director Schuchi Talati’s debut feature, as she handles the subject matter and cast with great skill and subtlety. We are delighted to present this rare screening in Chichester after the film was recently presented at Sundance London. (Subtitles)

India 2024 Shuchi Talati 118m

A charming film which tugs at the heartstrings about a terrible crime. It deserves to be seen by as many people as possible, being both amusing and thought provoking.

Etta takes a job managing a half-way house between life and death, where newly deceased guests have the chance to do one last thing before crossing over. When her murdered friend arrives in breach of all the rules, she must juggle her responsibilities to the guests, help her friend get justice and not get caught by her interfering boss. This is a superb film with engaging performances and excellent direction. All the characters are real people which touch your heart and make you smile, making you really care that they achieve what they're seeking. The two central performances are marvellous. There are rare talents at work here.

UK 2024 Alexandra Gillespie 99m

Katherine Parr, the sixth wife of King Henry VIII, is named regent while the tyrant battles abroad. When the king returns, increasingly ill and paranoid, Katherine finds herself fighting for her own survival.

One woman managed to live through and survive the tumultuous sovereignty of King Henry VIII. That woman is Catherine Parr (Alicia Vikander). Director Karim Aïnouz brings her story to life with conviction and style in this historical period drama based on the 2013 novel ‘Queen’s Gambit’ by Elizabeth Fremantle. Parr possessed a certain strength and dedication. She spent time perfecting her craft of writing and spreading her modern religious views while ruling as regent queen when her husband went off to handle military affairs. However, Catherine’s passion for tolerance leads her down a dangerous path when she begins to make frequent visits to Anne Askew (Erin Doherty), a protestant radical who calls for the end of Henry VIII’s rule. Such an act would be treason, and should she get caught, King Henry would have no difficulty resorting to old measures. This is a survival tale as good as any, when her back was pushed against the wall, Parr had to pursue desperate measures. The two leads provide stellar memorable performances with Oscar-winner Vikander being quietly compelling in every scene, whilst Law revels in playing the decaying king.

UK/USA 2024 Karim Aïnouz 121m

A young nun about to take her final vows, pays a visit to her widowed uncle at the request of her Mother Superior. Quintessential Buñuel: a masterpiece against the grain, designed to shock and create awe.

Viridiana (Silvia Pinal) is preparing to start her life as a nun when she is sent, somewhat unwillingly, to visit to her aging uncle Don Jaime (Fernando Rey). She has secretly despised this man all her life and finds her worst fears proven when Jaime grows determined to seduce his niece. Buñuel was undoubtedly a genius who had the capacity to offend and delight at the same time. He returned to his native Spain (from exile in Mexico) to create this film, a scorching anti-clerical masterpiece which won the 1961 Palme D’Or at Cannes, and marked his rebirth as a filmmaker of international repute. (Subtitles)

Spain 1961 Luis Buñuel 91m

Valle de Sombras

A mix of adventure and thriller taking place in breathtaking landscapes and unknown civilizations which demands to be seen on the big screen to enjoy the stunning cinematography.

Himalayas, 1999. Quique (Miguel Herrán from ‘Money Heist’), Clara (Susana Abaitua) and little Lucas (Iván Renedo) enjoy their first holiday together in northern India. After an attack by local bandits, Quique is rescued by a native and transferred to a remote village in the mountains. There, without the possibility of returning to civilization until winter when the river freezes over, he lives with locals and finds a friend and teacher in local monk Prana (Alexandra Masangkay). Director Salvador Calvo drew from classics of travel literature such as Verne and Twain, which were part of the readings of his earliest childhood. From there was born his fascination for traveling and the magnetism that the encounter with other cultures exerts on all of us. Ultimately, this is a story that speaks of guilt, courage to face fears, friendship, solidarity and redemption, without losing any of the adventure of travel. This film has been selected as part of the Alma Ibérica strand in tribute to the Spanish and Portuguese explorers of the ‘New World’ in the 1400 and 1500s. (Some subtitles)

Spain 2024 Salvador Calvo 120m

The sweltering New Orleans heat plus Marlon Brando's physique and titanic performance, fuel the raging emotions of this Hollywood landmark.

Based on the play by Tennessee Williams, this renowned drama follows troubled former schoolteacher Blanche DuBois (Vivien Leigh) as she leaves small-town Mississippi and moves in with her sister, Stella Kowalski (Kim Hunter), and her husband, Stanley (Marlon Brando), in New Orleans. Blanche's flirtatious Southern-belle presence causes problems for Stella and Stanley, who already have a volatile relationship, leading to even greater conflict in the Kowalski household. Vivian Leigh’s performance easily matches that of Brando, further impressing the skills of director Elia Kazan.

USA 1951 Elia Kazan 122m

Tulitikkutehtaan Tyttö

This magnetic and unforgettable watch follows a woman's terribly dull life which is upended by a one-night stand pregnancy.

Iris (Kati Outinen) has a soul-deadening job as a quality-control worker watching boxes of matches go by on an assembly line all day. At night, she eats silently with her dour mother (Elina Salo) and stepfather (Esko Nikkari). One weekend, wearing her new red dress at a local dance, she ends up going home with Aarne (Vesa Vierikko), whom she mistakenly believes is her new boyfriend. Rendered in his characteristic deadpan style, a proceeding shocking event becomes sardonically funny - a gutsy move that only a real master of tone, as Kaurismäki is, could pull off. A bleakly comic masterwork of economic storytelling from Finland’s maestro director. (Subtitles)

Finland 1990 Aki Kaurismäki 69m

A GENIUS METHOD: THE LIFE AND FILMS OF MARLON BRANDO

To celebrate the centenary of Brando’s birth, this talk, illustrated by a range of clips, will herald a Brando strand at this year’s Film Festival.

Work long enough as an actor and you see generations embrace you differently. To some, Marlon Brando was the fiery presence who lit up ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ and ‘On the Waterfront’. To others, he was the greatest of all cinematic crime lords in ‘The Godfather’, a doyen of European Arthouse cinema in ‘Last Tango in Paris’ and a terrifying study in madness in ‘Apocalypse Now’, while younger audiences identified him as Jor-El, the father of Superman. What all these roles highlight is the versatility of an actor who, for 40 years, was a magnetic presence on the screen and no less a volcanic one off it. This talk accompanies a selected retrospective of Brando’s achievements, discussing how he helped change the very art of screen acting, resuscitated his wayward career time and again, and remained an enigmatic and sometimes troubled presence upon the cinematic landscape.

Ian Haydn Smith is a writer and editor. He is the author of ‘The Short Story of Film’, ‘Well Documented’, ‘Selling the Movie: The History of Film Posters’, ‘The Chronology of Film’, ‘Cult Writers’ and ‘The Short Story of Photography’. He has previously given talks at Chichester Film Festival on Lindsay Anderson, Daniel Day-Lewis, Kristen Scott Thomas, Theo Angelopoulos and the cinemas of China, Italy and Iran.

100m (inc 10m Q&A)

A coming-of-age comedy-drama about three women (including Greta Gerwig in actress mode), who explore love and freedom in late 1970s Southern California.

It's 1979, and everything is in flux. Ayatollah Khomeini assumes power in Iran; Margaret Thatcher becomes British Prime Minister; and Dorothea Fields (a never-better Annette Bening) invites a squad of firemen to a party… as her son Jamie points out, only she would do such a thing. Her one concern is if he will become a good man. She has tried to give him a father figure (Billy Crudup) without success, so asks two women (Elle Fanning & Greta Gerwig) to help guide the boy to adulthood. You may find yourself itching to dance along with the people onscreen as they cut loose to songs from the distant past or from their rapidly spinning present.

USA 2016 Mike Mills 118m

Captives

In Paris 1894, a young woman voluntarily allowed herself to be locked up in a psychiatric hospital in order to look for her mother… and get them both out.

Who is Fanni (Mélanie Thierry), who claims to be voluntarily locked up in a women-only mental institution? Searching for her mother among the multitude of so-called “madwomen”, Fanni discovers a community of modern heroines who defy expectations, along with the unexpected friendship of fellow patients. The annual sumptuous and renowned “Party of Fools” of the asylum is in preparation. Politicians, artists, and socialites flock to this ball, and this will be Fanni’s last hope of escaping the closing trap. With echoes of ‘Girl, Interrupted’, this is a beautifully filmed drama with Yolande Moreau (you may remember her from 2008’s ‘Séraphine’) as the mother, being absolutely captivating. (Subtitles)

France 2023 Arnaud des Pallières 111m

Summoned to Portugal by a filmmaker friend, a sound engineer travels the city and falls in love with a singer. A dreamy philosophical travelogue made in poetic style by German director Wim Wenders.

The director Friedrich Monroe (Patrick Bauchau) is having trouble finishing a silent black and white film about Lisbon. He calls his sound engineer friend Phillip Winter (Rudiger Vogler) for help, who arrives in Lisbon weeks later, with no sign of Monroe, and an unfinished film. Winter becomes fascinated by the city and the Portuguese singer Teresa (Teresa Salgueiro of the band Madredeus), so decides to stay, and it is there that he starts to record the sound of the film. At the same time Monroe cruises through the city with a camera, capturing moments of the beautiful city. Wenders became enthralled by the haunting music of Madredeus – do immerse yourself in it - and made their sound integral to his film. This is a postcard to the enchanting city of Lisbon, placing front and centre the ancient crooked cobbled lanes, extraordinary colours and lyrical sounds of the Portuguese capital. (Some subtitles)

Portugal/Germany 1994 Wim Wenders 100m

Special Event

With Chichester City Band

A special unique concert by the Chichester City Band to celebrate 100 years of the Chichester Rotary Club and 100 years of Disney.

Join us at St Paul’s Church for a musical celebration of classic cinema where we will skip through the history of cinema, one decade at a time, highlighting some of the most iconic pieces of film music ever composed. Conductor Alfie Hughes will guide his talented orchestra through the decades, from Al Jolson in ‘The Jazz Singer;’ through ‘Over the Rainbow’ from ‘The Wizard of Oz;’ the classic ‘Dambusters’ theme; James Bond’s unmistakeable motif; and on to ‘Star Wars’ and ‘Harry Potter’. So many pieces that you will recognise and love.

Tickets £15

Sat 17 Aug 19:00 - St Paul’s Church

An idyllic rural family life of a couple is thrown into turmoil when their son starts acting out of character.

1970s Yorkshire. Richard (Matt Smith) and Juliette's (Morfydd Clark) seemingly idyllic family life is thrown into turmoil when their son Owen (Arthur Shaw) starts acting out of character, creating an insurmountable wedge between the once happy couple. Especially when he claims to hear strange sounds that include whistling from ‘Jack Grey’, a wood sprite according to local lore. This densely atmospheric folk-horror fantasy by ‘Apostasy’ (2017) director Daniel Kokatajlo has the great virtue of capturing a certain poetic drabness that is inseparably bound with cinematic memories of ’70s Britain. It has a stylistic finesse that makes it very much an art chiller; and listen out for the brilliant score by British composer Matthew Herbert.

UK 2023 Daniel Kokotajlo 98m

A young Iranian mother and her six-year-old daughter find refuge in an Australian women's shelter during the two weeks of the Iranian New Year (Nowruz). Critically acclaimed, from a new filmmaker to keep your eyes on.

Over the Persian New Year, brave Shayda (Zar Amir Ebrahimi) and her daughter Mona (Selina Zahedenia) take solace in Nowruz rituals and new beginnings, but when her estranged husband Hossein (Osamah Sami) re-enters their lives, Shayda's path to freedom is jeopardized. Noora Niasari’s incredible debut film slowly builds into a thriller, and Ebrahimi’s enthralling performance coaxes us to lean in. Tension is cleverly sustained in this film with a fearlessness that makes it such a compelling experience. (Some Subtitles)

Australia 2023 Noora Niasari 117m

Ich Leb´ Allein in Meinem Himmel

A revealing portrait of opera singer Günther Groissböck. We see and hear him, in turn, we learn more about the search for the right path that preoccupies most people.

Bass singer Groissböck traverses the opera houses of the world as kings, scholars, philosophers, priests, mythical creatures and gods. The characters he plays on stage are always deeply moving… you might call him an expert at playing lonely characters. We follow Günther from the Austrian town of Waidhofen an der Ybbs for two years, capturing key moments: from his return to work after the pandemic, to his debut as King Philip in Verdi's ‘Don Carlo’ at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. The result is a very personal portrait depicting a unique attitude to life, epitomised in two lines from one of Mahler's Rückert-Lieder: “I live alone in my heaven, in my love, in my song”. A great documentary for opera novices and veterans alike, revealing what goes on behind the stages of the great opera productions. (Subtitles)

Germany 2023 Astrid Bscher 65m

Plus Q&A with director Tony Palmer

To commemorate Gustav Holst’s 150th anniversary, we present Tony Palmer’s enlightening documentary on this extraordinary composer.

Born on the 21st September 1874, this was no ordinary man. He taught himself Sanskrit; lived in a street of brothels in Algiers; cycled into the Sahara Desert; allied himself during WW1 with a 'red priest'; hated the words used to his famous "I Vow to Thee My Country"; his music - especially 'The Planets' - owed little or nothing to anyone, but he was an exceptional composer who died broken and disillusioned, before he was 60. With his 150th anniversary, alongside his special connection with Chichester Cathedral (Holst's memorial stone is in the Cathedral), we are pleased to screen this very important film, the first ever about this extraordinary man.

UK 2011 Tony Palmer 137m + Q&A

We are delighted to welcome the film’s director - and Chichester favourite - Tony Palmer, for a Q&A after the screening.

When a rich woman's ex-husband and a tabloid-type reporter turn up just before her planned remarriage, she begins to learn the truth about herself.

This classic romantic comedy focuses on Tracy Lord (Katharine Hepburn), a Philadelphia socialite who has split from her husband, C.K. Dexter Haven (Cary Grant), due both to his drinking and to her overly demanding nature. As Tracy prepares to wed the wealthy George Kittredge (John Howard), she crosses paths with both Dexter and prying reporter Macaulay Connor (James Stewart). Unclear about her feelings for all three men, Tracy must decide whom she truly loves. With this release, Cukor practically wrote the book on how the screwball comedy functions at its peak. This is a must-see!

USA 1940 George Cukor 112m

Based on the popular 1950 Broadway musical of the same name, this is a hugely entertaining musical with some of the brightest stars of its day, including Marlon Brando in his only musical role. Neatly fits into both the Brando and MGM/Columbia strands of this year's Festival.

1950s New York: all the hot gamblers are in town, and they’re depending on Nathan Detroit (Frank Sinatra) to set up the next game. The only problem? He needs money, and to get it, bets inveterate gambler Sky Masterson (Brando) that he can’t get a date with virtuous, demure Sarah Brown (Jean Simmons). Meanwhile, Nathan’s long-time fiancée Adelaide (Vivian Blaine) is desperate for him to marry her so they can finally settle down. With serious star power, crackling dialogue and phenomenal songs, ‘Guys and Dolls’ is a five-star entertainment and a real joy to watch. Showing in a gorgeous new restoration of the film.

USA 1955 Joseph Manciewitz 149m

Sun 18 Aug 14:30 - Windmill Cinema, Littlehampton

Plus Q&A with Producer Mark Adams & Canne regular Roger Gibson

Let’s revel in the glamour, red carpets, movies, craziness, stunts, deals, parties and personalities that have been part of the Cannes Film Festival over the last eight decades, and let’s also look to the future.

The glorious excesses, triumphs and failures of Cannes is a story that demands to be told. For two weeks every year on the French Riviera, the cream of film festivals offers an exciting high-adrenaline, roller-coaster experience. This documentary dives into what the festival has come to represent over the years and what it might offer in the future. With insight from the head of the festival, Thierry Frémaux; Cannes regulars Tilda Swinton, Juliette Binoche and Léa Seydoux; filmmakers such as Oliver Stone, Lynne Ramsay, Mike Leigh, Quentin Tarantino, Sean Baker, Ken Loach and Wim Wenders; and a cast and crew including producers, journalists, photographers, executives, festival programmers, fashion designers, party organisers and hotel managers.

UK 2023 Richard Blanshard & Roger Penny 90m

We are delighted to welcome the film’s producer Mark Adams alongside Cannes regular Roger Gibson for a Q&A after the screening.

A window into the struggles and resilience of the Palestinian people under Israeli occupation. Through evocative, breathtaking, ancient landscapes, we travel to the occupied West Bank, the Jordan Valley and the Dead Sea.

Following internationally recognized activist Ahed Tamimi, journalist and therapist Ashira Prem Rachana and others, the film explores themes of loss, trauma and the quest for justice. It recounts their experiences of imprisonment, confiscation of ancestral lands, attacks by settlers and the military, denial of water rights and cruel humiliation, as well as their attempts to heal themselves and their community, placing these stories in their historical and socio-political context. We follow Dr. Gabor Maté as he offers his insights into intergenerational trauma and provides support to a group of women seeking understanding and healing. Ultimately, the film celebrates the unwavering strength and resilience of the Palestinian people in their fight for freedom.

US/Palestine 2024 Maurizio Benazzo & Zaya Benazzo

Paradiset Brinner

Three sisters live alone after their mother’s prolonged absences. When social services demand a family meeting, oldest sister Laura plans to find a stand in for their mother. A superb and quietly powerful film.

Sisters Laura (16) (Bianca Delbravo), Mira (12) (Dilvin Asaad) and Steffi (7) (Safira Mossberg), are left to their own devices, and with no parents around, life is wild and carefree, vivacious and anarchic. But when social services call a meeting, Laura has to find someone to impersonate their mum, or the girls will be taken into foster care and separated. Director Gustafson cleverly frames all the adults through the children’s eyes, making them mostly one-dimensional, whilst the girls are seen as totally full of life. Delbravo delivers a striking performance, balancing Laura’s spiky teenage defiance with the vulnerability of a character who is struggling under the weight of responsibility. Winner of the Best First Feature prize at the 2023 London Film Festival. (Subtitles)

Sweden 2023 Mika Gustafson 108m

Plus Q&A with the filmmakers

A doctor has to make the ultimate choice between his own family and lives of others in this moving and thought-provoking film.

Set in 1990s Georgia, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Luka (Beka Sikharulidze) is a surgical doctor who saves the lives of people in need - for free. He is a committed, dedicated and honest individual navigating through a world plagued by corruption and injustice in the country. He struggles to adapt to a ruthless new system, while trying to maintain a delicate balance between personal obligations, his family and professional integrity. A thought-provoking film depicting the difficulties of life in post-Soviet Georgia, where corruption had been the norm. An honest doctor trying to remain true to his profession and at the same time keeping his family fed. A very moving film. (Subtitles)

Georgia 2023 Beka Sikharulidze 92m

We hope to welcome the filmmakers – including director Beka Sikharulidze – for a Q&A following the screening.

With HARMONIEBAND

A working-class, thrilling romance by the great Anthony Asquith set in and around the London Underground of the 1920s, with live three-piece musical accompaniment.

Two men, gentle Bill and brash Bert, meet and are attracted to the same woman on the same day at the same Underground station. But the lady chooses Bill, and Bert isn't the type to take rejection lightly. HarmonieBand is a three-piece ensemble specialising in the presentation of specially composed scores by Paul Robinson to silent films. Originally formed in 1985, they have performed at all the major art centres, cinemas and film festivals in the UK and Europe. The ensemble is dedicated to live performances of composed scores for silent movies, and with judicious employment of backing tracks, makes an orchestral sound as a backdrop to the three live players on saxophones, cello and accordion.

UK 1928 Anthony Asquith 84m

Sun 18 Aug 20:45 – St. John’s Chapel

Gary Oldman embodies the life and death of the legendary composer Ludwig van Beethoven.

Following Beethoven's death in 1827, his assistant Schindler (Jeroen Krabbé), searches for an elusive woman referred to in the composer's love letters as "immortal beloved". As Schindler solves the mystery, a series of flashbacks reveals Beethoven's transformation from passionate young man to troubled musical genius. This absorbing biography chronicles the life of the genius classical composer and his painful struggle with hearing loss, complemented by stellar performances, spectacular backdrops and clever screenwriting.

UK/USA 1994 Bernard Rose 121m

A stern Soviet woman sent to Paris to supervise the sale of jewels seized from Russian nobles, finds herself attracted to a man who represents everything she is supposed to detest.

A no-nonsense diplomat of the Soviet Union, Nina Ivanovna ‘Ninotchka’ Yakushova (Greta Garbo) arrives in Paris to ensure the sale of jewels seized during the Russian Revolution. Meanwhile, carefree bachelor Count Leon d'Algout (Melvyn Douglas) attempts to intercept the valuables on behalf of their former owner, the Grand Duchess Swana (Ina Claire). Despite their conflicting allegiances, the icy Ninotchka soon warms to Leon's charms, reluctantly going against her better judgment. Has there ever been a more charming, sexy, infectious laugh put to film than the one Garbo delivers in Ninotchka? She was a performer of unmatched style and beauty, an actress ahead of her time, and Garbo’s refusal to bow to the usual demands of a Hollywood celebrity only enhanced her status as an icon among both the media and her adoring public.

USA 1939 Ernst Lubitsch 110m

Preview - Palestine/UK

A Palestinian schoolteacher struggles to reconcile his risky commitment to political resistance with the chance of a new relationship with a volunteer-worker and his emotional support for one of his students.

Basem (Saleh Bakri) is a compassionate teacher in Palestine’s West Bank, taking a special interest in his student Adam (Muhammad Abed El Rahman), who is under the constant irritation of Israeli settlements. When Adam’s house is selected for demolition by Israeli authorities, it leads to an outburst with fatal consequences. At the same time, an American soldier is being held prisoner by a Palestinian resistance force. Basem becomes ensnared in the soldier’s ordeal and as a result, Basem will become reacquainted with his past self. Matters are further complicated by a budding romance developing between him and Lisa (Imogen Poots), a British volunteer at his school who has no idea about what he did before. A riveting story; and made all the more relevant today. (Some subtitles)

This unique, creative and simply on point film sees a lonely college freshman's life turned upside down by her impetuous, adventurous soon-to-be stepsister (Greta Gerwig).

Noah Baumbach's film sees Tracy (Lola Kirke), a lonely college freshman in New York, having neither the exciting university experience nor the glamorous metropolitan lifestyle she envisioned. But when she is taken in by her soon-to-be stepsister, Brooke - a resident of Times Square and adventurous gal about town - she is rescued from her disappointment and seduced by Brooke's alluringly mad schemes. Baumbach has a gift in that he can somehow make characters that on the surface are selfish and insufferable, somehow compelling and lovable.

USA 2015 Noah Baumbach 84m

Le Procès Goldman

Chronicles the trial of Pierre Goldman, a French left-wing revolutionary who was convicted of several robberies and later mysteriously murdered.

November 1975, and a second trial begins against French leftist radical Pierre Goldman (Arieh Worthalter), who was subject to police prejudice and antisemitism, and accused of several armed robberies and the death of two chemists. As the trial proceeds, it becomes fairly evident, at least to the viewer, that the man is innocent. The question is therefore whether the French state will return a not guilty verdict. The trial caused a media frenzy, and was attended by philosopher Régis Debray and actress Simone Signoret, elevating Goldman to cause célèbre status in the wake of May 1968 with the government, especially the criminal justice system, pitted against the left. Alongside the recent ‘Anatomy of a Fall’ and ‘Saint Omer’, this continues a recent trend for quality French indie courtroom dramas. (Subtitles)

France 2023 Cédric Kahn 115m

Mies Vailla Menneisyyttä

A man suffering from amnesia wanders through the streets of Helsinki in search of a new life. A film to restore faith in the goodness of people.

The second part of Kaurismäki's ‘Finland’ trilogy (also including ‘Drifting Clouds’ and ‘Lights in the Dusk’), the film follows a man who arrives in Helsinki and gets beaten to the point of amnesia. Unable to remember his name or anything from his past life, he cannot get a job or an apartment, so he starts living on the outskirts of the city and slowly starts putting his life back on track. He eventually meets Irma (Kati Outinen), a Salvation Army worker, and they fall in love while he rebuilds a life with new friends and a new job. It’s not often a movie can so persuasively reassure us of people’s inherent goodness, but it’s even rarer still for it to be done with as much deceptive, charming simplicity as here. (Subtitles)

Finland 2002 Aki Kaurismäki 97m

Winner of Best Film at the 2023 Sophia Awards (Portuguese Film Academy Awards), this is a beautifully told story about a family who have lost their matriarch, but soon after, a young girl starts seeing the deceased grandmother.

Returning home as she does every summer, youngster Salomé (Lua Michel) starts her vacation like any other. She spends the long, hot days enjoying her time with her clan, most of all her grandmother, Alma - the fiery matriarch and their spiritual anchor. When she suddenly passes away the family are torn apart.

The adults argue, while young Salomé gradually comes to understand the levity of the situation, and she comes to believe she is seeing the grandmother. Meira’s direction is nothing short of incredible, she homes in on the emotional core of the family’s ordeal, and perfectly illustrates the relatives’ interactions. And being portrayed primarily from the perspective of the young girl, viewers will understand events from a child’s eyes in a journey that spans wonder, fear and confusion.

You will be amazed to find out that this is a first feature. Cristèle Alves Meira’s marvellous film etches out a portrait that is intimate, joyous and utterly heartbreaking. Throw in a touch of mystique and an eye-widening setting, and ‘Alma Viva’ is an astonishing marvel of visual creativity. (Subtitles)

Portugal 2022 Cristèle Alves Meira 85m

The story of a mother and her invalid son unfolds on a steep cliff by the sea, where they come to live in an empty house after the death of their grandmother and at the same time begin a new life.

Here, among the scorched hot steppe  and salty sea winds, on the fragments of a lost life of a forgotten coastal village, Era  (Marianne Schultz) and Andrei (Gennadiy Blinov) settle in a small house. They encounter a variety of people who affect their life, with hope and despair, strength and weakness, truth and lies, freedom and slavery. It is a very original and entertaining film, with a narrative that uses the different characters to flesh out everyday life. Director Ilyassov’s work is deeply rooted in the rich cinematic history of his native Central Asia, while equally formed by both the European New Wave and the underappreciated Soviet and post-Soviet film traditions.

Kazakhstan/Russia 2023 Veniamin Ilyassov 107m

Already garlanded with accolades over some 25 years in front of the camera (‘Inception’ and ‘Juno’) actor Elliot Page launches a new phase of his big-screen career with this highly personal project that emerges from his own experience coming out as a trans man.

Sam (Page) is due for his first visit home in four years to celebrate his father’s birthday, but he dreads the reunion, feeling that they failed to support him in his transitioning. On the train there, Sam exchanges glances with a young woman, Katherine (Hillary Baack), who turns out to be an old close friend, it is apparent that their former closeness had a romantic element and that old feelings are being stirred up. When back at home, how will his family accept him? The film boasts a soul-baring performance from Page in a drama that has the mark of undeniable integrity. In his first male film role, the actor brings palpable personal investment and empathy to director Dominic Savage's study of a strained family reunion.

USA 2023 Dominic Savage 100m

Winner of the FIPRESCI Prize at Cannes 2011, and nominee for the Palme D’Or, this Aki Kaurismäki gem shines a hopeful spotlight on the plight of refugees, still incredibly relevant today.

When young African refugee Idrissa (Blondin Miguel) arrives by cargo ship in the port city of Le Havre, an aging shoe shiner and former artist Marcel Marx (André Wilms) takes pity on the child and welcomes him into his home. Marcel goes to great lengths to find out Idrissa's story, which leads to Marcel's further task of trying to get Idrissa to London, his original end destination. With beautifully framed and eye-catching composition, Kaurismäki carves out an optimistic and empathetic tale about humanity doing the right thing. An intimate, romantic, tender and humanist story. (Subtitles)

Finland/France 2011 Aki Kaurismäki 93m

À la Belle Étoile

Raised between foster homes, a young man attempts to make his dream come true: to work with the greatest pastry chefs and become the best. Based on the life of celebrated pastry chef Yazid Ichemrahem.

From an early age, Yazid (Riadh Belaïche) was passionate about baking. But to succeed in the elitist world of pastry-making, the young man had to learn self-control whilst being moved from one foster home to another. From Épernay to Monaco to Paris, he will work with the greatest pastry chefs en route to competing in the World Pastry Championship. The exquisite desserts look almost too divine to eat. That their creator was once homeless, orbiting between a French Riviera luxury hotel kitchen and sleeping rough beneath the stars that continued to inspire him, is the paradox that underscores his defiantly ascendent life. Tulard's camera is agile and dynamic, and his film flows between documentary and a dash of magical realism that idealizes the work of the chef. (Subtitles)

France 2022 Sébastien Tulard 110m

Portrayals of Jazz Musicians on Film

In films, the fictional, or semi-fictional, jazz musician often comes out badly, as an alcoholic or drug addict, tortured genius or a disreputable character of some sort.

Although the first talkie was called ‘The Jazz Singer’ it had little to do with jazz, and it was really from the 1940s that the genre found its way into films and, flawed personalities aside, the music is often wonderful. From Kirk Douglas’s trumpeter in ‘Young Man with a Horn’ and Swedish jazz wannabes in ‘Sven Klangs Kvintett’ to the peerless Dexter Gordon’s performance in ‘‘Round Midnight’ and the young Buddy Rich devotee in ‘Whiplash’ – what they have in common is that jazz lies at the heart of their very being. Sandy Guthrie from Chichester Cinema’s Education Team will introduce some of the key moments in cinema jazz, from Hollywood, Europe and elsewhere.

100m inc. Q&A

After suffering a catastrophic and almost fatal spinal cord injury, professional rugby player Ed Jackson’s world changed forever. We follow Ed’s journey on his recovery as he achieves the mental and physical heights of Snowdonia, the Alps and Himalayas to the life-altering challenges closer to home.

This is an inspiring, thought-provoking documentary about unexpected change, hope and finding renewed purpose in life. Ed Jackson played Rugby Union at the highest level, but in April 2017 he was involved in a serious accident where he broke his neck and a serious spinal cord injury. This left him paralyzed from the neck down and doctors told him he would never walk again. When faced with life-changing injuries, Jackson harnessed his determination to create a future for himself, his wife and his family that most thought impossible. This story follows Ed and his wife Lois as they undertake an extraordinary journey through the past and present and honestly discuss their future and the impact of living with a disability.

UK 2023 Polly Steele

When two Paris nightclub jazz players meet two vacationing American beauties, their passion for music is suddenly challenged by their desire for love. The perfect film to follow our Jazz Musicians on Film talk.

Despite being far from home, American jazz musicians Ram Bowen (Paul Newman) and Eddie Cook (Sidney Poitier) are content living and working in Paris. Ram knows it's the best place for him to develop his musical reputation, and Eddie is far away from the racism that once greeted him on a regular basis. But after meeting and falling in love with American tourists Lillian (Joanne Woodward) and Connie (Diahann Carroll), the pair must decide whether their artistic integrity is worth abandoning. With a superb cast (Joanne Woodward is marvellous), on location shooting in Paris and Oscar-nominated jazz music from Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington, this offbeat musical affair is one of the most delightful jazz movies ever made… and criminally forgotten.

USA 1961 Martin Ritt 98m

Tue 20 Aug 16:00 - Studio

La Tresse

Three women from different parts of the world who have never met, are bound by something intimate and unique. A beautiful epic drama filled with empathy and intelligence.

Colombani’s anthology is an adaptation of her award-winning 2017 novel tying together three women in Italy, Montreal, and India. Smita (Mia Maelzer) is an Indian Untouchable living in extreme poverty with her husband and daughter Lalita. They live on handouts and have no human rights due to their caste, so escape on a tortuous train journey, looking for a better life. In Italy Giulia (Fotinì Peluso) works in the human hair wig factory owned by her father; until he is stricken ill. She discovers the business is in ruins so jumps into action discovering her strength and business nous. Sarah (Kim Raver) is a Montreal lawyer climbing the executive ranks and suddenly facing a determined new employee with eyes on her job, when bad personal news arrives. Colombani pays tribute to the determination of women to overcome every manner of obstacle to keep life moving forward; it is inspiring, powerfully familiar, and elegantly made, enriched by the performances, united by a traditional symbol of womanhood (Some subtitles).

Canada/France/Italy/India 2023 Laetitia Colombani 121m

Plus Q&A with director Michael Wright.

In this British indie, an undertaker makes the wrong choice at a moral crossroads as he is made to dispose of the victims of a gangster's power grab.

Arthur Morel (Paul McGann from ‘Withnail & I’) has dedicated his life to ushering the deceased from the world of the living to the world of the dead, so when local gangster Finlay Unsworth (Roger Barclay) makes Arthur an offer he can't refuse, Arthur believes he can handle the extra workload. With retirement on the horizon, Arthur looks the other way and takes the money but as Finlay's killing spree spirals out of control, Arthur realizes he's out of his depth. In fact, he's drowning. Realizing he knows too much and will be the next one in a body bag, Arthur's only option is to turn 'amateur vigilante' and attempt to end the brutal reign of terror. As Arthur is forced to face his own demons and confront Finlay, he knows that the funerals are not over and that he may well soon be heading to his own. Includes a nice turn from Tara Fitzgerald as an embittered nightclub singer who adds sparkle to the film’s darker tones.

UK 2023 Michael Wright 90m

We are delighted to welcome director Michael Wright for a Q&A following the film.

Special Film & Show Event

In Partnership with Chichester Cabaret Club

A young man deals with two impossible loves: a passionate crush on fellow drag artist Oliver and a distant and cold relationship with his opera diva mother Claire.

Simon (Théodore Pellerin) is a rising star in Montreal's drag scene. Friendly with his fellow drag queens and supported by his sister, who delights in designing increasingly elaborate and beautiful costumes for his act, Simon vibrates with the passion of his adopted artistic community. When he meets Oliver (Félix Maritaud), the alluring new recruit at the club, their irresistible chemistry sparks an electric romance and a fulfilling creative collaboration. When Simon’s mother - a bona fide opera diva - returns after years on the road, he immediately withdraws under the shadow of her influence? Beautifully charting the highs and lows of falling in love and finding oneself in one's art, writer and director Sophie Dupuis's film is a passionate feat of character-driven storytelling and visual extravagance, celebrating the drag world in all its splendour and heartache. A triumph! (Subtitles)

Canada 2023 Sophie Dupuis 101m

We are delighted to welcome Chichester Cabaret Club and Dickie Bows & Petticoats Mistress of Ceremonies Dawn Gracie together with larger than life drag act The Madame for a 45-minute show directly after the film.

From Ms Gracie you can expect a warm welcome and some quick wit ahead of the film. Afterwards, The Madame brings comedy that is on the pulse with current affairs and parody songs that will be ruined, for you, by her, for years to come.

Tickets £16

Special Q&A Event with the director and cast.

Three young adventurers take a road trip of a lifetime, venturing from London to Lands' End along one of the longest historical routes in Britain (300 miles).

Bonnie (Eleanor May Blackburn), a young woman with a dark secret, Clive (Michael Kodi Farrow), a young London busker singing for change and Wilco (James Jip), a young superman, of sorts, venture from London to Lands' End down one of the longest historical routes in Britain, 300 miles. Along the way, between taking in some iconic landmarks, Clive and Wilco suffer the shocking uncovering of Bonnie's secret, before arriving at the Cornish coast clifftops to sing their song of peace and freedom. Local filmmaker Kevin Short says: “For me, having dreamed up the idea of three young lost souls finding one another, during covid, and joining forces to make their bid for freedom, I couldn’t have wished for more. We are indebted to each and every one. ‘Bonnie & Clive’ is an example of what can be achieved if there’s love for a common cause”.

UK 2024 Kevin Short 80m + Q&A

We hope to welcome director Kevin Short and some of the cast for a Q&A after the screening.

Tue 20 Aug 20:15 - Studio

Marlon Brando gives one of the screen's most electrifying performances as Best Actor in this 1954 Academy Award winner for Best Film. This is a new 4K restoration.

Ex-fighter Terry Malloy (Brando) could have been a contender but now toils for boss Johnny Friendly (Lee J. Cobb) on the gang-ridden waterfront. Terry is guilt-stricken, however, when he lures a rebellious worker to his death. But it takes the love of Edie Doyle (Eva Marie Saint), the dead man's sister, to show Terry how low he has fallen. When his crooked brother Charley the Gent (Rod Steiger) is brutally murdered for refusing to kill him, Terry battles to crush Friendly's underworld empire. Directed by Elia Kazan (‘A Streetcar Named Desire’) with Leonard Bernstein’s superb score, this unforgettable drama about Terry's redemption is among the most acclaimed of all films.

USA 1954 Elia Kazan 108m

We follow internationally acclaimed artist Strijdom van der Merwe over four consecutive seasons as he travels to remote locations in the southern African interior to make beautiful land art works in a striking range of spectacular natural settings.

Featuring 25 fleeting artworks, the film shows the artist at work in the landscape and sharing his thoughts as he finds his canvases in nature – in verdant valleys and forests, on the shore of a lagoon, in the vast expanses of the arid semi-desert. With stunning cinematography and an extraordinary soundtrack including 11 pieces of music composed for the film, this is a meditative and powerful experience. Shot over more than a year, this is a profoundly moving reflection on life and transience. This rare documentary on land art is beautifully photographed, mesmeric at times and constantly providing the viewer with delights in a dramatic landscape.

South Africa 2023 Victor van Aswegen 95m

Filmed in West Sussex, this local film focuses on an old man who works all alone to maintain his ancestral farmland, as his children prove to be at once remote and controlling.

David (Rory Kinnear) and Laura (Emily Beecham) are in their early forties and tearaway underachievers who grew up on still-lucrative family farm run by their father (Roger Marten). With David’s alcohol and drug addictions plaguing the majority of his adult life and Laura working on farms in sunnier climes like California and Spain, their eyes are drawn homeward as their father enjoys his final years of work, as they each proffer their case to inherit the land. This feature debut shows impressive audio-driven film storytelling, reaching something unique in its tale of an intransigent English farmer. The unique way this story is told is nothing less than inspired – we only ever see one of the characters, the farmer, although we never see him speak. Instead, the camera follows him as he goes about his business on the farm. We do however hear a series answering machine messages from the children, because their dad tends to have his phone turned off when he’s out in the fields. Filmed close to Pulborough, West Sussex.

UK 2023 Nicholas Parish 93m

FEEL ALL THE FEELINGS: THE CINEMA OF GRETA GERWIG

This talk will look back at the career of writer/director Greta Gerwig, who this year became the first American female director to act as Jury president at the Cannes Film Festival.

From her years as the ‘mumblecore queen’ of American indie cinema in the noughties, to directing 2023’s blockbuster triumph Barbie, Greta Gerwig has brought her distinctive style out of the arthouses and into the heart of the mainstream. She was this year’s Cannes jury president, has been nominated for four Oscars, and so they say, caused a global shortage of pink paint. From ‘Frances Ha’ to ‘Lady Bird’ and beyond, the actor-writer-director has specialised in witty, emotional stories of singular young women coming of age, which made her feminist, self-reflexive takes on ‘Little Women’ and the best-selling doll of the 20th century so satisfying rich and empowering for audiences of all ages. As she prepares her two-part cinematic adaptation of the ‘Narnia’ stories, this illustrated talk by freelance film critic and film historian Pamela Hutchinson will look back at her brilliant career, her transformative cinema of girlhood and her infectiously enthusiastic approach to her life and work.

100m (inc 10m Q&A)

In partnership with El Matador

Esperando a Dalí

Our Surprise Film from the 2023 Film Festival is the perfect choice for this special Film, Flamenco & Tapas event in association with Chichester’s best Tapas restaurant – El Matador.

Set in the 1970s during the dying days of the Franco regime, Fernando (Ivan Massagué), a talented chef and political activist, is hiding from the authorities after an anti-Franco demonstration is ambushed by the authorities. He and his political comrades take refuge in the village of Cadaqués, also home to internationally renowned surrealist artist Salvador Dalí (Gal Soler). As a cover, Fernando takes on the role of head chef for ‘El Surreal’ - a restaurant dedicated to the art of Dali - owned by an obsessive fan who wants nothing more than for Dali to dine there. Soon, the paths of the chef and the artist will cross and cause the birth of a new culinary genius. Inspired by the origin story of the restaurant El Bulli, director David Pujol has created a delightful, sunny comedy that correlates the passion for food (depicted here in mouth-watering detail) and the drive to create a lasting legacy be it through, art, food or social justice. "It sweetens the audience's eyes, makes people fall in love with a passion for cooking, and connects us with the love for ideas." – Cronica.

Spain 2023 David Pujol 114m

We are delighted to partner with Chichester’s prime tapas restaurant – El Matador (previously Viento de Levante) – for a very special Film, Flamenco & Food event where you can see last year’s Festival Surprise Film ‘A Chef for Dali’ and enjoy a tapas banquet accompanied by some live Flamenco at the atmospheric restaurant. Choose either lunch followed by the film, or film followed by dinner when booking. Both lunch and dinner tapas banquets are the same. You won’t find a deal as good as this anywhere!

Wed 21 Aug 15:45 – Auditorium (film)

Lunch at 13:00 or Dinner at 18:00 – Viento de Levante (PO19 7LT)

Tickets £48 (Film, Flamenco & Food)

Greta Gerwig’s first serious attempt at direction sees an artistically-inclined seventeen year-old come of age in Sacramento, California, in the early 2000s.

Christine "Lady Bird" McPherson (Saoirse Ronan) fights against but is exactly like her wildly loving, deeply opinionated and strong-willed mom (Laurie Metcalf), a nurse working tirelessly to keep her family afloat after Lady Bird's father (Tracy Letts) loses his job. ‘Lady Bird’ is an affecting look at the relationships that shape us, the beliefs that define us, and the unmatched beauty of a place called home. It is all about watching Lady Bird learn to fly and leave the nest; familiar though that sounds, this film is so funny and so moving (and so smart) that it’s fair to say you’ve never seen anything quite like it before. Gerwig revealed herself to be a bold new cinematic voice with this film, creating a coming-of-age story that is wry, funny and touchingly real.

USA 2017 Greta Gerwig 94m

Cedric Kahn’s droll comedy goes behind the scenes during a fraught film shoot.

Simon (Denis Podalydès), a well-known French filmmaker, starts shooting his latest film. A story about workers fighting to protect their factory from being relocated. But nothing goes as planned… His producer Viviane wants to rewrite the ending and is threatening to cut the budget; his own crew goes on strike; his personal life is in shambles; and to make things worse, his lead actor Alain (Jonathan Cohen) is an egocentric jerk. Joseph (Stefan Crepon), an extra who wants to get into the Film Industry, is recruited to shoot the ‘making of’ featurette. Capturing all the mess, he proves that sometimes the ‘Making Of’ can be far better than the film itself!  Gradually and rather cleverly, Kahn fuses the two tales into one: The striking workers in the movie begin to mimic Simon’s overworked and underpaid crew, who eventually need to decide whether they’ll stick around out of love for the art, or quit. Director Cédric Kahn is equally adept as a fantastic actor (‘After Love’, ‘Cold War’) as he is a director, he also directs the biopic ‘The Goldman Case’ in this Festival. (Subtitles)

France 2023 Cédric Kahn 119m

The unique and unbelievable true story of one of the great environmental disasters to befall the United States, and the terrible movie that helped bring the catastrophe to light.

Howard Hughes’ notorious 1956 debacle with John Wayne as Genghis Khan (gasp!) and Susan Hayward as his Mongolian lover (really?) was justly reviled for its offensive “yellowface” and horrific line reading from Wayne - who many in this film say was drunk during filming. The real tragedy occurred after many who worked on the outdoor set - 135 miles downwind of atomic bomb testing in Nevada - developed terminal illnesses. This thorough, illuminating documentary looks at the deadly toll the filming took on the cast and crew as well as on communities near St. George, Utah, where it was shot. The film calls out the military and other agencies for ensuring the public that everything was safe when it wasn’t. This is riveting viewing.

UK 2023 William Nunez 116m

BUSTER PLAYS BUSTER Presents

SHERLOCK JR. – 100th Anniversary

To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the classic Keaton film ‘Sherlock Jr.’, we present this very special event that will see the Buster Plays Buster jazz quartet entertain us with some jazz standards from the best exponents of the art in history, followed by a unique screening of the hilarious silent film accompanied by the talented quartet.

- TRIBUTE TO THE GREATS

In the first part of the evening, drummer Buster Birch's well-knit band - Jo Fooks (saxophone), Neil Casey (piano) and Pete Ringrose (bass) - perform a live "tribute to the greats" which includes some jazz standards by the likes of Duke Ellington, Miles Davis, Charlie Parker, Charles Mingus and Bill Evans, performed along to some short movies created especially for the music. 50min.

There will be a 30-minute interval (the bar is open!) followed by:

- SHERLOCK JR.

A film projectionist (Buster Keaton) longs to be a detective and puts his meagre skills to work when he is framed by a rival for stealing his girlfriend's father's pocket-watch.

Keaton gives us a never-ending stream of amazing and entertaining sights - coming faster and faster as the film proceeds. The Buster Birch Quartet will perform jazz standards live to the screening. The music is arranged for the group, scored out and sync'd to the movie and also features plenty of improvised solos from the musicians. As the comic melodrama unfolds the band adroitly accompanies each scene with well-chosen jazz tunes and popular songs - 'Killer Joe', 'Sidewinder', 'My One and Only Love', 'Salt Peanuts' and so on.

USA 1924 Buster Keaton 45m

Wed 21 Aug 19:30 – The Spring, Havant

Tickets to be purchased through THE SPRING.

In this romantic film about lost love and classic cinema, a retired woman teams up with her neighbour's maid to seek out a man who has a secret connection to her past life at the foothill of Mount Tabu. Considered by many the best Portuguese film of this Century.

The eccentric Aurora (Laura Soveral and Ana Moreira) lives out her twilight years in Lisbon with her trusted African maid Santa (Isabel Cardoso) perpetually at her side, haunting memories of the past seemingly hanging on the other. When Aurora is admitted to hospital, neighbour Pilar (Teresa Madruga) takes it upon herself to uncover the melancholies that have blighted Aurora’s later life. Pilar uncovers a long-lost love affair between Aurora and a mysterious Italian suitor, whom she courted beneath the shadows of Mount Tabu in Africa. Mysterious and visually striking (shot in beautiful black and white), ‘Tabu’ rewards viewers with a swooning romance shot with experimental flair, distinguishing the two time periods with exemplary use of both 35mm and 16mm film – with sumptuous results. (Subtitles)

Portugal 2012 Miguel Gomes 118m

This much-loved 1944 musical sees young love and childish fears highlight a year in the life of a turn-of-the-century family. Includes the break-out performance of a luminous Judy Garland.

This bubbly MGM romantic musical comedy is divided into four family album chapters that emulate the four seasons leading up to the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair. It was one of the first films to integrate musical numbers into the plot, and explores, without condescension or simple-mindedness, the feelings that drive the Smith family members apart and then bring them back together again. You could see the entire film as a brilliant showcase for its sensational song: 'Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas', which Garland sings in the presence of her sobbing sister, with her eyes upturned like a sorrowing saint. Other musical highlights include 'The Trolley song', 'Skip to My Lou' and 'The Boy Next Door'. An unmissable big-screen experience.

USA 1944 Vincente Minnelli 113m

A Parisian engineer is irresistibly attracted by what surrounds him, camping out alone high in the Alps and leaving behind his everyday life. A visually ravishing

Mild-mannered Pierre (Thomas Salvador) quits his job on a whim, pitches his tent amidst the glaciers above Chamonix and feels no desire to return to civilization. He strikes up a tentative friendship with Léa (Louise Bourgoin), the chef of the cable car station restaurant, who agrees to bring him provisions as they slowly build a relationship. This gorgeous and pensive film features stunning Alpine photography and a delicate love story nestled at its heart, but also benefits from the most delightfully unexpected plot twist. Actor-director Salvador gives a beautifully understated performance against the majesty of Mont Blanc. (Subtitles)

France 2022 Thomas Salvador 113m

Unrueh

In this fascinating dive into 1877 Switzerland, a watch factory worker becomes involved with the rising anarchist movement as new technologies begin to transform money, time and labour.  

Nestled cozily beside the Jura Mountains is a picturesque industrial town where young watchmaker Josephine (Clara Gostynski) and her coworkers meticulously assemble watches by hand, setting the tiny balance wheel, known as an ‘unrueh’ (unrest), with the type of scientific precision that the Swiss are famous for. But the real unrest is happening all around them, as the burgeoning anarchist movement takes hold of the factory. Real-life Russian anarchist Pyotr Kropotkin (Alexei Evstratov) arrives as the film hints at Western Europe on the brink of transformation, with seeds being firmly planted for the labour and feminist movements that would explode during the next century. This marvellous look at the craft of watchmaking, one that is seldom put up on screen, is done with a keen eye for photography. (Subtitles)

Switzerland 2022 Cyril Schäublin 93m

Urotcite na Blaga

When a retired teacher falls victim to a phone scam that robs her of her life savings, she decides to turn the tables as she transforms into a scammer herself.

When Blaga (Eli Skorcheva) falls prey to a phone scam, she is left without any money for her late husband's grave. Her life turns upside down when she realizes that there is no way of getting her money back, until an alluring, yet suspicious work offer appears. In this eerie suspense drama, director Komandarev chronicles the journey of a woman swirling into the vicious cycle of the dog-eat-dog reality outside her window. The film has won multiple awards around Europe, including Best Film and Best Actress at the prestigious Karlovy Vary Film Festival in 2023. (Subtitles)

Bulgaria 2023 Stephan Komandarev 114m

A British mercenary helps the revolting slaves of an Antilles island colony gain independence from Portugal, but later returns to hunt down a local rebel leader and former protégé.

During the 1840s, Britain sends secret agent Sir William Walker (Marlon Brando) to break up Portugal's sugar monopoly on the fictional Caribbean island of Queimada. Walker incites the slaves to revolt under the leadership of a dock worker, José Dolores (Evaristo Márquez), while simultaneously convincing plantation owners to turn against the government. A decade later, however, Walker must return to Queimada to confront his one-time pupil, Dolores, who now leads a revolt to throw out the British. Another wonderful collaboration between a master actor and a ground-breaking director, this time in the shape of Gillo Pontecorvo who had only three years earlier directed ‘The Battle of Algiers.’ (Some subtitles)

Italy/France 1969 Gillo Pontecorvo 112m

In this, my first Festival as Head of Programming, I really wanted to keep up the tradition of a Surprise Film - which I have done - and I think I’ve chosen a film that will please both Chichester Cinema regulars and first-time visitors.

It has always proven a very popular part of the programme – even after the credits have rolled. In fact, two Surprise Films of past years have ended up taking home the Audience award for Best Film (‘Untouchable’ and ‘Pride’). While I won’t give any real clues as to the identity of the film, what I can say is that it has echoes of a huge 1988 USA release – but it’s not necessarily an American film – and will have you leaving the auditorium with sore cheeks (not saying which type) and maybe complaining that something may have got in your eye.

Approx 90m

Mujeres al Borde de un Ataque de Nervios

In this breakout comedy noir by Pedro Almodóvar, a television actress encounters a variety of eccentric characters after embarking on a journey to discover why her lover abruptly left her.

When Pepa Marcos' (Carmen Maura) lover Ivan (Fernando Guillén) suddenly leaves her without any explanation, she embarks on a strange journey to discover why. On the way she meets a variety of eccentric characters, including Ivan's son from a previous relationship (Antonio Banderas), his fiancée Marissa (Rossy de Palma) and a Shiite terrorist cell who have been secretly holding her best friend Candela (María Barranco) hostage. This is a film noir take on the romantic comedy, expertly balanced between farce, absurdism and tragedy. Almodóvar had already created ‘Matador’ and ‘Law of Desire’ by this stage, but it was this film full of colour and humour that brought him to the international audience. (Subtitles)

Spain 1988 Pedro Almodóvar 88m

For the first time in nearly 20 years, we bring back short films to the Chichester International Film Festival programme. Join us for a mixture of shorts ranging from a locally filmed (Weald & Downland Museum) period thriller, to an outstanding animation from Portugal, with many interesting stops in between.

Films: Mother Daughter (UK); Collage (Spa); Horse (UK); Au Revoir Belmondo (Fra); Free Again (UK); The Wedding Veil of the Proud Princess (UK); Icetea (Ita); The Holiday Maker (UK); What to Expect (USA); The Barn (UK); One More (UK); Ana Morphose (Por); Good Friday (UK). See the Festival website for full film details.

Various Directors 120m

A tragi-comic tale of a boy's struggles through his life in a remote village where he has lost his mother, is being bullied, his dead-beat father is no help and he meets a strange friendly spirit.

A boy named Timir (Algis Danilov) is going through some tough times in his life. At one moment, he loses his dearest person - his mother. The child welfare department directs him to his biological father in the village, hoping that he will find support there. However, from the first days in this new village, Timir cannot connect with anyone. Moreover, he is being bullied at school, especially by a classmate who lives next door to him. One day on his way home, Timir encounters a strange man with whom he strikes up a conversation. During this conversation, he learns that he  is a lost spirit caught between two worlds. Director Koryakin was born in the village of Magaras, Gorny District (Republic of Sakha, Yakutia). His film brings to the world a community that is very rarely seen on our cinema screens. (Subtitles)

Russia 2023 Nikolay Koryakin 90m

Cerrar Los Ojos

A near-masterpiece for director Víctor Erice, this film ends his long gap between films with a moving meditation on memory, identity and cinema itself. Received 5-star reviews from most respected critics.

A famous Spanish actor, Julio Arenas, disappears during the filming of a movie. Although his body is never found, the police conclude that he has suffered an accident at the edge of a cliff. Many years later, the mystery is brought up once more by a TV program that tries to evoke the actor, offering as a scoop, images of the last scenes in which he participated, shot by his close friend, director Miguel Garay (Manolo Solo). This is Erice’s first feature in 31 years - and only his fourth overall - arriving as something between a desert oasis and a mirage: a shimmery, nourishing culmination of ideas and ellipses in a career so elusive as to have taken on a mythic quality, to the point that his latest feels almost dreamed into being. Nominated for an amazing 11 Goya Awards – the Spanish film industry’s highest accolade. You may not get another chance to see one of the best films of the year on the big screen – so take advantage. (Subtitles)

Spain 2023 Víctor Erice 169m

Greta Gerwig brought to the screens this 2019 adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s 1868 literary classic.

Four teenaged sisters (Amy - Florence Pugh, Meg – Emma Watson, Jo – Saoirse Ronan, Beth – Eliza Scanlen) and their mother, Marmee (Laura Dern), live in a new neighbourhood in Massachusetts in genteel poverty. Having lost all his money, their father is acting as a pastor, miles from home, involved in the American Civil War. The women face their first Christmas without him, and their fortunes fluctuate from literary success to love, to chronic illness. Gerwig could well be the perfect director to bring this female-driven story to our modern-day screens, especially following her successes ‘20th Century Women’ and ‘Lady Bird’.

USA 2019 Greta Gerwig 135m

In this strangely spellbinding and satiric examination of the Dutch colonial history in Indonesia, a sugar plantation owner causes havoc when he leaves his Indian Ocean island estate to his young illegitimate son.

Imperious patriarch Jan (Hans Dagelet) suddenly dies after one of his nightly visits to the room of Siti (Hayati Azis), his Indonesian housekeeper. With the disorder in the household further compounded by a workers' protest, his widow Agathe (Renée Soutendijk) demands the return from Europe of Jan's pompous son Cornelius (Florian Myjer) and heavily pregnant daughter-in-law Josefin (Lisa Zweerman). When they all learn of Jan's decision to bequeath his estate to his son with Siti, the ensuing power struggles add a further degree of turbulence. The demise of European colonialism has never been captured in a more vibrant and aesthetically exuberant manner (much like a Dutch master’s painting) than in this delightfully cynical film. (Subtitles)

Reunion/Indonesia/Netherlands 2023 Ena Sendijarevic 102m

This talk will trace the history of the film studio which boasted ‘more stars than there are in heaven,’ including clips from some of their greatest hits.

In 1930s Hollywood, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer was a by-word for glamour, sophistication and high-gloss entertainment. Among the five major studios, it was the biggest, the most profitable and had the most impressive roster of stars: Garbo, Tracy, Gable. It had the glossiest films too: ‘Ben-Hur’, ‘The Philadelphia Story’, ‘Ninotchka’ and, in the 1950s, it became the home of the best musicals, from ‘Meet Me in St. Louis’ to ‘Singing in the Rain’. From humble beginnings in the birth of the motion-picture business to the fatal onslaught of television in the 1950s, MGM rose to the very pinnacle of the movies and fell equally spectacularly. Distinguished film historian Nick Smedley leads us on a journey through the history of MGM in this, the 100th anniversary of the studio’s founding. Replete with extracts from the rich MGM archive, this promises to be an entertaining and informative two hours.

100m (inc 10m Q&A)

Two people who live extremely different ways of life unite on a very unusual road trip. Given the current situation between Israel and Palestine, this film gives hope that opposites can unite for the greater good.

Under a military curfew, grieving Palestinian father Salah (Kais Nashif) sets out on the road to cross the Israeli border into the West Bank carrying his dead son Omar, who did not survive a heart operation in a Tel Aviv hospital. Left to wander the streets carrying his son, dazed and unable to find help, Miri (Shany Verchik), a single pregnant Israeli woman, takes him in and makes it her mission to get across the border. What follows is a unique road movie, as the two end up in different places that show nearly every facet of Israeli life. The movie is symbolic on many levels and finds black humour in some of the absurdities of life here. This film was made in 2020 but only released recently, and considering the current dispute, extremely relevant and important. (Subtitles)

Israel/France 2020 Roy Krispel 113m

A small-time gambler hired to work in a Buenos Aires casino discovers his employer's new wife is his former lover. This brilliant noir classic is a mix between ‘Casablanca’ and Hitchcock’s ‘Notorious’.

Johnny Farrell (Glenn Ford) is a small-time American gambler newly arrived in Buenos Aires. When he is caught cheating at a game of blackjack, Farrell manages to talk his way into a job with the casino's owner, the powerful Ballin Mundson (George Macready). The two form an uneasy partnership based off their mutual lack of scruples until Mundson introduces Farrell to his beautiful new wife, Gilda (Rita Hayworth), who just happens to be Farrell's ex-lover. Watch out for Hayworth's entrance – it’s pure Hollywood: a perfectly lit close-up as she whips her head into frame, her hair lashing back and revealing her bright face and wide, mischievous grin. A real 1940s Hollywood treat.

USA 1946 Charles Vidor 110m

Saoirse Ronan astounds as a young woman searching for grace in the face of addiction.

After living life on the edge in London, Rona (Ronan) attempts to come to terms with her troubled past. She returns to the wild beauty of Scotland's Orkney Islands (where she grew up but left more than a decade ago) hoping to heal.

As she reconnects with the dramatic landscape where she grew up, memories of her childhood merge with the more recent challenging events that have set her on the path to recovery.

Adapted from Amy Liptrot's bestselling memoir.

UK 2023 Nora Fingscheidt 118m

A promising young drummer enrols at a cut-throat music conservatory where his dreams of greatness are mentored by an instructor who will stop at nothing to realize a student's potential.

Andrew Neiman (Miles Teller) is an ambitious young jazz drummer, in pursuit of rising to the top of his elite music conservatory. Terence Fletcher (J.K. Simmons), an instructor known for his terrifying teaching methods, discovers Andrew and transfers the aspiring drummer into the top jazz ensemble, forever changing the young man's life. But Andrew's passion to achieve perfection quickly spirals into obsession, as his ruthless teacher pushes him to the brink of his ability and his sanity. Simmons won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his unforgettable and relentless performance, with the film also getting awarded Best Sound and Best Editing. A modern-day musical classic.

USA 2014 Damien Chazelle 106m

Imprisoned at Sing Sing for a crime he did not commit, an inmate finds purpose by acting in a theatre group alongside other incarcerated men in this story of resilience, humanity and the transformative power of art. A remarkable film that soars, and justly hailed by film critics around the world.

Divine G (Colman Domingo) finds purpose at Sing Sing prison by acting in a theatre group alongside other incarcerated men, including a wary newcomer (Clarence Maclin). When the curtain rises on the beauty they’ve all built, what we witness is a work of art that never papers over the injustices just as we see the men who are fighting for their humanity in a world that doesn’t value it. This isn’t simply a movie about one man experiencing the power of the arts, but about how such a program acts as a consistent source of sanctuary for everybody involved. Kwedar’s deft direction works in tandem with fine-tuned drama to craft naturalistic mosaics, drawn from a patchwork of real prison experiences. This film will break your heart and rebuild it stronger than before.

USA 2024 Greg Kwedar 105m

A documentary utilizing audio and video that Marlon Brando recorded over the course of his life to tell the screen legend's story.

Brando - who remained deliberately mysterious to the press and the world at large for his entire professional life - created a vast archive of personal audio and visual materials over the course of his lifetime, often deeply confessional and completely without vanity or evasion. Charting his exceptional career as an actor and his extraordinary life away from the stage and screen, the film reveals the complexities and contradictions that were Marlon Brando by telling the story in his own words - and only his own words, revealing a man more humane and compelling than anyone ever could have imagined. This is a one-of-a-kind film about a one-of-a-kind screen legend, a man who transformed acting without ever really knowing what he thought of it.

UK 2015 Stevan Riley 95m

An ensemble comedy drama shot in Sussex with a great indie British sensibility.

A bored teacher (Tara Fitzgerald), bold caretaker (Jeany Spark), passionate art dealer (Mark Lewis Jones) and young maverick (Yasmin Monet Prince) meet through a bizarre road accident. At first, they don't seem to have much in common, but they soon develop a genuine interest in each other and as their pasts unravel, forge odd alliances and friendships.

UK 2023 Pascal Bergamin 93m

This gripping tale - a masterclass in noir - follows a married woman and a drifter who fall in love and then plot to murder her husband.

Nick Smith (Cecil Kellaway), a middle-aged roadside diner owner, hires a drifter, Frank Chambers (John Garfield), to work at his restaurant. Frank quickly begins an affair with Nick's beautiful young wife, Cora (Lana Turner), and the two conspire to kill Nick and seize his assets. When they succeed, local prosecutor Kyle Sackett (Leon Ames) becomes suspicious, but is unable to build a solid case. However, the couple soon realizes that no misdeed ever goes truly unpunished. Part sultry romance, part mystery thriller, the movie continues to keep audiences involved with its edgy character relationships and unforeseen tensions. It also cleverly doubles as an allegory about exploited workers and economic revolt.

USA 1946 Tay Garnett 113m

Plus Q&A with Virginia Gilbert and Juliet Stevenson.

Ten years after the disappearance of their teenage daughter, a couple is confronted by a young woman claiming to be that long-lost girl.

John (Jared Harris) and Mary (Juliet Stevenson) have lived in an agonizing limbo of grief and guilt for the past ten years. Their only child, Clare, ran away from home when she was fourteen and no trace of her whereabouts has ever been found. When Clare (Erin Doherty) returns, now a young woman of twenty-four, Mary is overjoyed, but John comes to believe that Clare is not who she claims to be. As old tensions resurface, a gripping search for the truth unfolds. Doherty subtly delivers nervous looks and hesitations which make her character a believable prodigal daughter, but leave enough doubt about her to sustain the mystery. This is an absorbing and affecting tale beautifully done by director Gilbert.

UK 2024 Virginia Gilbert 90m

We are delighted to welcome director Virginia Gilbert and actress Juliet Stevenson for a Q&A following the film.

A working-class girl from Guatemala City travels to a small coastal town to infiltrate a gang in order to find her missing sister. A nail-biting thriller with gritty authenticity.

Sarita (Karen Martínez) goes out dancing one night at the insistence of her free-spirited sister, Bea (Pamela Martínez). Uncharacteristically, Sarita dances the night away, heading home alone when the party drags on too late. The next morning, after calling friends and neighbours, Sarita begins to panic when she realizes that Bea never made it home. The police are indifferent and unhelpful, but Sarita suspects that Bea's disappearance has something to do with Andrés (Rudy Rodriguez), her sister's dangerous ex. Realizing she must take matters into her own hands, Sarita finds a way to befriend him and infiltrate his gang. The cinematography somehow makes this dangerous world look inviting, even appealing at times (think ‘City of God’). With a cast of almost entirely non-professional actors (Karen Martínez is a revelation), this is an intense film in the vein of ‘Sin Nombre’ and ‘Maria Full of Grace’, that digs deep into the underbelly of gang culture. (Subtitles)

Guatemala 2021 Justin Lerner 125m

Set in the Southwest of England, this moving and sensitively filmed story delves into the lives of two fishermen as they grapple with the hardships of sustaining their livelihood on a small commercial fishing boat.

John Winter (Paul Breen) and his son Charlie (Alfie Noble) have a relationship which is undergoing profound challenges, and both must navigate the obstacles in their own distinct ways. A huge loss in their lives leads to a front on confrontation with emotions neither are equipped to deal with. This is a fine film that handles a difficult subject extremely well, how we deal with grief and when reality kicks in, only then does the healing process starts.

UK 2024 David Smith 73m

In association with The Havana

A young Minneapolis musician tormented by trouble at home must contend with a rival singer, a burgeoning romance and his own dissatisfied band. Be prepared to experience some of the best music performances ever put to film.

The Kid (Prince) is on the rise with his band, the Revolution. While trying to avoid making the same mistakes as his father (Clarence Williams III), the Kid navigates the club scene and a rocky relationship with a captivating singer, Apollonia (Apollonia Kotero). But another musician, Morris (Morris Day), looks to steal the Kid's spotlight - and his girl. The strength of this film is in the live performances – and not only from Prince and the Revolution, Morris Day’s The Time are electric on stage. Most of the film, very loosely based on Prince’s life, is taken up by live performances, leaving the viewer energized by the artistic prowess and energy emanating from the screen. To fully understand the immensity of the cultural phenomena that was Prince in the Summer of 1984, he simultaneously had the number one song, film and album in the USA.

USA 1984 Albert Magnoli 111m

Special Club Event following the film:

We are delighted to partner with The Havana, Chichester to host a Prince evening following the film. Join us in this atmospheric club where a DJ will be spinning both hits and deeper cuts from Prince and his associated artists.

Wear something purple! Prize for best Prince-themed outfit. Dance the night away!

Tickets £7.50 (Film & DJ)

DJ event only - FREE

Sat 24 Aug 18:15 – Havana Bar, Chichester

Followed by DJ & Dancing from 8 till late

A romantic and thrilling story that spans several decades and continents; following one man's emotional journey to find his first love who disappeared 50 years ago, before his time runs out.

Kristopher (Egill Ólafsson) is a widower who is in the early stages of dementia. Realizing there isn’t a lot of time left before his memories are gone completely, he leaves Iceland and ventures to London, hoping to find his lost love. Flashbacks build up the story of how young Kristopher (Pálmi Kormákur) dropped out of school, got a job washing dishes at a Japanese restaurant, and fell in love with the owner’s daughter, Miko (Kōki). The film cleverly builds suspense in two directions simultaneously. We watch old Kristopher trying to find Miko and wondering if he’ll succeed, and we also wait with nervous anticipation to learn why the two were separated decades ago. Director Baltasar Kormákur masterfully weaves a story that encapsulates the human experience with poetic honesty and emotional depth. This is one of the most genuinely romantic movies of the past few years, not lightweight romantic, but rather romantic in a deep, human way that you can feel in your soul. (Some subtitles)

Iceland 2024 Baltasar Kormákur 121m

Kuolleet Lehdet

Two lonely people who meet each other by chance in the Helsinki night try to find the first love of their lives. This latest Aki Kaurismäki’s deadpan comedy has garnered multiple 5-star reviews and hosted multiple sell-out screenings in the Winter.

Ansa (Alma Pöysti) and Holappa (Jussi Vatanen) meet each other by chance in a Helsinki bar, immediately gravitating towards each other, united by an underlying desire for togetherness and meaningful human interaction. Their path towards the honourable goal of finding the love of their lives is clouded by life's general tendency to place obstacles in the way of those seeking their happiness. Every bit as funny as it is sad, ‘Fallen Leaves’ finds glimmers of humour and hope in moments of tragedy. Finnish master Kaurismäki produces a soft-spoken and mordant comedy every six years or so and never, ever misses the mark. Even by his high standards, this gentle tragicomedy is close to perfect.

Finland 2023 Aki Kaurismäki 81m

Keyke Mahboobe Man

A septuagenarian, solitary for many years, chooses to revive her love life. A chance encounter becomes an unforgettable evening. A lovely film that keeps up Iran’s reputation as a powerhouse of quality storytelling.

70-year-old Mahin (Lili Farhadpour) has lived alone in Tehran since her husband’s death and her daughter’s departure for Europe, until an afternoon tea with friends leads her to break her solitary routine and revitalize her love life. What begins as an unexpected encounter quickly evolves into an unpredictable, unforgettable evening. She meets Faramarz (Esmaeel Mehrabi), a modest, personable single man of her age, who himself is of Mahin’s independent frame of mind: he got into trouble with joyless authorities for playing a musical instrument in a wedding band. The Iranian government prevented the film’s two directors from travelling to Berlin to attend their own premiere. Most probably due to a scene where police drive self-importantly around Tehran, intimidating women who are allegedly not wearing their hijabs with enough modesty. Our 70-year-old heroine – who wistfully remembers a time when hijabs were not required at all – stands up to these uniformed bullies and rescues a woman from their clutches. Unmissable cinema.

Iran 2024 Maryam Moghadam & Behtash Sanaeeha 97m

Aging Cuban musicians whose talents had been virtually forgotten following Castro's takeover of Cuba, are brought out of retirement, resulting in triumphant performances of extraordinary music.

This documentary by lauded German filmmaker Wim Wenders follows renowned guitarist Ry Cooder and his son, Joachim, as they travel to Cuba and assemble a group of the country's finest musicians to record an album. Eventually the ensemble travels to the United States to perform in front of rapt audiences. Wenders packs in an impressive amount of music and experience, and most importantly, secured the place of these amazing musicians in the larger scope of history. It is impossible to watch this documentary without being moved… both emotionally and musically.

Germany/Cuba/USA 1999 Wim Wenders 105m

Special Cuban Gig following the film:

We are delighted to partner with Graylingwell Chapel to present The Sambroso All Stars and their Buena Vista show.

If you feel like a bit of a Latin dance – this is for you!

A white middle class South African suburbanite with no interest in politics agrees to help his black gardener find his jailed son. Includes one of Marlon Brando’s best performances of his later career.

Teacher Ben du Toit (Donald Sutherland) mostly ignores the problems of apartheid in South Africa until he discovers that the son of a gardener (Winston Ntshona) at his school has been killed by corrupt policeman Stolz (Jürgen Prochnow). Du Toit persuades human rights attorney Ian McKenzie (Marlon Brando) to try the long-shot case against Stolz. During the trial, Du Toit's transformation into an advocate for justice is so absolute that it distances him from his family. This is a gripping film, finely counterbalancing a fierce sense of moral outrage with an inexorably unfolding human tragedy. This is political cinema that is so deeply felt, capturing the ugly truths of South African Apartheid, and hopefully shining a light on its failings so that it doesn’t happen again.

USA 1989 Euzhan Palcy 106m

La Petite

When his son and son's partner die in a car accident, Joseph must learn how to be a grandfather to the baby they were expecting with the help of a fierce, young Flemish surrogate.

Joseph (Fabrice Luchini) is faced with a unique crossroads in his life. His son and partner were expecting a child via a surrogate mother (Rita Vandewaele) when tragedy struck. There is no textbook for such a situation. Carried by the promise of a birth which will prolong the existence of his son, the sexagenarian decides to meet the young, fierce and indomitable Flemish surrogate. The two are your typical odd couple, but their bond is stronger than any differences they may naturally have. Luchini - as is customary for him - hits every right note in this funny and moving story, which is beautifully paced and includes some gorgeous Ghent scenery. A must-watch for any grandparent. (Subtitles)

France 2023 Guillaume Nicloux 93m

A twist on the Snow White fairy tale set in 1920s Seville and centred on a female bullfighter. A gloriously entertaining rumination on families, film history, fairytales and Spanish folklore.

Carmencita (Macarena García) is the newborn daughter of celebrated matador Antonio Villalta (Daniel Giménez Cacho), but her flamenco-singer/dancer mother did not survive the birth. Grief-stricken, Villalta rejects the newborn and falls into the open arms of his nurse, Encarna (Maribel Verdú), who will eventually become Carmencita’s cruel, power-crazed stepmother. The film examines the more populist elements of Spanish film history and reflects in a personal and refreshingly nostalgia-free manner, on the country, its history and its traditions through the prism of international film history. You may recognise the writer-director Pablo Berger as he recently created the critically acclaimed animation ‘Robot Dreams’. (Subtitles)

Spain 2012 Pablo Berger 104m

The boundary-pushing Ida Rubinstein selects Maurice Ravel to compose the music for her next ballet, leading to the creation of his greatest and most timeless success ever - Boléro.

1927 Paris: Insomniac Ravel (the excellent Raphaël Personnaz), a composer famous the world over but also criticised for a style deemed unemotional, is commissioned to write a composition for ballet by the impetuous choreographer Ida Rubinstein (a scene-stealing Jeanne Balibar) - a woman of turbans and cigarette holders and theatrical exhortations that the music be “Carnal! Bewitching! Erotic!” Ravel’s genius masked a single-minded faith in his own perfectionist process, so exacting that the critiques of others did not mean that much. Emerging after Boléro’s successful 1928 debut, Ravel even acknowledges to his friend Cipa (Vincent Perez) that it will probably become his masterwork, adding dryly, “Pity it lacks music.” We are delighted to screen the UK Premiere of this elegantly framed period portrait of the man behind the famous piece, which helps us appreciate the music anew - its rustling snare drums, its snake-charmer woodwinds, its revving, roundabout rhythms. (Subtitles)

France 2024 Anne Fontaine 120m