How the Taliban transformed itself from an extremist militia into a mighty military regime in the wake of US troops’ withdrawal from Afghanistan is the subject of this powerful new documentary.

Picking over an estimated $7bn worth of military equipment left at the former Hollywood Gate CIA base in Kabul, we meet Mawlawi Mansour, aTaliban commander overseeing the equipment’s repair and repainting the fighter jets and Black Hawk helicopters.  Filmmaker Ibrahim Nash’at, born in Egypt and based in Berlin, spent 12 months trailing Mansour and his crew, loitering in the background and shooting from the sidelines. While restricted access prohibited any in-depth interviews, this fascinating, fly-on-the-wall documentary nevertheless teases back the curtain to reveal soldiers pining for the caves where they once hid, and mourning the glorious death that has been snatched from their grasp.

Germany/USA 2023 Director Ibrahim Nash’at 92m

A cantor in a crisis of faith finds his world turned upside down when his grade school music teacher re-enters his life as his new adult Bat Mitzvah student.

Between The Temples is graced with two endearing performances from Jason Schwartzman (Ben) as the Jewish cantor suffering a crisis of faith, and Carol Kane (Carla) as the ageing Bat Mitzvah student who gives him a new lease of life. Ben has arrived at a joyless stage of his life with his wife having died a year earlier. He is living back in the upstate New York home of his two mothers when his old elementary school music teacher re-enters his life, wanting to have the Bat Mitzvah she was denied as a 13-year-old. Ben comes to recognise in Carla something of a kindred lost soul and, as they study together, they develop a warm friendship that begins to see them both open up. elevated by the chemistry between Carol Kane and Jason Schwartzman.

USA 2024 Nathan Silver 112m

Beetlejuice is back! After a family tragedy, three generations of the Deetz family return home to Winter River.

Still haunted by Beetlejuice (Michael Keaton), Lydia's (Winona Ryder) life is turned upside down when her rebellious teenage daughter, Astrid (Jenna Ortega), discovers the mysterious model of the town in the attic and the portal to the Afterlife is accidentally opened. With trouble brewing in both realms, it's only a matter of time until someone says Beetlejuice's name three times and the mischievous demon returns to unleash his very own brand of mayhem.

USA 2024 Tim Burton 104m

A story of ambition, blackmail and desire with a dazzling anti-hero at its dark heart, all brought together by a delicious performance by Ian McKellen as a catty theatre critic in 1930s London.

Jimmy Erskine (McKellen) is the most feared and famous theatre critic in 1930s London, saving his most savage takedowns for Nina Land (Gemma Arterton), an already unsure leading lady. He takes pleasure in ritually tearing her down, a practice that has further eroded her fragile sense of confidence. As a gay man forever at the mercy of laws that prohibit his very existence, Jimmy is living life on the edge, indulging in park sex with strangers while showboating his flamboyance in writing. But when his newspaper’s proprietor dies and his son (Mark Strong) takes over, Jimmy may need to turn to Nina for help. As the three become entangled in a whodunnit wrapped in a Faustian pact, their strange triangle winds tighter and tighter to devastating effect for all those caught in the deadly web of blackmail and betrayal. McKellen makes Jimmy simultaneously despicable, understandable and wholly entertaining, whilst Arterton is also a stand-out, as she skilfully navigates how a stage actress tries to overcome personal demons and self-doubt. Supporting cast also includes Romola Garai, Claire Skinner and the always impressive Lesley Manville. This is a whodunnit wrapped in a Faustian pact which winds tighter and tighter.

UK/USA 2023 Anand Tucker 95m