Steve McQueen’s new film follows the story of a group of Londoners during the bombings of the British capital in World War II.

Nine-year-old George (Elliott Heffernan) is evacuated to the countryside by his mother, Rita (Saoirse Ronan), to escape the bombings. Defiant and determined to return to his family, George embarks on a journey back home as Rita searches for him. His adventures see him leap from a moving train before finding charity and bigotry, air-raid wardens and criminals (the always wonderful Kathy Burke and Stephen Graham). McQueen does a great job of showing an overview of the Blitz through a series of often powerful and moving moments, somehow making the subject matter feel monumental, even though we have seen documented, honoured and reinterpreted on screen many times before.

UK 2024 Steve McQueen 120m

In 1960, sixteen newly independent African countries enter the United Nations. To the rhythms of a jazz soundtrack, Congo becomes the arena in which the battle over the UN is fought.

As Nikita Khrushchev pounds his shoe at the UN in reaction to the neo-colonial grab of the resources of newly independent Congo, UN delegates from African Countries are blackmailed. In an incredulous twist Patrice Lumumba’s assassination unites the Afro-Asian block, demanding the UN General Assembly to vote for immediate worldwide decolonisation. In this highly explosive context, the United States government dispatches Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie and Nina Simone as Jazz Ambassadors around the world – as a diversion from CIA-backed coups. Cutting between home movies, official texts, historical footage and Patrice Lumumba’s speeches, the film uses an endless rhythm of rumba and jazz to unravel colonial machinations of power in 1960. ‘Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat’ is a huge achievement, one that intertwines the history of jazz and colonisation. (Some subtitles)

Belgium/France 2024 Johan Grimonprez 150m

Andrea Arnold’s latest film premiered in Cannes and stars probably the most impressive British actor of current times – Barry Keoghan.

Bailey (Nykiya Adams) lives with her brother Hunter (Jason Buda) and her father Bug (Keoghan), who raises them alone in a squat in northern Kent. Bug doesn't have much time to devote to them, so Bailey looks for attention and adventure elsewhere, including with a mysterious man named Bird (a riveting Franz Rogowski). Keoghan is superbly attuned to Arnold’s naturalistic style, and in turn, Arnold brings out the best of his softness and charisma. Arnold’s filmmaking is typically robust, buoyed by another great soundtrack of course, and she leaves us with the sentiment that the kids, regardless of life’s trivial circumstances, are going to be all right.

UK 2024 Andrea Arnold 119m

Winner of five Oscars, including Best Film, Director, Actor and Actress. A true classic which must be seen by all lovers of quality film.

1963. When Korean War veteran Randle Patrick McMurphy (Jack Nicholson) gets transferred for evaluation from a prison to a mental institution, he assumes it will be a less restrictive environment. But the tyrannical Nurse Ratched (Louise Fletcher) runs the psychiatric ward with an iron fist, keeping her patients cowed through abuse, medication and sessions of electroconvulsive therapy. The battle of wills between the rebellious McMurphy and the inflexible Ratched soon affects all the ward's patients. This nearly flawless film makes us question our judgments on who is mad and who is sane.

USA 1975 Milos Forman 133m

L'amour Ouf

Set in the 1980s in northern France, actor turned director Gilles Lellouche charts an improbable relationship between Jackie (Adèle Exarchopoulos) from an upper-middleclass family and Clotaire (François Civil) from a modest background.

They grow up in the same town and attend the same high school. Whilst she is dedicated to her studies, he plays truant and becomes involved in a gang. Their paths cross later in life in adulthood and they fall madly in love. Lellouche (who previously came to the French Film Festival with ‘Sink or Swim’), returns with an emotional rollercoaster spanning over 15 years in the lives of star-crossed lovers, leaving us questioning the nature of love or an amour fou. ‘Lellouche’s stages action sequences and tender scenes of young love with finesse and ingenuity’ – IndieWire. (Subtitles)

France/Belgium 2024 Gilles Lellouche 116m

Spot the film-making talents of tomorrow in this selection of garlanded francophone shorts, curated by Martine Pierquin. Full film details are online.

How Do I Know? / Comment Savoir …? - Best short film Cabourg Film Festival 2024. France 18m

Danavan - Apprehension about the arrival of the new next-door neighbour in Quebec. Canada 12m

Montsouris Park / Montsouris - Winner, Leitz Cine Discovery Prize, Cannes Film Festival 2024. France 14m

Sira / Langue Maternelle - Best Film in French, Dakar Court, Senegal 2023. France 24m

Pumpkin / Pupuce - Brussels Short Film Festival –Prix de la Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles 2024. Belgium 19m

Summer 96 / Été 96 - Animation - Winner of César for Best Animated Short Film, 2024. France 12m

Caregiver / Auxiliaire - A caregiver must break the news of his departure. France 24m

Various 123m

From legendary director Ridley Scott, ‘Gladiator II’ continues the epic saga of power, intrigue and vengeance set in Ancient Rome. Be prepared for the biggest spectacle of the season.

Years after witnessing the death of the revered hero Maximus at the hands of his uncle, Lucius (Paul Mescal from ‘All of us Strangers’) is forced to enter the Colosseum after his home is conquered by the tyrannical Emperors who now lead Rome with an iron fist. With rage in his heart and the future of the Empire at stake, Lucius must look to his past to find strength and honour to return the glory of Rome to its people. The amazing cast includes Denzel Washington as Macrinus, Connie Nielsen as Lucilla, Pedro Pascal as Marcus Acacius plus Derek Jacobi, Matt Lucas and Tim McInnerny.

USA 2024 Ridley Scott 147m

Chiara Mastroianni transforms herself into her father Marcello in this self-reflexive confection from Christophe Honoré.

During a summer that sees her reality fall into disarray, Chiara decides to live as her father. She dresses like him. She speaks like him. She breathes like him. Chiara’s impersonation is so convincing that people around her begin to believe. They call her “Marcello”. For Mastroianni, it’s not just one of her best roles yet, but a way to connect with the father she lost while making sense of her own life. Honoré’s is a comedy as gently silly as it is sincerely sweet. With a delightful cast playing versions of themselves, this film is a funny look at acting, performance, and familial legacy. Cast also includes Catherine Deneuve, Benjamin Biolay, Melvil Poupaud, Nicole Garcia, Fabrice Luchini, Stefania Sandrelli and Hugh Skinner. (Subtitles)

France 2024 Christophe Honoré 120m

Anouk Aimée (1932–2024)

Enigmatic Icon of European Cinema

Following her recent passing, we celebrate the extraordinary film career of this fine actor with a talk, illustrated with a range of clips from her most memorable films.

Sat 7 Dec 10:30 - In the Auditorium

This powerful documentary tells the inspiring story of a Brazilian big-wave surfer and her journey to break records and shatter gender barriers in the world of extreme sports.

At its core, the film follows Maya Gabeira as she trains and competes, battling both physical challenges and societal expectations in her quest to ride the biggest waves in the world. Alongside her, we meet key figures in her life who have influenced her remarkable career. Through breathtaking cinematography and emotional depth, ‘Maya and the Wave’ showcases not just the sport but the human spirit behind it. Johnes skilfully blends action and introspection, delivering a documentary that is both visually stunning and deeply inspirational. The film has garnered widespread praise for its thrilling footage and uplifting portrayal of perseverance.

USA/Brazil 2024 Stephanie Johnes 95m

Un Homme et Une Femme

Written and directed by Claude Lelouch and starring the late Anouk Aimée and Jean Louis Trintignant this romantic classic shows a widow and widower who meet by chance at their children's boarding school and whose budding relationship is complicated by the memories of their deceased spouses.

Lush photography and a memorable musical score by Francis Lai combined to make it one of the most successful French films of all time and launch Aimée’s career on the international arena as well as giving Lelouch his first Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 1966 and an Oscar for best foreign film. Screened in honour of Aimée who died earlier this year with a filmed tribute by Claude Lelouch. The beautiful French star Anouk Aimée is appropriately mysterious and glamorous. We present an illustrated talk on Anouk Aimee - ‘Enigmatic Icon of French Cinema’ as a companion piece to this classic. (Subtitles)

France 1966 Claude Lelouch 102m

2024 Berlin Film Festival Golden Bear winner. The journey of plundered treasures from the Kingdom of Dahomey exhibited in Paris, now being returned to Benin.

From acclaimed filmmaker Mati Diop (‘Atlantics’), this is a poetic and immersive work of art that delves into real perspectives on far-reaching issues surrounding appropriation, self-determination and restitution. Set in November 2021, the documentary charts 26 royal treasures from the Kingdom of Dahomey that are due to leave Paris and return to their country of origin: the present-day Republic of Benin. Using multiple perspectives Diop questions how these artifacts should be received in a country that has reinvented itself in their absence. Winner of the coveted Golden Bear prize at the 2024 Berlinale, this is an affecting though altogether singular conversation piece that is as spellbinding as it is essential.

France/Senegal/Benin 2024 Mati Diop 68m

Royal Ballet

This Christmas, be transported into an ethereal world where a sprinkling of fairy dust makes dreams come true.

Tue 10 Dec 19:15

Sun 15 Dec 14:30

Bernadette

Legendary French actress Catherine Deneuve plays Bernadette Chirac in this uproarious comedy based on actual events. A wonderful film to close this year’s French Film Festival.

In 1995 Jacques Chirac (Michel Vuillermoz) is elected President of the French Republic. When Bernadette Chirac (Catherine Deneuve) steps into the Elysée, she is ready for the recognition she’s earned, having always worked in his shadow and tirelessly supported her husband’s journey to the presidency. Instead, she finds herself set aside and brushed off as old fashioned, cold and sour-tempered. With the help of her chief of staff, Bernard Niquet (Denis Podalydès) Bernadette embarks on a campaign to restore her reputation and assert her role as first lady by becoming a major media figure. Léa Domenach’s directorial debut skilfully blurs the lines between fact and fiction. A tale of female 'empowerment', ‘Bernadette’ is a chronicle of the Chirac years, with delightful gags and bright colours. (Subtitles)

France 2023 Léa Domenach 95m

When a Cardinal is tasked with leading one of the world's most secretive and ancient events, selecting a new Pope, he finds himself at the centre of a conspiracy that could shake the very foundation of The Church.

Cardinal Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes) is tasked with running this covert process after the unexpected death of the beloved Pope. Once the Catholic Church’s most powerful leaders have gathered from around the world and are locked together in the Vatican halls, Lawrence uncovers a trail of deep secrets left in the dead Pope’s wake, secrets which could shake the foundations of the Church. This is a skilfully crafted film with stunning cinematography and a beautiful score that takes many surprising turns, culminating in a climactic reveal that will leave audiences astonished. The A-list cast also includes Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow and Isabella Rossellini.

UK/USA 2024 Edward Berger 120m

2024 Palme d’Or Winner! A young sex worker from Brooklyn meets and impulsively marries the son of an oligarch, but once the news reaches Russia, her fairytale is threatened as the parents set out for New York to get the marriage annulled.

Anora (Mikey Madison) is a New York escort and table dancer. One night, her club manager announces that a high roller is in the house, asking for a dancer who can speak Russian. Ani, who is from an Uzbek background, volunteers. The man is the sweet-faced but otherwise appalling and entitled son of an oligarch, and he quickly takes her back to his luxurious apartment and proposes a Vegas marriage. When Vanya’s less-than-delighted father hears the news, he sends some goons round to sort out the situation with his boneheaded son. Scene-stealing leading lady Madison is surely destined for stardom thanks to her role in this high-energy panic comedy that offers a more realistic take than ‘Pretty Woman’.

USA 2024 Sean Baker 139m

Come and join us at Chichester Cinema to celebrate the Christmas period with like-minded folk, and one of the best festive films ever made, remastered in 4K.

Singers Bob Wallace (Bing Crosby) and Phil Davis (Danny Kaye) join sister act Betty (Rosemary Clooney) and Judy Haynes (Vera-Ellen) to perform a Christmas show in rural Vermont. There, they run into General Waverly (Dean Jagger), the boys' commander in World War II, who, they learn, is having financial difficulties; his quaint country inn is failing. So, what's the foursome to do but plan a yuletide miracle: a fun-filled musical extravaganza that's sure to put Waverly and his business in the black! This is a genuine classic, filled with some great songs, unquestionable star power, and some very funny and unforgettable scenes.

USA 1954 Michael Curtiz 120m

The true story of a French railway inspector who goes up against the Nazis to prevent a trainload of France's most treasured paintings from being stolen… or damaged.

As the Allied forces approach Paris in August 1944, German Colonel Von Waldheim (Paul Scofield) is desperate to take all of France’s greatest paintings to Germany. The French resistance however wants to stop him from stealing their national treasures but have received orders from London that they are not to be destroyed. The station master, Labiche (Burt Lancaster), is tasked with scheduling the train and making sure everything runs smoothly, but he is also part of a dwindling group of resistance fighters tasked with preventing the theft. He and others stage an elaborate ruse to keep the train from ever leaving French territory. This film from John Frankenheimer (‘The Manchurian Candidate’) is a marvel of old-fashioned action craft.

USA 1964 John Frankenheimer 133m

On Christmas Eve, a family gathers for what could be the last holiday in their ancestral home. As the night wears on and generational tensions arise, one of the teenagers sneaks out with her friends to claim the wintry suburb for her own.

The Balsano family are once again spending Christmas at their matriarch’s (Mary Reistetter) house in Long Island. Several generations have converged on the cramped home, among them parents Kathleen (Maria Dizzia) and Lenny (Ben Shenkman), whose teen daughter Emily (Matilda Fleming) longs to escape in order to do something more fun with her friends. Meanwhile, Kathleen and her siblings must make an important decision regarding what to do with the family home in light of their mother’s failing health. Generously mixing comedy, nostalgia, pathos and misanthropy, the film embraces its brood’s rambunctious spirit, resisting the temptation to let any character become the central protagonist. Cast also includes Michael Cera.

USA 2024 Tyler Taormina 106m

Royal Ballet

Discover the enchantment of ballet with this sparkling festive treat for the whole family.

Tue 17 Dec 19:30

Sun 22 Dec 15:00

Everyone’s favourite bear Paddington returns to Peru, as he and the Browns visit his beloved Aunt Lucy. A thrilling adventure ensues when a mystery plunges them into an unexpected journey through the Amazon and beyond.

UK 2024 Dougal Wilson 103m

On sale from 1 Nov:

After two decades as one of the most beloved and enduring musicals on the stage, ‘Wicked’ makes its long-awaited journey to the big screen as a spectacular, generation-defining two-part cinematic event this holiday season.

The untold story of the witches of Oz, stars powerhouse Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba, a young woman, misunderstood because of her unusual green skin, who has yet to discover her true power, and Grammy-winning recording artist Ariana Grande as Glinda, a popular young woman, gilded by privilege and ambition, who has yet to discover her true heart. The two meet as students and forge an unlikely but profound friendship. Following an encounter with The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, their friendship reaches a crossroads and their lives take very different paths, ultimately seeing them fulfil their destinies as Glinda the Good and the Wicked Witch of the West.

USA 2024 John M. Chu

Oscar-winning director Chris Sanders (‘How to Train Your Dragon’) returns with a visually stunning adaptation of Peter Brown’s beloved novel. The film follows a robot’s adventure through the wilderness as it learns to survive, make friends, and find its place in a world untouched by technology.

Roz (Daisy Ridley) awakens alone on an island, where she must adapt to her unfamiliar surroundings and form unlikely bonds with the animals around her, including a curious goose named Brightbill (Jacob Tremblay). As Roz navigates the island’s challenges, she faces an unexpected enemy who threatens her new friends and her growing understanding of life itself. With breathtaking animation and a heartfelt narrative, Sanders crafts a story that celebrates resilience, friendship and self-discovery, making ‘The Wild Robot’ a family-friendly epic and a visual treat for all ages.

When a pacifist is called to a political act that could change the course of history, a man of honour responds. This is the true story of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a man who preached love while plotting the assassination of an evil tyrant.

As the world teeters on the brink of annihilation, Dietrich Bonhoeffer (Jonas Dassler) is swept into the epicentre of a deadly plot to assassinate Hitler. With his faith and fate at stake, Bonhoeffer must choose between upholding his moral convictions or risking it all to save millions of Jews from genocide. Will his shift from preaching peace to plotting murder alter the course of history or cost him everything?

Belgium/Ireland 2024 Todd Komarnicki 132m

The story of photographer Elizabeth 'Lee' Miller, a fashion model who became an acclaimed war correspondent for Vogue magazine during World War II.

The film portrays a pivotal decade in the life of American war correspondent and photographer, Lee Miller (Kate Winslet). Miller's singular talent and unbridled tenacity resulted in some of the 20th century's most indelible images of war, including an iconic photo of Miller herself, posing defiantly in Hitler's private bathtub. Miller had a profound understanding and empathy for women and the voiceless victims of war. Her images display both the fragility and ferocity of the human experience. Alexander Skarsgård portrays her husband Roland Penrose, while Andy Samberg takes a dramatic turn as her partner in the field (and sometimes in the bedroom), David E. Scherman, a war correspondent for Life. Winslet shines in this biopic with a superbly powerful performance. She remains one of our most treasured actors and she brings a fierceness to this role.

USA 2023 Ellen Kuras 116m

The leaders of seven wealthy democracies get lost in the woods while drafting a statement on a global crisis, facing danger as they attempt to find their way out.

Ricocheting between comedy, apocalyptic thriller and swooning soap opera, ‘Rumours’ follows the seven leaders of the world’s wealthiest democracies at the annual G7 summit. With unexpected, uproarious performances from a brilliant ensemble cast that includes Cate Blanchett, Alicia Vikander and Charles Dance, these so-called leaders become spectacles of incompetence, contending with increasingly surreal obstacles in the misty woods as night falls and they realize they are suddenly alone. A genre-hopping satire of political ineptitude, this is a journey into the absurd heart of power and institutional failure in a slowly burning world. A wickedly funny, surreal, cerebral and ‘Buñuelian’ political satire.

USA 2024 E. Johnson, G. Johnson & G. Maddin 103m

Plus optional Indian Taster Menu!

The light, the lives and the textures of contemporary, working-class Mumbai are explored and celebrated by writer/director Payal Kapadia, who won the Grand Prize at this year's Cannes Film Festival for her revelatory fiction feature debut.

Centring on two roommates who also work together in a city hospital - head nurse Prabha (Kani Kusruti) and recent hire Anu (Divya Prabha) - plus their coworker, cook Parvaty (Chhaya Kadam), Kapadia's film alights on moments of connection and heartache, hope and disappointment. Prabha, her husband from an arranged marriage living in faraway Germany, is courted by a doctor at her hospital; Anu carries on a romance with a Muslim man, which she must keep a secret from her strict Hindu family; Parvaty finds herself dealing with a sudden eviction from her apartment. Kapadia captures the bustle of the metropolis and the open-air tranquillity of a seaside village with equal radiance, articulated by her superb actresses and by the camera with a lyrical naturalism that occasionally drifts into dreamlike incandescence. (Subtitles)

India 2024 Payal Kapadia 118m

The history of the Merchant Ivory partnership, featuring interviews with James Ivory and close collaborators detailing and celebrating their experiences of being a part of the company.

This is the first definitive feature documentary to lend new and compelling perspectives on the partnership, both professional and personal, of director James Ivory, producer Ismail Merchant and their primary associates, writer Ruth Prawer Jhabvala and composer Richard Robbins. Footage from more than fifty interviews, clips, and archival material gives voice to the family of actors and technicians who helped define Merchant Ivory’s Academy Award-winning work of consummate quality and intelligence. With six Oscar winners among the notable artists participating, these close and often long-term collaborators intimately detail the transformational cinematic creativity and personal and professional drama of the wandering company that left an indelible impact on film culture.

USA 2024 Stephen Soucy 112m

A screening both to commemorate Dame Maggie Smith who lived locally and sadly passed away in late September, and a companion piece to the new Merchant Ivory documentary.

In this British drama based on the novel by E.M. Forster, Lucy Honeychurch (Helena Bonham-Carter), a young Englishwoman, is touring Italy with her older cousin (Maggie Smith). At a hotel in Florence, Lucy meets the charming and free-spirited George Emerson (Julian Sands). Although intrigued by George, once she's back in England Lucy ponders settling down with the wealthy, staid Cecil Vyse (Daniel Day-Lewis). When George reappears in her life, Lucy must decide between him and Cecil. This is a thoroughly entertaining screen adaptation of Forster's comedy of manners, distinguished by superb ensemble acting, intelligent writing and stunning design.

UK 1985 James Ivory 117m

Soy Cuba

Four vignettes about the lives of the Cuban people set during the pre-revolutionary era. 60 years on, this is still invigorating and unmissable cinema!

A study in contrasts set in and around Havana that explores Cuba's 1959 revolution. A young woman's fascination with the excess of an American-owned casino leads to her downfall in the eyes of her street vendor boyfriend. A tenant farmer revolts the only way he knows how, attacking the land he works. University students gain first-hand knowledge of political upheaval. And, in the hills outside the city, the members of a poor peasant family are patriotically swept up into the burgeoning revolt. Visually absorbing and formally audacious, ‘Soy Cuba’ opens a long-buried time capsule that has lost none of its captivating power.

Cuba/USSR 1964 Mikhail Kalatozov 141m

Set against the gritty urban scenescape of Berlin and a pounding techno soundtrack, this is a frenetic, inventive existential thriller that explores the life-altering impact of seemingly inconsequential actions.

Beautiful, hip and young, poor Lola has but 20 minutes to locate a missing bag containing 100,000 Deutsche Marks or come up with the money some other way - if she can't, gangsters are going to kill her boyfriend. A pulse-raising race against time, the film employs a startling array of innovative techniques to present three separate scenarios, all departing from a single split-second decision Lola makes. Franka Patente, who also sings on the soundtrack, is mesmerizing as Lola. (Subtitles)

Germany 1998 Tom Twyker 78m