Sir Cameron Mackintosh Presents…

As the season of performance events of musicals produced by Cameron Mackintosh continues at the cinema, this talk will explore their origins in literature and cinema.

‘Miss Saigon’, ‘The Phantom of the Opera’ and ‘Les Misérables’ - filmed live performances of all these stage musicals are being screened at Chichester Cinema. This talk, by Andrew Vance of the Chichester Cinema Education Team, will look back at the origins of these stories, including both the literature and the film versions on which they were based and the extent to which they influenced the creatives behind the productions. ‘Les Misérables’ is now in its 40th year and Cameron Mackintosh takes his maxim from the autobiography of Charles B Cochran - “Advice to aspiring young producers: never put a show on for audiences: always put it on for yourself and do it as best you can. Only then, maybe, will an audience come to see it.” For Cameron Mackintosh this has worked very successfully.

100m inc Q&A

Tickets £7.50

Sat 1 Feb 10:30 - In the Auditorium

Director James Mangold (‘Walk the Line’, ‘Ford v Ferrari’) takes on the enigmatic life of Bob Dylan in a fresh, unconventional biopic. Starring Timothée Chalamet as the iconic folk singer, the film explores Dylan’s transformative journey through fame, identity and reinvention during the 1960s.

Following Dylan’s rise from a Greenwich Village poet to a global music icon, we see the chaos, ambition and uncertainty of a young artist challenging himself and his audience. Chalamet embodies Dylan’s charisma and intensity, while scenes with real-life performances and legendary figures - from Joan Baez to Johnny Cash - anchor the story in music history. Mangold’s direction blends period detail with a restless energy, making this an intimate, raw look at an artist in constant evolution.

USA 2024 James Mangold 141m

To complement the new biopic on Maria Callas, we are delighted to welcome back to Chichester director Tony Palmer to introduce and Q&A his documentary on the great soprano.

This film, made at the request of Maria Callas herself, was started in 1973, but wasn't finished until 12 years later. It includes eye-witness accounts by Franco Zeffirelli, Tito Gobbi, Luchino Visconti, Carlo Maria Giulini, Giuseppe Di Stefano and many others who knew her well. It tells a story that was previously unknown, about a great singer who had been brought low by love, and whose career was unbelievably short when considered against her extraordinary worldwide reputation. Maria - just a woman, who often spoke of Callas in the third person, in trouble, asking, begging sometimes, for our understanding and our love. She deserves it, because there was no greater singing actress in our time. And she was only 53 when she died.

UK 1978 Tony Palmer 92m

Pigen Med Nålen

A fictionalised true crime hypnotic thriller based on a real Danish case from 1921, shot in high-contrast expressionist monochrome, and nominated for the 2024 Cannes Palme d’Or.

Copenhagen 1919: Young factory worker Karoline (Vic Carmen Sonne) is struggling to survive in post WWI Copenhagen, when she finds herself unemployed, abandoned and pregnant. She meets Dagmar (Trine Dyrholm), a charismatic woman running an underground adoption agency, helping mothers to find foster homes for their unwanted children. With nowhere else to turn, Karoline takes on the role of a wet-nurse. A strong connection is formed between the two women, but Karoline's world shatters when she stumbles upon the shocking truth behind her work. Scandi noir gets a 1910s twist in this darkly gripping, unsettling tale about a woman struggling to find love and a sense of morality. Denmark’s submission to the 2025 Foreign Film Oscar category is harrowing in places, but seriously impressive. (Subtitles)

Denmark 2024 Magnus von Horne 115m

The Staged Concert Live! (40th Anniversary)

To mark the 40th anniversary of the world’s most popular musical, a unique opportunity to experience the spectacular staged concert version on the big screen featuring an all-star cast including Michael Ball, Alfie Boe, Carrie Hope Fletcher, Matt Lucas and John Owen Jones.

Sun 2 Feb 14:30

Tue 4 Feb 18:00

Based on the Pulitzer Prize winning novel by Colson Whitehead, ‘Nickel Boys’ chronicles the powerful friendship between two young African American men navigating the harrowing trials of reform school together in Florida.

Elwood Curtis's (Ethan Herisse) college dream shatters alongside a two-lane Florida highway. Bearing the brunt of an innocent misstep, he's sentenced to the netherworld of Nickel Academy, a brutal reformatory sunk deep in the Jim Crow South. He encounters another ward, the seen-it-all Turner (Brandon Wilson). The two teens strike up an alliance: Turner dispensing fundamental tips for survival, Elwood, clinging to his optimistic worldview. Backdropped by the burgeoning Civil Rights Movement, Elwood and Turner’s existence appear worlds away from Rev. Martin Luther King's burnished oratory. Despite Nickel's brutality, Elwood strives to hold onto his humanity, awakening a new vision for Turner. The cinematography and production design are exceptional. This is a survivor’s coming of age story: tough, disillusioned, brilliant!

USA 2024 RaMell Ross 140m

Michael Gracey (‘The Greatest Showman’) returns with a deeply personal and visually striking biopic chronicling the life of pop icon Robbie Williams.

Based on the true story of the meteoric rise, dramatic fall and remarkable resurgence of British pop superstar Robbie Williams, one of the great entertainers of modern time. The film is uniquely told from Robbie's perspective, incorporating surreal musical sequences (one medley on London’s Regent Street is jaw-dropping) and candid reflections, while capturing his signature wit and indomitable spirit. It follows his journey from childhood, to being the youngest member of chart-topping boyband Take That, through to his unparalleled achievements as a record-breaking solo artist - all the while confronting the challenges that stratospheric fame and success can bring. This wildly ambitious musical biopic also features Steve Pemberton and Alison Steadman.

Australia/UK 2024 Michael Gracey 134m