Dane-ye Anjir-e Ma'abed

A mesmerisingly gripping and controlled parable-thriller in which the paranoia, misogyny and rage of the Iranian state are mapped seamlessly onto an ordinary family unit.

Iman (Missagh Zareh) is a judge who sees the benefits for his family in his career’s rapid advancement, but his student daughters (Setareh Malek and Mahsa Rostami) are suspicious of his increasing collaboration with the regime. He is warned not to confide in his wife (Soheila Golestani) as he is encouraged to wave through death sentences without considering the evidence. Iman’s divided loyalties are exposed when his government-issued handgun goes missing, and suspicion falls on the women in his home. Having debuted at Cannes following Rasoulof fleeing Iran in fears for his safety, this film was many critics’ picks for best of the festival. It combines an electrifying generational battle with real-life footage of Iran’s protest movement, and reveals the reasons why people accept toxic regimes and the courage it takes to resist them. (Subtitles)

Germany/France 2024 Mohammad Rasoulof 168m

At 11:30pm on October 11th, 1975, a ferocious troupe of young comedians and writers changed television forever. Find out what happened behind the scenes in the 90 minutes leading up to the first broadcast of Saturday Night Live.

Full of humour, chaos and the magic of a revolution that almost wasn't, we count down the minutes in real time until we hear those famous words… "Live from New York, it's Saturday Night!". This seems like a foolhardy challenge of finding sufficiently funny people to play some of TV’s most beloved - actors who could channel the frailties and insecurities of their counterparts, taking icons and making them human. Who plays Chevy Chase? Or Gilda Radner? Or John Belushi, for that matter? Reitman finds just the right ensemble to capture the lunacy from which ‘SNL’ was born.

USA 2024 Jason Reitman 109m

Inugami-ke no Ichizoku

Money makes the world go around – and so it drives people to murder. This is legendary Japanese director Ichikawa Kon’s 1976 classic which holds a very special place in Japan’s long tradition of supernatural suspense.

Just after World War II, the patriarch of the affluent Inugami family dies. The families of his three direct descendants gather, eager to know how his vast assets are distributed in his will. Their anticipation turns to despair, however, when things are revealed to be less straightforward than they expected: the only way of inheriting his fortune is through the marriage of one of his three grandchildren to Tamako, who is an outsider but lives with the deceased.  Ichikawa, one of Japan’s legendary directors, made a name for himself with his skilful use of colours, and here he sets a new standard for the Japanese noir with this multi award-winning blockbuster. Starring Ishizaka Koji, Takamine Mieko, Sanjo Miki and Kusabue Mitsuko. (Subtitles)

Japan 1976 Ichikawa Kon 146m