The Way Things Seem and the Way They Are

With a restoration of ’Picnic at Hanging Rock’ in the cinema this season, this talk will look back at the career of its astonishingly versatile director.

Sat 29 Mar 10:30 (Auditorium)

Returning to the big screen this February to celebrate its 50th anniversary in a dazzling 4K restoration, Peter Weir’s adaptation of Joan Lindsay’s novel has lost none of its mystique or mesmerising power.

In the early 1900s, Miranda (Anne Lambert) attends a girl’s boarding school in Australia. One Valentine's Day, the school's typically strict headmistress (Rachel Roberts) treats the girls to a picnic field trip to an unusual but scenic volcanic formation called Hanging Rock. Despite rules against it, Miranda and several other girls venture off. It's not until the end of the day that the faculty realizes the girls and one of the teachers (Vivean Gray) have disappeared mysteriously. A significant influence on the work of Sofia Coppola, ‘Picnic at Hanging Rock’ has become a landmark for its dreamlike exploration of the intensely romantic, yet profoundly unsettling, experience of girlhood and burgeoning sexuality.

Australia 1975 Peter Weir 107m

NT Live

Steve Coogan plays four roles in the world premiere stage adaptation of Stanley Kubrick’s comedy masterpiece.

Thu 27 Mar 19:30

Sat 28 Mar 15:15

Quand Vient l'Automne

Michelle, a retiree in Burgundy, is expecting her grandson, but a mistake ruins her plans. When her friend Marie-Claude's son is released from prison, Michelle's purpose is revived.

Michelle (Hélène Vincent) is enjoying a peaceful retirement in a Burgundy village, close to her longtime friend Marie-Claude (Josiane Balasko). When her Parisian daughter Valérie (Ludivine Sagnier) drops off her son Lucas (Garlan Erlos) to spend school vacation with his grandma, Michelle, stressed out by her daughter, serves her toxic mushrooms for lunch. Valérie quickly recovers, but forbids her mother from seeing her grandson anymore. Feeling lonely and guilty, Michelle falls into a depression... until Marie-Claude's son Vincent (Pierre Lottin) gets out of prison. This film is a gift of a showcase for Hélène Vincent - she is magnetic. But nobody is exactly who they appear in Ozon’s nimble, perceptive film. When winter and mortality are beckoning, the past only counts for so much. (Subtitles)

France 2024 François Ozon 102m

When an intelligence agent is suspected of betraying the nation, her husband - also a legendary agent - faces the ultimate test of whether to be loyal to his marriage, or his country.

A gripping spy drama about legendary intelligence agents George Woodhouse (Michael Fassbender) and his beloved wife Kathryn (Cate Blanchett). When she is suspected of betraying the nation, George faces the ultimate test – loyalty to his marriage or his country.

Steven Soderbergh (‘Traffic’, ‘Erin Brockovich’) directs a brilliant cast that also includes Pierce Brosnan, Tom Burke and Naomie Harris.

USA 2025 Steven Soderbergh 93m

Screening to complement our Tudor Women on Film Talk (22 Mar) as well as the Richard Burton films (from 11 Apr). King Henry VIII of England discards one wife, Catharine of Aragon, who has failed to produce a male heir, in favour of the young and beautiful Anne Boleyn.

This film adaption of a Broadway play is based on the historical events surrounding the founding of the Church of England. Catherine of Aragon (Irene Papas), empowered wife of King Henry VIII (Richard Burton), has yet to give birth to an heir. King Henry's wandering eyes fall on the devout and nubile Anne Boleyn (Geneviève Bujold), who refuses his sexual advances. Henry eventually convinces Anne to marry him, but to move forward, the king must face a church that believes divorce is a sin. This is a stunningly acted, sumptuous, grand-scale drama of the royal bed chamber and political intrigues that created the Church of England.

UK 1969 Charles Jarrott 145m

The Musical

Elton John's 'Billy Elliot' musical – based on Stephen Daldry's 2000 film – beamed into cinemas, shot live in HD at Victoria Palace Theatre in London's West End.

Sun 30 Mar 14:15

Wed 2 Apr 19:45

A true story that follows seasoned deep-sea divers as they battle the raging elements to rescue their crew mate trapped hundreds of feet below the ocean's surface.

This tense and emotionally powerful action thriller tells the remarkable true story of a commercial diver (Finn Cole of ‘Peaky Blinders’ fame) stranded at the bottom of the North Sea with only five minutes of oxygen and no chance of rescue. A story of one man’s impossible fight for survival and a crew (includes Woody Harrelson and MyAnna Buring) doing everything they can to bring him home alive. Director Alex Parkinson had previously created a documentary on this amazing rescue story, so was the only correct choice to helm this production.

USA 2025 Alex Parkinson 93m

A documentary by Sadie Frost looking at the life of the greatest it-girl of all time - UK model and cultural icon Twiggy, real name Lesley Lawson.

An intimate, star-studded dive into the birth of an icon, and everything that followed. Featuring contributions from Dustin Hoffman, Paul McCartney, Charlotte Tilbury, Joanna Lumley and many more, this is an exploration of the model's upbringing, career, relationships and everything else that has made her the woman she is today, and the first time the icon has told her story first-hand. Frost, this film’s director, is carving out a niche for docs about fashion icons. ‘Twiggy’ is her second, after the playful and very successful ‘Quant’ (2021).

UK 2025 Sadie Frost 97m

Samurai Taimusurippaa

A clever, funny and distinctly Japanese time-travel film that sees a real samurai crash-lands in the middle of a jidaigeki (Japanese period drama) production.

As the Edo period (1603-1868) draws to its dramatic close, two swordsmen clash with a political foe. They are interrupted by a flash of lightning, heralding a bizarre paranormal event, and Kosaka Shinzaemon (Yamaguchi Makiya) awakens to find himself... in a quiet lane in Kyoto. His confusion turns to alarm when among the locals clad in the robes of old Japan, he sees people wearing unfamiliar attire. Even the folks who seem ordinary to him are behaving oddly – it turns out he’s travelled several centuries forward in time, landing right in the middle of a 21stcentury film set! Award-winning director Yasuda Junichi offers a remarkably poignant comedy drama, nailed down by the subtle and convincing performance of experienced jidaigeki actor Yamaguchi Makiya. The film is more than just a fun fish-out-of-water fantasy: it’s an homage to the waning genre of samurai cinema. Audience Award winner for Best Asian Feature at the 2024 Fantasia International Film Festival. (Subtitles)

Japan 2024 Yasuda Junichi 131m

Royal Ballet & Opera

Puccini’s captivating opera of a cold-hearted princess and her mysterious suitor. Featuring the ever-popular ‘Nessun Dorma’, this opera of love and revenge.

Tue 1 Apr 19:15

Sun 6 Apr 14:15

Robert de Niro plays a pair of Italian Americans who run two separate crime families in the mid-20th century.

The film follows two of New York's most notorious organized crime bosses, Frank Costello and Vito Genovese, as they vie for control of the city's streets. Once the best of friends, petty jealousies and a series of betrayals place them on a deadly collision course that will reshape the Mafia (and America) forever. For the actor, stepping into the shoes of both mafiosos – each with their own unique way of running things – was a compelling challenge. “The idea of playing the two different characters was intriguing to me,” De Niro says. “They’re like two different sides of the same coin. One is more rational, more diplomatic. That’s the Costello character. The Genovese character is more erratic, more impulsive.”

USA 2025 Barry Levinson

A film portraying Chicago folks with humour and authenticity, focussing on the Landry family who gather to renovate their family home.

What starts out as a benign family get-together ends up spiralling out of control as some shocking news threatens to tear everything apart. Graham (Josh Radnor) has reconnected with his college crush, Dana (Chandra Russell). Sue (Becky Ann Baker) is questioning the next chapter in her life, including her marriage to complacent Roy (John Ashton). Then, Will (Rob Huebel), the television star blows in. The title is inspired by the famous first line of Anna Karenina, which states that all happy families are alike, but every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way. The cast of talented actors are terrific. They all slip comfortably into their roles, getting their moments to shine.

USA 2023 Haroula Rose 90m

Mickey 17, known as an "expendable," goes on a dangerous journey to colonize an ice planet.

Mickey Barnes (Robert Pattinson) is an “expendable,” a disposable worker sent to colonize an icy, hostile planet. When he defies expectations and survives a deadly mission, Mickey becomes caught in a conflict with his replacement, Mickey 18, forcing him to question his identity, purpose, and the ethics of human life in a future driven by exploitation and cloning. Featuring standout performances from Pattinson, Toni Collette and Mark Ruffalo, Bong Joon Ho’s direction infuses the film with emotional depth and visual splendour. Clever, suspenseful and deeply human, this is a sci-fi spectacle with a soul.

S. Korea/USA 2025 Bong Joon Ho 139m