Juste Ciel!

Five nuns set their sights on winning the cash prize in a major cycling race to raise money to renovate a dilapidated hospice. The only hitch is that none of them can ride a bicycle.

When the local nursing home finds itself in dire straits and in danger of falling to pieces, it’s down to Mother Veronique (Valérie Bonneton) and the five eccentric sisters of the convent of St. Benedict to find a way to help. Spotting a poster for a bike race with a €25,000 cash prize (and the incentive of a trip to the Vatican for the winner!), the sisters might just have their answer. The only drawbacks are that they are terrible cyclists, and their rival convent, led by Mother Veronique’s childhood nemesis Mother Josephine (Sidse Babett Knudsen), have their own plans for the prize money – and just a little more experience. But God works in mysterious ways! Laurent Tirard’s hilariously absurd comedy will have you rolling in the aisles, and the stunning landscapes of France’s Jura region provide a beautiful backdrop too! (Subtitles)

France 2022 Laurent Tirard 87m

Based on a remarkable true story, discover how the poor son of a miner became one of the greatest actors the world has ever known – Richard Burton, with the help of an unlikely mentor.

In the Welsh town of Port Talbot, 1942, Richard Jenkins (Harry Lawtey) lives as a wayward schoolboy, caught between the pressures of his struggling family, a devastating war, and his own ambitions. However, a new opportunity arises when Richard’s natural talent for drama catches the attention of his teacher, Philip Burton (Toby Jones). Taking Richard under his wing, the young man thrives under Philip’s strict tutelage and the guidance of kindly landlady, Ma Smith (Lesley Manville). However, as the acting world comes within Richard’s reach, the burden of his past risks holding him back forever.

UK 2025 Marc Evans 123m

Gisaengchung

The 2019 Palme D’Or and 2020 Best Film Oscar winner is an urgent, brilliantly layered look at timely social themes, which finds writer-director Bong Joon Ho (we also present his ‘Mickey 17’ this season) in near-total command of his craft. Don’t miss this single screening.

In this pitch-black modern fairytale, we meet the Park Family: the picture of aspirational wealth. And the Kim Family, rich in street smarts but not much else. Masterminded by college-aged Ki-woo, the Kim children expediently install themselves as tutor and art therapist, to the Parks. Soon, a symbiotic relationship forms between the two families. The Kims provide "indispensable" luxury services while the Parks obliviously bankroll their entire household. When a parasitic interloper threatens the Kims' newfound comfort, a savage, underhanded battle for dominance breaks out, threatening to destroy the fragile ecosystem between the two families. This has been hailed by some critics as a nearly perfect film, from Bong's masterful use of framing and visual language and control of a wildly shifting tone to the performances (all terrific) to the commentary on class division. Also won Best Director, Original Screenplay and Foreign Film Oscar! (Subtitles)

South Korea 2019 Bong Joon Ho 132m

Exhibition on Screen

The Impressionists are the most popular group in art history – millions flock every year to marvel at their masterpieces. But, to begin with, they were scorned, penniless outsiders. 1874 was the year that changed everything; the first Impressionists, “hungry for independence”, broke the mould by holding their own exhibition outside official channels. Impressionism was born and the art world was changed forever.

What led to that first groundbreaking show 150 years ago? Who were the maverick personalities that wielded their brushes in such a radical and provocative way? The spectacular Musée d’Orsay exhibition brings fresh eyes to this extraordinary tale of passion and rebellion. The story is told not by historians and curators but in the words of those who witnessed the dawn of Impressionism: the artists, press and people of Paris, 1874. Made in close collaboration with the Musée d’Orsay and National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C.

90m

We are delighted to welcome producer Phil Grabsky to introduce and Q&A the Apr 14 screening.

Sophie Scholl - Die Letzten Tage

A dramatization of the final days of Sophie Scholl, one of the most famous members of the German World War II anti-Nazi resistance movement, The White Rose.

In 1943, student activist Sophie Scholl (Julia Jentsch) and fellow members of the White Rose resistance group work tirelessly to distribute anti-war and anti-Nazi propaganda in Munich. During one such mission, the Gestapo take her and her brother (Fabian Hinrichs) into custody; six days later, Sophie meets her fate. Alexander Held strikes a memorably ambivalent note as the Gestapo inspector who scorns Sophie's convictions but admires her courage.

The courtroom proceedings are dominated by Andre Hennicke's raving Judge Friesler, but Sophie spits back in an undeniably rousing moment that he'll "soon be standing where we are now". This is a compelling and suspenseful commemoration of an incredibly courageous young woman. (Subtitles)

Germany 2004 Marc Rothemund 117m

Straume

Winner of the Golden Globe for Best Animation. Cat is a solitary animal, but as its home is devastated by a great flood, he finds refuge on a boat populated by various species, and will have to team up with them despite their differences.

A wondrous journey, through realms natural and mystical, ‘Flow’ follows a courageous cat after his home is devastated by a great flood. Teaming up with a capybara, a lemur, a bird and a dog to navigate a boat in search of dry land, they must rely on trust, courage and wits to survive the perils of a newly aquatic planet. This is a thrilling animated spectacle as well as a profound meditation on the fragility of the environment and the spirit of friendship and community. Steeped in the soaring possibilities of visual storytelling, ‘Flow’ is a feast for the senses and a treasure for the heart.

Latvia/Belgium/France 2024 Gints Zilbalodis 85m

“In a dystopian future”… After decades alone, a wealthy family living in a salt mine encounters a stranger.

Twenty-five years after environmental collapse left the Earth uninhabitable, Mother, Father and Son (Tilda Swinton, Michael Shannon and George MacKay) are confined to their palatial bunker, where they struggle to maintain hope and a sense of normalcy by clinging to the rituals of daily life - until the arrival of a stranger, Girl (Moses ingram), upends their happy routine. Son, a naïve twenty-something who has never seen the outside world, is fascinated by the newcomer, and suddenly the delicate bonds of blind optimism that have held this wealthy clan together begin to fray. But their reckoning with difficult truths also points to a different way forward, one based on acceptance, love, and a capacity for change. Director Oppenheimer gave us the acclaimed documentaries ‘The Act of Killing’ and ‘The Look of Silence’, examining the darkest aspects of human nature. So it is a surprise to see ‘The End’ focus on the beauty in such a grim scenario - and that is before the characters start breaking into song.

USA 2024 Joshua Oppenheimer 148m

Vaudeville Theatre

Think you know the six Wives of Henry VIII? Think again... The crowning glory of the West End, Broadway and beyond, history is about to get over-throne in the homegrown hit musical sensation.

Sat 12 Apr 15:45

Wed 16 Apr 20:30

Dog Man, half dog and half man, he is sworn to protect and serve as he doggedly pursues the feline supervillain Petey the Cat.

When a faithful police dog and his human police officer owner are injured together on the job, a harebrained but life-saving surgery fuses the two of them together and Dog Man is born. Dog Man is sworn to protect and serve - and fetch, sit and roll over. As Dog Man embraces his new identity and strives to impress his Chief, he must stop the pretty evil plots of feline supervillain Petey the Cat. Petey's latest plan is to clone himself, creating the kitten Lil Petey, to double his ability to do crime stuff. Things get complicated, though, when Lil Petey forges an unexpected bond with Dog Man. In the process, they discover the power of family (and kittens!) to bring even the most hostile foes together. This is glorious fun!

USA 2025 Peter Hastings 89m

Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche headline this English language retelling of Homer's ancient epic poem the Odyssey. A story of the Trojan War, Odysseus and his return to his Queen.

After 20 years away, Odysseus (Fiennes) washes up on the shores of Ithaca, haggard and unrecognizable. The King has returned from the Trojan War, but much has changed in his kingdom. His beloved wife Penelope (Binoche) is a prisoner in her own home, hounded by suitors vying to be king. Their son Telemachus (Charlie Plummer) faces death at the hands of these suitors, who see him as merely an obstacle to their pursuit of the kingdom. Odysseus has also changed - scarred by his experience of the Trojan War, he is no longer the mighty warrior from years past - but he must rediscover his strength in order to win back all that he has lost. Fiennes makes each moment quietly riveting. Before you ask – no, the director is not related to Pier Paolo Pasolini (‘The Gospel According to St. Matthew’, ‘Nights of Cabiria’) but instead, is the nephew of famous Italian director Luchino Visconti (‘The Leopard’, ‘Death in Venice’).

Italy/Greece/UK 2024 Uberto Pasolini 116m

A father and his daughter hit a unicorn with their car and bring it to the wilderness retreat of a mega-wealthy pharmaceutical CEO.

Elliot (Paul Rudd) and daughter Ridley (Jenna Ortega) accidentally hit and kill a unicorn while en route to a weekend retreat organized by his billionaire boss (Richard E. Grant). Eventually, they realize that the unicorn’s blood and shavings from its horn can cure cancer, so some seek to exploit the creature's miraculous curative properties. The participants at the retreat (including Téa Leoni, Jessica Hynes and the hilarious scene-stealing Will Poulter) find themselves subject to the vengeful rage of the magical creature's mother. This is a fun yet dark comedy/horror that defies genre.

USA 2025 Alex Scharfman 104m

In the heart of a bustling Times Square kitchen, dreams and desperation collide as the staff each chase the elusive American dream.

When money goes missing from the till, suspicion falls on Pedro (Raúl Briones), an undocumented cook who dreams of a better life and is in love with waitress Julia (Rooney Mara). Restaurant owner Rashid (Oded Fehr) has promised to help Pedro obtain legal status, but a shocking revelation about Julia compels Pedro to spiral into an act that threatens to shut down the establishment. This is a comic and tragic tribute to the invisible people who keep our restaurants running and our stomachs full. While the “kitchen drama” has become a hot genre recently (‘The Bear’, ‘Boiling Point’) ‘La Cocina’ has a different energy. It understands that the food emerging from the back of The Grill comes through a deeply broken system, one that grinds up and discards people with barely a second thought.

USA 2024 Alonso Ruizpalacios 139m