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

The World of Richard Burton

To complement the release of ‘Mr. Burton’ this season, we present a very rare screening of the 1988 Tony Palmer documentary on the Welsh actor who was proclaimed to be the natural successor to Olivier.

Few great actors have been so unfairly represented in the public image. Drunk, a wastrel, uncontrollable, unprofessional, besotted with glamour and wealth - just a few epithets dumped on Richard Burton. This documentary is a gold-mine for fans of the Welsh actor (as well as those less aware of his work), with a melange of inciteful interviews with friends and family, unseen news clips and well-chosen greatest-hits moments on film from Burton’s storied career. Tony Palmer – who worked with Burton on his epic ‘Wagner’ - has access to a number of interview clips of the man himself, in good form and full of anecdotes which reflect the bonhomie of the time; Sir John Gielgud also contributes a few belters.

UK 1988 Tony Palmer 115m

We are delighted to welcome back director Tony Palmer for a Q&A after the screening, who will as always, share many interesting anecdotes on his subject.

Renée Zellweger, Hugh Grant, Colin Firth and Emma Thompson reprise their roles as Bridget Jones, Daniel Cleaver, Mark Darcy and Doctor Rawlings, respectively, with Chiwetel Ejiofor, Leo Woodall, Isla Fisher, Josette Simon, Nico Parker and Leila Farzad joining the cast.

UK 2025 Michael Morris

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