Steve Coogan stars in this poignant dramedy that follows an Englishman's personal and political awakening after he adopts a penguin during a cataclysmic period in Argentine history.

Argentina’s 1976 military coup d’état, along with the sustained period of violence and forced disappearances that it ushered in, isn’t an obvious historical backdrop for a heartwarming tale of human-animal bonding. But that’s how the timing worked out for Tom Michell, an English teacher stationed at an elite Buenos Aires private school, at the time of the turmoil: With the country in chaos and many of his colleagues in crisis, he was figuring out what to do with the Magellan penguin he had accidentally adopted on a weekend jaunt to Uruguay. Director Cattaneo is best known for ‘The Full Monty’ and ‘Military Wives’, and Coogan brings his signature dry irony to proceedings, but the penguin is the real star here.

UK 2024 Peter Cattaneo 110m

A young woman released from prison struggles to regain custody of her children. When she bumps into her childhood friend, the two women soon realize their only chance is to join forces and take destiny into their own hands.

Molly (Posy Sterling) is a dreamer and a fighter. She is also a single mum that has just been released from four months in prison. When she goes to Social Services only to be told she can’t simply pick them up, it’s as though all the air has suddenly been sucked out of her world. The sudden appearance of a childhood friend she’s not seen in years, Amina (Idil Ahmed), leads Molly to clamp down on her panic for appearances sake. But it turns out Amina has plenty of trouble of her own as she and her young daughter Mya (Aliyah Abdi) are currently living in a hostel. But now Molly has a chance to break that downward spiral: to go on her own heroic journey and give her kids the love and hope no one gave her. Although the emotions in this story are raw, they are approached with sensitivity and a strong respect for people who are trying hard, even if they don’t always succeed.

UK 2024 Daisy-May Hudson 100m

An assassin trained in the traditions of the Ruska Roma organization sets out to seek revenge after her father's death.

Following in the footsteps of Keanu Reeves’ John Wick was always going to be a tough ask for Ana De Armas’ foray into the world of assassins. This is a simple revenge story from the world of the ‘John Wick’ franchise, complete with incredible stunts and improvised weapons; from flame throwers to grenades to ice skates… you must see it to believe it. There is exciting action from start to finish with some phenomenally choreographed and staged fight scenes. Ana de Armas is an action hero for the ages. The cast also features Keanu Reeves, Anjelica Huston, Gabriel Byrne and Ian McShane.

USA 2025 Len Wiseman 125m

Punchy, perfectly paced, very cool and so much fun.

Vincent Vega (John Travolta) and Jules Winnfield (Samuel L. Jackson) are hitmen with a penchant for philosophical discussions. In this ultra-hip, multi-strand crime movie, their storyline is interwoven with those of their boss, gangster Marsellus Wallace (Ving Rhames); his actress wife, Mia (Uma Thurman); struggling boxer Butch Coolidge (Bruce Willis); master fixer Winston Wolfe (Harvey Keitel) and a nervous pair of armed robbers, Pumpkin (Tim Roth) and Honey Bunny (Amanda Plummer). Featuring scenes that have already become cinema legends – such as the dancing scene with Travolta and Thurman at Jack Rabbit Slim’s diner, as well as the “royale with cheese” conversation in the hitmen’s car.

USA 1994 Quentin Tarantino 154m

Special Fundraising Screening

A touching and unforgettable story that is a heartfelt guide to truly embracing every second of life we are given, screening at Chichester Cinema to raise funds for the Coppafeel! Charity.

With a party in a Cornish cathedral featuring Dawn French (dressed as a vicar), Fearne Cotton, a cardboard coffin and hundreds of friends, Kris Hallenga’s 'FUN-eral' (living funeral) is the opening of a documentary that tells the story of one of Britain’s most famous and vivacious cancer campaigner. Diagnosed with Stage IV breast cancer at 23, Kris makes a radical decision about what she wants to do with the rest of her life. Together with her twin sister, Maren, they start the Coppafeel! charity, harnessing the power of her own experience to show millions of young people how to check for signs of cancer. In 2013, Kris made a film about her life for the BBC and over the decade that followed, she continued to invite the cameras back in.

UK 2024 Neil Bonner 58m

We thank Susan Zwinkels for bringing this film to our attention and for her own efforts in raising funds for this charity. All profits from this screening will go to the Coppafeel! Charity

A 93-year-old Irish writer Edna O'Brien recounts her controversial life, novels, love affairs, and stardom through personal journals read by actress Jessie Buckley.

In 1960, a young Irish woman named Edna O’Brien wrote a sexually frank debut novel, ‘The Country Girls’. She became a literary sensation, writing for The New Yorker, delivering provocative interviews and authoring screenplays. Her success enraged her writer husband and made her a pariah in her native Ireland, where her books were banned and burned. She would make her home in London, where she conducted numerous love affairs, hosted star-studded parties and made and lost a fortune. In July 2024, Edna passed away and this film provides a final testimony from her, aged 93, as she reflects upon her extraordinary life. Granting the director access to her personal journals, read aloud in the film by Irish actress Jessie Buckley, and with additional perspectives offered from Gabriel Byrne, Walter Mosley and an array of renowned writers, Edna does not shy from any subject.

Ireland / UK 2024 Sinéad O'Shea 99m

Join us in celebrating Sir David Attenborough's 99th Birthday in style as the celebrated broadcaster explores the planet's undersea habitats emphasizing the ocean's vital importance while highlighting opportunities for marine life recovery.

This powerful documentary takes viewers on a breathtaking journey showing there is nowhere more vital for our survival, more full of life, wonder or surprise, than the ocean. In the film the celebrated broadcaster and filmmaker reveals how his lifetime has coincided with the great age of ocean discovery. Through spectacular sequences featuring coral reefs, kelp forests and the open ocean, Attenborough shares why a healthy ocean keeps the entire planet stable and flourishing. Stunning, immersive cinematography showcases the wonder of life under the seas and exposes the realities and challenges facing our ocean as never-before-seen, from destructive fishing techniques to mass coral reef bleaching. Yet the story is one of optimism, with Attenborough pointing to inspirational stories from around the world to deliver his greatest message: the ocean can recover to a glory beyond anything anyone alive has ever seen. This special presentation includes 15 minutes of theatrically exclusive content.

UK 2025 C. Butfield/T. Nowlan/K. Scholey 100m

To complement our ‘Sexual Revolution of the 60s on Screen’ talk, we present this British classic, where beautiful but amoral model Diana Scott sleeps her way to the top of the London fashion scene at the height of the Swinging Sixties.

Gorgeous but easily bored Diana Scott (Julie Christie) becomes a popular model and actress in London in the 1960s while toying with the affections of two older men, married television newsman Robert Gold (Dirk Bogarde) and public relations mastermind Miles Brand (Laurence Harvey). Although Diana is the toast of swinging London, the dark side of fame and fortune begins to take its toll, but it proves harder to escape the mod scene than she expects. Schlesinger created a film that set tongues to wagging and moralists to wringing their hands. Christie's Oscar-winning performance is remarkably vibrant and outgoing, and hasn't aged a bit.

UK 1965 John Schlesinger 128m

Før Stormen

The 27 residents of the tiny island of Mandø are used to severe weather and flooding, but climate change is making things worse and serious catastrophe looms.

Yet the island's last farmer, Gregers, whose family has lived there for eight generations, hasn’t given up. He refuses to build a life elsewhere and hopes to find a wife to manage the farm with him. Accompanied by masterfully crafted shots of the distinctive landscape and shifting skies, ‘As the Tide Comes In' is a charming and compelling portrait of a universal fate that affects us all.

(Subtitles)

Denmark 2023 Juan Palacios & Sofie Husum Johannesen 88m

Sign up for the next CineCircle to discuss films seen at New Park.

Choose a warming drink, a glass of wine or beer at Brasserie Blanc.

TICKETS ARE FREE, but bookings are essential as we have limited numbers.

Brasserie Blanc, Chichester