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

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

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

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

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

A Formula One driver comes out of retirement to mentor and team up with a younger driver in one of the most anticipated movie releases of the year.

Sonny Hayes (Brad Pitt), a Formula One driver who raced in the 1990s, has a horrible crash, forcing him to retire from Formula One and start racing in other disciplines. A Formula One team owner and friend, Ruben (Javier Bardem), contacts Hayes and asks him to come out of retirement to mentor rookie prodigy Joshua "Noah" Pearce (Damson Idris) for the Apex Grand Prix team.  The cast also features Kerry Condon (‘The Banshees of Inisherin’) as the Technical Director of the team and Kim Bodnia (‘The Bridge’, ‘Killing Eve’) as the Team Principal. Directed by Joseph Kosinski who brought us ‘Oblivion’ and ‘Top Gun: Maverick’, so expect this to be a cinematic tour de force, blending intense drama, high-speed action and intricate storytelling. Look out for some amazing cameos, as all ten Formula One teams and their drivers in the 2023 season appear as themselves including: Lewis Hamilton and George Russell (Mercedes), Max Verstappen and Sergio Pérez (Red Bull Racing) as well as Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz Jr. (Ferrari). Hans Zimmer has done the soundtrack for the film, so you know you will be coming out of the cinema fully energised.

USA 2025 Joseph Kosinski 156m

A Japanese puppeteer's daughter gets caught up with criminals when their show crosses paths with a crime gang, led by Sugarman and his son Little Sugar.

Set in the rugged landscape of 1790s Britain, Tornado (Kōki) is a young and determined Japanese woman who finds herself caught in a perilous situation when she and her father's travelling puppet Samurai show crosses paths with a gang of ruthless criminals led by Sugarman (Tim Roth) and his ambitious son Little Sugar (Jack Lowden). In an attempt to create a new life for herself, Tornado seizes the opportunity to take matters into her own hands and steal the gold from their most recent heist. What follows is a thrilling action tale, as Tornado, armed with her father's Samurai training, causes havoc as she seeks revenge. It is very interesting to see both the Western and Samurai genres being transplanted to 18th Century rural Scotland. You may remember director John Maclean for his brilliant 2015 Western, ‘Slow West’.

UK 2025 John Maclean 91m

From the People’s War to the People’s Peace

To mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, a Talk for the Festival of Chichester, looking back at the portrayal of this momentous period in cinema.

Professor Maggie Andrews explores the role films played in the transition to peace at the end of the Second World War. ‘The Lamp Still Burns’ (1943), They Came to a City (1944) provided glimpses of the society the 1945 Labour Government was expected to create. However subsequent, films expressed the fantasies, fears and discontents created by the legacies of war.

This talk by Professor Maggie Andrews explores the role British films played in the transition from war to peace at the end of the Second World War. During the conflict cinema offered distraction, escapism, news, propaganda and dreams of a more egalitarian and socially just future. Films, such as ‘The Lamp Still Burns’ (1943) ‘They Came to a City’ (1944) and ‘Victory Wedding’ (1944) provided glimpses of the New Jerusalem the Labour Government, elected on the 5th July 1945, was expected to create.

In the following years, crime films, melodramas (including ‘They Were Sisters’ and ‘Waterloo Road’ — both 1945), action movies, even comedies, expressed and explored the fantasies and fears of a nation coming to terms with the complex legacies of war, whilst the popularity of films such as ‘Madonna and the Seven Moons’ (1945), ‘Scott of Antarctic’ (1948) or ‘The Glass Mountain’ (1949) indicated the nation’s ambivalence and ambiguity towards every day, domestic life in peacetime.

Adult £7.50, Under 25s £6, Blue Light & unemployed £6.

Sat 5 Jul 10:30

To complement the production of ‘Marie and Rosetta’ at the Chichester Festival Theatre, we are delighted to present a documentary on the life and music of African American gospel singer and guitar virtuoso Sister Rosetta Tharpe.  

Southern-born, Chicago-raised and New York-made, Sister Rosetta rose from poverty to become one of the world’s most popular gospel singers. During the 1940s and 50s she introduced the spiritual passion of gospel into the secular world of rock & roll, inspiring some of its greatest stars, including Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis and Little Richard. “Sister Rosetta Tharpe was a powerful force of nature, anything but ordinary and plain. She was a big good-looking woman, and divine, not to mention sublime and splendid”. – Bob Dylan. “She’d sing till you cried, then sing till you danced for joy” – Roxie Moore. “Absolutely brilliant – one of the best music docs I’ve ever seen!” - Fred McCormick. First broadcast on BBC Four, this rare screening has been made possible by the family of local director (and great friend of Chichester Cinema) Mick Csaky.

UK 2011 Mick Csaky 60m

Den Sista Resan

In Sweden's entry for Best International Feature Film at the 97th Academy Awards, renowned Swedish TV-duo Filip and Fredrik embark on a trip to France, aiming to rekindle the zest for life of Filip's father.

When Lars Hammar, after 40 years as a beloved French teacher in Köping, retires, he envisions a delightful "third age" with travel, wine, and experiences together with his wife Tiina. But instead of indulging in life's pleasures, Lars becomes increasingly passive at home in his leather armchair, to the great frustration and despair of both Tiina and their son Filip. That's when Filip gets an idea - to take his frail old father to his beloved France and let him revisit the places he has loved most in life. By retracing the same road trip the family used to take when Filip was a child and secretly orchestrating some of life's most delightful moments, he hopes to reignite Lars' zest for life. With the help of his best friend Fredrik, some hefty doses of optimism and creativity, and an old orange Renault 4, the adventure can begin! This beautiful documentary - the most-watched documentary in Swedish history - will effortlessly delight and sincerely move anyone who takes a chance on it.

Sweden 2024 Filip Hammar & Fredrik Wikingsson 95m

Director Danny Boyle (‘Slumdog Millionaire’) and writer Alex Garland (‘The Beach’) reunite for ‘28 Years Later’, a terrifying new story set in the world created by ‘28 Days Later’.

It has been almost three decades since the rage virus escaped a biological weapons laboratory, and now, still in a ruthlessly enforced quarantine, some have found ways to exist amidst the infected. One such group of survivors lives on a small island connected to the mainland by a single, heavily defended causeway. When one of the group leaves the island on a mission into the dark heart of the mainland, he discovers secrets, wonders and horrors that have mutated not only the infected but other survivors as well. The astonishing cast includes Ralph Fiennes, Jodie Comer, Jack O'Connell and Aaron Taylor-Johnson.

UK/USA 2025 Danny Boyle 126m

Plus Director Q&A

Celebrating the incredible story of Ireland's contribution to the culinary and drinks world with some unexpected discoveries along the way.

This is a humorous look at the likes of Guinness, Hennessy Cognac, Irish whiskey, Muff Liquor Co and Baileys Irish Cream and how they complement Irish cuisine. It features an all-star cast including Guinness heir Rory Guinness, Deirdre O’Carroll the blender of Jameson whiskey and Peaky Blinder actor Sam Neill. Filmed in spectacular locations around Ireland including Ballymaloe House (with renowned chef JR Ryall) and Midleton Distillery and Chateau Margaux in Bordeaux (once owned by the Irish). It also features legendary Irish publican Oisín Rogers who reveals the secret behind the best pint of Guinness in England at the Devonshire Soho. This critically acclaimed and humorous film was described as “poured to perfection, raise a glass to this cinematic gem”.

UK 2025 Frank Mannion 90m

We are delighted to welcome director Frank Manion for a Q&A following the Sat 12 Jul screening.

Based on the life of Ruth Ellis, the last woman hanged in Britain, this is the story of a stormy relationship, complicated by the strictures of 1950s social class and gender roles.

This tale of murderous revenge focuses on Ruth Ellis (Miranda Richardson), a former prostitute and single mom, who falls for David Blakely (Rupert Everett) when she meets him in a club. Although Blakely comes from an aristocratic background, compared with Ellis's hardscrabble upbringing, the two start a torrid affair. But when David starts to pull away, Ruth is overwhelmed by jealousy and turns to extreme measure to get him back. This is a film of astonishing performances and moody, atmospheric visuals - Richardson is a true highlight in what was her first feature film performance. We present this film on the 70th anniversary of Ruth Ellis’ execution.

UK 1985 Mike Newell 96m

A pilot is shot down over Italy and rescued by a girl who tells him about a local legend. Returning home to his loving wife, he is inspired to write an opera about the tale, but longs to meet his rescuer again.

Shot down over Italy and rescued by the resistance, RAF pilot and composer Richard Wilder (Michael Denison) forms a deep bond with the beautiful Alida (Valentina Cortese), who tells him about the legend of the Glass Mountain. After returning home to England, Richard uses the details from the tale to create an opera with the support of his loving wife, Anne (Dulcie Gray). Unable to forget Alida, however, Richard remains conflicted until the night of the opera's premiere, when fate intervenes. The film includes stunning use of Italian mountains, plus an unforgettable soundtrack. Italian baritone Tito Gobbi plays himself, while Denison and Gray were real-life husband and wife, giving extra gravitas to everything we see on screen.

UK/Italy 1949 Henry Cass 99m

The lives of two strangers are changed forever when they cross paths on the surfing adventure of a lifetime, discovering love, downshifting and four charismatic horses.

This is a stunning, intimate and unflinching series of love letters within a documentary - firstly, a love between two people, and secondly between humanity and the Earth. Ecologist Matty Hannon begins an incredible solo adventure, to surf the west coast of the Americas by motorbike, from the top of Alaska to the tip of Patagonia. But deep in the wilderness - alone with the wolves and the bears - the journeyman’s plans unexpectedly fall to pieces. After losing everything, and on the cusp of quitting, he meets the girl of his dreams, a permaculture farmer named Heather. Shot over 16 years, the result is an adventurous exposé on the more-than-human-world, offering a physical and spiritual odyssey to better understand our place in Nature. (Some subtitles)

Australia 2022 Matty Hannon 90m

Two school-friends join forces with a green-fingered granddad to fence a shed of weed that the old man has accidentally grown on his allotment.

The “badlands” of East Anglia. A young man is released from prison after serving time for a crime he didn't commit. Broke and looking for answers, Jayce goes into business with the elderly neighbour of his childhood friend. In doing so, he becomes embroiled in a scheme to sell a large amount of cannabis grown his neighbour’s allotment and stored in his shed. When their covert activities attract the unwanted attention of some local dimwit hoodlums, who have noticed a drop in demand for their own stash, they are forced to confront their past mistakes, discovering a mutual respect they never thought possible. An unmistakenly British comedy caper. Graham Fellows, Laurence Rickard (Horrible Histories, Ghosts) and Alistair Green (Ted Lasso, Flowers)

UK 2025 Richard Bracewell 89m

La Dégustation

A very enjoyable wine-based romantic comedy about two awkward singles who form an unlikely couple and inadvertently find love.

Jacques (Bernard Campan) is divorced and runs a small wine shop on the verge of bankruptcy in a small French town. Hortense (Isabelle Carré) is also single, full of life and eager to find true love. One day she walks into his store looking for a good drop of wine to share with a group of homeless people that she regularly cooks for, and before too long she has signed up for a tasting workshop at Jacques’ store. The road to romance though, is not exactly smooth, especially when both of them are harbouring secrets – and nursing past hurts. Carré ('L'Enfant de Personne') and Campan ('Tous Inconnus') are both César award-winning actors and have convincing on-screen chemistry for an unlikely couple. Just like a good wine, ‘The Tasting’ has a lasting finish. (Subtitles)

France 2023 Ivan Calbérac 92m

Director James Mangold (‘Walk the Line’, ‘Ford v Ferrari’) takes on the enigmatic life of Bob Dylan in a fresh, unconventional biopic. Starring Timothée Chalamet as the iconic folk singer, the film explores Dylan’s transformative journey through fame, identity and reinvention during the 1960s.

Following Dylan’s rise from a Greenwich Village poet to a global music icon, we see the chaos, ambition and uncertainty of a young artist challenging himself and his audience. Chalamet embodies Dylan’s charisma and intensity, while scenes with real-life performances and legendary figures - from Joan Baez to Johnny Cash - anchor the story in music history. Mangold’s direction blends period detail with a restless energy, making this an intimate, raw look at an artist in constant evolution.

USA 2024 James Mangold 141m

The Church and Cinema in a Secular Age

As a new Pope was elected in Rome, the film ‘Conclave’ became the most successful in the history of Chichester Cinema - a perfect time for a talk looking back at the Church in film.

Sat 19 Jul 10:30 – In the Auditorium

A compelling portrait of an artist obsessed, this documentary follows German auteur Werner Herzog as he deals with difficult actors, bad weather and getting a boat over a mountain, all in an effort to make a film.

German director Werner Herzog begins work on his 1982 epic ‘Fitzcarraldo’ (also screening this week) but soon runs into serious setbacks, from casting problems to his own stubborn refusal to use special effects. After having to reshoot much of the film because the lead actor was recast, his crew must then haul an old steamboat over a mountain using manpower alone. With a resolve bordering on insanity, Herzog struggles to realize his vision, vowing to see the film completed - even if it leads to his undoing. Critics consider this one of the best – if not the best – documentaries on the making of a film. (Subtitles)

USA/West Germany 1982 Les Blank 95m

A young man fraught with guilt longs to defect from the IRA. He is drawn to the widow of a slain Protestant policeman but must hide his secret that he was involved in her husband's murder and evade the authorities.

1980s Northern Ireland: Cal (John Lynch) is a member of the Irish Republican Army, but has no stomach for the jobs he is asked to do, including driving the getaway car of the killer of a Protestant police officer. With his guilt eating away at him, he longs to defect from the organization, but Cal meets librarian Marcella (Helen Mirren), the widow of the slain officer, and is instantly drawn to her. Their mutual feelings of confusion and distress bring them together, but their relationship faces obstacles as Cal must hide his secret from Marcella, while also dodging the police. The two leads give their individual characters great substance, which only adds to the irresistible chemistry which is more than evident on screen.

UK/Ireland 1984 Pat O'Connor 102m

A horse trainer living in an isolated and picturesque location is dealing with a personal tragedy, when her daughter arrives at her doorstep, frightened, trembling and covered in someone else's blood.

In this edge-of-your-seat thriller, Kate (Julianne Moore) is a mother struggling to make peace with her troubled daughter Claire (Sydney Sweeney) - a situation that becomes even more perilous when Claire shows up on Kate's doorstep in a hysterical state. As Kate pieces together the shocking truth of what happened, she learns just how far a mother will go to try to save her child in this gripping tale of love, sacrifice and survival from BAFTA-winning director of ‘Beast’ Michael Pearce. Julianne Moore and Sydney Sweeney are at different points in their careers, but they are both equally able to play complicated, emotional characters capable of holding secrets until the moment they explode to the surface.

USA 2025 Michael Pearce 83m

Werner Herzog’s monumental marvel of a film is the story of an extremely determined man who intends to build an opera house in the middle of a jungle.

Opera-loving European Brian Fitzgerald (Klaus Kinski) lives in a small Peruvian city. Better known as Fitzcarraldo, this foreigner is obsessed with building an opera house in his town and decides that to make his dream a reality he needs to make a killing in the rubber business. To become a successful rubber baron, Fitzcarraldo hatches an elaborate plan that calls for a particularly impressive feat - bringing a massive boat over a mountain with the help of a band of natives. This is a truly remarkable film with a production as audacious as the feat it's depicting, ‘Fitzcarraldo’ is nothing short of an awe-inspiring spectacle. We also screen the documentary on the troubled making of this film ‘Burden of Dreams’, which really lays bare the love-hate relationship between Herzog and Kinski. (Subtitles)

West Germany/Peru 1982 Werner Herzog 158m

Dutch National Opera

‘Cavalleria Rusticana’ (Cav) and ‘Pagliacci’ (Pag) are often referred to as opera’s Siamese twins, but if you have ever encountered them together, be it on stage, on DVD or on CD, it has always been Cav that has come first. Why? There’s no rule about it, so why should it?

Director Robert Carsen reverses the order in this production for the Dutch National Opera, but it isn’t a mere whim. It is a key part of his vision for this pairing of works because one flows from the other. Carsen’s overreaching theme is taken from Tonio’s prologue that opens ‘Pagliacci’: the boundary between fictional emotions as portrayed on stage and the real emotions of the actors/singers themselves. Who is who, participants in the drama or audience? In an extraordinary coup de theatre at the opening of ‘Pagliacci’ the soberly-dressed patrons in the first three rows of the stalls rise to a disturbance and transform themselves into the chorus. And at the end of ‘Cavalleria Rusticana’, they disperse, revealing a huge mirror in which the audience themselves are reflected as witnesses of the tragedies. Sung in Italian with English subtitles

176m inc Interval

Nattvardsgästerna

A Swedish pastor fails a loving woman, a suicidal fisherman and God.

‘Winter Light’ focuses on a small group of parishioners found at the beginning of the film attending Holy Communion. The village pastor (Gunnar Björnstrand) is realising he has become an atheist since his wife's death. His faith is further tested by an offer of marriage from a schoolteacher (Ingrid Thulin) tortured with eczema, and the solace demanded by a man (Max von Sydow) suicidally depressed by the threat of nuclear war. The pastor fails on both counts and Bergman gives us an ambiguous ending back in the church service - what he himself called 'certainty unmasked'. Never a comfortable film, it's finely acted by a familiar Bergman ensemble, and the awesomely cold vistas form a perfect counterpoint to the spiritual freeze.

Sweden 1963 Ingmar Bergman 81m

In Liebe, Eure Hilde

A young woman falls in love with a member of an anti-Nazi group. The two spend the summer together until they get caught by the Gestapo and she is imprisoned, eight months pregnant.

Berlin, 1942: it was the most beautiful summer for Hilde Coppi (Liv Lise Fries) – madly in love with Hans (Johannes Hegeman) and joyfully pregnant. But amid the passion there is grave danger. Hans becomes involved in the anti-Nazi resistance, with a group of young people who will later be called the “Red Orchestra”. Despite the huge risks, Hilde decides to get involved herself but is arrested by the Gestapo and gives birth to her son in prison. Now in a desperate situation, Hilde develops a quiet inspirational strength, but she only has a few months left with her son. The main protagonist is mostly soft-spoken, reticent and reserved throughout, which is very refreshing, nothing like the warrior queens and Amazonian figures popular cinema loves to laud as female role models. You may remember Andreas Dresden as the director of our 2022 Chichester Film Festival Surprise film – ‘Rabiye Kurnaz vs. George W. Bush’.

Germany 2024 Andreas Dresen 125m

A beautifully filmed, heartfelt adaptation of Niall Williams' best-selling novel.  Two young people are made for each other, but as fate and  power of true love pull them together, so too does life threaten to tear them apart.

Nicholas (Fionn O'Shea) and Isabel (Ann Skelly) are made for each other, but fate does not always choose the easiest path to true love. Nicholas' father, William (Pierce Brosnan), comes home one day to shatter his family's modest life, when he tells them that in a moment of divine intervention, God has instructed him to dedicate his life to painting. He quits his job and sets off for the coast, leaving his shell-shocked wife and son to fend for themselves. Meanwhile Isabel and her family live a charmed existence on a small neighbouring island, their house full of music and poetry. When tragedy strikes, the music stops, and Isabel's parents (Helena Bonham Carter, Gabriel Byrne) decide in their grief to send Isabel to a convent school on the mainland. The young lovers embark on their own individual journeys of heartache and misplaced love, before fate contrives to pull the threads of their lives together. Filmed in Donegal and Antrim by cinematographer Damien Elliott, certainly makes the locations glimmer. The skies and seas are azure blue, the beaches are golden, and the sun never seems to dim, lending the film a beautiful fairytale quality.

UK/Ireland 2024 Polly Steele 125m

A mother and her daughter embark on a journey to the Spanish coast to find a cure for the mother’s illness, and along the way the daughter discovers another reality far from her controlling mother.

Rose (Fiona Shaw) and her daughter Sofia (Emma Mackey) travel to the Spanish seaside town of Almería to consult with the shamanic Dr. Gómez, a physician who could possibly hold the cure to Rose's mystery illness, which has left her bound to a wheelchair. But in the sultry atmosphere of this sun-bleached town, Sofia, who has been trapped by her mother’s illness all her life, finally starts to shed her inhibitions, enticed by the persuasive charms of enigmatic traveller Ingrid (Vicky Krieps). Sofia's increased freedom becomes too much for her controlling mother and as the hot sun beats down, their relationship simmers with pent-up resentments and bitterness, threatening to tear the fragile threads that hold them together and leading them to a dramatic conclusion. Emma Mackey’s persuasive journey as Sofia is a standout and the elusive style of storytelling adds to the intrigue of the film.

UK/Greece 2025 Rebecca Lenkiewicz 92m

The Making of Movie Magic

With ‘Top Hat’ the summer musical at Chichester Festival Theatre, this talk will look back at the film careers of Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers and Irving Berlin.

Sat 26 Jul 10:30 – In the Auditorium

As an ancient threat endangers both Vikings and dragons alike, the friendship between an inventive Viking and a Night Fury dragon becomes the key to both species forging a new future together.

On the rugged isle of Berk, where Vikings and dragons have been bitter enemies for generations, Hiccup (Mason Thames) stands apart. The inventive yet overlooked son of Chief Stoick the Vast (Gerard Butler), Hiccup defies centuries of tradition when he befriends Toothless, a feared Night Fury dragon. Their unlikely bond reveals the true nature of dragons, challenging the very foundations of Viking society. With the fierce and ambitious Astrid (Nico Parker) and the village's quirky blacksmith Gobber (Nick Frost) by his side, Hiccup confronts a world torn by fear and misunderstanding. As an ancient threat emerges, endangering both Vikings and dragons, Hiccup's friendship with Toothless becomes the key to forging a new future. This is the much anticipated real life version of the original 2010 animated film.

UK/USA 2025 Dean DeBlois 125m

You have seen this Summer’s Chichester Festival Theatre production, so now we give you the original screwball musical comedy, where an American dancer comes to Britain and falls for a model whom he initially annoyed.

The story centres on wealthy Dale Tremont (Ginger Rogers), on holiday in London and Venice. She assumes that American entertainer Jerry Travers (Fred Astaire) is the husband of her friend Madge (Helen Broderick) – who is actually the wife of Jerry's business manager Horace Hardwick (Edward Everett Horton). Glamorous and enthralling, a Depression-era diversion beautifully scored by Irving Berlin, this is the most successful and beloved picture of the prolific Rogers and Astaire partnership which saw them produce an astonishing nine musicals between 1933 and 1939. Don’t miss your chance to hear its lavish songs (including the gorgeous ‘Cheek to Cheek’) and see its effortless, masterful dance sequences on the big screen.

USA 1935 Mark Sandrich 101m

The fastest-selling production in the Young Vic’s history, Tennessee Williams’ timeless masterpiece 'A Streetcar Named Desire'.

Gillian Anderson (‘The Salt Path’, ‘The X Files’), Vanessa Kirby (‘The Crown’), and Ben Foster (‘Lone Survivor’, ‘Leave No Trace’) lead the cast in Tennessee Williams’ timeless masterpiece, returning to cinemas.

Thu 5 Jun 19:30

Sun 8 Jun 14:15

Trying to leave their troubled lives behind, twin brothers return to their hometown to start again, only to discover that an evil is waiting to welcome them back.

The dreams of rabble-rousing (and former Chicago enforcers for Al Capone) twin brothers Smoke and Stack (Michael B. Jordan) come to fruition when they return to their small Mississippi hometown and successfully open a music bar in an abandoned sawmill. The place overflows with music and mysticism, and when their cousin Preacher Boy (Miles Caton) picks up his guitar and plays the Blues in front of a rowdy audience, all hell (including a rabble of vampires) breaks loose. Jack O’Connell’s co-stars as the despicably smirking villain in this rip-roaring fusion of masterful visual storytelling and outstanding toe-tapping blues. It looks phenomenal too: shot on 70mm film, the frame throbs with sultry reds and golds. Do not let any vampire film prejudice stop you from seeing this film, it is a recent stand-out of the genre.

USA 2025 Ryan Coogler 137m

Walter Francisco will be revealing the Film Festival programme on the 31 Jul, and everyone is invited. Together with Patrick Hargood from the Cinema's Education Team, they will guide you through the various strands, talks, special events and hidden gems.

Free snacks and drink will be offered.

Thu 31 Jul Aug 11:00

FREE - Tickets must be booked in advance (Get in quick!)

A young space fanatic with an active imagination, finds himself on a cosmic misadventure where he must form new bonds with alien lifeforms, navigate a crisis of intergalactic proportions and somehow discover who he is truly meant to be.

Elio Solis (Yonas Kibreab) wants nothing more than first contact. This lonely 11-year-old stargazer spends his life looking up, dreaming of distant planets and alternative lifeforms who won’t steal his lunch money. Most nights, you’ll find him asleep on the beach, wearing a colander, with ‘Aliens! Abduct Me!’ written in the sand. Well, Elio gets his wish - but far more than he bargained for. Beamed up to an inter-planetary ‘United Nations’ summit, he is mistaken for Earth’s leader, but these are tinderbox times, with warmongering Lord Grigon (Brad Garrett) rattling his sabre and ready to invade. Pixar's 29th feature film is the kind of fresh, original storytelling that they have built their brand on.

USA 2025 Adrian Molina, Madeline Sharafian & Domee Shi 90m

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

Superman must reconcile his alien Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing as reporter Clark Kent. As the embodiment of truth, justice and the human way he soon finds himself in a world that views these as old-fashioned.

In his signature style, director James Gunn takes on the original superhero in the newly imagined DC Universe with a singular blend of epic action, humour and heart, delivering a Superman who is driven by compassion and an inherent belief in the goodness of humankind. David Corenswet takes on the daunting task of becoming Clark Kent/Superman, Rachel Brosnahan plays Lois Lane, while Lex Luther is played by Nicholas Hoult.

USA 2025 James Gunn 122m

Volveréis

Longtime partners self-consciously uncouple in this witty, chatty and loopy non-rom-com with echoes of Woody Allen.

Filmmaker Ale (Itsaso Arana) and her actor boyfriend of 14 years Alex (Vito Sanz) have decided mutually to call it quits after 14 years, cuing a very funny yet properly grown-up portrait of the ideal couple trying to smooth, and even to celebrate, their transition into ideal exes. It’s the celebration aspect that will prove their undoing. If ta good breakup is rare, a joyous breakup is completely mythical. With references to the Swedish master Ingmar Bergman’s fraught relationship with Liv Ullmann, and a style very reminiscent of early Woody Allen, this is a joyful film for real lovers of film. (Subtitles)

Spain 2024 Jonás Trueba 114m