2025 Live Action Version

A hugely entertaining live-action remake of the much-loved 2002 animation, where a lonely Hawaiian girl befriends a runaway alien, helping to mend her fragmented family.

Lilo (Maia Kealoha) is an orphaned Hawaiian kid who keeps accidentally getting in trouble. Her elder sister, Nani (Sydney Elizebeth Agudong), is trying to keep her on the straight and narrow after the death of their parents. Stitch (voiced by Chris Sanders, director of the 2002 film) is a genetically engineered alien. When he is banished from his home planet, considered too dangerous to live, he escapes to Earth, envisaging a reign of destruction. Instead, he has to pose as a dog and move in with Lilo to evade the aliens tailing him. As Stitch tries to avoid capture and Lilo risks being taken away by social services, these two misfits form an unlikely bond. This has the charm of an ’80s family film such as ‘E.T.’ or ‘Gremlins’ and is one of the best of the recent live-action remakes. It will be a sure-fire hit for the family.

USA 2025 Dean Fleischer Camp 108m

David Cronenberg’s latest sees an innovative businessman and grieving widower build a device to connect with the dead inside a burial shroud.

Karsh, played by a smirking Vincent Cassel whose face and wiry grey hair make him a dead ringer for Cronenberg, has created GraveTech, a wired cemetery that allows mourners to watch their loved ones decompose in real-time, either with an app on their phones or via the monitors affixed to the top of each headstone. Karsh believes his morbid invention will allow people to maintain a meaningful relationship with the bodies of their life partners, even in death. The film also stars Diane Kruger and Guy Pearce. Cronenberg drew on his own wife’s death for this brilliantly cerebral thriller about the physicality of grief.

France/Canada 2024 David Cronenberg 120m

A husband-and-wife rediscover nature’s beauty and a renewed sense of vitality in this heartstring-pulling adaptation of a true-life tale.

Fifty-somethings Ray Winn and her husband Moth (Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs) receive a bad health diagnosis and court-ordered to vacate the only home they’ve known as a family due to insurmountable circumstances. They decide to walk the South-West Coast Path – the longest (630 miles) uninterrupted footpath in England – from Minehead to Poole along the Devon, Cornwall and Dorset coast armed only with a tent, limited supplies, very few clothes and the travelogue that inspired this trek. Helene Louvart’s excellent cinematography is a real highlight with filming locations including Padstow, Clovelly, Ilfracombe and some of the most beautiful rugged coast in the country, but do see if you can spot the scenes filmed at our very own West Wittering. This portrait of loss, humanity and rebirth is adapted from Raynor Winn’s personal memoir, with Anderson and Isaacs’ intimately textured performances standing out.

UK 2024 Marianne Elliott 115m

DOCUMENTARY & LIVE JAZZ GIG WITH GUY BARKER

Film

LISTEN UP: THE LIVES OF QUINCY JONES (PG)

A unique look at the legendary musician, arranger, composer and producer, Quincy Jones, this documentary offers a collage of memories, sounds and intimate interviews with musical greats in a rousing showcase.

 

The filmmakers have looked unblinkingly at both happy and sad times, and some of the most poignant moments come as Quincy’s oldest daughter, Jolie Jones, talks quietly about her father. Many others who rarely talk for documentaries, talk here: Frank Sinatra, Ray Charles and even the shy Michael Jackson. Jones became the first black composer to score for mainstream films (‘In Cold Blood’) and has produced for musicians as varied as Ella Fitzgerald, Michael Jackson, Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand and rapper Kool Moe Dee. The film is constructed in a kaleidoscopic way. Instead of moving ponderously from one subject to another and following chronological order, the filmmakers organize their material more like a jazz composition. The interview subjects are like soloists improvising on a theme and occasionally stepping in to comment on someone else’s observations. The result is an original piece of work and by the end of the film, we know Quincy Jones much better than expected.

USA 1990 Ellen Weissbrod 111m

Plus

LIVE JAZZ GIG

Complementing the documentary there will be a special set of jazz by five exceptional musicians, celebrating Quincy Jones' boundary-defying influence on the musical universe.

Originating from Australia, vocalist Georgia Van Etten possesses a big, buttery voice, with which she creates retro soundscapes fusing soulful melodies with folk, jazz, rock and cinematic pop.

Joining her is the legendary Guy Barker, whose illustrious five-decade career includes being the UK’s premier jazz trumpet star, a highly sought session musician, and latterly, composer, arranger and conductor, and leader of his own jazz orchestra. His extensive international credits speak to his highest regard in the music world.

Award-winning pianist Jim Watson, a prominent figure on the UK music scene and beyond, has lent his talents to recordings and performances with acclaimed artists like Kurt Elling and Van Morrison.

Hailing from Ireland, Darren Beckett established himself in New York at 18 as a drummer of precocious talent, performing with Brandon Flowers, Van Morrison and Lee Konitz. Darren is a highly sought-after jazz and studio musician, collaborating with artists such as Ronnie Wood and Nick Cave.

Curating this special musical tribute is the superb bassist Andrew Cleyndert, who makes a welcome return to Chichester to lead this world class band.

Film & Gig - 180m

Tickets £24

Thu 21 Aug 19:00 – Auditorium