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

We are delighted to present this Special Preview as the first film of the Festival. In Celine Songs’ follow up to ‘Past Lives’, a young, ambitious New York City matchmaker finds herself torn between the perfect match and her imperfect ex.

Lucy (Dakota Johnson) is a professional matchmaker torn between former love John (Chris Evans) and a dazzling new possibility Henry (Pedro Pascal). Lucy is very good at her job, as we see when she cajoles a reluctant bride on her wedding day to go through with the marriage. At that wedding Lucy meets the groom's rich, handsome brother, Henry, and is served a drink by John, the ex she broke up with after five years, who is still a struggling actor working the wedding as a waiter. Should she choose her poor ex over her wealthy new suitor? Johnson, Evans and Pascal make for a starry love triangle in this rom-com… but dismiss it as typical rom-com fare at your peril. ‘Materialists’ is something far more original and captivating: a piercingly honest exploration of love and money and the inevitable connection between the two.

USA 2025 Celine Song 116m

PREVIEW FOOD (Wed only)

Step into the culinary delights of the Festival's new Special Preview Supper Party at Brasserie Blanc.

Indulge in substantial canapés and plentiful, mouth-watering platters.

Immerse yourself in the vibrant festival atmosphere as you mingle with fellow festival lovers, and get ready to kick off the evening in style.

Party: 18:00 / Film: 20:00 / £35.00

The arrival of wealthy bachelors in town causes an uproar when families with single daughters aggressively seek engagements, including the Bennet family, with five eligible daughters.

In the early 19th century in the English village of Meryton, the arrival of wealthy bachelors, most notably Mr. Darcy (Laurence Olivier), stirs up the families with single daughters. Among those is the Bennet family, with five eligible daughters, including the spirited Elizabeth (Greer Garson) and her pretty older sister, Jane (Maureen O'Sullivan). As Mrs. Bennet (Mary Boland) aggressively tries to pair off her girls, Elizabeth crosses swords with the imperious Darcy. The film’s spirit is entirely in keeping with Austen's sharp, witty portrait of rural 19th century society, together with some extravagant costumes.

USA 1940 Robert Z. Leonard 118m

Marilyn Monroe, Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis keep this joyous Billy Wilder comedy fizzing from start to finish. 

Two Struggling musicians witness the St. Valentine's Day Massacre and are now on the run from the Mob. Jerry (Jack Lemmon) and Joe (Tony Curtis) cross-dress into an all-female band. In addition to hiding, each has his own problems; One falls for another band member (Sugar Kane - voluptuously played by Monroe), but can't tell her his gender, and the other has a rich suitor who will not take "No," for an answer. ‘Some Like It Hot’ is effortlessly fluent, joyous and buoyant: a high-concept comedy that stays as high as a kite, while other comedies flag. "Nobody's perfect" is the last line. Wilder, Lemmon, Curtis and Monroe come pretty close.

USA 1959 Billy Wilder 121m

This is a beautiful documentary that follows a revered Buddhist abbot in the remote northern region of Laos as he navigates the challenges of a sacred life under a communist regime.

An ambitious spiritual leader, Abbot Onekeo Sittivong defied convention by establishing a new school for his country's poor and undereducated children. But something else is happening at this school in a misty forest. The abbot and his fellow saffron-robed monks and young novices are working tirelessly to revitalize ancient Lao Theravada Buddhist practices and education almost lost to history. Of the many scars left by the Vietnam War, little is known in the West of the lasting revolution in the small but pivotal country of Laos, where the U.S. carried out its “Secret War”, which changed the country from a 600-year-old monarchy to a communist-run state. On the surface, this is a story of breaking the cycle of poverty and ignorance through education. The abbot, however, believes the novices’ path is about much more. ‘Saffron Robe’ follows his dream to safeguard the traditions and wisdom of a rich culture against the encroachments of a modern world by passing this heritage on to future generations. (Subtitles)

Laos/USA 2024 Jane Centofante 86m

A beautiful, heart-warming – and often funny - story that seeks to explore the fragile interplay between grief, human connection and the redemptive power of kindness.

Anne (Sarah-Jane Potts) is grieving the loss of her partner to the point of becoming mute.  She takes herself to the Canary Islands to spread his ashes, and just maybe, get her voice back, along with her place in the world. After an unwelcoming arrival, she finds herself wandering the streets until a chance encounter with another troubled traveller, Bill (David Ganly), offers an unexpected opportunity which could heal or crumble each of their lives. Potts has a magnetic screen presence, anchoring the film with a blend of vulnerability and resolve, portraying Anne as both fragile and fiercely determined to reclaim her life. It is hard to believe that this is the work of a first-time director (Millson is better known as an actor), achieving here a wonderful film with echoes of ‘Aftersun’ and ’45 Years’. Winner of Best Feature Film at the 2025 London Independent Film Festival and Berlin Indie Film Festival

"This is a magical film. It's got heart, soul and hope. And it’s laced with jeopardy." Irvine Welsh.

UK 2025 Joseph Millson 88m

L'ART D'ÊTRE HEUREUX

An unknown and unhappy painter suddenly decides to quit his job and move to a small town in Normandie, hoping to be able to create a masterpiece.

Jean-Yves Machond (Benoît Poelvoorde), a conceptual painter whose career came to an abrupt halt following a series of setbacks, decides to leave Brussels and his job as a teacher to settle in Étretat, Normandy, the ultimate embodiment of Impressionism. Here he is seeking inspiration to create his major work that, once presented to the world, will finally earn him eternal glory and recognition. The problem is, he has no idea what he wants to paint... There, between Bagnoule (Gustave Kervern), a figurative painter and bon vivant, a naive, warm-hearted individual who will draw him out of his lethargy with his bonhomie, and the 'charming' Cécile de Mauprès (Camille Cottin), gallery owner and manipulator who will disrupt his concentration, his meeting with the locals will prove decisive for the fulfilment of his plan. A funny film that includes some wonderful locations and will most likely make you want to pick up a paintbrush. (Subtitles)

Belgium/France 2024 Stefan Liberski 90m

An exquisitely textured and reflective documentary about David Lynch’s life as a visual artist, narrated by the idiosyncratic filmmaker.

Getting up close and personal with David Lynch as a visual artist. That’s what this exquisitely textured and reflective documentary offers. Narrated by the man himself, speaking into a lovely vintage microphone from his painting studio in the hills above Hollywood, he takes us on an intimate journey through his youth. He talks about his childhood in a small-town America, his family, the awkward teenage years, his anxieties and fears. Life in general really, along with the people who helped him become who he is. Lynch recounts the influence his youth had on him as an artist and his subsequent move into filmmaking. Combining home movies, stock footage, moody artworks and observations of him working on his paintings and sculptures, ‘David Lynch: The Art Life’ is both an immersive and compelling experience. He’s an entrancing storyteller, delivering a few juicy anecdotes. And the soundtrack, as you’d expect, is deliciously strange, dark and beautiful.

USA/Denmark 2016 Jon Nguyen, Rick Barnes, Olivia Neergaard-Holm 93m

L'HISTOIRE DE SOULEYMANE

A Paris food delivery cyclist and asylum seeker named Souleymane has two days to prepare his story for a make-or-break interview to secure legal residency.

This is a moving, suspenseful and visceral depiction of the immigrant experience, through several significant days in the life of Souleymane (Abou Sangare), as he waits and prepares for the interview with OFPRA (French Office for the Protection of Refugees) that will determine his future. He must not only deal with those who profit from the refugee situation – asylum interview ‘coaches’ and food delivery permit ‘sharks’ to name a couple – he must also decide on whether the truth or a fabricated version of his story will suit his situation best. Great camerawork keeps the viewer on edge, allowing for a more empathetic understanding of Souleymane’s precarious existence. A film rewarded with prizes at many European Film Festivals, yet criminally unreleased in the UK. Non-professional actor Abou Sangare as Souleymane is a true revelation and a name to look out for in the next few years. (Subtitles)

France 2024 Boris Lojkine 93m

Henry Spencer tries to survive his industrial environment, his angry girlfriend, and the unbearable screams of his newborn mutant child. David Lynch's 1977 feature debut is one of those rare films that really deserves its cult status.

Henry (John Nance) resides alone in a bleak apartment surrounded by industrial gloom. When he discovers that an earlier fling with Mary X (Charlotte Stewart) left her pregnant, he marries the expectant mother and has her move in with him. Things take a decidedly strange turn when the couple's baby turns out to be a bizarre lizard-like creature that won't stop wailing. This is beautiful and strange, with its profoundly disturbing ambient sound design of industrial groaning, as if filmed inside some collapsing factory or gigantic dying organism. ‘Eraserhead’ is a singular work of the imagination, a harrowing, heartbreaking plunge into the darkest recesses of the soul.

USA 1977 David Lynch 89m

Winner of the Bafta for Best Film (2026). Rich Mr. Dashwood dies, leaving his second wife and her three daughters poor by the rules of inheritance. The older two daughters are the title opposites.

When Elinor Dashwood's (Emma Thompson) father dies, her family's finances are crippled. After the Dashwoods move to a cottage in Devonshire, Elinor's sister Marianne (Kate Winslet) is torn between the handsome John Willoughby (Greg Wise) and the older Colonel Brandon (Alan Rickman). Meanwhile, Elinor's romantic hopes with Edward Ferrars (Hugh Grant) are hindered due to his prior engagement. Both Elinor and Marianne strive for love while the circumstances in their lives constantly change. One of this film’s outstanding qualities is in the way it keeps Austen's authentic voice but with fresh and witty vignettes – proof of the great partnership between screenwriter Emma Thompson – who won the Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar for this film – and director Ang Lee who went on to make ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’ and ‘Brokeback Mountain’ in the following decade. Besides winning the Best Film Bafta, it also won Best Actress (Thompson) and Best Supporting Actress (Winslet). A true delight.

UK 1995 Ang Lee 136m

SAYAT NOVA

To complement our documentary on the great Soviet director Sergei Paradjanov, we present his best-known film which focuses on the life of Armenian poet Sayat-Nova: his spiritual journey, artistic endeavours and inner conflicts within the cultural and historical context of Armenia.

This is a breathtaking fusion of poetry, ethnography and cinema, Paradjanov’s masterwork overflows with unforgettable images and sounds. In a series of tableaux that blend the tactile with the abstract, ‘The Colour of Pomegranates’ revives the splendours of Armenian culture through the story of the eighteenth-century troubadour Sayat-Nova. The film’s tapestry of folklore and metaphor departed from the realism that dominated the Soviet cinema of its era, leading authorities to block its distribution, with rare underground screenings presenting it in a restructured form. This edition features the cut closest to Paradjanov’s original vision, in a restoration that brings new life to one of cinema’s most enigmatic meditations on art and beauty.

USSR 1969 Sergei Paradjanov 79m

Fri 15 Aug 11:00 – Auditorium

The legacy and inspiration of Soviet director Sergei Paradjanov is at the centre of this new documentary from director Zara Jian.

There is an impressive array of auteur directors interviewed including Atom Egoyan, Tarsem Singh and Emir Kusturica, as well as other artists such as Russian actress-in-exile Chulpan Khamatova, who discuss the impact of Paradjanov’s cinema on their lives and work. The Georgian-born Parajanov became a revolutionary force in international cinema with ‘Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors’ (1965), his first film to reject the socialist realism of officially-sanctioned Soviet cinema in favour of a more experimental, poetic visual storytelling. He was imprisoned by the Soviets and his films were suppressed, but his magical vision and his bold championing of folk tradition endure long after the fall of the USSR. (Subtitles)

Armenia 2024 Zara Jian 110m

A visually striking documentary about a young Orthodox nun who must confront her past as she faces her desires and an uncertain future.

A Belarusian convent is the setting for this unique, mainly black and white, UK-produced story of spiritual self-realisation. We encounter Vera amid the deep snow-covered Forest, where she has taken refuge in a monastery far away from her turbulent past. Cécile Embleton and Alys Tomlinson’s powerful, beautifully crafted feature documentary debut lends Vera the space to tell her story of redemption, as she embarks on a spiritual journey of self-realisation and acceptance. This is a transfixingly beautiful film, and if you find yourself reminded of Tarkovsky’s ‘Andrei Rublev’, you will surely not be alone. (Subtitles)

UK 2024 Cécile Embleton/Alys Tomlinson 91m

LE ASSAGGIATRICI

Based on Margot Wölk’s extraordinary real-life account, this film sees a group of women risk their lives as Hitler’s ‘food tasters’.

Rosa Sauer (Elisa Schlott) flees her bombed-out Berlin apartment, moves in with her in-laws, all while her husband, a German soldier, is fighting in Ukraine. Not too far away in a forest surrounded by barbed wire is the "Wolf's Lair" - the Eastern Front military headquarters of Adolf Hitler. Rosa lands among a group of war-weary young women, long deprived of sufficient food, who are forcibly recruited by the SS. They are driven every day to Hitler's complex to serve as his food tasters, dining on abundant vegetarian delicacies three times a day. The only price: risking their lives with each bite as they are tasked with making sure that the food intended for Adolf Hitler has not been poisoned. The extraordinary account by then 95-year-old Margot Wölk created a sensation when it first appeared in a Berlin tabloid more than a decade ago. Her decision to break decades of silence about her wartime experiences captured the imagination of German reporters, then global media, finally inspiring a documentary, two novels and a play. (Subtitles)

Italy/Belgium/Switzerland 2025 Silvio Soldini 123m

A faded country music musician is forced to reassess his dysfunctional life during a doomed romance that also inspires him.

With too many years of hazy days and boozy nights, former country-music legend Bad Blake (Jeff Bridges) is reduced to playing dives and bowling alleys. In town for his latest gig, Blake meets Jean Craddock (Maggie Gyllenhaal), a sympathetic reporter who has come to do a story on him. He unexpectedly warms to her and a romance begins, then the singer finds himself at a crossroads that may threaten his last shot at happiness. A phenomenal, heart-breaking performance from Bridges, which won him the Best Actor Oscar, powers this simple but affecting redemption story.

USA 2009 Scott Cooper 112m

Heralded as the breakout film at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, this is a fragile comedy-drama that examines how a private trauma haunts a young woman long after it occurred.

Agnes (Eva Victor) is an English professor at a college in rural New England. She is thrilled when her newly married best friend Lydie (Naomi Ackie), recently moved to New York, arrives for a visit. Lydie very quickly notices Agnes’ anxiety most likely stemming from a past fateful encounter with her admiring advisor Preston (Louis Cancelmi). Although ‘Sorry, Baby’ takes Agnes’ pain seriously, Victor often makes bitterly hilarious observations about society’s discomfort in showing empathy toward women who are dealing with personal suffering. Sharply written, smartly structured and well-acted, with a star-making turn from director Victor herself, this is a black comedy that is not only nimble but consistently funny, whilst dealing with a difficult subject. This is a multi-talented filmmaker to keep your eye on.

USA/Spain/France 2025 Eva Victor 103m

SABAR BONDA

A touching, beautifully observed rural drama about a city-dweller who returns to his village for his father’s funeral, observes the 10-day mourning period and associated rituals, all the while wrestling with what his family think about him.

Anand (Bhushaan Manoj), a 30-something living in Mumbai is compelled to spend a 10-day mourning period for his father in the rugged countryside of western India. Grief's common phases (reminiscing over old photos, sharing beloved memories) coexist with local rituals, all while Anand's hidden desires materialize in a rekindled friendship with childhood companion Balya (Suraaj Suman) who is being pushed, even more relentlessly, towards marriage. Anand’s mother Suman (Jaysri Jagtap) knows why he went away, and why he has never married, but despite her acceptance, he still feels guilt over the way that he has complicated their lives; and he struggles with being in a place where, for fear of making Suman’s life harder at this already difficult time, he cannot be honest about who he is. In giving way to her pleas that he remains to lead the ten days of funerary rights, ensuring the safe progression of his father’s soul, he commits himself to rebuilding their relationship and to once again enduring the pressures that made him miserable in the past. This is a thoughtful, lyrical ode to a disappearing way of life, full of respect for its contributions to modern, urban India. Beautifully shot, and presented on screen within a 1980’s photo style border with rounded corners, further adding to the feel of a place lost in time. (Subtitles)

India 2025 Rohan Kanawade 112m

14-year-old Elias develops feelings for his new neighbour Alexander, and soon realizes he is falling in love for the first time.

When a new family moves in across the road, Elias (Lou Goosens) feels attracted to his new neighbour Alexander (Marius de Saeger) with the interactions with friends and family only bringing more questions than answers. Confused by his burgeoning feelings, Elias tries to sort out his inner chaos to prove that he is worth Alexander's heart. Writer-director Anthony Schatteman’s assured debut boasts a standout lead performance from Goossens (watch out for this young actor in the future) and proves that to tell a heart-warming story of falling in love, you do not need to sexualize the characters. One of the most moving films of this year’s Festival. This is a must-watch for any parent or family member hoping to understand the subtleties of the heart of a young teenager discovering their sexuality. Elias’ path to understanding himself and his desires will strike chords with anyone who ever struggled with self-acceptance. (Subtitles)

Belgium 2024 Anthony Schatteman 99m

Under the burning sky on a roadside on the coast of Ceará, Motel Destino is the scene of dangerous games of desire, power and violence. One night, the arrival of young Heraldo definitively transforms the daily life of the place.

The neon-hued Motel Destino is a roadside sex hotel under the burning blue skies of the coast of Northern Brazil, run by the boorish Elias (Fábio Assunção) and his frustrated, beautiful wife Dayana (Nataly Rocha). When 21 year-old Heraldo (Iago Xavier) finds himself at the motel after messing up a hit and going on the run from both the police and the gang he let down, Dayana finds herself intrigued and lets him stay. As the two navigate a dance of power, desire and liberation, a dangerous plan for freedom emerges. In this tropical noir, loyalties and desires intertwine, revealing that destiny has its own enigmatic design. The film boasts terrific performances by its central trio, and radiates mood, rawness and a humid vibrant Brazilian atmosphere. (Subtitles)

Brazil 2024 Karim Aïnouz 115m

A Manhattan office worker tries to rise in his company by letting its executives use his apartment for trysts, but office politics and his own romantic hopes complicate matters.

Insurance worker C.C. Baxter (Jack Lemmon) lends his Upper West Side apartment to company bosses to use for extramarital affairs. When his manager Mr. Sheldrake (Fred MacMurray) begins using Baxter's apartment in exchange for promoting him, Baxter is disappointed to learn that Sheldrake's mistress is Fran Kubelik (Shirley MacLaine), the elevator girl at work whom Baxter is interested in himself. Soon Baxter must decide between the girl he loves and the advancement of his career. Two towering central performances from Lemmon and MacLaine perfectly complement the timeless Billy Wilder script. This is the perfect rom-com, not because it is light-hearted, but because it also has a dark side.

USA 1960 Billy Wilder 125m

A mistaken delivery in Mumbai's famously efficient lunchbox delivery system connects a young housewife to an older man in the dusk of his life as they build a fantasy world together through notes in the lunchbox.

Lonely housewife Ila (Nimrat Kaur) decides to try adding some spice to her stale marriage by preparing a special lunch for her neglectful husband. Unfortunately, the delivery goes astray and winds up in the hands of Saajan (Irrfan Khan), an irritable widower. Curious about her husband's lack of response, Ila adds a note to the next day's lunchbox, and thus begins an unusual friendship in which Saajan and Ila can talk about their joys and sorrows without ever meeting in person. This wry and gently comic real charmer of a film expertly captures the almost overwhelming crush and noise of contemporary India, playing cleverly and delicately with the tension of whether its two correspondents might eventually meet. Irrfan Khan is tremendous. (Subtitles)

India 2013 Ritesh Batra 104m

COUNTRY MUSIC ON SCREEN

In director Robert Altman’s centenary year and with his masterpiece ‘Nashville’ turning 50, this talk looks back at the history of country music and film.

The association between country music and film goes back a long way, stretching from hard-hitting dramas to tales of music industry hopefuls, from biopics to sentimental dramas. In a talk by Chichester Cinema Education Team’s Sandy Guthrie to mark the 50th anniversary of Robert Altman’s ‘Nashville’, he will discuss how country music is deployed in films, highlighting the conventions in the stories of real and fictional country singers, and the ways it symbolises life in a distinct region of the USA, plus its legacy in other countries. The many clips will focus on the music described in the 1950s by legendary songwriter Harlan Howard as “three chords and the truth”, with the deceptively simple structure and emotive lyrics that have flowed out of Nashville and other hubs across the Southern States for more than a century.

100m inc Q&A

In what is most likely the best looking film of the Film Festival, a young indigenous Bolivian girl embarks on a rollercoaster journey to take her mother out of a life of hardship and into eternal paradise.

Santa (Fernanda Gutiérrez Aranda) embarks on a mission across barren landscapes to fulfil a promise to her mother. Along the way she encounters a shady priest, a group of wild female wrestlers and, initially, her nemesis: a gruff policeman (Fernando Arze Echalar) who arrests Santa before coming to suspect that she has miraculous powers. There is a magical realism to this film that will leave you gasping with wonder and joy, along with the odd jolt of sharp reality. Filmed across the high-altitude Altiplano and Yungas regions of Bolivia, near the capital of La Paz, we are treated to the most stunning cinematography of any film in this year’s Festival… and we are lucky to have the UK-based director Alberto Sciamma and cinematographer Alex Metcalfe with us for a Q&A where we can ask them about their craft. (Subtitles)

UK/Bolivia 2025 Alberto Sciamma 107m

Plus Q&A with the director Alberto Sciamma and cinematographer Alex Metcalfe.

‘Nashville’ follows a host of colourful characters – musicians, agents, fans, journalists, politicians, locals – during the city’s three-day country music festival in Robert Altman’s magnum opus.

A milestone in American cinema and of the key films of the 1970s, Robert Altman's ‘Nashville’ is one of the most influential and dazzling films ever made. Weaving together the stories and interactions of twenty-four major characters with astonishing fluidity, this audacious, epic vision of America circa 1975 has lost none of its freshness or excitement. Taking place over five days in the nation's music capital Nashville, Tennessee, the film follows two-dozen characters struggling for fulfilment, both personal and professional, amongst a backdrop of country and gospel musicians, outsider political campaigning, and the peripheries of life in between, building from one encounter at a time to create a wide-ranging tapestry of rich drama and human comedy. Featuring an exhilarating central vein of musical performances (written in character by many of the actors themselves) and a phenomenal cast including Ned Beatty, Karen Black, Keith Carradine, Geraldine Chaplin, Shelley Duvall, Scott Glenn, Jeff Goldblum, Michael Murphy and Lily - gloriously restored in 4K.

USA 1975 Robert Altman 160m

DRØMMER

When 17-year-old Johanne writes a memoir about her passion for her teacher, the unexpected outcomes rattle three generations

Johanne's (Ella Øverbye) intimate writings about her first love stir friction within her family, prompting her mother (Ane Dahl Torp) and grandmother (Anne Marit Jacobsen) to reexamine their own realities and dreams. Johanne falls in love for the first time, with her teacher (Selome Emnetu). To preserve her feelings, she documents her emotions and experiences in writing. When her mother and grandmother read what she has written, they are initially shocked by its intimate content but soon see that it has literary potential. As they debate whether to publish it, Johanne navigates the gap between her romantic fantasy and reality, and all three women confront their differing views on love, sexuality and self-discovery. We hear much of Johanne’s writings in voice-over, which in another director’s hands may have been ruined, but here, we hang on to every word. Our hero navigates romantic ideals versus reality, exploring emotions of self-discovery, love and sexuality, all delivered with elegant style by a tightly matched central acting quartet. (Subtitles)

Norway 2024 Dag Johan Haugerud 110m

STERBEN

A conductor embarking on a major orchestral project has his professional status threatened by family turmoil behind the scenes.

Tom (Lars Eidinger) is emotionally withdrawn and a member of the Lunies family, who haven't been a family for a long time. Tom is about to embark on the most serious project of his career, a performance of ‘Sterben’ (‘Dying’), a piece composed by a testy and depressive friend (Robert Gwisdeck) who is always butting in during rehearsals, undermining Tom, insulting the musicians and angrily unable to decide if his work is valuable or worthless kitsch. Lissy (Corinna Harfouch) is quietly happy about her husband Gerd (Hans-Uwe Bauer) slowly wasting away in a home, but her new freedom is short-lived when she receives her own bad news. And sister Ellen (Lilith Stangenberg) starts an affair with the married Sebastian (Ronald Zehrfeld), with whom she shares a love for alcohol. As Death finally turns up on the doorstep, the estranged family members finally meet again. This extremely well-made film manages to be exceedingly funny, often in some of its darkest moments. The ingenious structuring of the narrative, coupled with the disarming gravitas that the actors bring to their roles, results in one of the most visceral portraits of the nuclear family as a botched project. (Subtitles)

Germany 2024 Matthias Glasner 180m

A New Yorker newly separated from his wife moves in with his best friend, a divorced sportswriter, but their ideas of housekeeping and lifestyles are as different as night and day. 

When fussy Felix (Jack Lemmon) becomes suicidal over his impending divorce, he accepts an offer to move in with his best friend, messy Oscar (Walter Matthau). Felix drives Oscar crazy with his obsession over his soon-to-be ex. Oscar tries to get him out of his funk by arranging a double date with two wacky British neighbours, Cecily (Monica Evans) and Gwendolyn (Carole Shelley). When the plan backfires and Felix grows even more despondent, his friendship with Oscar is put to the test. Playwright-screenwriter Neil Simon has made the most of every best line in his original play to provide the two film leads with first-rate material to drool over. Still funny and still fresh nearly 60 years after its original release.

USA 1968 Gene Saks 105m

In 1930s Paris, rebellious British painter Leonora Carrington joins surrealists Breton and Dalí. Her romance with Max Ernst forces her to face her inner struggles.

The 1930s-set film follows Carrington (Olivia Vinall) as she rebels against society’s expectations, mingles with iconic figures including André Breton (Denis Eiriey) and Salvador Dalí (Cat Jugavru) in Paris and has a whirlwind love affair with Max Ernst (Alexander Scheer) before fleeing to Mexico during WWII. Today Leonora Carrington is one of the highest selling female painters worldwide, next to Frida Kahlo and Georgia O’Keeffe. Directed by filmmaking duo Lena Vurma and Thor Klein, the film is based on Elena Poniatowska’s best-selling book ‘Leonora’ and also stars Mercedes Bahleda as Peggy Guggenheim, Cassandra Ciangherotti as Remedios Varo and Ryan Gage as Edward James. (Some Subtitles)

Germany/Mexico/UK 2025 Thor Klein & Lena Vurma 103m

We are delighted to welcome directors Thor Klein and Lena Vurma, plus some cast members, for a Q&A following the Saturday screening.

A Victorian surgeon rescues a heavily disfigured man who is mistreated while scraping a living as a side-show freak. Behind his monstrous façade, there is revealed a person of kindness, intelligence and sophistication.

Dr. Frederic Treves (Anthony Hopkins) discovers Joseph (John) Merrick (John Hurt) in a sideshow. Born with a congenital disorder, Merrick uses his disfigurement to earn a living as the "Elephant Man." Treves brings Merrick into his home, discovering that his rough exterior hides a refined soul, and that Merrick can teach the stodgy British upper class of the time a lesson about dignity. Merrick becomes the toast of London before charming a caring actress (Anne Bancroft). The film’s arc moves the viewer from repulsion and fear to empathy and tenderness – that is the very movement of the story itself. Hurt's Merrick is extremely powerful, and this brooding David Lynch take on a real-life tale is a work of true potency.

USA/UK 1980 David Lynch 124m

The Life and Times of Athol Fugard 

TONY PALMER’S film portrait of Athol Fugard called ‘Falls the Shadow’ won the Gold Medal at the New York Film & TV Festival in 2013

Athol Fugard is the most performed playwright, besides Shakespeare, in the world. His thirty or so plays are performed everywhere. In Poland, in Brazil, Australia and Japan. In the United States, even Iran. The story’s very clear. Man’s inhumanity to man. Totally understandable wherever it is played. And audiences are shocked to have it presented so raw and shocked to often find themselves in tears.

His contribution has been huge. It’s been almost incomparable, and in a South African context of course, the best playwright South Africa has produced. He has been pioneering and, like the greatest of artists, he was still pioneering, still trying out new things. He had incredible energy, new ideas, new images, you know one just staggers back in front of this fount of creative energy.  

It’s given to very few playwrights to create a new voice in drama. Beckett does, Pinter does.  And Fugard does.  An absolutely unique voice that is Athol Fugard. Any playwright who speaks in a new voice makes you sit up and I think that’s why the world sat up and listened to Athol Fugard because he was speaking in a new way.  

"The South African government confirmed Fugard's death and said the country 'has lost one of its greatest literary and theatrical icons, whose work shaped the cultural and social landscape of our nation'" (Mark Kennedy and Gerald Imray, The Independent, 10 March 2025, click here).

"Fugard defined the essence of what he called "pure theater" as nothing more "than the actor and the stage, the actor in space and silence." As an artist he resisted labels, but he conceded that if his work is to be categorized "then it must be as 'actors' theatre.' Humanity was always at the core of Fugard's art" (Mark Kennedy and Gerald Imray, LA Times, 10 March 2025, click here).

"Fugard brought critical, wrenching portrayals of South African society under apartheid to international stages, including Broadway, helping to generate the wave of worldwide criticism that eventually led to the end of that policy in the country, in the process gaining wider access for South African dramaturgy outside that nation" (Carmel Dagan, Variety, 10 March 2025, click here).

"His longtime friend and collaborator John Kani mourned: 'I am deeply saddened by the passing of my dear friend Athol Fugard. May his soul rest in eternal peace'".

"Now he is dead, and a writer of true integrity has gone. He loved the actor who had played Miss Helen in Mecca, the great Yvonne Bryceland – his muse. He loved women; he wrote about the feral stoicism and optimism of the female animal with a warmth quite unusual in a writer – maybe excepting Ibsen. He understood fatalism, and loneliness, and had the ear of a poet for ordinary folk" (Janet Suzman, The Guardian, 9 Mar 2025)

Set against a background of majestic arid landscapes coupled with the electric colours and sounds of Tunis, this is an unmissable exploration of how far one can go to break free from their past.

Every day Aya (Fatma Sfar) takes the minibus to the international hotel in Tozeur where she works as a chambermaid, before returning home to help her parents, whose primary thought is to marry Aya off to an older divorcee. Needless to say, Aya is not happy, so when an unforeseen incident affects her, she jumps at the opportunity unexpectedly afforded to her. Aya finds herself in Tunis, with no friends or papers, and now calling herself Amira. Is this new life any better than the one she previously knew? Featuring a magnetic performance from newcomer Sfar this is a drama-drenched film which looks great and also takes in police and government corruption in a post-revolution Tunisia. (Subtitles)

Tunisia/France 2024 Mehdi Barsaoui 123m

A husband-to-be flees his fiancée on their wedding day in Rangoon, 1917. His travels replace panic with melancholy, while his fiancée trails him across Asia.

1917, colonial Burma. Edward (Gonçalo Waddington), a civil servant for the British Empire, jilts his lovestruck fiancée Molly (Crista Alfaiate) the day she arrives to be married. As he escapes into an unexpected odyssey across Asia, she quickly follows suit amused by his moves. Rendered in stunning black-and-white period visuals interspersed with modern-day documentary footage, this is a dazzling multi-city symphony that will leave you reeling with wonder. Miguel Gomes (‘Tabu’, ‘Arabian Nights’) earnt the Best Director prize at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival for ‘Grand Tour’, a film that blends melodrama and comedy in a cat-and-mouse chase between lovers. (Subtitles)

Portugal 2024 Miguel Gomes 129m

A delivery man in Paris faces the dangers of urban nightlife while trying to support his family in Senegal. Entangled in a smuggling ring, he must make tough choices to secure their future.

Seydou (Oumar Diaw) is a migrant delivery worker in the heart of Paris. He navigates the challenges of survival and solitude, finding unexpected moments of connection that illuminate his path. His routine is a cycle of hardship, fleeting interactions and quiet resilience. Among indifferent customers and struggling workers, he forms an unexpected bond with Albert (Albert Delpy), a lonely elderly Parisian. Their friendship offers Seydou a rare connection, reshaping his perspective on belonging. This is ultimately a meditation on faith, connection and resilience in an increasingly fragmented world. Through Seydou’s journey and his bond with Albert, the film invites viewers to see beyond labels, to find strength in unlikely places, and to recognize the shared humanity that unites us all. This is an understated film about economic migration, told in a straightforward and powerful style. (Subtitles)

France 2024 Stevan Lee Mraovitch 80m

A life-affirming, genre-bending story based on Stephen King's novella about three chapters in the life of an ordinary man named Charles Krantz.

We begin at the end – specifically, at the end of the world. Two ex-spouses, Marty (Chiwetel Ejiofor) and Felicia (Karen Gillan), reunite to watch the Earth crumble, and the stars blink out of existence – but why are there posters everywhere celebrating the mild-mannered Charles "Chuck" Krantz (played by Tom Hiddleston as an adult and Jacob Tremblay as a boy)? Flashbacks unravel the mystery, but the less you know about the film the better. This being a Stephen King adaptation, it has some supernatural elements, but it is not a horror movie, not at all. It is more a meditation on the big questions that we do not have answers to - and whether it would matter if we did. Look out for one scene where you will not believe how well Hiddleston can dance, in what may be the best dance sequence of any film this year.

USA 2025 Mike Flanagan 111m

The fictionalized life of singer Loretta Lynn, a girl who rose from humble beginnings to become a country music star in the 1960s/70s.

Raised in rural Kentucky poverty and married at the age of 13, Loretta Lynn (Sissy Spacek) begins writing and singing her own country songs in her early 1920s. With the tireless help of her husband Oliver "Mooney" Lynn (Tommy Lee Jones), Loretta rises from local honky-tonks and small-time record deals to national tours and hit singles, befriending her idol Patsy Cline (Beverly D'Angelo) and becoming a country music icon despite the toll stardom takes on her family and her marriage. ‘Coal Miner’s Daughter’ manages to dig deep, avoiding the saccharine pitfalls that surround many a musical biopic. It is a remarkable film, a slice of Americana seen through the compassionate, unprejudiced eyes of English director Michael Apted.

USA 1980 Michael Apted 124m

This is a gorgeous performance film which uncovers Geraldine Flower's collection of love letters, suggesting a potential double life as a spy.

When Geraldine Flower died in 2019, a suitcase packed with hundreds of love letters written to her by smitten men in the 60s and 70s was found in her London flat. The letters inspired a 2024 album by Icelandic singer-songwriter Emilíana Torrini (called ‘Miss Flower’) and also this intriguing, gorgeous and creative film. The letters here are read by Nick Cave, Richard Ayoade and others, yet Flower maintains her elusiveness to the end. The co-directors, artists and filmmakers Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard, won awards and accolades for their inspired and unconventional 2014 film about Nick Cave, ‘20,000 Days on Earth’. With their new film, unshackled from the tropes of musical biography, their creative freedom is able to truly take flight, resulting in a delight for the senses that is both deeply intimate and thrillingly cinematic. A deeply moving film.

UK 2024 Iain Forsyth & Jane Pollard 73m

‘Persuasion’ was Austen’s last finished novel, written when the society she so eloquently satirised was beginning to significantly change.

As one of three daughters of the wealthy Sir Walter Elliot (Corin Redgrave), Anne Elliot (Amanda Root) is a privileged but lonely member of the English aristocracy. Unlike Elizabeth Bennet from ‘Pride and Prejudice’, Anne Elliot is not playful or witty but quiet, sensible, and regrets not having the courage of her convictions. When her father leaves on a trip, he rents out part of his estate to relatives of Anne's ex-fiancé, Capt. Frederick Wentworth (Ciarán Hinds). Though Anne demurred over the marriage because of Wentworth's poor social standing and connections, he has since become very successful, and when he visits, Anne must confront the life she left behind. Hinds plays Wentworth with a wonderful mix of dash and awkwardness. This is a film which reminds us no matter what missteps we make, there might be hope of a happy ending after all.

UK 1995 Roger Michell 103m

A Swedish TV presenter's well-ordered life unravels when she finally confronts her domineering husband about an accusation against him. Her subsequent flight precipitates a chain of lies and paranoia in this taut psychological thriller.

Maria (Mirja Turestedt) is caught in the middle of a media maelstrom after her successful academic husband Magnus (Thomas W Gabrielsson) has been accused of rape. He denies it, but in a flippant, sneering kind of way that makes his guilt plain. When Maria finally snaps in the face of his unrelenting unpleasantness, her journey takes an unexpected turn, finding herself in the wilds of Exmoor, renting an isolated country house with just her dog for company. The film shifts its focus from a broken marriage to a fracturing psyche, and what first looked like a family drama starts moving towards a clever psychological thriller. This Nordic noir debut from Caroline Ingvarsson plays out against the arresting backdrops of Sweden and South West England, adding extra atmosphere to an already mysterious film. ‘Echoes of page-turner adaptations like ‘Girl on the Train’ and ‘Woman in the Window’’ - ScreenDaily. (Some subtitles)

UK/Sweden 2023 Caroline Ingvarsson 93m

A CELEBRATION OF DAVID LYNCH

David Lynch, who died in January of this year, was one of America’s most distinctive auteurs.  At once a pop culture icon, visionary artist and popular surrealist, Lynch enthralled and provoked viewers since his cult screen debut, Eraserhead in 1977.

Lynch’s sense of the beauty and terror of the little details of human lives defines his work.  Surrealistic imagery and bold sound design combine in his films to create unsettling and immersive worlds.  Worlds where horror and humour coexist, in screen masterpieces such as Blue Velvet, Mulholland Drive and Twin Peaks.

Nick Johnston-Jones of the Cinema Education Team presents an overview and discussion of this unique and greatly loved screen artist.

100m inc Q&A

When their relationship turns sour, a couple undergoes a medical procedure to have each other erased from their memories forever.

After a painful breakup, Clementine (Kate Winslet) undergoes a procedure to erase memories of her former boyfriend Joel (Jim Carrey) from her mind. When Joel discovers that Clementine is going to extremes to forget their relationship, he undergoes the same procedure and slowly begins to forget the woman that he loved. Directed by former music video director Michel Gondry, the visually arresting film explores the intricacy of relationships and the pain of loss. The two leads are both quietly heartbreaking in Gondry’s ground-breaking romance, co-written by the one-of-a-kind Charlie Kaufman (‘Being John Malkovich’). It is a wildly imaginative, hugely entertaining tour de force that asks big questions about life and love and fate while never ceasing to fully engage the viewer.

USA 2004 Michel Gondry 108m

David Lynch peeks behind the picket fences of small-town America to reveal a corrupt shadow world of malevolence, sadism and madness.

From the opening shots Lynch turns the Technicolor picture postcard images of middle-class homes into a dreamy vision on the edge of nightmare. College boy Kyle MacLachlan (Jeffrey) returns home and stumbles across a severed human ear in a vacant lot. With the help of a sweetly innocent high school girl (Laura Dern), he turns junior detective and uncovers a frightening yet darkly compelling world of voyeurism and sex. Drawn deeper into the brutal world of drug dealer and blackmailer Frank, played with raving mania by an obscenity-shouting Dennis Hopper, Jeffrey loses his innocence and his moral bearings when confronted with pure, unexplainable evil. Isabella Rossellini is terrifyingly desperate as Hopper's sexual slave who becomes MacLachlan's illicit lover and Dean Stockwell purrs through his role. David Lynch delivers a nightmarish masterpiece.

USA 1986 David Lynch 120m

While matchmaking for friends and neighbours, a young 19th Century Englishwoman nearly misses her own chance at love.

In this adaptation of Jane Austen's classic novel, pretty socialite Emma Woodhouse (Gwyneth Paltrow) entertains herself by playing matchmaker for those around her. Her latest "project" is Harriet Smith (Toni Collette), an unpretentious debutant, while Emma herself receives the attentions of the dashing Frank Churchill (Ewan McGregor). However, Emma's attempts at matchmaking cause more problems than solutions and may ultimately jeopardize her own chance at love and happiness. Paltrow makes a resplendent Emma, gliding through the film with an elegance and patrician wit that bring the young Katharine Hepburn to mind.

USA/UK 1996 Douglas McGrath 120m

Once a year, contenders from around the globe descend on a picturesque village in the Scottish Highlands to compete for the title of World Porridge Champion. Amid intense rivalries, steaming bowls of porridge, and the lives of charming locals we see a living legacy unfold.

Dating back to neolithic times, few culinary traditions have survived as long as the hearty bowl of morning porridge. Each year the sleepy highland village of Carrbridge awakens with excitement as locals and competitors from around the globe vie for the honour of winning The Golden Spurtle in the World Porridge Making Championships. This deftly constructed crowd-pleaser is a film to nourish the soul. Its considerable charm and humour come from an appetising combination of lovably eccentric characters, a sharp-eyed camera, a playful, bustling score and the glorious Scottish countryside.  

UK/Australia 2025 Constantine Costi 75m

IN ALL THEIR COMPLEXITY

THE FILMS OF KATE WINSLET

A talk looking back at the career of one of the finest screen actors of the last thirty years.

This talk, by Professor Maggie Andrews, of the Cinema Education Team, will explore, using a range of clips, some of the independent, Hollywood, British and Australasian films which have featured in Kate Winslet’s extensive and high-profile career, of more than thirty years. Her unquestionable acting talent has seen her portray complex, contradictory and often uncompromising versions of femininity on screen. From ‘Heavenly Creatures’ to ‘Lee’ all these texts have raised questions about the limitations and possibilities of contemporary womanhood. Whilst some of Winslet’s roles have been rooted in the gently feminist sensibilities of heritage drama, such as ‘Titanic’ and ‘A Little Chaos’, others have involved thornier problems: women’s illiteracy and culpability, as an SS Guard in ‘The Reader’, or the dangers of DIY abortions in ‘Revolutionary Road’. More recently, her seemingly fearless onscreen sexuality has opened up debates about gender, age, visibility and value, in ‘The Dressmaker’ and ‘Ammonite’.

100m inc Q&A

Based on a true story. A group of renegades attack two young shepherds in the remote Tunisian hills, forcing young Achraf, 13, to return home with a disturbing message.

As if life for 13-year-old goat herder Achraf (Ali Helali) and his older teen cousin Nizar (Yassine Samouni) isn’t precarious enough in their rural Tunisian community, a trip up the Mghila Mountain brings the added risk of potential landmines and threats from the extremists who hide out there. Yet danger seems like a far-off possibility as the teenagers play about in mountain pools and tell stories on a sunny day. Until brutal reality arrives, and they are suddenly set upon by jihadists. Childhood is short-lived in this world, Achraf having to drop out of school because his father is not around. It is also an environment in which the threat of violence is constant while the promise of hope is scarce. A visceral eye-opening film with great performances from all, especially the young Ali Helali. The story is based on the killing of 17-year-old Mabrouk Soltani amid the 2015 Tunisian unrest. (Subtitles)

Tunisia 2024 Lotfi Achour 97m

Jack Lemmon won a Best Actor Oscar for this role, which sees him as a troubled garment manufacturer who explores dark avenues to keep his small debt-ridden factory afloat.

Clothing manufacturer Harry Stoner (Jack Lemmon) mourns the loss of his youthful idealism even as he seals his fate by arranging to have an arsonist (Thayer David) torch his faltering factory for the insurance settlement. Stoner's conflicts with himself, his business partner (Jack Gilford), his distant wife (Patricia Smith) and a demanding client (Norman Burton) boil over during a nightmarish presentation at a fashion show, while a free-spirited hippie girl (Laurie Heineman) offers escape. Featuring a tour-de-force Oscar-winning performance from Lemmon, this is a meticulously painted portrait of a deeply flawed human being, and through it, finds something to say about the growing cynicism and bleak reality of 1970s America.

USA 1973 John G. Avildsen 100m

KJÆRLIGHET

A pragmatic doctor explores the possibility of spontaneous intimacy, questioning societal norms, after a chance meeting with a nurse from her work.

Marianne (Andrea Bræin Hovig), a doctor, and Tor (Tayo Cittadella Jacobsen), a compassionate nurse, are both avoiding conventional relationships. One evening after a blind date, Marianne encounters Tor on the ferry, who often spends his nights there seeking casual encounters with men. Intrigued by his perspective on spontaneous intimacy, Marianne begins to explore whether this could also be an option for her. Satisfying, thoughtful narrative and character play, together with engagingly candid sexual discussions and performances from the ensemble makes this a promising prospect for admirers of mature, thoughtful relationship cinema – especially admirers of Eric Rohmer and the like. (Subtitles)

Norway 2024 Dag Johan Haugerud 119m

LA PETITE VADROUILLE

In this very funny French farce, a group of friends come up with a unique solution to their money problems: organise a fake romantic cruise for a wealthy investor, who is looking to seduce a woman.

Justine (Sandrine Kiberlain), her husband (Denis Podalydès), and their circle of friends find an easy solution to their money problems: they will organize a fake romantic cruise for Franck (Daniel Auteuil), a major investor, take advantage of his romanticism and naivety, and extract his funds. But before Justine can even suggest this plan to Franck, he proposes it first. The motley crew navigate through the French canals and locks, impersonating folk who actually know what they are doing, at the expense of the clueless and amorous Franck. French megastars Auteuil (‘La Belle Époque’) and Kiberlain (‘Mademoiselle Chambon’) shine in this playful farce set upon a slow-drifting houseboat from director Bruno Podalydès (‘The Sweet Escape), whose gift for depicting the foibles of daily life via absurd comedy is on display here once again. A perfect Sunday afternoon film. (Subtitles)

France 2024 Bruno Podalydès 96m

Andriy Dovzhenko demonstrate disobedience to the Soviet system, but system is trying to break him with forbidden punitive psychiatry practice. Will his system break him?

The protagonist Andrii Dovzhenko finds out a horrible truth, that has been hidden in USSR for years - most of those accused of «anti-Soviet propaganda» were never sent to prison, but to special psychiatric hospitals with a diagnosis of "slow progressive schizophrenia". Andrii finds himself in a real hell of punitive psychiatry and faces a difficult choice - to cooperate with the KGB and return to his family, or to reveal the truth about dissidents tortured in such psychiatric hospitals.

(Subtitles)

Ukraine 2024 Denys Tarasov 119m

Kaj Ti Je Deklica

A 16-year-old joins a Catholic school choir and befriends a senior. During a retreat, attractions to a restoration worker create tensions between the two and challenges their faith.

Lucija (Jara Sofija Ostan) is an introverted who is prone to drifting off into daydreams. Key among these are the vividly painted lips of Ana-Marija (Mina Svajger), a confident and popular senior who, like Lucija, sings alto in their Catholic school's all-girls choir. When the choir travels to northern Italy, Lucija finds herself attracted to a workman renovating the convent causing tension within her newly formed social circle. Slovenian director Urska Djukic digs deep into the fertile terrain of religion and adolescent hormones and finds something fresh in this coming-of-age drama. Premiered at the 2025 Berlin Film Festival launching Djukic as a new female force in the industry. The title comes from the ‘Sonic Youth’ song of the same name which plays over the closing credits, and whose lyrics perfectly encapsulate the frustrations of the film’s lead character. (Subtitles)

Slovenia 2025 Urska Djukic 89m

A rare chance to experience a cinematic masterpiece made almost a century ago. ‘Sunrise’ is a pinnacle of craft and one of the most revered films of all time, distinguished by its astonishingly fluid and inventive camera work. The live musical accompaniment mixes improvisation and composition and will be played on piano, flute, accordion and harp.

In this F.W. Murnau (‘Nosferatu’) masterpiece, a farmer (George O'Brien) with a pretty wife (Janet Gaynor) begins a downward spiral after starting an affair with a vacationing woman from the city (Margaret Livingston). She wants him to return to the city with her but when he mentions his wife, she suggests drowning her. Considered one of the greatest silent films. Indeed, in 2022's Sight and Sound poll, it was voted the 11th greatest film of all time! And yet surprisingly few people have seen it.

USA 1927 F.W. Murnau 94m

The live musical accompaniment will be performed by one of the leading silent film performers, Stephen Horne on piano, flute and accordion, alongside award-winning harpist and composer Elizabeth-Jane Baldry.

Tickets £15