When the world's best spy is turned into a pigeon, he must rely on his nerdy tech officer to save the world. A funny, fast-paced, and family-friendly animated comedy.

Super spy Lance Sterling (Will Smith) and scientist Walter Beckett (Tom Holland) are almost exact opposites. Lance is smooth, suave and debonair. Walter is... not. But when events take an unexpected turn, this unlikely duo is forced to team up for the ultimate mission that will require an almost impossible disguise - transforming Lance into the brave, fierce, majestic... pigeon. Walter and Lance suddenly have to work as a team, or the whole world is in peril. A buddy movie, Bond spoof, body-swap comedy and action adventure all rolled into one.

USA 2019 Nick Bruno & Troy Quane 101m

A powerful and thought-provoking true story that follows young lawyer Bryan Stevenson (Michael B. Jordan) and his history-making battle for justice.

After graduating from Harvard, Bryan had his pick of lucrative jobs. Instead, he heads to Alabama to defend those wrongly condemned or who were not afforded proper representation, with the support of local advocate Eva Ansley (Brie Larson). One of his first, and most incendiary cases, is that of Walter McMillian (Jamie Foxx), who, in 1987, was sentenced to die for the notorious murder of an 18-year-old girl, despite a preponderance of evidence proving his innocence and the fact that the only testimony against him came from a criminal with a motive to lie. Michael B. Jordan is phenomenal in the lead role.

USA 2019 Destin Daniel Cretton 136m

A revealing look inside the most powerful and controversial media empire of all time; Fox News, and the explosive story of the women who brought down the infamous man who created it.

The women in question are Fox News hosts Megyn Kelly (Charlize Theron), Gretchen Carlson (Nicole Kidman) and a composite character called Kayla (Margot Robbie). All three are being abused by Fox honcho Roger Ailes (John Lithgow) and are unsure what - if anything -to do about it, especially since none is sure if she is the only one. The script is very well written by Director Roach and Charles Randolph (whose script for ‘The Big Short’ won an Oscar), and despite the heavy subject, is sprinkled with humour, creating a hugely entertaining film.

USA 2019 Jay Roach 108m

This modern-day murder mystery where everyone is a suspect, is a crackling, devious, and hugely satisfying old-school whodunnit with a modern twist.

When renowned crime novelist Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer) is found dead at his estate just after his 85th birthday, the inquisitive and debonair Detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) is mysteriously enlisted to investigate. From Harlan's dysfunctional family to his devoted staff, Blanc sifts through a web of red herrings and self-serving lies to uncover the truth behind Harlan's untimely death.

With an all-star ensemble cast including Chris Evans, Jamie Lee Curtis, Toni Collette, Don Johnson and Michael Shannon, this is a witty and stylish whodunit guaranteed to keep audiences guessing until the very end.

USA 2019 Rian Johnson 130m

Tenki no Ko

As irresistibly romantic as it is awe-inspiringly gorgeous, we present this beautiful film as one of our two Valentine’s Day presentations. The story follows a high-school boy who has run away and befriends a girl who appears to be able to manipulate the weather.

The summer of his first high school year, Hodaka runs away from his remote island home to Tokyo, and quickly finds himself pushed to his limits. The weather is unusually gloomy and rains every day, as if to suggest his future, but finally he finds work as a writer for a mysterious occult magazine. One day, this small-town dreamer meets Hina on a busy street corner. This bright and strong-willed girl possesses a strange and wonderful ability: the power to stop the rain and clear the sky...

Japan 2019 Makoto Shinkai 114m

N.b. We will screen both the original version and the English dubbed version of this film.

Di Qiu Zui Hou de ye Wan

A noir-tinged film told in two parts: the first an achronological mosaic, the second a nocturnal dream. Centring around his native province of Guizhou in southwest China, the director has created a film like nothing you've seen before.

Luo Hongwu (Huang Jue) is a former casino manager who has returned to the depressed home-town he left 20 years before. He finds an old photo of a woman with whom he was passionately in love in the old days called Wan Qiwen (Tang Wei) but had vanished. His return trigger an obsessive need to find her again, and to delve into his memory for clues. “There is such artistry in this film, which is like a hallucinatory experience, whose sinuous camera movements take you on a long journey into memory and fear and a night full of dreams – with influences from David Lynch and Wong Kar-wai.” – Peter Bradshaw (The Guardian). (Subtitles)

China/France 2018 Gan Bi 138m

NT Live:

By Edmond Rostand, in a new version by Martin Crimp. Directed by Jamie Lloyd.

James McAvoy (X-Men, Atonement) returns to the stage in an inventive new adaptation of Cyrano de Bergerac, broadcast live to cinemas from the West End in London.

Fierce with a pen and notorious in combat, Cyrano almost has it all - if only he could win the heart of his true love Roxane. There’s just one big problem: he has a nose as huge as his heart. Will a society engulfed by narcissism get the better of Cyrano - or can his mastery of language set Roxane’s world alight?

Edmond Rostand’s masterwork is adapted by Martin Crimp, with direction by Jamie Lloyd ('Betrayal'). This classic play will be brought to life with linguistic ingenuity to celebrate Cyrano’s powerful and resonant resistance against overwhelming odds. 180m (TBC) inc Interval.

Tickets £17.50 (Friends/Students £15)

Based on the true story of a real-life friendship between American television personality, musician and puppeteer Fred Rogers and journalist Tom Junod. This is a movie that is both entertainment and spiritual toolkit.

Tom Hanks portrays Mister Rogers in a timely story of kindness triumphing over cynicism. After a jaded magazine writer (Matthew Rhys) is assigned a profile of Fred Rogers (host of the long-running US TV show ‘Mister Rogers' Neighbourhood’), he overcomes his scepticism, learning about empathy, kindness, and decency from America's most beloved neighbour. A kind of gentle and deeply affecting filmmaking that is completely original and reflective of Rogers himself, offering a powerfully affecting message about acceptance and understanding.

USA 2019 Marielle Heller 109m

In the mid 60’s, Brian Jones emerged as the poster boy of the Bohemian London scene, topping the charts with The Rolling Stones and dating model/actress Anita Pallenberg. This is the first documentary to be produced about the founder and original leader of The Rolling Stones.

His excessive lifestyle and his reputation as 'the original bad boy of Rock & Roll' was to cost him dearly. As the scene descended into the acid ridden year of 1967 so did Brian. Targeted by the authorities and media, he spiraled out of control losing both Anita and the respect of the Stones. Two years later, Brian was found at the bottom of his swimming pool, the verdict: death by misadventure. The film also delves into the many theories have emerged during the last 50 years, claiming that Brian was murdered and that it was covered up at high level.

UK 2019 Danny Garcia 96m

Seberg is inspired by true events about the French New Wave darling and Breathless star, Jean Seberg (Kristen Stewart), who in the late 1960s was targeted by the FBI because of her support of the civil rights movement and romantic involvement with Hakim Jamal (Anthony Mackie), among others.

Already mentally and physically scarred by the sadistic Preminger when, at 18, she was nearly burned alive on camera (during the stake sequence she was actually set on fire by reckless, negligent direction), she miraculously survived to become the darling of New Wave cinema in Jean-Luc Godard’s ‘Breathless’. Seberg's life and career are destroyed however, by Hoover's overreaching surveillance and harassment in an effort to suppress and discredit her activism. Kristen Stewart is excellent in the title role, reminding us of Seberg's vibrant strength and defiance, and standing up for her truth.

UK/USA 2019 Benedict Andrews 112m

It has been called one of the most cursed film productions ever. Most assumed that Terry Gilliam’s ‘Don Quixote’ project would never be made, much less see the light of day. Plagued by endless delays, natural disasters, dying actors, greedy financiers and good old-fashioned Icarus-level hubris. But alas – it has arrived!

Toby (Adam Driver), a cynical advertising director, finds himself trapped in the outrageous delusions of an old Spanish shoemaker (Jonathan Pryce) who believes himself to be Don Quixote. In the course of their comic and increasingly surreal adventures, Toby is forced to confront the tragic repercussions of a film he made in his idealistic youth - a film that changed the hopes and dreams of a small Spanish village forever. Can Toby make amends and regain his humanity? Can Don Quixote survive his madness and imminent death? Or will love conquer all? Utterly beautiful and endlessly inventive. (Some subtitles)

Spain/Belgium/France 2019 Terry Gilliam 132m

A celebration of his short animated films by Patrick Hargood, illustrated by clips from his masterpieces, including ‘Red Hot Riding Hood’, ‘Screwball Squirrel’ and ‘North-West Hounded Police’.

The antithesis of Walt Disney, Tex Avery came to prominence at Warner Bros in the 1930s where he worked on the first films featuring Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and Porky Pig. But it was at MGM in the 1940s and 1950s that his surreal, manic humour was given full rein. In ‘Red Hot Riding Hood’, Little Red Riding Hood becomes a nightclub singer and the wolf is forced to flee from a sexually voracious Grandma. This is a subversive world of extremes, where gag follows gag at breakneck speed, narrative conventions are overturned, and the fourth wall is regularly broken. 120m

Please note: all ages are welcome to this talk, but some may find the content unsuitable for younger children.

Tickets £6.50

Sat 22 Feb 10:30 (In the auditorium)

Le Chant du Loup

With nuclear war looming, a military expert in underwater acoustics strives to prove things aren't as they seem - or sound - using only his ears. A critically acclaimed French action-thriller.

Set in the near future, we follow Chanteraide (François Civil), a young naval Acoustic Warfare Analyst (AWA) who finds himself in the midst of a troubling mystery and on the brink of nuclear war. After an unexpected vessel appears in close proximity to the submarine, the mission is almost compromised. Seeking to right his wrong, Chanteraide begins to investigate the mysterious vessel’s origins and uncovers a very sinister threat. Very much like the beginning of the Oscar-winning ‘The Hurt Locker’, you will be hooked from the very start. In addition to being a compelling thriller, ‘The Wolf’s Call’ also casts a light on the fascinating job of an AWA. It is their job to listen to the ocean around them and decipher what the noises they hear belong to. (Subtitles)

France 2019 Antonin Baudry 115m

Bolshoi Ballet Live from Moscow

Tchaikovsky’s essential masterpiece returns with a new cast for the most beloved ballet in the classical canon.

Prince Siegfried is summoned by his parents t Tchaikovsky’s essential masterpiece returns with a new cast for the most beloved ballet in the classical canon o choose a bride. However, he encounters a mysterious swan-woman by the lake, Odette, and is captivated by her. His vow of eternal love to her will have irreversible consequenTechnically challenging and filled with vibrant emotion, with a stunning and world-famous corps de ballet in perfect unison, the legendary love story between Prince Siegfried and the dual personalities Odette/Odile, born at the Bolshoi Theatre, is a must-see. Music Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Choreography YurGrigorovich  Libretto Yuri Grigorovic The Bolshoi Principals, Soloists and Corps de Ballet. 165m approx including 1 interval.

Tickets £17.50 (Friends/Students £15)

Sun 23 Feb 15:00- 17:50 Approx (Live)

Two married couples adjust to the vast social and economic changes taking place in China from the 1980s to the present.

This epic film traces the lives of two families over three decades of social, political and human upheaval in China. Following the loss of a child in a tragic accident, their paths separate. Destinies ebb and flow, and fortunes are transformed under the impact of a country's changing face. Yet even as their lives diverge, a common search for truth and reconciliation around the tragedy remains.

This is an unmissable film, rated at 100% on the Film Critic’s website Rotten Tomatoes, it finds, then repeatedly breaks,your heart, before a subtly momentous finale. Do not be frightened off by the running time, it will keep you gripped to the final minute. (Subtitles)

China 2019 Xiaoshuai Wang 185m

An outsider with attitude, this film chronicles the infamous photographer Jim Marshall's life behind and outside the camera.

A child of immigrants and a life battling inner demons, Jim fought his way to become one of the most trusted mavericks behind a lens throughout 60's history. A passion for music led him to capture some of the most iconic figures in music history from Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, to the infamous image of Jimi Hendrix burning his guitar. It was his abrasive but honest approach to his subjects combined with incredible skill to build trust that expanded his portfolio beyond celebrities, documenting history across the ages. This fascinating character study also offers insights into how the best candid portraits of musicians happen. A must for anyone interested in photography and/or music.

UK/USA 2019 Alfred George Bailey 92m

Two Live ROH Ballets

Two world Premieres of two new ballets including 'Cellist' and 'Dances At A Gathering'.

Choreographer Cathy Marston is previously an Associate Artist of the Royal Opera House and Director of Bern Ballett, and much in demand internationally. The inspiration for her first work for The Royal Ballet Main Stage is the momentous life and career of the cellist Jacqueline du Pré. A new work by Liam Scarlett, The Royal Ballet’s Artist in Residence, provides the second part of the programme.  Choreography Cathy Marston 'Cellist'), Liam Scarlett ('Dances at a Gathering')  Music Philip Feeney (New Cathy Marston), TBC (New Liam Scarlett).

150m approx including 1 interval.                

Tickets £17.50 (Friends/Students £15)

Tue 25 Feb 19:15 - 22:20 approx (Live)

First published in 1815, Jane Austen's beloved comedy about finding your equal and earning your happy ending continues to resonate and is reimagined here in this delicious new film adaptation by Autumn de Wilde.

Handsome, clever, and rich, Emma Woodhouse (Anya Taylor-Joy) is a restless queen bee without rivals in her sleepy little town. In this glittering satire of social class and the pain of growing up, Emma must adventure through misguided matches and romantic missteps to find the love that has been there all along.

In addition to Taylor-Joy, the cast includes Bill Nighy as Mr. Woodhouse, Josh O’Connor (The Crown) as Mr. Elton, Mia Goth as the beleaguered Harriet Smith, and Johnny Flynn as Mr. Knightley. Autumn de Wilde is known as a fashion photographer and music video director, and here she brings those skills to create a breathtakingly beautiful vision of a film.

UK 2020 Autumn de Wilde

Clint Eastwood returns behind the camera with this true story about an American security guard Richard Jewell (Paul Walter Hauser) who saves thousands of lives from an exploding bomb at the 1996 Olympics, but is vilified by journalists and the press who falsely reported that he was a terrorist.

This is a story of what happens when what is reported as fact obscures the truth. "There is a bomb in Centennial Park." The world is first introduced to Jewell as the security guard who reports finding the device at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics - his report making him a hero whose swift actions save countless lives. But within days, the law enforcement wannabe becomes the FBI's number one suspect, vilified by press and public alike, his life ripped apart. The supporting cast includes Sam Rockwell, Olivia Wilde and Jon Hamm.

USA 2019 Clint Eastwood 131m

A hypnotic and hallucinatory tale of two lighthouse keepers on a remote and mysterious New England island in the 1890s, that further establishes Robert Eggers as a filmmaker of exceptional talent.

Aboard a steamboat that punches through a sea of mist, foghorns blasting and engine chugging, are Thomas Wake (Willem Dafoe) and Ephraim Winslow (Robert Pattinson). Wake is a spirited-eyed, rotten-toothed ex-sailor with a penchant for liquor and sea-dog stories. Winslow is his right hand - a bookish, cash-strapped former logger on a quest for money and on the run from some dark secrets on the mainland. Shot on location, in academy ratio and austere black-and-white, ‘The Lighthouse’ chronicles the four weeks the pair spend ‘keeping’ the lighthouse on a barren island off the coast of Nova Scotia. Dafoe and Pattinson are nothing short of sensational, and a special mention must go to cinematographer Jarin Blaschke.

Canada 2019 Robert Eggers 109m

Richard Cupidi Studio Workshop

“All I ask is that you step with me into the boundlessness.” Béla Tarr

The opening sequences of films invite viewers into the visual and emotional landscapes that follow. Sometimes they introduce us to geographies, a mood or atmosphere, a mystery or dilemma, or to a character worth our time and attention. In contrast, film closings offer viewers a release - time to reflect on or reconsider what’s gone before, time to speculate about what happens afterwards. In this interactive workshop we’ll explore how openings and closings function cinematically (with examples), and reveal how the digital age has affected their production and aesthetics. We will analyse in depth some outstanding openings (intense, visually striking and atmospheric) together with some exceptional closings – ones that complete the narrative, or remain opaque, leave us in a pool of deep reflection, or opportunistically invite us into a sequel. Everyone welcome. (No Sandwich service at this event) 240m

Tickets £10 (Friends/Students £8.50)

Sat 29 Feb 11:00 - 15:00

MET Delayed Live

Handel’s tale of intrigue and impropriety in ancient Rome arrives  on March 1, with star mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato as the controlling, power-hungry Agrippina and Harry Bicket conducting.

Sir David McVicar’s production ingeniously reframes the action of this black comedy about the abuse of power to “the present,” where it should loudly resonate. The all-star cast features mezzo-soprano Kate Lindsey as Agrippina’s son and future emperor Nerone, soprano Brenda Rae as the seductive Poppea, countertenor Iestyn Davies as the ambitious officer Ottone, and bass Matthew Rose as the weary emperor Claudius. This production was originally created by the Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie / De Munt Brussels and adapted by the Metropolitan Opera. .                                                      

220m approx Including Interval.  (Act1&2 : 101mins; Interval: 30mins; Act 3&4: 95 mins)                                  

Tickets £20 (£17.50 Friends/Students)

Sun 1 Ma4 14:00 - 17:40 approx (delayed live)

A talk by Professor Emeritus Richard Dyer

As part of our celebrations of 100 years since the birth of Federico Fellini we are delighted to welcome Professor Emeritus Richard Dyer, formerly of Kings College London, who will present a talk on Fellini’s ‘La Dolce Vita’ which we are screening in January.  

Professor Dyer is a renowned specialist in Italian cinema and has been widely published, including as author of the book of the film in the BFI Classics series.  The talk will explain the phenomenon that is ‘La Dolce Vita’.  Much of the film’s notoriety arose from the inclusion of real people and media stories of the time, mediated though the actions of journalists, press photographers and publicists. The film reworks these stories and events, transforming them for public consumption in a manner similar to the media itself – but does it present a bleak perspective that nothing in the media is as it seems, or an exuberant view that the film, and the world, is just fun? 120m

Fri 6 Mar 13:30 (Studio)

After a plane crash kills her family, a woman seeks revenge against the people who caused the tragedy.

Stephanie Patrick’s (Blake Lively) world is turned upside down when an airplane with all her loved ones aboard crashes with no survivors. Devastated, she turns to drugs and prostitution - until she learns that the crash wasn’t an accident, but an act of terrorism. Filled with rage, she joins a questionable intelligence organization that requires she take on new identities to carry out even more questionable assignments. The catch: after she completes her assignments, she’s been promised the opportunity to take out the terrorists who brought down the flight that killed her loved ones. Reed Morano, a director on the outstanding ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ takes the helm.

UK 2018 Reed Morano

This bold and heart-felt biopic commemorates the heroic efforts of Gareth Jones: the Welsh journalist who broke the story of the horrific famines within the Soviet Union in the 1930s.

Gareth Jones (James Norton) was a teetotal, Russian-speaking Cambridge scholar from Barry, south Wales. He made his name after ‘fortunately’ finding himself on an airplane with Adolf Hitler, and in possession of an exclusive interview. So off Jones goes to Moscow, ostensibly to try to interview Joseph Stalin too, but he follows his journalist’s nose for a story to slip into Ukraine, where reporters were banned. There he exposed the Holodomor, a famine caused by Stalin’s agricultural policies in which up to 10 million people died. The movie is partly about Jones’s personal nightmare and his anguish when he was at first disbelieved, but it is also about his final vindication. (Some Subtitles)

Poland/UK 2019 Agnieszka Holland 118m

Mes Provinciales

Etienne comes to Paris to study filmmaking at the Sorbonne. He meets Mathias and Jean-Noël who share his passion for films. But as they spend the year studying, they have to face friendship and love challenges as well as choosing their artistic battles.

Dark-eyed, floppy-haired Etienne (Andranic Manet) travels from his working-class home in Lyon to study cinema at the Université Paris 8, located in Seine-Saint-Denis. He quickly falls in with two classmates: the cheerful and rather helpful Jean-Noel (Gonzague Van Bervesseles) and the cocky, seductive Mathias (Corentin Fila), who talks about movies like he is the next Jean-Luc Godard but has yet to put his words into action. Shot in widescreen black and white, with many scenes devoted to extended discussions about movies, books and the desperation of existence, ‘A Paris Education’ is the perfect film for both cinephiles and Francophiles.

(Subtitles)

France 2018 Jean-Paul Civeyrac 137m

POSTPONED BY THE DISTRIBUTOR:

Replaced with 3 screenings of OFFICIAL SECRETS
and 1 screening of Springsteen's WESTERN STARS.

A David versus Goliath story which tackles some of our most challenging issues, homelessness and mental illness, setting the drama inside one of the last bastions of democracy-in-action: your public library.

An unusually bitter Arctic blast has made its way to downtown Cincinnati and the front doors of the public library where the action of the film takes place. At odds with library officials over how to handle the extreme weather event, some homeless patrons turn the building into a shelter for the night by staging an "Occupy" sit in.

What begins as an act of civil disobedience becomes a stand-off with police and a rush-to-judgment media constantly speculating about what's really happening. Estevez (‘The Outsiders’, ‘The Breakfast Club’), best known as one of the brat-pack in the 1980’s, stars, writes and directs this passion piece.

USA 2018 Emilio Estevez 119m

Our Annual Fund Raising Film Quiz!

One of the most entertaining nights in the Cinema calendar. A Film Quiz organized by the Cinema as a fundraiser, hosted by Walter Francisco (Cinema General Manager) and Richard Cupidi (U3A Film Tutor).

Proceeds will go towards updating our Cinema Screen.

Sat 7 Mar 18:30

Doors Open 18:00

Minerva Bar & Grill, Minerva Theatre (Upstairs),

at the Chichester Festival Theatre

Tickets £24 each

25th Anniversary Show

Filmed live in Dublin exactly 25 years to the day when it all began, the event includes a special introduction and fascinating backstage footage and interviews.

Riverdance originally burst on to the world stage in Dublin when it premiered during the interval of the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest and overnight became a worldwide phenomenon. It’s celebrated for its Grammy award-winning score and the thrilling energy and passion of its Irish and international dance. Over the last 25 years, Riverdance has performed live to an audience of over 27.5 million. In 2020, Riverdance 25th Anniversary Show will be a powerful and stirring reinvention of the family favourite with innovative and spectacular lighting, projection, stage and costume designs. 120m inc interval.

Tickets £15 (£12.50 Friends/Students)

Stylish, provocative, and powerful, ‘Queen & Slim’ tells a gripping fugitive story steeped in timely, thoughtful subtext.

While on a forgettable first date together in Ohio, Slim (Daniel Kaluuya - ‘Get Out') and Queen (Jodie Turner-Smith) are pulled over for a minor traffic infraction. The situation escalates with sudden and tragic results when he kills the police officer in self-defense. Terrified and in fear for their lives, Queen, a criminal defense lawyer, and Slim, a retail employee, are forced to go on the run. But the incident is captured on video and goes viral, and the couple unwittingly become a symbol of trauma, terror, grief and pain for people across the country. This oddly hypnotic piece of work is an example of how modern culture can be weaved into a romance plot without compromising either element.

Canada/USA 2019 Melina Matsoukas 132m

In Mexico City, a city with nine million people but only 45 government-operated ambulances, the Ochoa family runs a private ambulance, competing with other similar for-profit entrepreneurs for patients in need of urgent help.

The movie captures moments of astonishing intimacy, not just with the Ochoas but with their patients, the police, and the citizens they interact with from moment to moment. The camera looks at people and places and lets us think and feel things, rather than constantly and clumsily trying to manage our reactions.  This is one of the great contemporary films about the look and feel of a big city after dark, luxuriating in the vastness of almost-empty avenues lit by buzzing streetlamps. It is a real-life answer to fiction films like ‘Taxi Driver’ and ‘Collateral.’

(Subtitles)

Mexico 2019 Luke Lorentzen 81m

Parasite (15)

Gisaengchung

The 2019 Palme D’Or winner is an urgent, brilliantly layered look at timely social themes, which finds writer-director Bong Joon Ho in near-total command of his craft.

In this pitch-black modern fairytale, we meet the Park Family: the picture of aspirational wealth. And the Kim Family, rich in street smarts but not much else. Masterminded by college-aged Ki-woo, the Kim children expediently install themselves as tutor and art therapist, to the Parks. Soon, a symbiotic relationship forms between the two families. The Kims provide "indispensable" luxury services while the Parks obliviously bankroll their entire household. When a parasitic interloper threatens the Kims' newfound comfort, a savage, underhanded battle for dominance breaks out, threatening to destroy the fragile ecosystem between the two families. This has been hailed by some critics as a nearly perfect film, from Bong's masterful use of framing and visual language and control of a wildly shifting tone to the performances (all terrific) to the commentary on class division. A fitting movie for our times, that you must see before the inevitable American remake sands down all its razor-sharp edges.

(Subtitles)

South Korea 2019 Bong Joon Ho 132m

After losing his wife seven years earlier, the eccentric Dr. John Dolittle (Robert Downey Jr.), famed doctor and veterinarian of Queen Victoria's England, hermits himself away behind the high walls of Dolittle Manor with only his menagerie of exotic animals for company.

But when the young queen (Jessie Buckley) falls gravely ill, a reluctant Dolittle is forced to set sail on an epic adventure to a mythical island in search of a cure, regaining his wit and courage as he crosses old adversaries and discovers wondrous creatures. The doctor is joined on his quest by a young, self-appointed apprentice (Harry Collett) and a raucous coterie of animal friends, including an anxious gorilla (Rami Malek), an enthusiastic but bird-brained duck (Octavia Spencer), a bickering duo of a cynical ostrich (Kumail Nanjiani) and an upbeat polar bear (John Cena) and a headstrong parrot (Emma Thompson), who serves as Dolittle's most trusted advisor and confidante.

USA 2020 Stephen Gagham 106m

The extraordinary tale of Harriet Tubman's escape from slavery and transformation into one of America's greatest heroes, whose courage, ingenuity, and tenacity freed hundreds of slaves and changed the course of history.

We meet Harriet (Cynthia Erivo in a towering performance) as a slave, trying to get her owners to accept a lawyer’s letter stating that if she and her free husband have children, the young ones will be free as well. Her fortunes take her to Philadelphia where she meets William Still (Leslie Odom Jr), the founder of an abolitionist centre welcoming escaped slaves into free Pennsylvania.

From here, Harriet begins a dangerous mission of repatriating terrified slaves, helping them to a new life. Singer Janelle Monáe is luminous as the owner of a boarding house that caters to recently escaped slaves. ‘Harriet’ serves as a sincere tribute to a pivotal figure in American history

USA 2019 Kasi Lemmons 125m

Behind Vatican walls, the conservative Pope Benedict and the liberal future Pope Francis must find common ground to forge a new path for the Catholic Church.

Frustrated with the direction of the church, Cardinal Bergoglio (Jonathan Pryce) requests permission to retire in 2012 from Pope Benedict (Anthony Hopkins). Instead, facing scandal and self-doubt, the introspective Pope Benedict summons his harshest critic and future successor to Rome to reveal a secret that would shake the foundations of the Catholic Church.

What makes ‘The Two Popes’ so delightful, other than the very funny script, is watching two seasoned actors play off each other, illustrating what the craft of acting is really about. This is the most recent film from the brilliant Fernando Meirelles, best known for ‘City of Gad’ and ‘The Constant Gardener’.

UK/Italy/Argentina 2019 Fernando Meirelles 125m

A quirkily rattling movie that will grip you with its genetics-manipulation plot. A “genre-fluid” film that can be classed as sci-fi, horror, thriller, and even comedy.

Alice, a single mother, is a dedicated senior plant breeder at a corporation engaged in developing new species. She has engineered a very special crimson flower, remarkable not only for its beauty but also for its therapeutic value: if kept at the ideal temperature, fed properly and spoken to regularly, this plant makes its owner happy. Against company policy, Alice takes one home as a gift for her teenage son, Joe. They christen it 'Little Joe' but as it grows, so too does Alice's suspicion that her new creations may not be as harmless as their nickname suggests. What allows ‘Little Joe’ to stand out in the independent film world is its use of colour and sound. The plant in its strikingly bright red seems to engulf everything around it.

UK 2019 Jessica Hausner 105m

MET Delayed Live

The great bass-baritone Sir Bryn Terfel brings his acclaimed portrayal of the doomed title sea captain in Richard Wagner’s 'The Flying Dutchman' to cinemas  on March 15.

Valery Gergiev conducts a new production by François Girard, whose visionary 2013 take on Parsifal set the recent Met standard for Wagner stagings. With sweeping sets by John Macfarlane, Girard’s new production turns the Met stage into a rich, layered tableau reminiscent of a vast oil painting. The gifted German soprano Anja Kampe, in her Met debut run, is the devoted Senta, whose selfless love is what the Dutchman seeks, with bass Franz-Josef Selig as her father, Daland, and tenor Sergey Skorokhodov as her deserted former lover, Erik.

The score of 'Der Fliegende Holländer' is an extraordinary combination of operatic lyricism, dramatic insight, and magnificent effects. At the time it was written, Wagner had not yet developed his theories of music-drama, which would form the basis for his later works. Many of the features of conventional opera (recitatives, arias, ensembles), therefore, can still be found, but the way Wagner integrates them into the fabric of the score clearly foreshadows his later technique of a continuous musical flow. Sung in German with English subtitles.                                                          

120m approx. No interval.

Tickets £20 (£17.50 Friends/Students)

Sun 15 Mar 15:30 - 17:30 approx (delayed live)

Ken Loach’s follow-up to his 2017 Palme D’Or winner ‘I, Daniel Blake’, see a hard-up delivery driver and his wife struggle to get by in modern-day England.

Ricky (Kris Hitchen) and his family have been fighting an uphill struggle against debt since the 2008 financial crash. An opportunity to wrestle back some independence appears with a shiny new van and the chance to run a franchise as a self-employed delivery driver. It's hard work, and his wife's (Debbie Honeywood) job as a carer is no easier. The family unit is strong but when both are pulled in different directions everything comes to breaking point.

Even at 82, Loach is producing some of the richest and most vital work of his career. ‘I, Daniel Blake’ has an emotional richness, but this is an altogether more focused, more riveting work, that skillfully links the personal and the political.

UK/France 2019 Ken Loach 101m

Fin de Siglo

Two men meet in Barcelona and after spending a day together they realize that they have already met twenty years ago.

When Ocho (Juan Barberini), a 30-something Argentine poet on vacation in Barcelona, spots Javi (Ramón Pujol), a Spaniard from Berlin the attraction is subtle but persistent. After a missed connection on the beach, a third chance encounter escalates to a seemingly random hook-up. But are these two merely beautiful strangers in a foreign city or are they part of each other's histories - and maybe even their destinies? This can be seen as the gay equivalent of Richard Linklater's ‘Before’ trilogy, distilled into a single film.

Spain 2019 Lucio Castro 84m

ROH Live (New production)

Beethoven’s only opera is a masterpiece, an uplifting story of risk and triumph. In this new production, conducted by Antonio Pappano, Jonas Kaufmann plays the political prisoner Florestan.

Lise Davidsen plays his wife Leonore (disguised as ‘Fidelio’) who daringly sets out to rescue him. Set in strong counterpoint are the ingredients of domestic intrigue, determined love and the cruelty of an oppressive regime. The music is transcendent throughout and includes the famous Act I Quartet, the Prisoners’ Chorus and Florestan’s impassioned Act II cry in the darkness and vision of hope. Tobias Kratzer’s new staging brings together the dark reality of the French Revolutionary ‘Terror’ and our own time to illuminate Fidelio’s inspiring message of shared humanity. Sung in German with English subtitles. Music Ludwig van Beethoven; Director Tobias Kratzer; Conductor Antonio Pappano. Cast: Lise Davidsen (Leonore [Fidelio]), Jonas Kaufmann (Florestan), Georg Zeppenfeld (Rocco), Simon Neal (Don Pizarro), Amanda Forsythe (Marzelline).

150m approx including 1 interval.  

Tickets £17.50 (Friends/Students £15)

Tue 17 Mar 19:15 - 22:20 approx (Live)

Encore TBC

With their partners away serving in Afghanistan, a group of women on the home front form a choir and quickly find themselves at the centre of a media sensation and global movement.

The film focuses on two women and their differing attempts to raise the spirits of those left behind at a military base. With their partners away in Afghanistan, the women fall into a familiar routine, glumly aware of what lies ahead as they either wait for their return or for news they hope will never arrive. It’s a mode of living that Kate (Kristin Scott Thomas) knows all too well, her son killed in battle while her husband continues to fight and as she hands over social committee duties to Lisa (Sharon Horgan), she finds it difficult to let go. Kate is uptight and chilly while Lisa is laidback and unconventional and the two clash as they find ways to distract the women around them. But an uneasy partnership is formed as they decide upon a choir, an idea that grows into something neither of them could have expected. There is no denying that this is a film that squeezes a well-known true story into the crowd-pleasing packaging of a feelgood Brit-com. But we know it will be a blast, especially as the director rose to fame with 1997’s ‘The Full Monty’.

UK 2020 Peter Cattaneo 110m

Adapted from the beloved literary classic, this film vividly brings to the screen the story of Buck, a big-hearted dog whose blissful domestic life is turned upside down when he is suddenly uprooted from his California home and transplanted to the exotic wilds of the Alaskan Yukon during the Gold Rush of the 1890s.

As the newest rookie on a mail delivery dog sled team--and later its leader--Buck experiences the adventure of a lifetime, ultimately finding his true place in the world and becoming his own master.

USA 2020 Chris Sanders

Aka Nighthawk

A confident genre hybrid film quite unlike any other film you have seen, brought to us by the talent behind 2016’s ‘Aquarius’.

The title of the film refers to the fictional remote village planted in a parched rural area of Northeast Brazil, whose small yet united population follows organized strategies to combat a gang of American psychopaths. Documentarian Michael (Udo Kier) heads deep into the Brazilian outback to profile the village that recently lost its matriarch. As his relationship with the locals grows, he witnesses their true selves coming to light and unpacks the unusual and mysterious secrets they have buried. Part siege movie, part rural drama, part gorefest, ‘Bacurau’ also stars Sonia Braga and Barbara Colen.

(Subtitles)

Brazil 2019 Juliano Dornelles & Kleber Mendonça Filho 131m

Portrait de la Jeune Fille en Feu

We are delighted to open our extensive and rich selection of new French films with this superlative film. A vivid 18th century portrait of the stolen romantic relationship between two young women, played by Noémie Merlant and Adèle Haenel, who have a persuasive onscreen connection which gives this affair a life of its own.

Brittany 1760. Painter Marianne (Merlant) is commissioned to do the wedding portrait of Héloïse (Haenel). Héloïse is a reluctant bride-to-be and Marianne must paint her without her knowing. She observes her by day and secretly paints her at night. Intimacy and attraction grow between the two as they share Héloïse’s first and last moments of freedom, all whilst Marianne paints the portrait that will end it all. One of the hits at Cannes 2019. "Sciamma brings the erotic together with the cerebral … I was on the edge of my seat.” - The Guardian. (Subtitles)

France 2019 Céline Sciamma 119m

Danmarks Sønner

Denmark four years into the future. After a major bomb attack in Copenhagen, radicalization and ethnic tensions are running high, and a racist leader is leading the polls.

The next election is on the doorstep, and the strongly nationalist politician Martin Nordahl (Rasmus Bjerg) from the newly established party National Movement is predicted a historic landslide victory that can secure him the Prime Minister's post. The 19-year-old Zakaria (Mohammed Ismail Mohammed) moves slowly but surely onto a radical and dangerous track that can cost him and his family everything. On his way, he meets (Ali Zaki) Youssef, who fights his own battles and bears a deadly secret. While counting down to the most important choice in Denmark in recent times, Zakaria and Ali are forced towards a decisive decision that will have consequences for everyone. (Subtitles)

Denmark 2019 Ulaa Salim 123m

Hatsukoi

A blend of comedy, violence, and romance might seem disparate - but for director Takashi Miike, it's just another wildly entertaining entry in a filmography full of them.

The film revolves around promising young orphaned boxer Leo (Masataka Kubota) and hallucination-prone prostitute Monica (Sakurako Konishi), who unwittingly find themselves in the middle of a complex game between the Yakuza and their Chinese rivals. When Miike does slow pace down, he creates space for a tender romance to bloom between Leo and Monica, two innocents amid the gunplay and swordplay going on around them. A first-rate cast, dynamic action, slapstick comedy and a cool animated sequence. Think ‘Kill Bill’ meets ‘Baby Driver’ as this carnage of chaos proves to be wildly entertaining.

Japan/UK 2019 Takashi Mike 108m

This is a deeply personal tribute by the star tenor to the world-famous melodies from the birthplace of waltz and operetta.

This special concert was filmed live at the renowned Wiener Konzerthaus in Vienna and features popular Viennese songs by Johann Strauss, Franz Lehár and Robert Stolz and guest starring internationally acclaimed soprano Rachel Willis- Sørensen. Jonas Kaufmann has always had a special rapport with Austria and Vienna. His grandmother had a fondness for the light classics and was happy to sing the evergreens of Johann Strauss, Franz Lehár and Robert Stolz – a nice contrast to his grandfather’s passion for Wagner. A great opportunity to see this in conjunction with his performance in ‘Fidelio’ which comes to the New Park screen on the 17th March. 150m inc interval.

Tickets £15 (Friends/Students £12.50)

The incredible, true story of Marie Curie (Rosamund Pike) and her ground-breaking scientific achievements.

In Paris, 1893, Marie meets fellow scientist Pierre Curie (Sam Riley). The pair go on to marry, raise two daughters and change the face of science forever by jointly winning the Nobel Prize for the discovery of radium in 1903. Marie Curie was the first female scientist to win the esteemed prize. Satrapi seamlessly balances Marie’s accomplishments and struggles with the more complex realities that haunt her legacy. Compelling, creative, thoughtful and undeniably beautiful, ‘Radioactive’ confirms Satrapi’s (‘Persepolis’ 2007) status as one of the most original and important filmmakers working today.

UK/Hungary 2019 Marjane Satrapi 119m

This Michael Winterbottom satire of the mega-rich is centred around the build up to a spectacular 60th birthday party in an exclusive hotel on the Greek island of Mykonos.

This is a breezy, funny, unsubtle satire-melodrama all about the moral squalor of the super-rich. They are epitomised by a fictional high-street fashion mogul called Sir Richard “Greedy” McCreadie (Steve Coogan) as he prepares for a monumentally tasteless Roman-themed 60th birthday party on the plutocrats’ island of Mykonos. McCreadie has just suffered a nightmare of bad publicity following a catastrophic performance in front of a parliamentary select committee, and all the celebs are starting to pull out of his bash. The bgreat cast includes Isla Fisher, Asa Butterfield, Stephen Fry, David Mitchell and Sophie Cookson.

UK 2019 Michael Winterbottom 104m

A fierce counterpoint to the Ned Kelly legend with this bold, violent take on the story of a damaged criminal.

The film is adapted by Shaun Grant from Peter Carey’s Booker prize-winning novel, and it is a further variation on the legend of Ned Kelly, the 19th-century Australian outlaw and bushranger at war with the English colonial oppressor. Nurtured by the notorious bushranger Harry Power (Russell Crowe) and fueled by the unfair arrest of his mother, Ned Kelly recruits a wild bunch of warriors to plot one of the most audacious attacks of anarchy and rebellion the country has ever seen. The film is gritty and grimy, but surprisingly funny too, and cinematography superstar Ari Wegner does an excellent job in providing a real sense of the unforgiving landscape.

Australia 2019 Justin Kurzel 124m

Bolshoi Ballet - Captured live from Moscow

The star-crossed lovers’ tragic fate inspired Prokofiev a remarkable cinematic score, from the delicate theme of Juliet to the ominous Dance of the Knights.

In spite of each of their families being merciless enemies, Romeo and Juliet are deeply in love. The rivalry between the Capulets and the Montagues will cost Mercutio’s life, causing Romeo a desire of vengeance for the loss of his friend    Bolshoi stars Ekaterina Krysanova and Vladislav Lantratov wholly embody the two eternal lovers in Alexei Ratmansky’s stunning evocation of love at first sight.

Music Sergei Prokofiev; Choreography Alexei Ratmansky; Libretto Sergei Prokofiev, Sergei Radlov and Adrian Piotrovsky (after William Shakespeare); Ekaterina Krysanova (Juliet), Vladislav Lantratov (Romeo), Igor Tsvirko (Mercutio), Dmitry Dorokhov (Benvolio), Vitaly Biktimirov (Tybalt) and the Bolshoi Corps de Ballet

165m approx including 2 intervals.

Tickets £17.50 (Friends/Students £15)

Sun 29 Mar 15:00 - 17:50 approx

A passionate coming-of-age tale set amidst the conservative confines of modern Tbilisi, the film follows a competitive dancer who is thrown off balance by the arrival of a fellow male dancer with a rebellious streak.

In this story of love and liberation set amidst the ultraconservative confines of modern Georgian society, we follow Merab (Levan Gelbakhiani), a devoted dancer who has been training for years with his partner Mary (Ana Javakishvili) for a spot in the National Georgian Ensemble. The arrival of another male dancer, Irakli (Bachi Valishvili) - gifted with perfect form and equipped with a rebellious streak - throws Merab off balance, sparking both an intense rivalry and romantic desire that may cause him to risk his future in dance as well as his relationships with Mary and his family. This film achieves something truly special, and exactly what cinema should be - giving us an experience of a different culture, whilst connecting us through the universal theme of first love.

(Subtitles)

Sweden/Georgia 2019 Levan Akin 113m

What initially appears to be a crime thriller, becomes about so much more once you get deeper into this engrossing tale.

In darkest rural Ireland, ex-boxer Douglas 'Arm' Armstrong (Cosmo Jarvis) is used as a muscle man for the deadly Devers family, particularly by Daimhin (Barry Keoghan). He is treated like a lap dog doing the violent bidding for the family and he is also kept on a very short leash, whilst also trying to be a good father to his autistic young son. Torn between these two families, Arm's loyalties are truly tested when he is asked to kill for the first time. Jarvis’ star turn marks him as a screen talent to watch, and its script brings each character’s best and worst qualities to life with no extraneous exposition.

UK 2019 Nick Rowland 101m

ROH Ballet

Liam Scarlett’s glorious production of Swan Lake, new in 2018, returns for its first revival. While remaining faithful to the Marius Petipa/Lev Ivanov text, Scarlett’s additional choreography and John Macfarlane’s magnificent designs breathe new life into what is arguably the best-known and most-loved classical ballet.

The entire Company shines in this eternal tale of doomed love, a masterpiece filled with iconic moments. Tchaikovsky’s first score for ballet soars with its symphonic sweep and combines perfectly with exquisite choreography from the grand pas de deux of Prince Siegfried and Odile to the swans at the lakeside. An intoxicating mix of spectacle and intimate passion, the overall effect is irresistible. Choreography Liam Scarlett after Marius Petipa and Lev Ivano; Music Pyotr Il’yich Tchaikovsky.

180m approx including 2 intervals.

Tickets £17.50 (Friends/Students £15)

Sun 5 April 14:30 - 17:35 approx (Encore)

MET Delayed Live

Soprano Anna Netrebko, whom the New York Times hailed as “magnificent” when she made her role debut as Tosca in 2018, returns to cinemas  as Puccini’s explosive diva.

Tenor Brian Jagde is the idealistic painter Cavaradossi, and baritone Michael Volle completes the opera’s fatal love triangle as the sinister Scarpia. Bertrand de Billy conducts Sir David McVicar’s stunning production. The score of Tosca (if not the drama) itself is considered a prime example of the style of verismo, an elusive term usually translated as “realism.” The typical musical features of the verismo tradition are prominent in Tosca: short arias with an uninhibited flood of raw melody, ambient sounds that blur the distinctions between life and art, and the use of parlato—words spoken instead of sung—at moments of tension. An opera in 3 acts. Sung in Italian, with English subtitles.            

195m approx including 2 intervals (Act 1: 45mins; interval:32 mins: Act 2 : 43 mins; interval 30mins; Act 3: 30 mins )

Tickets £20 (£17.50 Friends/Students)

Sun 12 Apr 14:30 - 17:45 approx (delayed live)

Bolshoi Ballet Live from Moscow

This opulent triptych was inspired by Balanchine’s visit to the famous jeweler Van Cleef & Arpels on New York’s Fifth Avenue, celebrating the cities and dance schools of Paris, New York and St. Petersburg, each bound to its own precious stone: emerald, ruby and diamonds.

Balanchine built an homage of captivating beauty to the three dance schools that had forged his style, each represented by a contrasting gemstonewith 3 contasting scores by Faure, Stravinsky and  Tchaikovsky Jewels offers a unique occasion to enjoy the genius of choreographer’s visually captivating work performed by some of the world’s most dazzling dancers. Music Gabriel Fauré, Igor Stravinsky, Pyotr IlyichTchaikovsky: Choreography George Balanchine; The Bolshoi Principals, Soloists and Corps de Ballet.

165m approx including 2 intervals.

Tickets £17.50 (Friends/Students £15)

Sun 19 Apr 16:00 - 18:50 approx (Live)

Two Live one-act ROH Operas

Two opera classics are drawn together in this wonderfully observed re-creation of life in a south Italian village as a travelling theatre visits and emotions erupt.

The award-winning production by Damiano Michieletto presents vividly the fast-moving, shocking events brought about by secret love and uncontrollable jealousy. The music is full of Italianate melody in the great choruses that bring the villagers together in celebration and revelry, alongside the solo arias and tense confrontations that provoke violence and tragedy. With thrilling singing and intense drama, ‘Cav and Pag’ distils into one wonderful night out, the enduring appeal of Italian opera in its most familiar form. Both operas sung in Italian with English subtitles.Music Pietro Mascagni (Cavalleria Rusticana), Ruggero Leoncavallo (Pagliacci); Director Damiano Michieletto; Conductor Daniel Oren; Cast: 'Cavelleria Rusticana' - Yonghoon Lee (Turiddu), Liudmyla Monastyrska (Santuzza), Dimitri Platanias (Alfio), Josè Maria Lo Monaco (Lola); 'Pagliacci'- Roberto Alagna (Canio), Dimitri Platanias (Tonio), Aleksandra Kurzak (Nedda), Bogdan Baciu (Silvio), Mikeldi Atxalandabaso (Beppe).

180m approx with 1 interval                              

Tickets £17.50 (Friends/Students £15)

Tue 21 April 19:00 (Live)

Sun 26 April 14:30 - 17:35 approx (Encore)

The world’s ultimate musical duo, Michael Ball and Alfie Boe are ‘Back Together’ and set to delight cinema audiences up and down the country with the final show of their sold-out tour.

Hot on the heels of their star turns in the West End’s phenomenally successful staged concert of Les Misérables, Ball and Boe will reunite to tour their third album 'Back Together' following the number one best-selling hits ‘Together’ and ‘Together Again’. The superstar pair will take on their favourite musical theatre, pop and rock tracks at the O2 Arena, performing songs such as 'The Greatest Show' 'Something Inside so Strong' and a brilliantly arranged 'Queen Medley'. Showcasing their phenomenal voices and undeniable on-stage chemistry, Ball and Boe’s irresistible charm will undoubtedly light up the big screen. 150m including interval

Tue 21 Apr 19:00 (LIVE)

Sun 26 Apr 14:30 (Encore)

MET Delayed Live

Soprano Diana Damrau, following her triumph as Violetta in last season’s new production of Verdi’s La Traviata, returns  as the martyred Mary, Queen of Scots, in Donizetti’s bel canto showcase.

Star mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton is her imperious rival Queen Elizabeth I, and the silken-voiced tenor Stephen Costello is the noble Earl of Leicester. Maurizio Benini conducts Sir David McVicar’s handsome production. For all the beauty of its orchestral writing, Maria Stuarda is a prime example of the mid-19th century bel canto style—the drama is firmly embedded in the vocal parts. A notable curiosity of the score is the wide range of casting possibilities for the two leading ladies: either role can be (and has been) sung by a soprano or a mezzo-soprano. Much depends on the contrast of the voices, especially in the great confrontation scene at the end of Act I. Sung in Italian with English subtitles.

180m approx including intervals.

Tickets £20 (£17.50 Friends/Students)

Sun10 May  14:30 – 17:30 approx  (delayed live)            

NT Live:

One life in the hands of 12 women.

A new play by Lucy Kirkwood.

Rural Suffolk in England, 1759. As the country waits for Halley’s comet, a young woman is sentenced to hang for a heinous murder.

When she claims to be pregnant, a jury of 12 matrons are taken from their housework to decide whether she’s telling the truth, or simply trying to escape the noose. With only midwife Lizzy Luke prepared to defend the girl, and a mob baying for blood outside, the matrons wrestle with their new authority, and the devil in their midst.

James Macdonald ('Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?') directs Maxine Peake ('The Theory of Everything', 'Funny Cow') and Ria Zmitrowicz ('Three Girls', 'Mr. Selfridge') in this bold and gripping thriller from Tony Award-nominated writer Lucy Kirkwood ('Chimerica', 'Skins'). Broadcast live from the National Theatre in London. 180m (TBC) inc Interval.

Tickets £17.50 (Friends/Students £15)

ROH Ballet (World Premiere)

The world premiere of a new  full length contemporary ballet with music by Thomas Ades and the Royal Ballet’s trailblazing Resident Choreographer Wayne McGregor.

Dante’s Divine Comedy is an epic journey through the afterlife: it encompasses the horrifying drama of Inferno and its damned, the lyrical mysticism of pilgrims on mount Purgatorio and the dazzling spheres of Paradiso with their endless configurations of light. The poem was inspired by the agony of Dante’s own exile, and traces his path from crisis to revelation guided by his literary hero Virgil and his lost love Beatrice. In this new work, The Royal Ballet’s trailblazing Resident Choreographer Wayne McGregor collaborates with an award-winning team – contemporary composer Thomas Adès, artist Tacita Dean, lighting designer Lucy Carter and dramaturg Uzma Hameed – to bring us closer to Dante and his extraordinary vision. Choreography Wayne McGregor Music Thomas Adès.

180m approx including 2 intervals.

Tickets £17.50 (Friends/Students £15)

Sun 31 May 14:30 - 17:35 approx (Encore)

ROH Live (New production)

Richard Strauss’s thrilling and audacious adaptation of Greek tragedy receives a new staging by the award winning director Christof Loy.

This uncompromising opera, about a daughter intent on bloody revenge and a mother driven to madness, has provoked critics to lively debate and both shocked and excited audiences since its 1909 premiere. Antonio Pappano conducts music that combines violence with moments of exquisite tenderness in his first Strauss interpretation for The Royal Opera since 2002.  The outstanding cast includes Nina Stemme (Brünnhilde in last Season’s Der Ring des Nibelungen) in the title role, and Karita Mattila in her role debut as the haunted queen Klytämnestra. Music  Richard Strauss; Director Christof Loy; Conductor Antonio Pappano; Cast Nina Stemme (Elektra), Sara Jakubiak (Chrysothemis), Karita Mattila (Klytämnestra), Christof Fischesser (Orest), Joseph Kaiser (Ägisth). Sung in German with English subtitles.

120m approx. No interval.

Thu 18 Jun 19:45 - 21:50 approx (Live)

Encore TBC

Tickets £17.50 (Friends/Students £15)

Mark it in your diary!

7th to 30th August 2020.