This charming funny Italian film, a favourite with Chichester audiences, is a wonderful tribute to Bruno Ganz, although in a lesser role as the dignified Icelandic waiter.

Licia Maglietta plays a wife and mother who is casually taken for granted. On a tourist-group bus trip she is left behind at a rest-stop; she impulsively - and defiantly (shades of Shirley Valentine) - takes off to Venice where romantic adventures await her. Her adventure in Venice begins meeting strange but fascinating people. It's in this environment that she encounters not only the poetry-loving Fernando, but also an anarchist florist who gives her a job, and a holistic masseuse, and especially Fernando; a melancholic and dignified waiter from Iceland who speaks his own language of Italian. Beautifully underplayed by the late Swiss actor Bruno Ganz (better known more recently for his major role as Hitler in ‘Downfall’). With its dream sequences, eccentric supporting characters, and bitter-sweet sensibilities, ‘Bread and Tulips’ follows its own singular path, whilst mostly retaining a fairy-tale charm. (Subtitles)
Italy 2000 Silvio Soldini 112m

Le Collier Rouge

In a small town, crushed by the heat of summer, in 1919, a war hero was held prisoner in a deserted barracks.

In front of the door, his whipped dog barks day and night. Not far away, in the countryside, a young woman worn out by the work of the land, too educated to be a simple peasant, waits in hope. The judge who arrives to unravel this case is an aristocrat whose war has made his principles falter. Three characters and, in the middle of them, a dog, which holds the key to the drama. This WWI drama, adapted from the 2014 novel by Jean-Christophe Rufin, resolves around the interrogation of a decorated war hero who has fallen from grace after staging a strange, anti-war protest using his medal. Nicolas Duvauchelle plays the disgraced soldier opposite François Cluzet as a corrupt judge who is charged with the task of interrogating the young man. French-Belgian actress Sophie Verbeek plays the fallen hero’s lover. Beautifully directed by veteran Jacques Becker (‘Conversations with my Gardener’).

France 2o18 Jean Becker 85m

The Job

A very young college graduate attempts to obtain a position with a large corporation.

‘Il Posto’ (1961) was Ermanno Olmi's first major work and its achievement was immediately heralded by a prize at the Venice Film Festival. Drawing influences from neorealism as well as a background making industrial short documentaries, Olmi created a heightened approach to depicting reality. A miniaturist devoted to the small and seemingly innocuous moments of a man's life, Olmi's intimate vision would subsequently influence many directors. In this subtle gem, Domenico (Sandro Panseri) coming from a provincial family, arrives in Milan in search of a job. After undergoing a series of absurd physical and psychological tests, he is given the position of a lowly clerk in a corporate firm. The pressures and working hours completely take over his private life, becoming lonely as a result of the changes and filled with anxiety over his future. A film as enjoyable as it is admirable. (Subtitles)

Italy 1961 Ermanno Olmi 94m

A gripping true story of humanity and heroism, ‘Hotel Mumbai’ vividly recounts the 2008 siege of the famed Taj Hotel by a group of terrorists in Mumbai, India.

Among the dedicated hotel staff is the renowned chef Hemant Oberoi (Anupam Kher) and a waiter (Dev Patel, ‘Slumdog Millionaire’) who choose to risk their lives to protect their guests. As the world watches on, a desperate couple Armie Hammer and Nazanin Boniadi, is forced to make unthinkable sacrifices to protect their newborn child. The intensity begins fairly quickly and doesn’t let up until the end. Writer/Director Anthony Maras skilfully coordinates the chaos and carnage of what happened and some of the scenes are very disturbing. While the ultimate villain is Islamic Jihadism, the movie mostly focuses on the triumph of the human spirit in a humanistic way.

India/Australia 2018 Anthony Maras 123m

An unemployed single mother (Julie Roberts) becomes a legal assistant and almost single-handedly brings down a California power company accused of polluting a city's water supply. Albert Finney plays an outstanding supporting role as her boss.

Academy Award.-nominated actress Julia Roberts  stars in this compelling  true drama directed by Oscar.-nominated Steven Soderbergh . Twice-divorced mother Erin (Roberts) struggles to be taken seriously. When working as a file clerk in a small law firm, she stumbles upon a cover-up involving contaminated water in a nearby town. Through sheer determination, she convinces her boss (Albert Finney)to investigate, and in the process, uncovers the culprit. Although the local citizens are initially leery of becoming involved, Erin's brash manner and ability to speak to them clearly earns their trust. With over 600 plaintiffs signed up, the trial results in the largest settlement ever paid in a direct-action suit. Although clearly Robert’s film , the lawyer Ed Masry  is played superbly by Albert Finney in a justifiably nominated supporting role.

USA 2000 Steven Soderbergh 130m

Two city-bred siblings are stranded in the Australian Outback, where they learn to survive with the aid of an Aboriginal boy on his "walkabout": a ritual separation from his tribe.

While out on a picnic in the Australian outback with his teenage daughter (Jenny Agutter) and young son (Lucien John), a man goes insane and kills himself. The girl takes her brother into the outback in order that he doesn't see their father's dead body. There they meet a young Aborigine (David Gumpilil) who is on walkabout - a rites of passage ritual whereby he must survive in the wilderness for several weeks. He finds food and water for the siblings and develops a form of communication with the young boy despite being unable to speak English. The girl, however, rebuffs the mating dance which the Aborigine performs in her honour. Roeg was a cinematographer before he became a director (he co-directed the Mick Jagger film ‘Performance’ in 1970 before this first solo outing. His camera here shows the creatures of the outback: lizards, scorpions, snakes, kangaroos, birds, and they are not photographed sentimentally - they make a living by eating other things. The movie is not the heart-warming story of how the girl and her brother are lost in the outback. It is about how all three are still lost at the end of the film, more lost than before, because now they are lost inside themselves instead of merely adrift in the world.

UK/Australia Nicolas Roeg 1971 100m

In a special evening celebrating the musical life of Scottish legendary jazz singer Annie Ross, we present in the first half a rare screening of the wonderful documentary ‘No One But Me’ and  after the screening a live set will feature the new vocal star on the jazz scene, Vimala Rowe with an all-star quartet.

NO ONE BUT ME

Annie Ross is a jazz legend. Raised in Glasgow, her seven-decade career runs the gamut from precocious child star – ‘the Scottish Shirley Temple’ – to indefatigable living legend. In this intimate, revealing profile, she discusses her many lives from Paris singer in the 1940s to incomparable vocal gymnast and lyricist in the 1950s and Covent Garden impresario in the 1960s. Along the way there are tales of Billie Holiday, her lover Lenny Bruce, triumph and tragedy, drug addiction and her deep, abiding affection for beloved brother Jimmy Logan. Throughout it all there is the beautiful, beguiling music often with her own lyrics and always performed in her inimitable style. Regarding the film, Ross noted, "It's very blunt, it's very truthful. [...] It makes me a bit nervous, but one thing about the film – it’s honest.” Features contributions from musicians Jon Hendricks, Peter King, James Wormworth, Tony Kinsey and Warren Vache.

BBC Scotland 2012 Brian Ross 82m

ANNIE ROSS

After the interval at approximately 21:30, the Live Set will feature the astonishing new jazz vocalist Vimala Rowe supported by the great pianist Mark Edwards, multi-reed and flautist Andy Panayi, bassist Andrew Cleyndert who worked regularly with Annie Ross on her visits to the UK and our drummer Winston Clifford  is winner of a British Jazz Award.

Vimala Rowe has already made a huge impression with an

abundance of musical projects such as a highly successful duo

with guitar legend John Etheridge, a show as Billie Holiday with

Café Society performing at the Theatre Royal, a project with

Juliet Roberts, writing songs with flamenco legend Paco Pena,

and gigs with the late Bobby Wellins. Always inspiring critical

acclaim, Vimala’s performances are never less than expressive,

engaging, sensational. Andy Panayi is an inspirational musical

talent, held in the highest esteem by his peers and has worked

with a truly diverse range of greats from Patti Austin to Shirley

Bassey to Sir John Dankworth and Abdullah Ibrahim. Mark

Edwards always brings a spiritual dimension to any concert and

is recently to be seen on the world stage with Katie Melua.

Andrew Cleyndert has been central to the UK jazz scene for

well over three decades working with an incredible array of

great musicians.

The set will convey the spirit of Annie Ross’s swinging and

joyously celebratory contribution to the world jazz scene, her

work with the famous Lambert Hendricks and Ross, Basie and

the many other legendary personal musical associations that

featured in her career.

After death, people have just one week to choose only one memory to keep for eternity.

Like his previous drama ‘Maborosi’ (1995), Hirokazu Kore-eda's ‘After Life’ is a brilliant meditation on death and memory. The premise is simple: over the span of a week, twenty-two souls arrive at a way station (which looks like an old junior high school) between life and death, where they are asked to choose just one memory to take into the afterlife. The new arrivals include an elderly woman, a rebellious dropout, a teenage girl, and a 70-year-old war veteran. Once they have chosen a memory, it is recreated and filmed by the staff of the way station, using all the tricks and illusions of cinema. Kore-eda, with this film, the earlier 1997 masterpiece ‘Maborosi,’ and his most recent ‘Shoplifters’, has earned the right to be considered alongside Kurosawa, Bergman and other great humanists of the cinema. His films embrace the mystery of life and encourage us to think about why we are here, and what makes us truly happy. (Subtitles)

Japan 1998 Hirokazu Kore-eda 118m

This sweeping 3 hours and 30 minute account of the life of Pu-Yi, the last emperor of China, follows the leader's tumultuous reign. After being captured by the Red Army as a war criminal in 1950, Pu-Yi recalls his childhood from prison. He remembers his lavish youth in the Forbidden City, where he was afforded every luxury but unfortunately sheltered from the outside world and complex political situation surrounding him. As revolution sweeps through China, the world Pu-Yi knew is dramatically upended. Although the film bases its story on the true-life accounts of Pu-Yi, ‘The Last Emperor’ shows that life can deal one undesirable circumstances, and the way one reacts and handles these circumstances determine one's place in history. Bertolucci's powerful method of storytelling also further enhances the greatness of the film. The motif of pursuing a forbidden love that remains out of reach presents a tearful message. Bernardo Bertolucci left a remarkable impression on the Academy with ‘The Last Emperor’, taking away nine Oscars, including one for best film and best director.
UK/Italy/China/France 1987 Bernardo Bertolucci 209m

A hauntingly beautiful film. Lyrical beauty and an original narrative gave this film top prize at the Brighton Rocks Film Festival.

A grief-stricken woman, Rose Montefiore, revisits the seaside town where she first met her late husband. However, instead of finding the peace and quiet she seeks, Rose is disturbed by recurring problems with an electrical fault and has to call upon the services of local electrician, Titus, and his son, Robbie. When Rose saves Robbie's life after an accident, she finds herself caught up in the lives of those around her, past and present, who need her help. After she discovers a forgotten phonograph in the attic and listens to the distant voices recorded on an old wax cylinder, she begins to unlock a secret that lies deep within the house itself. Are the ghosts real, or all in the mind? And if so, whose mind? In ‘Leave Now’, two separate worlds pass through each other, like sunlight through mist, where love is lost and found, and holding on means letting go.

UK 2019 Stephen Frost 109m

Two people meet by chance on New Year’s Eve, arguing for the same taxi. However, instead of going their separate ways, they start a passionate relationship.

There is enormous tenderness and sensuality in the lead performances: from Spanish actor Laia Costa, (‘Victoria’) and from Josh O’Connor, (‘God’s Own Country’). They are respectively Elena and Jake: she is working in arts centre administration and he is a postgrad student doing research in marine biology. They meet in an almost Richard Curtis-like romcom moment, and after a white lie, their relationship blooms. But, as the seasons pass, reality catches up with them. Falling in love was the easy part. This sad, tender and gloriously sexy love story has been lauded by the critics.

UK 2019 Harry Wootliff 119m

SEX AND DEATH: THE CINEMA OF BERNARDO BERTOLUCCI

An illustrated talk by Ian Haydn Smith

For fifty years, Bernardo Bertolucci was an imposing presence of the landscape of world cinema. He emerged during the fervour of 1960s student and workers protests, a committed Marxist whose anger at social injustice and his country’s fascist past fed into his work. But as his career progressed his vision expanded, exploring the fringes of human emotional and sexual relationships and looking to wider global history and myth, before returning to his beloved Italy for his final films. This talk will look at these aspects of Bertolucci’s life and work, as well as the elements that often made him a divisive or controversial figure. Extracts from his films will be included in the talk.

(Studio)

NB. Preceding this talk in the Main Auditorium at 10.30, will be a screening of Bertolucci’s epic masterpiece ‘The Last Emperor’ in a rare 35mm print.

Araghe Sard

Iranian writer-director Soheil Beiraghi’s second feature stars Baran Kosari as a champion athlete stranded in her own country.

In this heatedly performed drama, a professional female soccer player finds herself stranded at home as her team takes off to Malaysia for the Asia Cup finals. The reason she’s left behind is due to a simple and completely lopsided facet of Iranian civil law: A woman needs permission from her husband in order to leave the country. If he says no, she’s stuck. In Beiraghi’s quietly gripping second feature, Afrooz (Baran Kosari), the captain of Iran’s national futsal squad, winds up being shut out of the big game by her bitter, about-to-be-former husband, Yaser (Amir Jadidi), who takes revenge on his wife’s emancipated ways by doing the only thing in his power to keep her around. Like many Iranian films of late, this one depicts a society plighted by inertia and helplessness, especially for women treated as less than equal by the law. Interestingly, the Iranian authorities have passed the film for a local release. (Subtitles)

Iran 2018 Soheil Beiraghi 85m

A hardened immigration officer (Lena Headey) decides the fate of a dangerous asylum seeker.

The (misleading) title refers to the flood of immigrants from the Middle East and North Africa making a dangerous and desperate journey towards the UK. This film explores the problems of refugees who want to cross the border in the hope for a better life risking the life they already have. Whether it is by ferry, in a lorry or in a small boat, refugees are trying everything to flee their country… for political, economic or personal reasons. Sadly, most of them get caught or do not survive the trip and even when they arrive in a better country, getting asylum to stay there is almost impossible. For Haile (Ivanno Jeremiah) it seems even more out of reach as he’s seen as a dangerous man after attacking two police officers when he was captured trying to get to the UK. His faith lays now in the hands of the hardened and dedicated immigration officer Wendy (Headey) who’s facing her own family problems. Problems that could cloud her judgment. Our thanks to Curzon Films for this screening.

UK 2019 Anthony Woodley 99m

A beautifully constructed biographical documentary that reveals a fascinating portrait and some little-known aspects of her life.

Tracing the story of Ella Fitzgerald’s life, this documentary film explores how her music became a soundtrack for a tumultuous century. From a 1934 talent contest at the Apollo theatre in Harlem, the film follows Ella’s extraordinary journey across five decades as she reflects the passions and troubles of the times in her music and her life. Moving beyond conventional biopic, the film uses images and music to evoke the feel of those times so as to bring to life the context of Ella’s unique career, featuring various interviews. A central figure in Fitzgerald's life, Granz is rightly accorded significant space in Woodhead's film.  Biographer Judith Tick, author Margo Jefferson, singers Laura Mvula, Tony Bennet, Jamie Cullum, Patti Austin and Smokey Robinson, Fitzgerald's drummer Gregg Field, and her adopted son Ray Brown Jnr, are among those who, to varying degrees, shed light on Fitzgerald's life, times and art. But by far the best of these cameos is by former dancer Norma Miller - ninety-eight at time of filming - who reminisces about Fitzgerald's debut live performance, in Harlem in 1934, as a sixteen-year-old. Unmissable. Our thanks to Peter Worsley & Eagle Rock for this screening.  

UK 2018 Leslie Woodhead 90m

A stressed father, a bride-to-be with a secret, a smitten event planner, and relatives from around the world create much ado about the preparations for an arranged marriage in India.

Mira Nair's award-winning portrait of a contemporary India in which ancient tradition combines seamlessly with 21st century modernity. Set during the on-set of the monsoon season, the film follows the members of the Verma family as they prepare for the wedding of daughter Aditi (Vasundhara Das) to Hemant (Parvin Dabas), a family friend who now lives and works in Houston, Texas. As the hour of the ceremony approaches, Aditi makes a confession to Hemant which could endanger their plans. Mira Nair (born 15 October 1957) is an Indian-American filmmaker based in New York City.[1] Her production company, Mirabai Films, specializes in films for international audiences on Indian society, whether in the economic, social or cultural sphere At the start of her film-making career, Nair primarily made documentaries in which she explored Indian cultural tradition. In 1983 she made her first feature Salaam Bombay! (Subtitles)

India 2001 Mira Nair 114m

La Camarista

The labours of Eve, a young woman working at an upscale Mexico City hotel are meticulously detailed in this tightly-wound depiction of working-class life that mixes the surreal with the banal to quietly devastating effect.

A pointed exploration of the Mexican class divide, female solidarity and the indomitable power of the human spirit, it pays tribute to all people endlessly toiling away in low-paid and degrading work. Eve (Gabriela Cartol) is only 24-years old, but there is already a certain sense of weary resignation in her eyes. Therefore, she isn’t too surprised, in the film’s opening scene, when she stumbles upon a patron sleeping on the floor. Suddenly revealed after a long-held take of Eve cleaning up his room, the punchline-manner of his appearance is a bizarre intrusion into a documentary-like scene. This is emblematic of the film as a whole, which continuously balances elements of the strange with the prosaic, allowing both elements to co-exist within its central protagonist. (Subtitles)

Mexico 2018 Lila Avilés 102m

Featuring a startling and era defining lead performance from David Bowie in his debut feature role, and based on the cult novel by Walter Tevis, ‘The Man Who Fell to Earth’ endures as, not only a bitingly caustic indictment of the modern world but, also, a poignant commentary on the loneliness of the outsider. Thomas Jerome Newton (Bowie) is a humanoid alien who comes to Earth from a distant planet on a mission to take water back to his home planet in the midst of a catastrophic drought. Using the advanced technology of his home planet to patent many inventions on Earth, Newton acquires incredible wealth as the head of a technology-based conglomerate which he intends to use to finance the construction of a space vehicle to ship water back to his planet.
UK 1976 Nicolas Roeg 139m

A moving film about memories which distress us, and do not allow us to accept reality. About children's visualizations, associated with deep life traumas and what they can lead to.

Diyor who is eleven years old, lives in a little town with his mother. Life has lost it's meaning for him, and since his father's death, he has nightmares most of the time. He is just not able to go back to normal life. When lost in the woods one day, he meets his dead father, and the past once again overwhelms him. The director Ruben Sogomonyan is an aspiring independent film director of Armenian origin from St. Petersburg, Russia. Cast: Diyor Abdurakhmanov, Kirill Fastov and Alexander Kolesnichenko.

Russia 2019 Ruben Sogomonian 64m

An American couple travel abroad to revitalize their relationship. But as the trip drags on, their attempt at recovering what they once had seems futile.

‘The Sheltering Sky’ is a filmed adaptation of the novel of the same name by Paul Bowles. Debra Winger and John Malkovich star as Kit and Port Moresby, a married American couple who globetrot to North Africa in the late 1940s with the hopes of re-sparking their love and adding some zest to their lacklustre lives. Along for the ride is the pair's friend George Tunner (Campbell Scott), who soon begins having an affair with Kit. As they struggle through the numbing heat of Africa amidst the sudden love triangle, each of the trio sees his and her beliefs and lives challenged. ‘The Sheltering Sky’ earned a Best Director nomination for Bertolucci at the 1991 Golden Globe Awards.

UK/Italy 1990 Bernardo Bertolucci 138m  

Obsession and Desire in the films of Nicolas Roeg

For the first ten years of his career, Nicolas Roeg was a cinematographer. He was responsible for the breathtaking resplendence of ‘The Masque of the Red Death’ (1964), ‘Fahrenheit 451’ (1966) and ‘Far from the Madding Crowd’ (1967). But then he turned to directing and the invention he brought to those film’s visuals he introduced to the way that his own films were made. This talk will investigate how Roeg’s style of cinema and exploration of the elasticity of time developed and will highlight its influence over a new generation of filmmakers such as Christopher Nolan. Illustrated talk by Ian Haydn Smith, editor of ‘Curzon Magazine’.

The Extraordinary World of Ben Ferencz

Fascinating portrait of Ben Ferencz - the last surviving Nuremberg prosecutor and lifelong advocate of “law not war.”

After witnessing Nazi concentration camps shortly after liberation, Ferencz became lead prosecutor in the Einsatzgruppen case at Nuremberg, which has been called the biggest murder trial in history. He was 27 years old and it was his first trial. All 22 Nazi officials tried for murdering over a million people were convicted. Ferencz went on to advocate for restitution for Jewish victims of the Holocaust and later for the establishment of the International Criminal Court. His fight for justice for victims of atrocity crimes continues today. “Ferencz's deeply hopeful message of peace shines through as brightly as his spirit.”

Canada 2018 Barry Avrich 83m

It is appropriate that we conclude this historical survey of International Women Directors with Agnes Varda’s last film.

This inspirational and affecting documentary, the great visual storyteller Agnès Varda shares her observations on cinema, art and life. Still making films at 90 years old, she completed Varda by Agnès earlier this year and it premiered Out of Competition at the Berlin Film Festival in February this year. Sadly it became her final work as she passed away on 29 March, but it is also a joyous celebration of a life in film, This multi-award-winning and iconic filmmaker takes the audience on a journey through her remarkable life and career in her characteristically open and contemplative yet playful way. Recordings of public appearances and conversations with her collaborators are weaved in with film clips and gallery installation footage as we’re guided through her rich and varied work and hear her reflections on her creative process and her talents as a photographer, filmmaker and installation artist.(subtitles) France 2019 Agnes Varda 115m

In a small Tokyo apartment, twelve-year-old Akira must care for his younger siblings after their mother leaves them and shows no sign of returning.

In Tokyo, the reckless single mother Keiko moves to a small apartment with her twelve years old son Akira, and hidden in the luggage, his siblings Shigeru and Yuki. Kyoko, another sibling arrives later by train. The children have different fathers and do not have schooling, but they have a happy life with their mother. When Keiko finds a new boyfriend, she leaves the children alone, giving some money to Akira and assigning him to take care of his siblings. When the money runs out, Akira manages to find means to survive with the youngsters without power supply, gas or water at home, and with the landlord asking for the rent. This story, written and filmed by Hirokazu Kore-eda, is based on a true story from Tokyo, where four children were abandoned by their mother and lived in an apartment for months, unmissed and undetected. It is a cautionary tale and an alternative to the overly glossy Hollywood dramas dealing with the subject. (Subtitles)

Japan 2004 Hirokazu Kore-eda 140m

Exhibition on Screen

We are privileged to present the World premiere of Phil Grabsky’s new film on Leonardo da Vinci who is acclaimed as the world’s favourite artist.

Many TV shows and feature films have showcased this extraordinary genius but often not examined closely enough is the most crucial element of all: his art. Leonardo’s peerless paintings and drawings will be the focus of ‘Leonardo: The Works’, as Exhibition on Screen presents every single attributed painting, in Ultra HD quality, never seen before on the big screen. Key works include ‘The Mona Lisa’, ‘The Last Supper’, ‘Lady with an Ermine’, ‘Ginevra de Benci’, ‘Madonna Litta’, ‘Virgin of the Rocks’, and more than a dozen others. This film also looks afresh at Leonardo’s life – his inventiveness, his sculptural skills, his military foresight and his ability to navigate the treacherous politics of the day – through the prism of his art. To be released on the 500th anniversary of his death, this is the definitive film about Leonardo: the first to truly tell the whole story.

UK 2019 Phil Grabsky 85m

We hope to welcome Phil Grabsky to introduce this premiere.

Sophie Huber’s revelatory, thrilling and emotional journey behind the scenes of Blue Note Records, the pioneering label that gave voice to some of the finest jazz artists of the 20th and 21st centuries, the iconic label most associated with mid-20th-century bebop jazz.

Co-founded in 1939 by German-Jewish immigrants Alfred Lion and Francis Wolff, Blue Note became a home for artists such as Thelonious Monk, Art Blakey, Horace Silver, Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter (the last two are interviewed here). The label also issued key work by Miles Davis, Sidney Bechet and John Coltrane among others who largely recorded elsewhere. Although clearly officially sanctioned by the label’s current owners (Blue Note is now distributed by Decca), this doesn’t feel like a slick, bland exercise in self-promotion. Instead, Huber crafts a respectful, crisply told but depth-plumbing history of the label, drawing from original recordings, vintage audio of studio chatter, and talking heads interviews. What makes this especially cinematic are the lashings of rostrum shots of Wolff’s candid black-and-white photographs, including many rare shots from the archive’s contact prints, as well as deserved attention given to graphic artist Reid Miles’s striking cover art, an essential contribution to the company’s image. Even more importantly, those interviewed, especially sound engineer from back-in-the-day Rudy Van Gelder, and the label’s current president, artist-producer Don Was, take pains to outline what made Blue Note sound so distinctive and coherent, given how diverse those talents were. Superb!

Switzerland 2018 Sophie Huber 85m

To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Oscar-winning Vietnam cult war epic, Studiocanal will release in cinemas a special, never-before-seen cut, restored with breathtaking realism for a truly visceral cinema experience.

Forty years after its original release, audiences will get the chance to experience ‘Apocalypse Now Final Cut’, a never-before-seen and newly restored cut of Coppola’s spectacular cinematic masterpiece in a way which the director believes “looks better than it has ever looked and sounds better than it has ever sounded”. Coppola is “thrilled beyond measure to present the best version of the film to the world”. The film follows Army Captain Willard (Martin Sheen), a troubled man sent on a dangerous and mesmerizing odyssey into Cambodia to assassinate a renegade American colonel named Kurtz (Marlon Brando), who has succumbed to the horrors of war and barricaded himself in a remote outpost. In this epic haunting journey into madness. This multi-award epic also stars Robert Duvall, Dennis Hopper and Laurence Fishburne. Our thanks to StudioCanal for this screening.

USA 1979 Francis Ford Coppola 183m

A deaf painter named Oif Schmilblitz struggles with alcohol and the death of his wife Emily.

When he sneaks his way to a private reception to play spy for his agent, he spots a guest who bears a striking resemblance with the late Emily. As he tries to find out who she is, he is caught in a whirlwind of misunderstanding, mistaken identity, and marital intrigue - all to the tune of minimal dialogue and an endless stream of gags. ‘Go to Hell and Turn Left’ is director Caldano's fourth feature film, and here he has created a unique film featuring a deaf character in a comedy with limited dialogue.

USA 2019 Carlo Caldana 82m

A couple (Audrey Hepburn & Albert Finney) in the south of France spin down the highways of infidelity in their troubled ten-year marriage, portrayed in fragments.

One of the great films by Stanley Donen (‘Singin' in the Rain’, ‘Charade’) after the studio era had come to a close, this was a break-off from the old system, one which allowed Donen to further stretch his art, aided by screenwriter Frederic Raphael (Stanley Kubrick's ‘Eyes Wide Shut’), in a tale of a couple voluntarily stretching themselves through the long period of their relationship. After so many studio-system smash-hits, ‘Two for the Road’ marked a reckoning for director Donen which went on to influence directors like Jacques Rivette for its portrayal of a couple in interaction and its keen sense of duration across the length of their time together And the theme music is just beautiful. Henry Mancini once said that it was his favourite movie score of his music. Not  another romantic comedy, it is a drama with edge.

UK/France 1967 Stanley Donen 110m

The life of Mikhail Gorbachev, the eighth and final President of the Soviet Union, in chronological order and in conversation with Werner Herzog.

Naturally, being his personal account of the part he played in such a volatile era, it is bound to be subjective. However, Herzog attempts to place Gorbachev's recollections in context, using some rarely seen archive footage in the process. The way Gorbachev was elevated to the top of the Soviet Union is seen here in almost comical terms, as his three predecessors - relics of the old Communist Party - are despatched in quick succession to their resting place at the foot of the Kremlin Wall. The real emotion comes towards the end when we learn about the final days of Mikhail's beloved - and much-admired - wife, Raisa. It's a truly fascinating look at a remarkable time in world history, and seeing again some of the heavyweight political players of the past only goes to emphasise the paucity of great leaders the world is suffering at the moment, and the poignancy of the film being released in the 30th anniversary year of the fall of the Berlin Wall. (Subtitles) UK/Germany 2018 Werner Herzog/André Singer 90m

A family gathers together for a commemorative ritual whose nature only gradually becomes clear.

‘Still Walking’ is a family drama about grown children visiting their elderly parents, which unfolds over one summer day. The aging parents have lived in the family home for decades, their son and daughter return for a rare family reunion, bringing their own families with them. They have gathered to commemorate the tragic death of the eldest son, who drowned in an accident fifteen years ago. Although the roomy house is as comforting and unchanging as the mother's homemade feast, everyone in the family has subtly changed. In its slow, gentle, poetic way, this film brings us into the heart of the family so well you feel it is your own - indeed, the characters are so real, so richly portrayed, that you almost come to believe you know them as well as your own family. Like most of Kore-eda’s films, they linger long after you have left the cinema. (Subtitles)

Japan 2008 Hirokazu Kore-eda 114m

Les Crevettes Pailletées

Matthias Le Goff, an Olympic champion at the end of his career, makes a homophobic statement on TV. His punishment: coach the Shiny Shrimps, a flamboyant and amateur gay water-polo team.

They have only one thing in mind: to qualify for the Gay Games in Croatia where the hottest international LGBT athletes compete. It's the start of a bumpy and joyful ride - Faster, Higher, Stronger. It’s a combination of ‘YMCA’ (Village People, 1978) and ‘Priscilla, Queen of the Desert’ 1994) ... in swimming suits! This is clearly a crowd pleaser, the actors are really endearing, and the film is full of wacky and hilarious replies, even if the jokes are not always very subtle. This is based upon a real event, unbelievably! (Subtitles)

France 2019 Maxime Govare and Cédric Le Gallo 100m

A psychiatrist (Art Garfunkel) enters a torrid relationship with a married woman. When she ends up in the hospital from an overdose, an inspector (Harvey Keitel) becomes set on discovering the demise of their affair.

The setting is Vienna. A young American woman is brought to a hospital after overdosing on pills, apparently in a suicide attempt. A police detective suspects foul play on the part of her lover, an American psychology professor. As doctors try to save her life, the detective interrogates the professor, and through flashbacks we see the events leading up to the woman's overdose; One of Roeg's most complex and elusive movies, building a thousand-piece jigsaw from its apparently simple story of a consuming passion between two Americans in Vienna. Seen through the prism of the girl's attempted suicide, their affair expands into a labyrinthine enquiry on memory and guilt as Theresa Russell's cold psychoanalyst lover (Garfunkel) himself falls victim to the cooler and crueller investigations of the detective assigned to her case (Keitel in visionary form as the policeman turned father-confessor).

UK 1980 Nicolas Roeg 125m

Two of our Surprise Films have won the Audience Award for Best Film (‘Untouchable’ and ‘Pride’), so don’t miss what will surely be an unforgettable experience.

Following the launch of a Surprise Film in the Festival 9 years ago, we continue this idea where you settle down for a film, not knowing what it will be, and finding out along with your fellow patrons once the opening scene or credits give it away. In past years our surprise films have been ‘Jane Eyre’, ‘Untouchable’ (which became the most popular French film in 2012), ‘Blue Jasmine’, ‘Pride’ and ‘Café Society’ - an impressive list. So, what will we have on Thursday 22nd August? Join in the fun and take the opportunity to gamble by booking in advance for hopefully a very worthwhile surprise!

Roger Gibson

Through His Own Eyes  

This revealing 75-minute television biography, told in Count Basie’s own words, uncovers for the first time the private passions and ambitions that inspired the world-famous bandleader and pianist.

Until now, little was known about Basie’s private and family life, but director Jeremy Marre uncovered a treasure-trove of home movies and photo albums that expose Basie’s remarkable relationship with his wife Catherine, whose pioneering support for African-American causes placed her at the side of Martine Luther King. Through Basie’s intimate footage and letters - and interviews with friends like Quincy Jones and Annie Ross - we discover the Count’s protective love for his disabled daughter Diane who ‘was never out of his heart and mind: the hidden core of his creative life’.

Basie’s musical achievements were remarkable: the first African-American to win a Grammy, he brought the Blues to the big band podium. He was ‘the King of the Swing Kings’. We see rare performances with Sinatra, Billie Holiday, Sammy Davies Jnr. and many others. But this film digs deeper, uncovering the inner motivation and passions that drove Basie’s career as he became a unique link between jazz mand America’s turbulent social history. Our thanks to Peter Worsley & Eagle Rock for this screening.

UK 2019 Jeremy Marre 75m

We are delighted to welcome the director Jeremy Marre to introduce his film.

This is a powerful new film and true story about the heroics of a WWII resistance fighter. The film has been a huge box office success in Poland.

‘Kurier’ tells the story of Jan Nowak Jeziorański, who during the Second World War was one of the key figures in the Polish resistance. A man of extraordinary courage who was serving as an emissary between the commanders of the AK resistance movement (Home Army) and the Polish Government in Exile, as well as other allied governments, he came to be known as the Courier from Warsaw. He was extremely courageous, a hero that went back and forth between the Government in Exile in London and occupied Poland, which was extremely difficult at the time because of the spies constantly on his tail. The film is directed by Władysław Pasikowski, one of the most significant names in post-communist Polish cinematography. Pasikowski has cast a formidable line-up of both Polish and international acting talent including Mirosław Baka, Adam Woronowicz and Zbigniew Zamachowski. (Subtitles)

Poland 2018 Władysław Pasikowski 100m

It’s just after World War II and a number of Nazis have been tracked down to Brazil. A US spy, T. R Devlin, (Cary Grant) persuades Alicia Huberman (Ingrid Bergman), the American daughter of a convicted Nazi criminal, to join them in infiltrating the group so that she can get close to one of the leaders, Alexander Sebastian (Claude Rains), a friend of her father’s. The resulting romantic tangle features mesmerising chemistry between Grant and Bergman, and Hitchcock found an ingenious way of dealing with the Production Code’s ban on kisses longer than 3 seconds with a spine-tingling 2½ minute scene. With the winning combination of Grant and Bergman, in one of Hitchcock’s most thrilling and tense films, ‘Notorious’ might just be a perfect movie! Our thanks to the BFI for this screening.
USA 1946 Alfred Hitchcock 102m

An intriguing thriller based on the thought of fear itself, that sees a young fashion model drawn into a family conspiracy.

Zhong Tonghui (Kunjue Li) was only eight when she witnessed her mother's suicide and has had nightmares ever since. One day, she receives a mysterious invitation to the funeral of a distant wealthy aunt who had no children, and on arrival at her aunt's mansion in the remote countryside, Tonghui meets a handsome man, Li Baile (Nicolas Xiong). After further nightmares, Tonghui and Li Baile do some investigating as they find that there is someone still living in her aunt's room. Is she still alive? Is Li Baile as trustworthy as he seems? (Subtitles)

China 2019 Yujie Qiu 70m

In this illustrated talk, critic and Japanese film specialist Jasper Sharp, who has interviewed Kore-eda on several occasions, will guide the audience film by film across an illustrious career that will look at some of the main thematic and stylistic concerns in the director’s fascinating body of work.

He will detail how a background in television documentary informed Kore-eda’s ongoing investigations into the relationship between truth, fiction, memory and narrative, and discuss the historical, cultural and political context to his celebrated portraits of contemporary Japanese family life. Jasper Sharp is a critic, author, filmmaker and independent scholar specialising in Japanese cinema.

NB. Following this illustrated talk there will be a separate complete screening of ‘Shoplifters’ in the Main Auditorium.

A spaceship carrying settlers to Mars is knocked off course, causing the consumption-obsessed passengers to consider their place in the universe.

This is an exemplary high-concept contemporary sci-fi film. We begin with a doomed earth, spiralling into economic doom. A shuttle brings a group of lucky passengers out of Earth’s atmosphere and on to a giant craft called Aniara. This craft at first seems a delightful space-floating hotel and shopping mall, a delightful way station before a new home on Mars. Only one problem. Shortly after setting space-sail, space debris smashes into one of the craft’s reactors. The captain has to jettison the ship’s nuclear fuel supply. The craft and its passengers must now float until - so the ship’s captain tells everyone - they happen upon a gravitational field that will allow them to get back on course. When the ship veers off course, crew leaders try to keep the passengers from learning the truth. Power struggles ensue, fantasies and fears displace reality, and the ship starts to resemble (gasp!) a mini city on earth. Caught in the middle of the chaos and the factions is a cheerful woman who tries to make the best of the unfortunate circumstances. If only her companions would let her. The production design by Linnéa Pettersson and Maja-Stina Åsberg is, in keeping with a great European sci-fi mini tradition, a lot more credible and interesting than that of a mainstream Hollywood effort like ‘Passengers.’ Mesmerizing and haunting, it may leave you gasping for breath at times. Premiered at Toronto 2018. (Subtitles)

Sweden 2018 Pella Kagerman 106m

Manbiki Kazoku

We close this retrospective with the 2018 Cannes Film Festival Palme d’Or-winner - a critically acclaimed portrait of a family in Japan.

After another successful shoplifting spree, Osamu (‘Like Father, Like Son’) and his son come across a little girl in the freezing cold and invite her home with them. Osamu's wife Nobuyo reluctantly agrees to shelter her after learning of the hardships she faces. Although the family is poor, relying on petty crime alongside their part-time jobs and inadequate incomes, they seem to live happily together - until an unforeseen incident upsets the delicate balance the family have created, revealing long-buried secrets. (Subtitles)

Japan 2018 Hirokazu Kore-eda 121m

This is Tony Palmer’s salute to Andre Previn. This film celebrating the composer-conductor’s life was made in the year leading up to the premier of Previn’s opera ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ in San Francisco in 1998.

There is much archive film (but not the celebrated Morecombe and Wise sketch), and we witness Previn’s punishing worldwide schedule: in New York City, in Tokyo, with the Emerson Quartet in Cologne, and teaching at Tanglewood (one of the student being Daniel Harding). Previn is clearly a natural talent who can turn his hands in an instant from high-end composition to top-notch blue-note jazz. Previn here has much that is cogent to say about conducting. Moreover and in general he is here very down-to-earth, approachable, and surprisingly self-deprecating about his efforts. This is combined with a lack of pomposity or precocity about himself or his music. Although three-quarters of this film is concerned with the ‘Streetcar’ opera, the rehearsals and witnessing Previn’s methods are deeply fascinating. A great portrait for Andre's fans and jazz music lovers alike.

UK 2011 Tony Palmer 90m

Director Ritesh Batra made his name with his lovely feature directorial debut, ‘The Lunchbox’, back in 2013, an understated story of a man and woman who become accidental pen pals. Now, with ‘Photograph’, he’s returned with another high-concept film, executed with an organic touch, that’s as beautiful as its predecessor.

Sanya Malhotra stars as Miloni, a quiet young woman from a modestly prosperous family in Mumbai studying to become a chartered accountant. On a stroll past the Gateway of India monument one day, she agrees to have her picture taken by Rafi (Nawazuddin Siddiqui), who does the same all day, every day for tourists at 50 rupees a piece. What Miloni doesn’t know is that Rafi’s grandmother is pressuring him to marry and he later uses the photo to prove to her that he is dating someone. Now, the grandmother (Farrukh Jaffar) is coming to town and Rafi must track down Miloni and ask her to pose as his girlfriend. While no major discussion on the subject takes place, Miloni and Rafi’s differing economic classes run as an undercurrent throughout the film.  ‘Photograph’ sidesteps condescension, though, in depicting Mumbai’s poor, even as it highlights what could be seen as their folksy wisdom. There are abundant laughs to be found (Jaffar in particular is hilarious) but this is no romantic comedy. Like ‘The Lunchbox’, ‘Photograph’ strips away all that could have been false about its premise and replaces the clichés with patient scenes that allow the true atmosphere of Mumbai to flood into the film, making everything as real and tactile as Miloni and Rafi’s burgeoning attraction. (subtitles)

India 2018 Ritesh Batra 110m

Our final film in this Roeg retrospective is his most overlooked and also ironically now considered one of his greatest. The true story of a man richer than Getty, stranger than Hughes… Roeg’s ‘Citizen Kane’ perhaps?

‘Eureka’ was barely released at the time of its making and overlooked by critics. Now, three decades later, it returns to reclaim a place among both the front ranks of Roeg's work and as one of the most extraordinary studio films of the 1980s. Twenty years after uncovering an unimaginable bounty of gold in the Klondike, prospector Jack McCann, now settled in the Caribbean, finds both his wealth and soul at stake amongst a sinister web of nefarious influences, spiritual malaise and criminal elements. He found his fortune... but at what cost? A saga of almost cosmic proportions, headlined by an exceptional cast including Gene Hackman, Rutger Hauer, Theresa Russell, Mickey Rourke, Joe Pesci and Joe Spinell, ‘Eureka’ is as powerfully acted, formally audacious, thematically layered and emotionally complex as any of Roeg's work.

UK/USA 1983 Nicolas Roeg 130m

Relatives of an eccentric millionaire gather in his spooky mansion on the 20th anniversary of his death for the reading of his will. This silent expressionist comedy horror is quite unlike the Bob Hope sound version, greatly enhanced by Steven Horne’s imaginative live piano accompaniment.

An old, dark house. A lunatic on the loose. A fortune people will do anything to get their hands on. These are the ingredients comprising one of Universal's earliest screen shockers, 1927's silent feature ‘The Cat and the Canary’. Rich old Cyrus West's relatives are waiting for him to die so they can inherit. But he stipulates that his will be read 20 years after his death. On the appointed day his expectant heirs arrive at his brooding mansion. The will is read, and it turns out that Annabelle West, the only heir with his name left, inherits, if she is deemed sane. If she isn't, the money and some diamonds go to someone else, whose name is in a sealed envelope. Before he can reveal the identity of her successor to Annabelle, Mr. Crosby, the lawyer, disappears. The first in a series of mysterious events, some of which point to Annabelle in fact being unstable. This is one eerie movie. That it is over 77 years old shouldn't detract from its place among "scary movies." The production values are scrumptious. The acting is enjoyably over the top (Aunt Susan) but all in all, an eerie night with shadows and interesting interplay among the characters.

Starting off with a hand wiping off cobwebs covering the opening titles, director Paul Leni (German expressionist director) proceeds to play up the story's spookiness to the hilt. He casts dark shadows on nearly every corner of celluloid, seizing every opportunity to heighten the story's claustrophobic nature and depict Annabelle, as the title suggests, like a canary surrounded by cats. This is a rare screening of an almost lost classic.

USA 1927 Paul Leni 81m

We are delighted to welcome back pianist Steven Horne with his box of tricks to entertain us imaginatively accompanying this classic scary movie!

One of the first German language sound films, and the picture that represents the initial collaboration between Josef von Sternberg and his immortal muse, Marlene Dietrich.

Emil Jannings portrays a schoolteacher named Immanuel Rath, whose fateful expedition to catch his students frequenting the cabaret known as "The Blue Angel" leads to his own rapture with the establishment's main attraction Lola (Dietrich) - and, as a result, triggers the downward spiral of his life and fortune. Directed by Sternberg while on loan from America to the pioneering German producer Erich Pommer, ‘The Blue Angel’ is at once captivating, devastating, and powerfully erotic, laced through with Sternberg's masterful cinematography. Digitally restored in a beautiful new black and white print. (Subtitles) Our thanks to Eureka for this screening.

Germany 1930 Joseph Sternberg 108m

Horácio

The story of a dysfunctional family, in which social norms no longer exist, and where relationships are submitted to each one’s impulses.

The head of the family is Horatio, a smuggler on the run from the law, hiding in a surreal, baroque apartment with his daughter, Petula, and Milton, his favorite thug. While he keeps his daughter locked up in her bedroom, Horatio flirts with his goon, for whom he has had repressed feelings for years. However, Milton’s love for a mysterious woman, and Petula’s attempts to free herself with the help of a former lover, clash with Horatio’s tyrannical whims. Both satirical and fantastical, the movie builds a tale of underworld crime in which issues such as harassment, chauvinism and greed reach a boiling point, progressively making it impossible for the characters to coexist. The film can be seen as a metaphor for a highly materialistic country, determined by an obscure subconscious. (Subtitles)

Brazil 2019 Mathias Mangin 86m

A fly-on-the-wall chronicle of embattled former White House chief strategist Stephen K. Bannon's global mission to spread extreme nationalism.

When Steve Bannon left his position as White House chief strategist less than a week after the Charlottesville "Unite the Right" rally in August 2017, he was already a notorious figure in Trump's inner circle, and for bringing a far-right ideology into the highest echelons of American politics. Unconstrained by an official post - though some say he still has a direct line to the White House - he became free to peddle influence as a perceived kingmaker, turning his controversial brand of nationalism into a global movement. ‘The Brink’ follows Bannon through the 2018 mid-term elections in the United States, shedding light on his efforts to mobilize and unify far-right parties in order to win seats in the May 2019 European Parliamentary elections. To maintain his power and influence, the former Goldman Sachs banker and media investor reinvents himself - as he has many times before - this time as the self-appointed leader of a global populist movement. Keen manipulator of the press, so where does that leave us? Whether he becomes a force again or just devolves into a fringe figure with an expensive European hobby remains to be seen. It doesn’t look great for him from here.

USA 2019 Alison Klayman 92m

After achieving international renown as one of the finest actors of his generation in films such as Saturday Night and Sunday Morning (1960), Albert Finney turned director for this surreal comic twist on the 'kitchen sink' dramas in which he had made his name.

Finney plays Charlie Bubbles, a successful writer suffering a mid-life crisis, who attempts to re-connect with his northern working-class roots and estranged family. Based on a screenplay by Shelagh Delaney (A Taste of Honey), the script clearly references both her and Finney's personal experience of their shared working-class origins (both were Salford natives), and the consequences of achieving great success.

UK 1968 Albert Finney 89m  

We commemorate the 150th anniversary of Hector Berlioz with a screening of Tony Palmer’s dramatic documentary, with Corin Redgrave as Berlioz.

"I, Hector Louis Berlioz, composer, musician, citizen of France, tell you, in this my Last Will and Testament, that my subject is - and has always been - war." So begins an epic journey through the terrible struggles that Berlioz endured to get his great opera ‘The Trojans’ performed. He never succeeded, and the effort cost him his life. An artist best known for his orchestral compositions ‘Grande Messe des Morts’ and ‘Symphonie Fantastique’, French romantic composer Berlioz arguably obtained far greater recognition posthumously than he did during his lifetime. The celebrated music documentarist Tony Palmer tackles a biographical profile of Berlioz in this unique nonfiction work from 1992. The program places strongest emphasis on the influence that Berlioz wielded on subsequent generations of musicians. Palmer takes Berlioz’s letters and using Corin Redgrave performing as Berlioz, translates them into this memorable documentary portrait. Originally transmitted as a TV South Bank Show.

UK 2009 Tony Palmer 89m

We hope to welcome Tony Palmer to introduce his film.

It’s the beginning of summer. In a small village in northern Turkey, Lale and her four sisters are on their way home from school, innocently playing with local boys. But prying village eyes view their games with suspicion about the girls behaviour. Their refusal to repent quickly causes a scandal among the family. Drawing vocal support from critics, festivals and audiences across the globe, this stunning Oscar-nominated debut from Turkish female director Deniz Gamze Ergüven is set to be one of the most talked-about and celebrated films of the year.(subtitles)
Turkey 2016 Deniz Gamze Ergüven 97m

NB. Deniz Gamze Ergüven’s first English-speaking film ‘Kings’ is being previewed on 14 and 15 August

Werk Ohne Autor

An epic, intergenerational tale of art, love, tragedy and politics spanning three turbulent decades of 20th-century German history from the writer/director of ‘The Lives of Others’.

In 1933 an exhibition of so-called “Degenerate Art” - as in art that the newly empowered Nazi party considered antithetical to its values - took place in Dresden. Transposed slightly to 1937, this show, complete with stiff-necked tour guide (Lars Eidinger) explaining the worthlessness of the paintings to a crowd caught between socially-mandated disapproval and private titillation, provides the perfect opening for Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck’s return to the welcoming embrace of Germany’s historical past. Inspired by the life of one artist and stories by others, this tale of fiction asks artists what is their truth, and how they are able to reveal it. Along the way, it shows how Nazi and Soviet art have strong similarities in their realisms against the more conceptual ideas of modern art. ‘Never Look Away’ is a seriously good movie. It tells the life of Kurt, a German artist born just before the Nazis took power, who survives the war and studies in East Germany under the Communists, eventually ending up in West Germany and trying to find his own style. Truth, art, power, and inspiration are all explored in this artfully structured story. An impressive bold epic not to be missed. Premiered at Venice. The cast includes Tom Schilling, Sebastian Koch, Paula Beer. (Subtitles) Our thanks to Modern Films for this screening.

Germany 2018 Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck 189m

Rightly attracting major awards attention, Kathryn Bigelow’s The Hurt Locker is a supreme, tense and gripping piece of cinematic drama, and became the first woman director to win an Oscar in 2008.

And it grabs your attention from the stunning opening scene, which perfectly gets across the dangers faced by the specialist bomb disposal squad that we spend the rest of the film following. When renegade Sergeant William James takes command of a highly trained bomb disposal unit, he frequently risks the lives of himself and those around him with his suicidal methods and a complete disregard for danger. Caught in the middle are his subordinates Sergeant J.T. Sanborn and Specialist Owen Eldridge, who can only watch as their leader descends further into addiction: an addiction to war. Covering a wide range of genres, her films include ‘Near Dark’ (1987), ‘Point Break’ (1991), ‘Strange Days’ (1995), ‘K-19: The Widowmaker’ (2002), ‘The Hurt Locker’ (2008), ‘Zero Dark Thirty’ (2012), and ‘Detroit’ (2017). With ‘The Hurt Locker’, Bigelow became the first woman to win the Academy Award for Best Director, the Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing, the BAFTA Award for Best Direction,

USA 2008 Kathryn Bigelow 126m

Simon knows a serial killer will murder him in five days time. He knows because he’s seen it – the 20-something is a powerful psychic who gets glimpses of the future.

Simon hires ex-soldier Steve to put an end to the killer. Steve comes to believe in Simon and the two become friends. Unfortunately, MI5 take an interest in Simon’s abilities. The duo must evade the security services to stop the killer. When Simon is captured, Steve allies with an MI5 agent in the race to save Simon. Ultimately, they succeed with Simon proving his powers and their story going viral.

UK 2019 Magnus Wake 89m

We are delighted to close our 28th Festival with this beautiful, delicate, intimate and amusing story of the brittle but vital relationship between L. S. Lowry (Timothy Spall), and his bedridden, unhappy and controlling mother (Vanessa Redgrave).

Engrossing and entertaining, ‘Mrs Lowry & Son’ offers up a veritable masterclass in acting, with Redgrave and Spall spellbinding as a mother and son separated by art and ambition. Lowry, not yet established as an artist, works as a rent collector, walking the streets of Salford, mixing with factory workers and observing the town closely. In the evenings, he takes art classes and paints until the early hours of the morning. He is resolutely loyal and well-mannered towards his bitter mother Elizabeth, who tries to dissuade her bachelor son from pursuing his artistic ambitions and never misses a chance to tell him what a disappointment he is to her. Adrian Noble’s wonderfully observed film gently reveals how Lowry’s snobbish mother is the obstacle preventing him from fulfilling his artistic ambition, as he desperately tries to create something (whether it be dinner or a painting) that might make her happy. This lovely film is punctuated by delightful moments of humour, as it depicts the impact a bitterly obsessive mother had on one of this country’s greatest artists. Our thanks to Vertigo Releasing for this screening.

UK 2019 Adrian Noble 91m

Gala Tickets £29

Sun 25 Aug: Gala Dinner 18:30 - film at 20:30 approx

Also screens Sun 25 Aug 11:00 (Film Only)

UK Premiere

We are proud to present the UK Premiere of a magnificent and epic new Dutch film in the presence of the director, actor and producer for our Gala opening film. ‘The Conductor’ is based on the true story of the Dutch born Antonia Brico. In the late 1920’s she was the world’s first woman who successfully conducted a large symphony orchestra.

United States, 1926: The Dutch, 24-year-old Antonia Brico (Christanne de Bruijn) was a child when she and her parents (Annet Malherbe and Raymond Thiry) immigrated to the United States. She dreams of becoming a conductor, but nobody takes her ambition seriously, even her piano teacher advises her against taking the entrance exam for the conservatory. Because she has little to lose, she returns to her motherland, where she begs the famous conductor Mengelberg (Gijs Scholten van Aschat) to teach her conducting lessons. Mengelberg is not comfortable with the idea and sends her to Berlin where she, against all expectations, has a better chance as a woman to make it. After a two-year study at the State Academy of Music she becomes the first woman to conduct the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. Emotional strain threatens to overwhelm her, when the love of her life puts her in a difficult position. What choice will Antonia make? The film contains  superb and enticing extracts of classical music. This opening film reflects on one of the main themes of our Festival: (Re)-Discovering Women Directors. Our thanks to Shooting Star for this screening.

Netherlands 2019 Maria Peters 137m

NB This year, for the first time in Dutch history, the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra appointed a woman as its Chief Conductor Karina Canellakis and the film contains  superb and enticing extracts of classical music especially performed for ‘The Conductor’.

We are delighted to welcome Maria Peters(director), Christanne de Bruijn (actor) and Dave Schram to introduce their film.

Please note that we have added a third screening of this film due to popular demand at 13:00 on Sun 25 Aug.

CLOSED FOR SALE - Awaiting Film Clearance

A thriller about the power of the human brain… and love. Instead of asking: Is it possible? Is it true? We could ask: What if it is true? What then?

A young American couple, Ana (Andrea Tivadar) and Tom (Tomas Ainsley), are travelling across France. They don't come from money, so when Richard (Steven Brand) hires them to work on his estate, it feels like a dream come true. In the following days, the dark secrets of the property and its owner start coming to light. One day Tom makes a discovery, which may be more than he can handle. Ana is forced to accept the truth, which will change her forever. Because the worst part isn't the dream itself. It's waking up.

Luxembourg/Poland 2019 Renata Gabryjelska 102m

CLOSED FOR SALE - Awaiting Film Clearance

Chronicles the life of world famous opera singer Andrea Boccelli, from his beginning as a singer in Italian piano bars to his phenomenal success on the world stage.

Before he was Andrea Bocelli, he was Amos Bardi. Based on a true story written by Bocelli, Amos is born with the gift of superb quality of voice, yet he is also nearly blind. Eventually, he is separated from his family to enter an institute for the visually impaired but while there he suffers a terrible accident, resulting in total blindness. Driven by great ambition, Amos does not give up despite repeated challenges until he manages to achieve his first great success on stage.

From there, he begins a life studded with victories and becomes one of the most world renowned opera singers. Toby Sebastian may have found his breakthrough role as the character inspired by young Bocelli and Antonio Banderas makes the most of his time as the man who helped change Bocelli’s life forever as his vocal coach.

The film features magnificent panoramic scenery of Boccelli's native Tuscany and a superb musical score, as well as first rate performances by a fine cast. It is a must see for fans of Boccelli, and opera music in general. The film also features never before released early compositions from Bocelli, plus a personal appearance by Bocelli himself. To appeal to an international audience, the entire film, with an authentic Italian cast, is shot in English. (Not dubbed) although it was never given a UK release.

Italy/UK 2017 Michael Radford 111m

Beautifully photographed documentary exploring the problems of the impending extinction of elephants in Africa.

‘Walking with Elephants’ is a film about the environmental and human impact – land and water - on the elephants of Africa today while they face impending extinction within 30 years if measures are not taken to protect them by US. The film spans 10 countries in Africa from South Africa, Botswana, Nambia, Zimbabwe, Swaziland, Zambia, Tanzania, Rwanda, Uganda and Kenya. The ever-increasing population of Africa and its need for land and water will make the elephant extinct.

Strikingly filmed with some spectacular landscapes, in the tradition of Discovery Channel films and David Attenborough, although on a more limited budget, independently made. Attractive soundtrack.

UK/Africa 2019 Robbie Moffat 90m

Le Portrait Interdit

The colours blend beautifully together, as do the exquisite sets and costumes, in this East-meets-West historical drama. A depiction of a French painter toiling in the imperial court of Qianlong Emperor, who ruled China throughout much of the 18th century.

An empress (Fan Bingbing) commissions a painting of herself from a French outsider and Jesuit priest (Melvil Poupaud) in hopes of stirring her husband's interest in this lavish period piece. This juicy tale of art, power, concubines and Catholicism, set in the 18th century imperial court in China, boasts exquisite sets and costumes, and East-meets-West historical exoticism. “Bingbing looks at her finest and definitely fits the part…”  Hollywood Reporter Cast Fan Bingbing, Melvil Poupaud, Jin Shi Jye, Huang Jue, Thibault De Montalembert, Féodor Atkine.  

This is another chance to see this wonderful film, originally previewed at New Park in last year's French Film Festival on Tour.

France/China 2017 Charles de Meaux 103m

The Postman

Michael Radford’s most celebrated film made in Italy in 1994, which became his biggest international success.

On a remote Mediterranean island young Mario Ruoppolo (Massimo Troisi) is hired to deliver letters to exiled love poet Pablo Neruda (Philippe Noiret). The two develop a close friendship, and Mario enlists the poet's help to win the heart of the beautiful Beatrice Russo (Maria Grazia Cucinotta). During the courtship, the poet in Mario emerges, and he realises he need not depend on Neruda. "The Postman" could have developed its friendship between poet and peasant more obviously. The beauty of the film is in its quietness” (Roger Erbert). A favourite film for many people, it was also one of 4 films that Alec Guinness  requested to be shown on his 2nd visit to New Park The film won many international film awards and one of the rare foreign-language films to be nominated for a Best Picture Academy Award. (Subtitles)

Italy/France/Belgium 1994 Michael Radford 108m

We are thrilled to welcome Michael Radford to Chichester to introduce his film, with a Q&A after the screening.

Please note that we have added a second screening of this film due to popular demand at 18:00 on Sun 25 Aug.

Engrossing and entertaining, ‘Mrs Lowry & Son’ offers up a veritable masterclass in acting, with Vanessa Redgrave and Timothy Spall spellbinding as a mother and son separated by art and ambition.

L.S. Lowry, not yet established as an artist, works as a rent collector, walking the streets of Salford, mixing with factory workers and observing the town closely. In the evenings, he takes art classes and paints until the early hours of the morning. He is resolutely loyal and well-mannered towards his bitter mother Elizabeth, who tries to dissuade her bachelor son from pursuing his artistic ambitions and never misses a chance to tell him what a disappointment he is to her. This lovely film is punctuated by delightful moments of humour, as it depicts the impact a bitterly obsessive mother had on one of this country’s greatest artists. Closed the recent Chichester International Film Festival.

UK 2019 Adrian Noble 91m

In 1950s small town Britain, a doctor develops a relationship with her young patient's mother. Anna Paquin and Holliday Grainger provide spectacular chemistry in this authentic and tender love story.

Dr. Jean Markham (Paquin) returns to the town she left as a teenager to take over her late father's medical practice. When a school-yard scuffle lands Charlie (Gregor Selkirk) in her surgery, she invites him to visit the hives in her garden and tell his secrets to the bees, as she once did. The new friendship between the boy and the beekeeper brings his mother Lydia (Grainger) into Jean's world. In the sanctuary of the doctor's house the two women find themselves drawn to one another in a way that Jean recognizes and fears, and Lydia could never have expected. But, in 1950's small-town Britain, their new secret can't stay hidden forever.

UK 2017 Annabel Jankel 108m

In 1987 during the austere days of Thatcher's Britain, a teenager learns to live life, understand his family and find his own voice through the music of Bruce Springsteen.

When music fanatic Javed discovers the illustrious back catalogue of The Boss, his world is turned upside down. Already a creative soul, his passion for music and writing is set alight by the songs of the working-class poet, whose lyrics feel all too familiar to the aspirational teenager. Yearning to escape his rundown hometown and the rules of his traditional Pakistani household, Javed finds himself caught in between two worlds and must discover if he too is Born to Run. Practically bursting with its love for Springsteen, the movie builds past its formulaic story when it captures the euphoria of singing a song you love.

UK 2019 Gurinder Chadha 117m

By Stefano Massini, adapted by Ben Power

directed by Sam Mendes

The story of a family and a company that changed the world, told in three parts on a single evening.

Academy Award-winner Sam Mendes (Skyfall, The Ferryman) directs Simon Russell Beale, Adam Godley and Ben Miles who play the Lehman Brothers, their sons and grandsons.

On a cold September morning in 1844 a young man from Bavaria stands on a New York dockside. Dreaming of a new life in the new world. He is joined by his two brothers and an American epic begins.

163 years later, the firm they establish – Lehman Brothers – spectacularly collapses into bankruptcy, and triggers the largest financial crisis in history.

This critically acclaimed and five-time Olivier Award nominated play features stunning set design from Es Devlin (NT Live: Hamlet) and will be broadcast live from London’s West End as part of National Theatre Live’s 10th Birthday season.

210m inc 2 Intervals.

Tickets £17.50 (Friends/Students £15)

2007/09: Ken Russell’s New Park Cinema visits                      

The wonderfully charismatic Ken Russell visited the cinema twice,

first during a retrospective of his work in 2007, and in 2009 when, very ill and in a wheelchair, he introduced ‘Gothic’ as a tribute to Natasha Richardson. He earlier had agreed to introduce ‘Mahler’, but when his house suffered a terrible fire, he had a good excuse not to come! And it was introduced by his one-time pupil/assistant Tony Palmer. Now in remembrance of his visits, we again are showing ‘Mahler’ as part of our Ruby Anniversary celebrations. - Roger Gibson.

From its stunning opening sequence ‘Mahler’ distinguishes itself as the most poetic and archetypal of Russell's great composer works - a kind of cinematic response to Visconti's 1971 adaptation of ‘Death in Venice’. While the film is the least ostentatious of Russell's movies about music, it is hardly conventional, a mix of lyrical tableaux and comic fantasy that adds up to a stirring, dreamlike experience.

UK 1974 Ken Russell 115m

Two people meet by chance on New Year’s Eve, arguing for the same taxi. However, instead of going their separate ways, they start a passionate relationship.

There is enormous tenderness and sensuality in the lead performances: from Spanish actor Laia Costa, (‘Victoria’) and from Josh O’Connor, (‘God’s Own Country’). They are respectively Elena and Jake: she is working in arts centre administration and he is a postgrad student doing research in marine biology. They meet in an almost Richard Curtis-like romcom moment, and after a white lie, their relationship blooms. But, as the seasons pass, reality catches up with them. Falling in love was the easy part. This sad, tender and gloriously sexy love story has been lauded by the critics.

UK 2019 Harry Wootliff 119m

Between 2009 and 2013, the England Test cricket team rose from the depths of the rankings to become the first and only English side to reach world number one (since ICC records began). ‘The Edge’ is a compelling, funny and emotional insight into a band of brothers' rise to the top, their unmatched achievements and the huge toll it would take.

Featuring unseen footage from the period and new interviews from star players and coaching staff (Strauss, Cook, Anderson, Broad, Swann and Flower), ‘The Edge’ will reveal the team's intense and often hilarious pursuit of success. Strauss and Flower took over a team including some of the true greats of the English game and transformed them into a phenomenal winning machine before the pressure and scrutiny began to fracture bodies and minds.

UK 2019 Barney Douglas 95m

Quentin Tarantino's ninth feature film is a story about a faded television actor and his stunt double, who strive to achieve fame and success in the film industry during the final years of Hollywood's Golden Age in 1969 Los Angeles.

Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio), former star of a western TV series, and his long-time stunt double Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt), are both struggling to make it in a Hollywood they don't recognize anymore. But Rick has a very famous next-door neighbour... Sharon Tate. Tarantino returns to his roots, the action taking place in the LA of his first three films (‘Reservoir Dogs’, ‘Pulp Fiction’ and ‘Jackie Brown’), and yet it’s also a period piece like his last three films (Inglourious Basterds, Django Unchained, The Hateful Eight).

USA 2019 Quentin Tarantino 161m

A dark folk tale set in the stark beauty of 19th Century Snowdonia during the industrial revolution.

Gwen (Eleanor Worthington-Cox) is a young girl desperately trying to hold her home together - struggling with her mother Elen’s (Maxine Peak) mysterious illness, her father's absence and a ruthless mining company encroaching on their land. As a growing darkness begins to take grip of her home, the local community grows suspicious and turns on Gwen and her family. It’s a bleakly beautiful film, full of angry skies and distant thunder.

Dark figures prowl at night, animals meet untimely ends and a hollow-eyed Elen is afflicted by an increasing irascibility and mysterious convulsions. Director McGregor creates real tension right from the start, stirring in scary images and sounds that build a gnawing sense that something terrible is coming.

UK 2018 William McGregor 84m

Met Encore

In our second of four Metropolitan Opera encores, we present Rossini’s madcap comedy, which receives a spirited production by Tony Award–winning director Bartlett Sher.

The society Rossini depicts is a place where aloof aristocrats, fawning professionals and even servants are so wary of one another that a cottage industry has arisen for go-betweens who will spy, scheme and transmit secret notes. Sher (in his Met debut) has embraced this 203-year-old opera’s atmosphere of intrigue and subterfuge. Mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato is Rosina, Juan Diego Flórez, the undisputed king of Rossini tenors, is Almaviva, and Swedish baritone Peter Mattei exudes charisma and confidence and shows a flair for comic timing in the title role. Maurizio Benini conducts. Sung in Italian with English subtitles. Recorded in 2007. 185m inc interval.

Tickets £17.50 (Friends/Students £15)

From the National Theatre:

On Tuesday 10 September, award-winning and bestselling author Margaret Atwood published worldwide her highly anticipated new novel – 'The Testaments' – a sequel to her most celebrated work, 'The Handmaid’s Tale'.

In a unique live event (recorded) on this momentous date, cinema audiences will be treated to an evening in conversation with Atwood about the release of the new book, her long and distinguished career and why she has returned to her seminal story of 'The Handmaid’s Tale', 34 years after she wrote the original.

There will be exclusive readings by a number of high-profile actors from the new book and filmed documentary content from throughout Atwood’s life. Filmed live from the stage of the National Theatre, Atwood will also answer questions from audiences across the country in this rare appearance and intimate evening.

110m approx

Tickets £15.00 (Friends/Studenyts £12.50)

Phoebe Waller-Bridge returns to the stage to perform her show that inspired the hit TV series.

See the hilarious, award-winning, one-woman show that inspired the BBC’s hit TV series Fleabag, broadcast live to cinemas from London’s West End.

Written and performed by Phoebe Waller-Bridge and directed by Vicky Jones, Fleabag is a rip-roaring look at some sort of woman living her sort of life.

Fleabag may seem oversexed, emotionally unfiltered and self-obsessed, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. With family and friendships under strain and a guinea pig café struggling to keep afloat, Fleabag suddenly finds herself with nothing to lose.

Playing to sold-out audiences in New York and London, don’t miss your chance to see this ‘legitimately hilarious show’ (New Yorker), broadcast live.

Tickets £17.50 (Friends/Students £15)

A film director reflects on the choices he's made in life as past and present come crashing down around him. Pedro Almodóvar’s eagerly awaited film was a highlight of Cannes.

Director Salvador Malo (Antonio Banderas), a scruffy, haunted-looking guy, hasn’t shot a film in years and suffers from a laundry list of ailments. He is visited by memories from his childhood, often under the influence of one substance or another. Banderas gives a stunning performance, evoking the spirit of Almodóvar without any tendency to imitate him.

He suggests -  “Without filming, my life is meaningless,” giving a nod to Almodóvar’s own lurking fears at this point in his career. With echoes of Fellini’s ‘8 ½,’ here the tone is both bitter and sweet, and in contrast to the more flamboyant ethos of the early films, this one is executed with simplicity and a restrained rigour. Not to be missed! (Subtitles)

Spain 2019 Pedro Almodóvar 113m

The film follows the 2000 K-141 Kursk submarine disaster and the governmental negligence that followed.

Some of the crew survives the initial explosion, including officer Mikhail Kalekov (Matthias Schoenaerts), whose pregnant wife (Lea Seydoux) and child are waiting back home. As the sailors fight for survival, their families desperately battle political obstacles and impossible odds to save them.

Unfortunately, their rescue is complicated by bureaucracy between Russia, France, Norway and Britain, with British navy chief David Russell (Colin Firth) attempting to convince Russian officials to accept foreign aid. This is a punchy and poignant piece of film-making from Vinterberg with several riveting set-pieces. Also stars Max von Sydow and Peter Simonischek.

UK 2018 Thomas Vinterberg 117m

A story that revels in the messiness of life, and the many love stories it can contain. Based on the novel ‘Animals’ by Emma Jane Unsworth.

Laura (Holliday Grainger) and Tyler (Alia Shawkat) are soulmates. Thirty-something best friends and revellers residing in Dublin, they are ingrained in the fabric of each other's lives; dating, partying, drinking and living their life without limitations. American ex-pat, Tyler - a siren of drugs, alcohol and debauchery - lures aspiring writer, Laura, away from her long overdue novel as well as her new beau, the irresistibly handsome Jim (Fra Fee).

A tee-total classical pianist, Jim is the antithesis of Tyler and the world she and Laura inhabit, and with his presence the girls' hedonistic double act finds itself in jeopardy. Elevated by the chemistry and bold performances of its leads, ‘Animals’ takes a refreshingly frank and impressively ambitious look at female relationships.

UK 2019 Sophie Hyde 109m

Nick Broomfield returns with an in-depth look at the relationship between the late musician Leonard Cohen and his Norwegian muse Marianne Ihlen.

This is Broomfield's (‘Aileen’, ‘Kurt & Courtney’) most personal and romantic film of his storied career. The documentary starts on the Greek island of Hydra in 1960, where Leonard Cohen, then a struggling and unknown fiction writer, and Marianne Ihlen, a single mother with a young son, became part of community of expat artists, writers and musicians.

Never-before-seen footage shot by Broomfield and legendary documentarian D.A. Pennebaker make for a unique portrait of an idyllic 1960's bohemia. It was a time that left a lasting imprint on both Marianne and Leonard, whose friendship would last another fifty years before their deaths in 2016. An absorbing glimpse of a fascinating chapter of its subjects' lives.

USA 2019 Nick Broomfield 102m

Andrea Levy’s Orange Prize-winning novel 'Small Island' comes to life in an epic new theatre adaptation. Filmed live on stage as part of National Theatre Live’s 10th birthday.

'Small Island' embarks on a journey from Jamaica to Britain, through the Second World War to 1948 – the year the HMT Empire Windrush docked at Tilbury. The play follows three intricately connected stories. Hortense yearns for a new life away from rural Jamaica, Gilbert dreams of becoming a lawyer, and Queenie longs to escape her Lincolnshire roots. Hope and humanity meet stubborn reality as the play traces the tangled history of Jamaica and the UK. A company of 40 actors take to the stage of the National Theatre in this timely and moving story. 220m inc Interval

Tickets £17.50 (Friends/Students £15)

Thu 27 Jun 19:00 (Live)

2009: ‘Surprise Film’ first introduced in the 18th Film Festival

The notion of a secret/surprise unreleased film was introduced in our 18th Film Festival in 2009, being ‘Julie and Julia’.

This idea has continued successfully for the past 10 years, except when in 2017, I could not find a suitable secret film which would fulfil audience expectations, having built up a certain reputation (‘Untouchable’, ‘Blue Jasmine’, ‘Pride’ etc). But after an outcry of disappointment, we restored this popular element of the Festival. As we are dealing with the past milestones, the film chosen for our Ruby Tuesday, is not a newly unreleased film, but a very beloved classic of the past which most of you will have already seen and loved - but you miss it again at your peril -  Warning (a clue) - it is a long film. - Roger Gibson.

Giuseppe Verdi’s masterpiece – compelling, blood-curdling and beautiful – is being performed for the first time on the unique, Bregenz lake stage.

Once of Verdi's most popular works, Rigoletto is an unforgettable tale of a sacrifice and revenge; of a father's rage and a daughter's shame.

It features several of opera's best-known arias-including Rigoletto's passionate denouncement 'Cortigiani, vil Razza Dannata,' Gilda's dreamy 'Caro Nome' and the Duke's instantly recognisable 'La Donna è Mobile.'

Directed and designed by Philip Stölzl, this timeless tragedy will delight audiences with a powerhouse combination of entertainment and emotional intensity from the spectacular shore of Lake Constance. Recorded live Sung in Italian with English subtitles.

150m approx with interval.

Tickets £17.50 (Friends/Students £15)

Director Ritesh Batra made his name with ‘The Lunchbox’ back in 2013, a lovely understated story of a man and woman who become accidental pen pals. He returns with another high-concept film, executed with an organic touch, that’s as beautiful as its predecessor.

Miloni (Sanya Malhotra) is a quiet young woman from a modestly prosperous family in Mumbai studying to become an accountant. On a stroll past the Gateway of India monument, she agrees to have her picture taken by Rafi (Nawazuddin Siddiqui), who does the same all day, every day for tourists at 50 rupees a piece.

What Miloni doesn’t know is that Rafi’s grandmother is pressuring him to marry and he later uses the photo to prove to her that he is dating someone. Now, the grandmother (Farrukh Jaffar) is coming to town and Rafi must track down Miloni and ask her to pose as his girlfriend. (Subtitles)

India 2018 Ritesh Batra 110m

An entertaining inside look at the making of a classic - and compellingly analyses its creation in the context of its era.

A contemplation on the symbiotic collaborative process of movie-making, the power of myth, and the collective unconscious, ‘Memory - The Origins of Alien’ unearths the largely untold origin story behind Ridley Scott's cinematic masterpiece, and reveals a treasure trove of never-before-seen materials from the O'Bannon and Giger archives - including original story notes, rejected designs and storyboards, exclusive behind-the-scenes footage, and Dan's original 29-page script from 1971, titled ‘Memory’. This doesn't just remind you that ‘Alien’ is a masterpiece, but details how it got that way and why it continues to haunt us.

USA 2019 Alexandre O. Philippe 95m

1979: The birth, the start of it all! 40 years ago!

The film that I selected which  began it all , shown on 20 September 1979  as the Film Society at the Chichester College of Technology, unwieldy named as the Chichester College Adult Education Film Society was Woody Allen’s ‘Love and Death’, and we are revisiting this film again 40 years on the same date, and celebrating this special occasion with a party after the screening. - Roger Gibson.

The film stars frequent co-star Diane Keaton opposite Woody Allen and it's my personal favourite among their collaborations. Allen himself is particular fun as the pacifist who becomes an accidental hero in the Russian army. The plot is a wonderful spoof of pretty much every work of classical Russian literature paired (including Dostoevsky and Tolstoy's ‘War and Peace’) with all the insecurities and angst of Allen's world. There are a good few belly laughs about the obvious jokes and a lot more smiles about the more subtle references to history and literature, and an appropriate soundtrack with music by Prokofiev. Hugely entertaining and stands up very well today.

USA 1979 Woody Allen  85m

Fri 20 Sep 18:45

Film at 18:45 - Party at 20:20

Tickets £15 (Friends £13.50)

Joanna Hogg’s fourth film takes us back to early 1980s London and the insecurities and vulnerabilities of a rich and searching young filmmaker, here expressed with complete mastery.

Based on Hogg’s own experiences as a film student in London during the 1980s, it is potent autofiction, and incredibly revealing of a young artist wrestling with her ambitions, limitations and desires. Julie (Honor Swinton Byrne) is unguarded and riskily so, allowing herself to be wrapped in the too-tight embrace of the older, sophisticated-seeming Anthony after meeting him at a party. “I’m trying to work out how you two… tessellate,” says Anthony’s friend (a drily funny cameo from Richard Ayoade). Swinton Byrne gives a profoundly subtle performance as Julie, in a film that features extended, often-improvised scenes of mundane, daily life. Co-stars Tilda Swinton.

UK 2019 Joanna Hogg 122m

A young woman named spends six years pretending to be the celebrated author JT LeRoy, the made-up literary persona of her sister-in-law.

In this captivating true story, Savannah Knoop (Kristen Stewart) spends years playing the public role of Jeremiah Terminator LeRoy, an enigmatic and celebrated literary persona created by her sister-in-law (Laura Dern). The literary world was a more interesting place with JT LeRoy around, even though he never was, really. "JT" was an androgynous former truck-stop sex worker who supposedly channelled his sordid upbringing into raw, autobiographical fictions that captivated hip circles in the late '90s and early 2000s. Albert played JT on the page and in phone calls with journalists and famous admirers, duping the public into believing the guise was real. This is the perfect role for Stewart, and the film offers a diverting dramatization of incredible real-life events.

USA 2018 Justin Kelly 108m

We present a rare screening of the film ‘Iris’ followed by a Q&A with Dr Miles Leeson - Senior Lecturer in English Literature at the University of Chichester, and Director of the Iris Murdoch Research Centre.

This is a heartfelt drama about the power of love in the shadow of a treacherous disease. The film is based on a pair of memoirs by Iris’s husband , John Bayley - the young Bayley played superbly by Hugh Bonneville.

Judi Dench plays the older Iris with a deep intelligence which is a joy, almost a privilege to watch, while Kate Winslet is the young Iris. When the young Iris meets Bayley at Oxford, he is naïve, and flummoxed by her libertine manner and obvious artistic talent. In later life the childless couple become each other’s children, living in amiable squalor. The devoted John struggles with the onset of Iris’s dementia and responds with hopeless devotion as she deteriorates into Alzheimer’s disease. ‘Iris’ earned a slew of nominations for awards including a win for best supporting actor for Jim Broadbent who played the older Bayley.

In conjunction with The University of Chichester and the Iris Murdoch Research Centre.

UK 2001 Richard Eyre 91m

A musical fantasy about the uncensored human story of Elton John's (Taron Egerton) breakthrough years.

Named after Elton John’s 1972 song, the film follows the early years of the chart-topping singer's career, and his rise to fame, with his music as the backdrop. From his early days as Reginald Dwight, a young prodigy at the Royal Academy of Music, right up to his partnership with lyricist Bernie Taupin (Jamie Bell).

Its cast also includes ‘Bodyguard’ star Richard Madden as the singer's manager John Reid and Bryce Dallas Howard as his mother Sheila Eileen. Elton John himself is a huge driving force behind the production of this film and was blown away when he first heard Egerton’s singing voice. Unlike the film ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, this is less a bio-pic, and more of a musical film using Elton John’s songs to express important beats in his life.

UK 2019 Dexter Fletcher

An immersive film that will plunge the viewer into the world of 1970’s music.

In the Paris of 1978, old formulas do not charm listeners anymore and new music must arise. In a male-dominated industry, Ana uses her electronic gadgets to make herself heard, creating a new sound that will mark the decades to come: the music of the future. In a time of Jean-Michel Jarre, we often forget the importance that women had in creating a futuristic form of music. ‘The Shock of the Future’ is the first film by Marc Collin, French musician, composer and producer. The title is also a nod to a book by Alvin Toffler, ‘American sociologist and Futurologist’. (Subtitles)

France 2019 Marc Collin 84m

Featuring a Tony Award-winning performance from host of the The Late Late Show, James Corden, the hilarious West End and Broadway hit One Man, Two Guvnors returns to cinemas to mark National Theatre Live’s 10th birthday.

Fired from his skiffle band, Francis Henshall becomes minder to Roscoe Crabbe, a small time East End hood, now in Brighton to collect £6,000 from his fiancée’s dad. But Roscoe is really his sister Rachel posing as her own dead brother, who’s been killed by her boyfriend Stanley Stubbers.

Holed up at The Cricketers’ Arms, the permanently ravenous Francis spots the chance of an extra meal ticket and takes a second job with one Stanley Stubbers, who is hiding from the police and waiting to be re-united with Rachel. To prevent discovery, Francis must keep his two guvnors apart.  Simple.

200m approx inc Interval.

Tickets £17.50 (Friends/Students £15)

The continuing story of the Crawley family, wealthy owners of a large estate in the English countryside in the early 20th century.

This worldwide phenomenon written by Julian Fellowes has become a grand motion picture event, as the beloved Crawleys and their intrepid staff prepare for the most important moment of their lives. A royal visit from the King and Queen of England will unleash scandal, romance and intrigue that will leave the future of Downton hanging in the balance. The A-list cast is led by Hugh Bonneville, Maggie Smith, Imelda Staunton and Elizabeth McGovern, ably assisted by Matthew Goode, Tuppence Middleton, Michelle Dockery, Joanne Froggatt and Brendan Coyle.

UK 2019 Michael Engler 118m

A young drug-addled writer approaching the bottom of his descent submits to two months of agonizing detox at a treatment centre in Minnesota.

At the age of 23, James Frey (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) woke up on a plane to find his front teeth knocked out and his nose broken. He had no idea where the plane was headed nor any recollection of the past two weeks. An alcoholic for ten years and a drug addict for three, he checked into a treatment facility shortly after landing. There, he found much more than traditional treatment. He found similar broken souls yearning and fighting for a better life. This is a story of recovery and love, a story of friendship and hope. This is an account of his six weeks in rehab. Directed by UK director Sam  Taylor-Johnson, who is married to the lead actor… you may remember their first partnership – ‘Nowhere Boy’ (2009).

USA 2018 Sam Taylor-Johnson 113m

The story of Roman Coleman, a convict who is given the chance to participate in a rehabilitation therapy program involving the training of wild mustangs.

Roman (Matthias Schoenaerts), a convict in a rural Nevada prison who struggles to escape his violent past, is required to participate in an "outdoor maintenance" program as part of his state-mandated social rehabilitation. Spotted by a no-nonsense veteran trainer (Bruce Dern) and helped by an outgoing fellow inmate and trick rider (Jason Mitchell), Roman is accepted into the selective wild horse training section of the program, where he finds his own humanity in gentling an especially unbreakable mustang. ‘The Mustang’ finds fresh perspectives in a familiar redemption tale brought brilliantly to life by powerful performances from Dern and Schoenaerts.

This film was developed at Robert Redford's Sundance Institute lab for emerging talent; he certainly found one in French actress Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre, here making an impressive feature directorial debut. (In English)

France/Belgium 2019 Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre 96m

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

The films of Quentin Tarantino

Day Course by Patrick Hargood

Quentin Tarantino's much-heralded debut ‘Reservoir Dogs’ introduced one of the brightest, boldest and most energetic imaginations in modern cinema history. This day seminar, run by the Education Department, offers a comprehensive chronological journey including ‘Pulp Fiction’, ‘Kill Bill’ and ‘The Hateful Eight’. With his new movie just arrived on our screens, there could not be a better time to re-engage with this modern wunderkind and ever-controversial writer-director-actor. 240m

Tickets £10 (Friends/Students £8.50)

Sat 28 Sep 11:00 (Studio)

Acclaimed director Ron Howard gives us an in depth look at the life and work of opera legend Luciano Pavarotti.

A riveting film that lifts the curtain on the icon who brought opera to the people. Pavarotti gave his life to the music and a voice to the world. As Plácido Domingo, one of the world's greatest living tenors and a close of friend of Pavarotti’s, says: “He would just open his mouth, and everything was easy.” Born in 1935 in Modena, Italy, his career took off when cast as Rodolfo in Puccini’s ‘La Bohème’, in a small regional Italian opera house in Reggio Emilia. He gave his final performance at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, and was diagnosed that year with pancreatic cancer. He died the following year. This cinematic event features history-making performances and intimate interviews, including never-before-seen footage.

UK 2019 Ron Howard

Matthias Le Goff, an Olympic champion at the end of his career, makes a homophobic statement on TV. His punishment: coach the Shiny Shrimps, a flamboyant and amateur gay water-polo team.

They have only one thing in mind: to qualify for the Gay Games in Croatia where the hottest international LGBT athletes compete. It's the start of a bumpy and joyful ride - Faster, Higher, Stronger. It’s a combination of ‘YMCA’ (Village People) and ‘Priscilla, Queen of the Desert’... in swimming suits! This is clearly a crowd pleaser, the actors are really endearing, and the film is full of wacky and hilarious replies, even if the jokes are not always very subtle. This is based upon a real event, unbelievably! (Subtitles)

France 2019 Maxime Govare & Cédric Le Gallo 100m

Il Gattopardo

2012: Digital Cinema installed

The changeover to digital for cinemas from 35mm film was happening fast in the first decade of this century, and almost as revolutionary as from silent film to sound. 35mm prints were slowly being withdrawn and  replaced by digital. After six months of fund raising from our patrons (£60,000 - no grants) we installed new digital projection equipment (but I recommended keeping 35mm) in 2012. As a result, we were able to project all new releases in the digital format, and a particular advantage for live streaming by satellite of opera, ballet, and theatre. It was also a wonderful opportunity for distributors and Studios to restore their library of classics to a quality that we had never seen before. And we celebrate this milestone for us with the digitally stunningly restored 1962 masterpiece - Visconti’s ‘The Leopard’.- Roger Gibson.

An epic on the grandest scale, Luchino Visconti's  3-hour ‘The Leopard’ re-creates, with nostalgia, drama, and opulence, the tumultuous years of Italy's Risorgimento, when the aristocracy lost its grip and the middle classes rose and formed a unified, democratic Italy. Burt Lancaster stars as an aging prince watching his culture and fortune wane in the face of a new generation, represented by the gorgeous pair of Alain Delon  and Claudia Cardinal. A fabulous score by Nino Rota is an integral part of the film, adding an operatic element. A prime example of the advantages of digital restoration. (Subtitles)

Italy 1963 Luchino Visconti 180m

From the Arena di Verona

For one very special night, Plácido Domingo returns to the breathtaking Arena Di Verona amphitheatre for this anniversary gala evening, 50 years after his debut, revisiting three of his greatest ever roles in Verdi's 'Nabucco', 'Simon Boccanegra' and 'Macbeth'.

With an illustrious career spanning five decades: over 150 stage roles, 11 Grammy Awards and his iconic performances alongside Luciano Pavarotti and José Carreras as one of the Three Tenors, the legendary Plácido Domingo continues to astound audiences with a vocal talent unmatched in power. (Recorded live)

150m approx including interval.

Tickets £17.50 (Friends/Students £15)

A boy in New York is taken in by a wealthy Upper East Side family after his mother is killed in a bombing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Theodore "Theo" Decker (Ansel Elgort) was 13 years old when his mother was killed in a bombing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The tragedy changes the course of his life, sending him on a stirring odyssey of grief and guilt, reinvention and redemption, and even love. Through it all, he holds on to one tangible piece of hope from that terrible day... a painting of a tiny bird chained to its perch. The Goldfinch. Also stars Nicole Kidman and Luke Wilson.

USA 2019 John Crowley 149m

A weathered Lieutenant, his police force, and a local vigilante are all caught up in a dangerous scheme involving a recently arrested, troubled man who's linked to years of female abductions and murders.

Ever since splitting with his ex and losing custody of his daughter, the long days and unpredictable nights on Minneapolis’ homicide squad seem to suit Marshall’s (Henry Cavill) newfound susceptibility to insomnia. An unexpected lead following the recent murder of a young woman introduces him to Cooper (Ben Kingsley), a retired judge with a penchant for vigilantism. Working with female accomplice Lara (Eliana Jones), he’s been tracking down paedophile predators and administering an extreme form of outlaw justice, but when Lara goes missing, he turns to his old colleagues on the police force for assistance. Co-stars Stanley Tucci.

Canada/USA 2018 David Raymond 98m

A portrait of a group of pioneering reggae musicians, capturing the ongoing relevance of reggae and its social values, and the music's passion to revitalize an older generation while passing it on to younger listeners.

Shot largely in the hills above Kingston, British director Peter Webber gives a comeback platform to senior reggae stars like Ken Boothe, Winston McAnuff, Kiddus I, and Cedric Myton. They collaborate on a music project that will capture the spirit of their music genre and pass on its values to the younger generation of artists. While rehearsing, they share their insights on reggae's past, present, and future.

What really makes this documentary soar high above others that focus on a specific musical style is that, in this, it provides a peek into the intimate lives of the legendary personalities which create it. Reggae music, like Jamaica, is all about peace and love. That is what the audience will remember about this rousing, heartfelt documentary.

France 2019 Peter Webber 99m

John Schlesinger's gritty, unrelentingly bleak look at the seedy underbelly of urban American life is undeniably disturbing, but Dustin Hoffman and Jon Voight's performances make it difficult to turn away.

Voight's absurd stud is a drop-out trying to drop-in, a deprived semi-adult whose muscular good looks he rightly assumes to be the only possible passport to success. But at least he is better off than Ratso (Hoffman), a sleazy little Bronx pickpocket who first cons and then befriends him. The two are shown to be in desperate need of each other, and it is a superbly observed relationship not only because this is so, but because the hideous hollowness of the world they battle with is so clearly painted as well. We can identify with them without false sentimentality and it is impossible not to do so.

USA 1969 John Schlesinger 113m

Nestled in an isolated mountain region deep within the Balkans, Hatidze Muratova lives with her ailing mother in a village without roads, electricity or running water. She is the last in a long line of Macedonian wild beekeepers, eking out a living farming honey in small batches to be sold in the closest city - a mere four hours' walk away.

Hatidze's peaceful existence is thrown into upheaval by the arrival of an itinerant family, with their roaring engines, seven rambunctious children and herd of cattle. She optimistically meets the promise of change with an open heart, offering up her affections, her brandy and her tried-and-true beekeeping advice. It doesn't take long however, before the itinerant family's patriarch, senses opportunity and develops an interest in selling his own honey. Even as the family provides a much-needed respite from Hatidze's isolation, her very means of survival are threatened. This documentary/drama is an eye-opener and a mind-opener. (Subtitles)

Macedonia 2019 Tamara Kotevska, Ljubomir Stefanov 87m

ROH Live

Sexual intrigue, jealousy, wit, anger… and retribution! The new Royal Opera Season begins with Mozart’s engaging masterpiece. An opera in 2 acts, sung in Italian with English subtitles.

This follows Don Giovanni, the women he serially seduces, and the vengeance that finally catches up with him. The opera is renowned for its ever-shifting portrayals of complex characters, fast-moving action and mix of the comic and the heartfelt. A cast of international singers – both familiar and making Royal Opera debuts – under conductor Hartmut Haenchen perform the glorious arias and ensembles of this opera favourite. Director - Kasper Holten; Conductor - Hartmut Haenchen. Cast Erwin Schrott (Don Giovanni), Roberto Tagliavini (Leporello), Malin Byström (Donna Anna), Christine Rice (Donna Elvira), Daniel Behle (Don Ottavio), Louise Alder (Zerlina), Lars Woldt (Commendatore), Leon Košavić (Masetto). 210m approx including 2 intervals.                                                                    

Tickets £17.50 (Friends/Students £15)

Tue 8 Oct 18:45 (Live)

Fri 11 Oct 14:00 (Encore)    

Winter 1968 and showbiz legend Judy Garland (Renée Zellweger) arrives in Swinging London to perform a five-week sold-out run at The Talk of the Town.

It is 30 years since she shot to global stardom in ‘The Wizard of Oz’, but if her voice has weakened, its dramatic intensity has only grown. As she prepares for the show, battles with management, charms musicians and reminisces with friends and adoring fans, her wit and warmth shine through. Even her dreams of love seem undimmed as she embarks on a whirlwind romance with Mickey Deans (Finn Wittrock), her soon-to-be fifth husband. Featuring some of her best-known songs, the film celebrates the voice, the capacity for love, and the sheer pizzazz of "the world's greatest entertainer." Co-stars Jessie Buckley, Michael Gambon and Rufus Sewell.

UK 2019 Rupert Goold 118m

A man attempting to escape German-occupied France falls in love with the wife of a dead author whose identity he has assumed.

German troops are fast approaching Paris. Georg (Franz Rogowski), a German refugee, escapes to Marseille in the nick of time. In his luggage, he carries the documents of an author, Weidel, who has taken his own life in fear of his persecutors. Those documents include a manuscript, letters and visa assurance from the Mexican embassy. In Marseille, only those who can prove they will leave, may remain. Everything changes when Georg falls in love with the mysterious Marie (Paula Beer). This it is not a routine World War II vintage costume drama. Director-Writer Christian Petzold has chosen to set the entire story in present day France. There are no Nazis, no swastikas, and no political explanations. There are only the omnipresent French police checking papers in the street, raiding hotels and apartments. (Subtitles)

Germany 2018 Christian Petzold 103m

A Spanish politician whose high-class lifestyle is based on nefarious and illegal business threatens to break his entire party after a newspaper expose him to the public eye.

2007. Manuel López-Vidal (Antonio de la Torre) is a veteran Spanish politician and the right-hand of Frías (Josep Maria Pou), an autonomous community's president. Manuel lives a high-class lifestyle with his wife Inés (Mónica López) and his teen daughter Nati. But behind his long career and the respect of his party's partners and friends, the truth is totally different: Manuel is a crooked and corrupt man who for many years, together his friends, has used his political position to deviate foreign aid and strived to accumulate wealthy by any way possible, be it legal or not. A beautifully shot film which grows progressively more engrossing as it develops. Well worth a watch! (Subtitles)

Spain 2018 Rodrigo Sorogoyen 132m

We open the exciting new Season of the MET, delayed live from New York with Zeffirelli’s dazzling production of Puccini’s final Opera.

Two of opera’s most thrilling dramatic sopranos, Christine Goerke and Nina Stemme, reprise their fierce portrayals of the title princess. Yannick Nézet-Séguin takes the podium to conduct Franco Zeffirelli’s dazzling production of Puccini’s final masterpiece, which also features tenors Roberto Aronica and Marco Berti as Calàf, sopranos Eleonora Buratto and Hibla Gerzmava as Liù, and bass-baritones James Morris and Nicolas Testé as Timur. Opera in 3 acts, sung in Italian, with English subtitles.

180m approx including 2 intervals                                        

Sun 13 Oct 14:30 – 17:30 (Delayed live)

Fri 18 Dec 19:30 - 22:30 (Encore)

Tickets £20 (Friends/Students £17.50)

Exhibition: Documentary + Exhibition Private View

A 60-minute documentary on Paul Gauguin, followed by an exclusive 30-minute private view of the National Gallery exhibition Gauguin Portraits.

This fascinating cinema event opens with a brand-new documentary about the life and work of Paul Gauguin, one of the world’s most popular and important artists. Filmed in Tahiti, France, the Marquesas Islands and the UK, this cinematic film will explore Gauguin’s extraordinary – and at times controversial – artistic achievement, with commentary from his descendants, artists and world experts. It will be followed by an exclusive private view of the National Gallery exhibition Gauguin Portraits, just after it opens in London. The cinema audience will be given an engaging and lively guided tour by the exhibition curators and guest contributors, bringing this first ever exhibition of Gauguin’s portraits to the big screen with stunning close-ups and illuminating insights. 90m (no interval)  

Tickets £12.50 (Friends/Students £10)

Tue 15 Oct 15:45

Thu 17 Oct 14:30

2013: Film and live jazz series

As part of the 22nd Film festival in 2013 we screened a documentary on the late great Scottish jazz saxophonist Bobby Wellins, followed by a live gig with the Bobby Wellins quartet playing - and so the Live Jazz and Film evening was born. Each year I scheduled a documentary film (Stan Tracy, Tubby Hayes etc) or theme (latin Jazz with Georgia Mancio) with a live jazz session. To mark this annual festival event, we are screening a great jazz film - Clint Eastwood’s film on Charlie Parker - ‘Bird’.  - Roger Gibson.

‘Bird’ traces the life of Charlie Parker, a 1940's soloist jazz great whose improvisation abilities led him to become one of the most acclaimed figure in his own lifetime. However, his self-destructive behaviour and association with drugs and alcohol caused him to die before he could fully comprehend the public appreciation of his genius. Eastwood worked with a cast of relative unknown stars, and managed to create an entire period piece on the relatively low budget.

Sensitively acted, visually designed, this dramatic story of the troubled life of a man of tremendous warmth and compassion, Eastwood delivers a compelling portrait of an artist with an ambitious presentation of love including a magnificent score, and stunning sound, which won the film an Oscar for best sound. Forest Whitaker gives an excellent performance, with an especially inevitable death scene at the age of 34, and Diane Venora is impressive as the wife of this great jazz musician. Their last conversation by phone presented the legend Parker's with his conscientious of his near-death, his lost effort, his feeling of loneliness, but also his kindness, his love, and his care to his entire family… A great scene not to be missed!

USA 1988 Clint Eastwood 154m

By William Shakespeare

‘The course of true love never did run smooth.’

A feuding fairy King and Queen of the forest cross paths with four runaway lovers and a troupe of actors trying to rehearse a play. As their dispute grows, the magical royal couple meddle with mortal lives leading to love triangles, mistaken identities and transformations… with hilarious, but dark consequences.

Shakespeare’s most famous romantic comedy will be captured live from the Bridge Theatre in London. Gwendoline Christie (Game of Thrones), Oliver Chris (Green Wing, NT Live: Young Marx), David Moorst (NT Live: Allelujah!) and Hammed Animashaun (The Barber Shop Chronicles) lead the cast as Titania, Oberon, Puck and Bottom.

Directed by Nicholas Hytner, this production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream will build on the success of his immersive staging of Julius Caesar (NT Live 2018). The Bridge Theatre will become a forest – a dream world of flying fairies, contagious fogs and moonlight revels, surrounded by a roving audience following the action on foot.

160m inc interval.

Tickets £17.50 (Friends £15)

A looming disaster in one of the most spectacular environments on Earth sparks a rescue mission unlike any other in this riveting new documentary with the intensity of a Hollywood thriller.

When Mexican drug cartels and Chinese traffickers join forces to poach the rare totoaba fish in the Sea of Cortez, their deadly methods threaten virtually all marine life in the region, including the most elusive and endangered whale species on Earth, the vaquita porpoise. ‘Sea of Shadows’ follows a team of dedicated scientists, high-tech conservationists, investigative journalists and courageous undercover agents as well as the Mexican Navy as they put their lives on the line to save the last remaining vaquitas and bring the vicious international crime syndicate to justice. The plot twists are so spot on that a screenwriter might have rejected them. From National Geographic Documentary Films and winner of the Sundance audience award. (Some subtitles)

Austria 2018 Richard Ladkani 104m

Premiering in competition at this year’s Venice Film Festival, this will be an early runner for Oscar contention.

Astronaut Roy McBride (Brad Pitt) travels to the outer edges of the solar system to find his missing father (Tommy Lee Jones) and unravel a mystery that threatens the survival of our planet. His journey will uncover secrets that challenge the nature of human existence and our place in the cosmos. Director James Gray, whom you may remember from the visually beautiful ‘The Lost City of Z’ (2016) has assembled a powerful cast for this unique space drama, which includes Liv Tyler and Donald Sutherland.

USA 2019 James Gray 124m

Mandela and the Others

In this day event we take you back to Johannesburg in the 1960s and the trial that changed South Africa. The Rivonia trial – called by many “The trial of the century” lasted from October 1963 to June 1964.

It brought Nelson Mandela to the world stage – his famous speech, declaring that freedom and equality was “an ideal for which I am prepared to die”, became a rallying cry for black people and set the young lawyer on the path to a 27 year prison sentence on Robben Island, his release (secured in part by international pressure) and his election to President of South Africa. It could have been so different. Mandela and his 8 co-defendants faced the death penalty and it was Bram Fischer, a white Afrikaner lawyer, and his legal team who, at great risk to themselves, saved their lives. Little is known of “the others”, the other men in the dock and the legal team.

We hope to remedy this today.

We are fortunate in having two outstanding speakers as guests for the 19th October event. Gavin Fischer is Bram Fischer’s great nephew and has been instrumental in keeping Bram’s memory alive. Until recently Gavin was a correspondent for the BBC in South Africa.

Kevin Ashman is well known as a great supporter of our cinema. We know him through the BBC2 TV programme ‘Eggheads’ but he is also a history buff who has won innumerable quiz competitions at home and abroad, including the World Quiz Championships, Brain of Britain and Mastermind.

To illustrate the talks there will be numerous film clips.

We look forward to welcoming you to this day course which is one of five events at the cinema to mark Black History Month.

Sat 19 Oct 10:00  to 15:00 (Auditorium)

Tickets £10 (Friends/Students £8.50)

This propulsive, globetrotting thriller from acclaimed director Michael Winterbottom is a breathless tour through the shadowy underworlds and hidden realms of Pakistan and India.

Jay (Dev Patel) is a man with a secret who travels from Britain to Pakistan to attend a wedding - armed with duct tape, a shotgun, and a plan to kidnap the bride-to-be (Radhika Apte). Despite his cool efficiency, the plot quickly spirals out of control, sending Jay and his hostage on the run across the border and through the railway stations, back alleys, and black markets of New Delhi - as all the while attractions simmer, loyalties shift, and explosive secrets are revealed. Pulsating with the sights and sounds of the Indian subcontinent, ‘The Wedding Guest’ is a wiry thriller that works as a homage to the neo-noir genre.

UK 2018 Michael Winterbottom 96m

This undeniable classic, screwball musical comedy, starring the legendary duo Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, is the first of a series of Hollywood Musicals forming the ‘BFI Musicals Tour’ that we will be screening from October to January.

Glamorous and enthralling, a Depression-era diversion beautifully scored by Irving Berlin, this is the most successful and beloved picture of the prolific Rogers and Astaire partnership which saw them produce an astonishing nine musicals between 1933 and 1939. When American dancer Jerry (Astaire) comes to London to star in a show produced by bumbling Horace (Edward Everett Horton), he wakes up wealthy tourist Dale (Rogers) by tap dancing in his hotel bedroom.

She’s annoyed, but he’s instantly smitten, and proceeds to pursue her all over London, then to Venice – despite Dale’s reluctance, as she has mistaken him for the (married) Horace. Don’t miss your chance to hear its lavish songs (including the gorgeous ‘Cheek to Cheek’) and see its effortless, masterful dance sequences on the big screen.

USA 1935 Mark Sandrich 101m

Set in Argentina during the mid-1970s, Benjamín Naishtat's hypnotic drama follows a successful lawyer whose picture-perfect life begins to unravel when a private detective comes to his seemingly quiet small town and starts asking questions.

In the mid-seventies, a strange man arrives in a quiet provincial city. In a restaurant, without any apparent reason, he starts insulting Claudio, a renowned lawyer. The community supports the lawyer and the stranger is humiliated and thrown out of the place. Later that night the stranger, who is determined to wreak a terrible vengeance, intercepts Claudio and his wife Susana. The lawyer then takes a path of no return involving death, secrets and silences. A film lauded by audiences and critics alike, scoring a very impressive 100% on the leading film review website. (Subtitles)

Argentina/Brazil/France 2018 Benjamín Naishtat 109m

Smart, vibrant, and urgent, this is Spike Lee's most fully realized film - and one of the most important films of the 1980s. 30-years-old this year!

This powerful visual feast combines humour and drama with memorable characters, while tracing the course of a single day on a block in the Bedford-Stuyvesant area of Brooklyn. Sal (Danny Aiello) opens the pizza parlour he has owned for 25 years in a neighbourhood that has changed considerably over time, now composed primarily of African Americans and Hispanics.

On the hottest day of the year, a simple complaint escalates into tension and violence, bringing out the worst in everyone. From the opening credits sequence featuring the vibrant Rosie Perez, through the unforgettable soundtrack featuring the inimitable Public Enemy, and climaxing with a scene to remember, this is an exceptional film.

USA 1989 Spike Lee 120m

Imagine a time when love is forbidden… Matthew Bourne’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’ (Prokofiev) is a passionate and contemporary re-imagining of Shakespeare’s classic love story.

Confined against their will by a society that seeks to divide, our two young lovers must follow their hearts as they risk everything to be together. Bursting with youth, vitality and Matthew Bourne’s trademark storytelling, the UK’s brightest young dance talent join the New Adventures company, with direction and choreography by Bourne, design by Lez Brotherston, lighting by Paule Constable, sound by Paul Groothuis and new orchestrations of the Prokofiev score by Terry Davies, played live by the New Adventures Orchestra conducted by Brett Morris. This World Premiere is the first new production from New Adventures since ‘The Red Shoes’ in 2016. 90m (No Interval)

Tickets £17.50 (Friends/Students £15)

ROH Live

Royal Opera favourite Bryn Terfel heads the cast for this new production of Donizetti’s comedy of domestic drama across two generations. A comic opera in 3 acts. Sung in Italian with English subtitles.

Don Pasquale, a wealthy old bachelor, is outraged when he hears his nephew Ernesto intends to marry the impoverished widow Norina. He determines to marry himself and disinherit Ernesto. Ernesto and Norina despair, but their friend Doctor Malatesta promises to help them – and teach Pasquale a lesson. Malatesta persuades Norina to disguise herself as his sister, then presents her to Don Pasquale as a potential bride. Pasquale is so delighted with the young woman’s docile behaviour that he demands they marry at once. This witty story of a middle-aged man whose supposed young wife runs rings around him - has long delighted and surprised audiences, not least as presented with the sparkle of its music and the virtuoso skill of its performers. Damiano Michieletto’s exhilarating production shows how contemporary the characters still are and how immediate and touching the story remains. Director Damiano Michieletto; Conductor Evelino Pidò. Cast Bryn Terfel (Don Pasquale), Olga Peretyatko (Norina), Ioan Hotea (Ernesto), Mariusz Kwiecień (Malatesta). 150m approx inc interval.

Tickets £17.50 (Friends/Students £15)

Thu 24 Oct 19:30 (Live)

In a blue-collar town in Pennsylvania, a 32-year-old woman's teen daughter goes missing and she is left to raise her infant grandson alone.

The story is told over the course of 11 years: we journey with Katherine (Christina Hendricks) from the time her daughter Debra (Sienna Miller) vanishes, through the trials-and-tribulations of subsequent years, and ultimately to the long-awaited discovery of the truth. Sienna Miller delivers the best performance of her career in this film – you cannot take your eyes off her, in expectation of what she will do next. ‘American Woman’ finds poignant drama in one woman's gruelling odyssey, thanks in no small part to Miller's outstanding work in the leading role.

UK/USA 2018 Jake Scott 112m

The Silent Time Machine

Ethnographic film in the early twentieth century

Between the 1890s and 1940s  previously isolated peoples living in rainforests, deserts and Arctic tundra were radically transformed by modernity. Paul Henley will show and evaluate examples from newly available archival documentary material from this period. Paul Henley is an anthropologist who trained in documentary at NFTS and was Director of the Granada Centre for Visual Anthropology, University of Manchester, 1987-2014. 120m

Tickets £6.50

25 Oct 14:00 (Studio)

Discover the story behind the infamous Rivonia Trial in this new film, where Mandela and his co-defendants fought for the freedom of South Africa.

Directed by former high court judge Sir Nick Stadlen, the film follows the ten leading opponents of apartheid and their lawyers and supporters through the trial. It is an inspiring story of immense courage and self-sacrifice on the part of a small group of multiracial idealists. Though the defendants were saved from the death penalty, eight of the ten were sentenced to life imprisonment, Mandela among them. When Mandela was released 27 years later, he had a vision of multiracial democracy for South Africa.

UK 2017 Nick Stadlen 88m

We are pleased to have Director Sir Nick Stadlen with us for a Q&A directly after the film.

The true story of a British whistle-blower who leaked information to the press about an illegal National Security Agency (NSA) spy operation designed to push the UN Security Council into sanctioning the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

Katharine Gun (Keira Knightley) is a translator working at Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) who finds herself frustrated with what she is seeing on the news. It is 2003 and as Tony Blair argues for British involvement in an Iraq war, she is struggling to understand the reasoning, aware of the lack of evidence underpinning his case.

Aware that a UN resolution was looking unlikely, the NSA was asking GCHQ employees to spy on diplomats, hoping to blackmail them into agreeing that invasion was necessary. Unsettled and angered by the request, Katharine found herself tasked with a life-changing dilemma, forced to weigh up the importance of herself versus her country.

UK/USA 2019 Gavin Hood 112m

A powerful focus on the crisis in black masculinity, told though the three-part story of a Nigerian boy growing up in Britain.

We follow the story of Femi (played by Tai Golding as a young boy, and Sam Adewunmi as a teenager), a British boy of Nigerian heritage who, after a happy childhood in rural Lincolnshire, moves to inner London to live with his mum. Struggling with the unfamiliar culture and values of his new environment, teenage Femi must figure out which path to adulthood he wants to take, and what it means to be a young black man in London. Young people can get caught between two cultures, not belonging in either and trying to find their own place. This is a gripping and meaningful film, where trees are an understated but potent symbol of a life that is possible.

UK 2019 Shola Amoo 98m

Day Course by Richard Cupidi

Scarcely visible to the (non-black) naked eye, African-American films and filmmakers have been part of the secret history of cinema, especially the Hollywood variety, since the silent era. There was a time when Chicago actually vied with New York as the new Black Hollywood. In this informal workshop, we’ll illuminate the rise, struggle and legacy of Black American filmmakers, beginning with its earliest pioneers, such as the indomitable Oscar Micheaux, who authored the 1st all-black feature (or ‘Race film’ as they were originally called). We’ll also look at the mixed-messages of black musicals as well as the poetic documentaries of Charles Burnett (pic). This neglected body of work, the by-product of a racially segregated America, deserves a wider audience - especially now. Everyone welcome.

Tickets ££10 (Friends/Students £8.50)

26 Oct 11:00 (Studio)

The wives of New York gangsters in 1970s Manhattan continue to operate their husbands' rackets after they're locked up in prison.

Kathy (Melissa McCarthy – ‘Can You Ever Forgive Me?’) is a devoted mother of two whose initial reluctance to enter the criminal domain is eventually diminished by her deft abilities; Ruby (Tiffany Haddish) is an outsider in an Irish community who seeks self-sufficiency once her husband is not around to protect her; and Claire (Elisabeth Moss – ‘Handmaid’s Tale’) simply falls in love with the violence of her new life. These three housewives are left with little but a sharp axe to grind, the ladies take the Irish mafia's matters into their own hands - proving unexpectedly adept at everything from running the rackets to taking out the competition... literally. Written and directed by Andrea Berloff, in her directorial debut.

USA 2019 Andrea Berloff 112m

Bolshoi Ballet Live:

‘Raymonda’ is a must-see of the Bolshoi, a work of living dance history. Music by Alexander Glazunov.

Raymonda is betrothed to Jean de Brienne, a gallant knight who pledged to go on a crusade led by the King of Hungary. When her beloved leaves, Abderakhman, a foreign knight, makes a bid for the hand of Raymonda and threatens her fate when she rejects him. Being one of legendary choreographer Marius Petipa’s final works, he fully armed this ballet with beautiful court scenes, romantic corps de ballet dances, Hungarian czardas and a title role suited for the most outstanding ballerina. Choreography Yuri Grigorovich (after Marius Petipa); Libretto Yuri Grigorovich (after Lidia Pashkova); The Bolshoi Principals, Soloists and Corps de Ballet.

180m approx including 2 intervals.

Sun 27 Oct15:00 (Live)

Tickets £17.50 (Friends/Students £15)

When the first snow falls in the valley, it is urgent to prepare its reserves for the winter. Alas, during the operation, a small ladybug is trapped in a box - to the Caribbean. One solution: reform the shock team.

In the air conditioning unit of a small chestnut can factory, in a quiet little country village as winter slowly settles, a young ladybug gets trapped by accident in a cardboard box shipped to the Caribbean. His parent sets off for the paradise archipelago to find his little kid and free him. French animators Thomas Szabo and Helene Giraud deliver a follow-up to their successful feature debut, it is a gorgeous, completely dialogue-less movie that's suspenseful, easy to follow and a real pleasure to watch.

France/China 2018 Hélène Giraud, Thomas Szabo 92m

Who are the Celts? What have the Romans ever done for us? And why is Emperor Nero dousing himself in horse wee?

Friends, Romans, Celts... Lend us your ears. The all-conquering Romans rule the civilised world - and that includes "the stain" that is Britain. While the young Emperor Nero (Craig Roberts) must battle his scheming mother Agrippina (Kim Cattrall) for ultimate power, Celt queen Boudicca (Kate Nash) gathers an army in Britain to repel the rotten Romans. Mixed up in this battle for liberation are the teenage Atti (Sebastian Croft), a reluctant Roman soldier, and Orla (Emilia Jones), a young Celt with dreams of becoming a warrior like Boudicca. Will they fall on opposite sides or forge a friendship in the chaos of Celtic-inspired rebellion? The great cast also includes Nick Frost, Derek Jacobi, Rupert Graves, Warwick Davis and Alexander Armstrong.

UK 2019 Dominic Brigstocke 92m

Exhibition on screen

Many TV shows and feature films have showcased this extraordinary genius but often not examined closely enough is the most crucial element of all: his art.

Leonardo’s peerless paintings and drawings will be the focus of ‘Leonardo: The Works’, as Exhibition on Screen presents every single attributed painting, in Ultra HD quality, never seen before on the big screen. Key works include ‘The Mona Lisa’, ‘The Last Supper’, ‘Lady with an Ermine’, ‘Ginevra de Benci’, ‘Madonna Litta’, ‘Virgin of the Rocks’, and more than a dozen others. This film also looks afresh at Leonardo’s life – his inventiveness, his sculptural skills, his military foresight and his ability to navigate the treacherous politics of the day – through the prism of his art. To be released on the 500th anniversary of his death, this is the definitive film about Leonardo: the first to truly tell the whole story.

UK 2018 Phil Grabsky 85m

Tickets £12.50 (Friends/Students £10)

A Chinese family discovers their grandmother has only a short while left to live and decide to keep her in the dark, scheduling a wedding to gather before she dies.

Billi’s (Awkwafina) woes take a back seat when her parents get word that her beloved grandmother, Nai Nai (Shuzhen Zhao), who lives in China, has been diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. Nai Nai is the only one who does not know the bad news. So the only way everyone in the far-flung family can have an excuse to see her one last time without arousing suspicion is to stage some other, happier, life-changing event: a wedding. Directed and written by Lulu Wang, who based it on an incident that happened in her family, this film which has been praised by critics, and deftly captures complicated family dynamics with a poignant, well-acted drama that marries cultural specificity with universally relatable themes. (Some Subtitles)

USA 2019 Lulu Wang 100m

This terrific documentary, as complete a portrait of this talented singer as you could wish, has been created by Richard Lowenstein, the director of several INXS music videos.

At the height of his internationally renowned career, a sudden blow to the head robs the famously sensual rock star of his most cherished senses. A series of personal battles follows, ending tragically with his death at the age of 37, the night before embarking on a world tour. Richard Lowenstein's beautifully sad documentary study of the all-too-short life of his late friend Michael Hutchence is a most moving memorial, and rather more about the man than the music.

Lowenstein’s proximity to the singer's sphere has helped him to enlist former girlfriends (Kylie Minogue, Helena Christensen) and friends (Bono) in telling his story. Some of them have even provided camcorder footage and photographs from their personal collections.

Australia 2019 Richard Lowenstein 108m

The Education Department of Chichester Cinema at New Park present another illustrated talk on the different aspects of this popular subject, by Cinema Trustee Michael Cox and Projectionist Paul Stanley.  

Covering not just musicals, but how an individual song or dance from any film genre can engage, move, influence or entertain the audience. This edition will also feature some unusual highlights from four very black comedies. Background information on a wide range of songs and dance styles featured on film will once again abound.

Tickets £6.50

Fri 1 Nov 18:30 (Studio)

Juliette Binoche and Guillaume Canet argue over a publishing company’s digital takeover in a typically French series of enjoyable conversations.

This is a transparently philosophical film, comprising a series of very French conversations among the Parisian set of characters. Alain (Guillaume Canet), who runs a prestigious, 100-year-old publishing house, is confronted with the necessity of making the transfer from print to digital. His concomitant existential crisis gives rise to many, many deliberations – mainly held at cafés and dinner parties, in pairs as well as groups – about the pros and cons of books versus e-books, criticism vs blogging, physical libraries vs Google Books, considered opinion vs Facebook likes.

Shot in grainy 16mm, it is perhaps reminiscent of 1980s and ‘90s Woody Allen in its structure, dissection of relationships, and even a heady dose of self-examination. (Subtitles)

France 2018 Olivier Assayas 108m

Another film in our Autumn Season to be made by a female director, this time delivering a forgiving, gently funny look at post-college cluelessness.

Set in current day Brooklyn, this is the story of Lilian (Grace Van Patten) a lazy but charming and beautiful young woman who, having broken up with her boyfriend has been placed into the care of family friend and famed reclusive author, Julia Price (Emily Mortimer). To impress her ex-boyfriend, and the other cynics around her, Lilian suddenly decides to make a documentary on Julia - albeit an unauthorized one - with surprisingly amusing results. This is an endearing coming-of-age story, delivered with sincere wit and genuine emotion, giving viewers not one, but two characters to fall in love with.

USA 2019 Dolly Wells 91m

New production / Delayed live:

Laurent Pelly’s revealing new production of Massenet’s five-act Opera is sung in French with English subtitles.

Exhilarating soprano Lisette Oropesa stars as the irresistible title character, the tragic beauty who yearns for the finer things in life, in Laurent Pelly’s revealing production. Tenor Michael Fabiano is the besotted Chevalier des Grieux, whose desperate love for Manon proves their undoing. Maurizio Benini conducts Massenet’s sensual score. A co-production of the Metropolitan Opera; Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London; Teatro alla Scala, Milan; and Théâtre du Capitole de Toulouse.

240m approx including 2 intervals.

Acts I & II  71m - Intermission 32m  

Act III  61m -  Intermission 27m

Acts IV & V 41m

Sat 2 Nov 14:00 – 18:00        

Tickets £20 (Friends/Students £17.50)

Steeped in New Wave lore, and revolving in a late-60s time warp, with pairs of ravishing lovers roaming the streets.

Nine years after she left him for his best friend, journalist Abel (Louis Garrel) gets back together with his recently widowed old flame Marianne (Laetitia Casta). It seems to be a beautiful new beginning, but soon the hapless Abel finds himself embroiled in all sorts of dramas: the come-ons of a wily jeune femme (Lily-Rose Depp), the machinations of Marianne's morbid young son, and some unsavoury questions about what exactly happened to his girlfriend's first husband. A very New Wave-ish tale of love, sex, death, adultery and picturesque Paris streets, in a movie that seems to pay homage to mid-career Francois Truffaut. Francophiles will love it. (Subtitles)

France 2018 Louis Garrel 75m

Murnau’s silent 1926 masterpiece features astonishing photography, magnificent art direction, and special effects which retain the power to amaze. ‘Faust's tale is a classic one of a man who sells his soul to the devil. Murnau, a perfectionist, shot multiple takes of each scene with only prime takes making the final German domestic cut of ‘Faust’.
Germany 1927 F.W. Murnau 107m

Tickets £10 (Friends/Students £8)

Tue 15 Oct 20:30 (St Johns Chapel)

ROH Live

Concerto / Enigma Variations / Raymonda Act III.

A programme of three glorious ballets with music by Shostakovich, Elgar and Glazanov and choreography by Kenneth MacMillan, Frederick Ahston and Rudolf Nureyev.

From The Royal Ballet’s classical origins in the works of Marius Petipa, to the home-grown choreographers who put British ballet on the world stage, this mixed programme highlights the versatility of the Company. Petipa’s ‘Raymonda Act III’ is Russian classical ballet summarized in one act, full of sparkle and precise technique, while Ashton’s ‘Enigma Variations’ is quintessentially British in every way – from its score by Elgar and period designs by Julia Trevelyan Oman, to Ashton’s signature style, the essence of British ballet. ‘Concerto’, MacMillan’s fusion of classical technique with a contemporary mind, completes a programme that shows the breadth of The Royal Ballet’s heritage. Choreography Kenneth MacMillan (Concerto), Frederick Ahston (Enigma Variations), Rudolf Nureyev after Marius Petipa (Raymond Act III); Music Dmitry Shostakovich (Concerto), Edward Elgar (Enigma Variations), Alexander Glazunov (Raymond Act III). Recorded live 5 Dec. 180m approx including 2 intervals.    

Wed 6 Dec 19:30 (Delayed live)      

Tickets £17.50 (Friends £15)

By Simon Wood.

Hansard; noun

The official report of all parliamentary debates.

See two-time Olivier Award winners, Lindsay Duncan (Birdman, About Time) and Alex Jennings (The Lady in the Van, The Queen), in this brand-new play by Simon Wood, broadcast live from the National Theatre in London.

It’s a summer’s morning in 1988 and Tory politician Robin Hesketh has returned home to the idyllic Cotswold house he shares with his wife of 30 years, Diana. But all is not as blissful as it seems. Diana has a stinking hangover, a fox is destroying the garden, and secrets are being dug up all over the place. As the day draws on, what starts as gentle ribbing and the familiar rhythms of marital scrapping quickly turns to blood-sport.

Don’t miss this witty and devastating portrait of the governing class, directed by Simon Godwin (NT Live: Antony & Cleopatra, Twelfth Night) and part of National Theatre Live’s 10th birthday season.

Time tbc inc interval.

Tickets £17.50 (Friends £15)

By Noël Coward

Matthew Warchus directs Andrew Scott (BBC’s Sherlock, Fleabag) in Noël Coward’s provocative comedy 'Present Laughter'.

As he prepares to embark on an overseas tour, star actor Garry Essendine’s colourful life is in danger of spiralling out of control. Engulfed by an escalating identity crisis as his many and various relationships compete for his attention, Garry’s few remaining days at home are a chaotic whirlwind of love, sex, panic and soul-searching. Captured live from The Old Vic in London, Present Laughter is a giddy and surprisingly modern reflection on fame, desire and loneliness.

Time tbc inc interval.

Tickets £17.50 (Friends £15)