Reclusive author Elly Conway (Bryce Dallas Howard) writes best-selling espionage novels about a secret agent named Argylle (Henry Cavill) who's on a mission to unravel a global spy syndicate. However, Elly, is drawn into the real world of espionage when the plots of her books start to mirror the covert actions of a real-life spy organization, and Aiden (Sam Rockwell), shows up to save her from being kidnapped or killed. Elly (Dallas Howard) and her beloved cat Alfie are plunged into a covert world where nothing, and no one, is what it seems, and the line between fiction and reality begins to blur.
Directed and produced by Matthew Vaughn, Argyle features an ensemble cast that also includes Bryan Cranston, Catherine O'Hara, Dua Lipa, Ariana DeBose, John Cena, Rob Delaney, and Samuel L. Jackson.
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John Singer Sargent is known as the greatest portrait artist of his era. What made his ‘swagger’ portraits remarkable was his power over his sitters, what they wore and how they were presented to the audience. Through interviews with curators, contemporary fashionistas and style influencers, Exhibition on Screen’s film will examine how Sargent’s unique practice has influenced modern art, culture and fashion.
Filmed at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and the Tate Britain, London, the exhibition reveals Sargent’s power to express distinctive personalities, power dynamics and gender identities during this fascinating period of cultural reinvention. Alongside 50 paintings by Sargent sit stunning items of clothing and accessories worn by his subjects, drawing the audience into the artist’s studio.
Sargent’s sitters were often wealthy, their clothes costly, but what happens when you turn yourself over to the hands of a great artist? The manufacture of public identity is as controversial and contested today as it was at the turn of the 20th century, but somehow Sargent’s work transcends the social noise and captures an alluring truth with each brush stroke.
Step into the glittering world of fashion, scandal and shameless self-promotion that made John Singer Sargent the painter who defined an era.
Explore the unique creative process of the late 19th century’s favourite portrait artist and the way in which his portraits captured the spirit of a vibrant and rapidly changing age.
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Following his BAFTA Best Film winner 1917, Sam Mendes returns with this majestic, personal work, set in a 1980s English coastal town.
Hilary (Olivia Colman) manages a seafront picture palace. Once an opulent multiscreen cinema with a dance hall overlooking the sea, now only one screen remains open, albeit a grand one. In preparation for a regional premiere of Chariots of Fire, Hilary and her colleagues – played by a heavyweight ensemble that includes Toby Jones, Colin Firth, Tom Brooke and Micheal Ward – spruce up the venue. Outside, the town itself is crumbling, with a rising far-right presence and Stephen (Ward) regularly harassed by skinheads. Mendes delivers a stirring ode to the cinema – as a space for collective experience, offering the pleasures and balms of watching films in darkness together.
Alongside regular producer Pippa Harris, Mendes collaborates with an outstanding and mostly British creative team, including legendary cinematographer Roger Deakins, designer Mark Tildesley, editor Lee Smith and casting director Nina Gold. Together, they craft a vivid, tactile sense of 1980s Britain. With Colman and Ward magnificent at the heart of the film, Empire of Light is an elegant exploration of the potential of both community and cinema to help us find light in the darkness
Screening as part of our year-long season - CINEMA ON SCREEN
Director George Clooney‘s The Boys in the Boat is a gorgeous adaptation of the Depression-era story of a group of poor but scrappy young men who find a slice of glory when they become the USA’s choice to compete in the 1936 Berlin Olympics. It is, to use a well worn cliché, a stand-up-and-cheer tale if ever there was one.
But the primary reason to cheer is the kind of unspoken underlying message within, that this is a sport where it is imperative that everyone in the boat rows as one, in unison and together physically and psychologically. This makes The Boys in the Boat not just enormously entertaining, but also important and relevant to our current world that is more divided, more ripped at the seams, than ever in memory. This movie, based on the 2013 bestseller by Daniel James Brown, assures us that the triumph of the soul is working together, not apart. It is a simple sentiment to be sure, but watching Clooney’s beautifully constructed period piece it is pretty much all you can think about.
Cinematographer Martin Ruhe’s cameras swoon over the finished product once the boat is revealed in a long, slow shot ogling every inch of it. The work of Ruhe (a longtime collaborator of Clooney’s) here overall is sumptuous, employing every possible way to make the spectator sport of it all seem genuinely exciting to watch. The 1936 Olympics is expertly re-created. Two-time Oscar winner Alexandre Desplat’s lovely score avoids the usual beats for this genre and is well matched to what we see on screen. Turner and Robinson are both appealing young actors, giving us all the reason we need to hope they will have a life together.
Producers are Clooney and his Smokehouse partner Grant Heslov. It is a gift for lovers of the kind of movies you thought they just didn’t make anymore.
Acclaimed multi-Oscar winning director Alexander Payne travels back to the 1970s for his eighth film, in which three disparate characters find support in the most unlikely of places. Already nominated for numerous awards this season!
Barton men don’t lie. This is just one of the many rules Professor Hunham (Paul Giamatti) takes much too seriously as he hands out poor grades at an elite boarding school in 1971. As he dismisses the politics that come along with educating the children of people in high places, he’s punished by the headmaster who gives him a most undesirable assignment for the winter break: to stay at the school and supervise the students who are unable to go home.
Hunham resolves to have the students suffer with him, forcing them to start studying next semester’s curriculum ahead of time. Among them, 15-year-old Angus (Dominic Sessa), bright but belligerent, makes a ruckus. Teacher and student become foes, antagonizing one another and tiring themselves out, as Mary (Da’Vine Joy Randolph), the school cafeteria manager, observes from the sidelines, herself alone after recently losing her son in the Vietnam War. As the petulant pair succumb to the depressing truth that they’ve got little else but each other this holiday season, Professor Hunham starts to soften up and they begin to see themselves in one another.
Giamatti gives a career-high performance as the risible teacher who delights in doling out punishment, while newcomer Sessa makes an immediate name for himself, revealing layers of complexity to his character’s rebellious nature. With The Holdovers, director Alexander Payne (Sideways, Nebraska) makes a delicate point about how a first impression never tells the whole truth and shows that the pains and tragedies that feel specific to us actually make us a lot more alike than unalike.
Alexander Payne will be talking to Neil following the film screening on evening of Tuesday 13th February via a pre-recorded interview. Please book tickets here for the Q&A screening
BAFTA AND OSCAR NOMINATIONS
BAFTA: 7 nominations including Best Film, Best Actor, Supporting Actress, Supporting Actor, Director, Original Screenplay, Casting
OSCARS: 5 nominations including Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Film Editing.
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In this reteaming of the star and director of A Royal Affair, Mads Mikkelsen displays his mettle as a former soldier trying to tame Jutland in 18th-century Denmark.
For all the strengths that make Nikolaj Arcel’s sixth feature such a richly satisfying historical drama, the most compelling may be the least surprising. That’s the old-school screen charisma that Mads Mikkelsen exudes in great abundance as a man whose taciturn nature and rugged fortitude are tested by nearly every conceivable hardship that can be dished out in 18th-century Denmark.
The film reunites Mikkelsen with Arcel, who previously directed him in A Royal Affair. The actor stars as Ludvig Kahlen, the illegitimate son of a maid and a nobleman, who defied his low status to succeed in Denmark’s military. Though many had already tried and failed to realize the hopes of King Frederik V for the wild heath of Jutland to be tamed and cultivated, Kahlen believes he has the necessary mettle to triumph over the inhospitable soil, roving thieves, and many other obstacles. His most formidable enemy proves to be Frederik de Schinkel (Simon Bennebjerg), the landowner who knows that any progress on the heath will cost him his power. For all his stoic self-reliance, Kahlen soon realizes he can’t succeed without allies such as Ann Barbara (Amanda Collin), a worker who comes under his protection, and Edel Helene (Kristine Kujath Thorp), de Schinkel’s cousin and very reluctant betrothed.
Arcel equips it all with a sense of sweep and swagger that evokes a John Ford western. And with Mikkelsen’s robust yet nuanced performance being matched by the whole of the cast, The Promised Land boasts a vitality that’s all too uncommon in such handsomely mounted period fare.
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Michael Sheen plays Nye Bevan in a surreal and spectacular journey through the life and legacy of the man who transformed Britain’s welfare state and created the NHS.
Confronted with death, Aneurin ‘Nye’ Bevan’s deepest memories lead him on a mind-bending journey back through his life; from childhood to mining underground, Parliament and fights with Churchill.
Written by Tim Price and directed by Rufus Norris (Small Island), this epic new Welsh fantasia will be broadcast live from the National Theatre.
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Prince Siegfried chances upon a flock of swans while out hunting. When one of the swans turns into a beautiful woman, Odette, he is enraptured. But she is under a spell that holds her captive, allowing her to regain her human form only at night.
Von Rothbart, arbiter of Odette's curse, tricks the Prince into declaring his love for the identical Odile and thus breaking his vow to Odette. Doomed to remain a swan forever, Odette has but one way to break the sorcerer's spell.
Out hunting, Prince Siegfried chances upon a flock of swans. One among them transforms into the beautiful human Odette and he is immediately enamoured. But Odette is bound by a spell which keeps her captive as a swan during the day. Can Siegfried free her?
Tchaikovsky’s sensational score combines with the evocative imagination of choreographer Liam Scarlett and designer John Macfarlane to heighten the dramatic pathos of Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov’s quintessential ballet classic. Opening in Spring and returning in Summer, Swan Lake remains to this day one of the best-loved works in the classical ballet canon.
Cast: TBC
Choreography: Liam Scarlett after Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov
Music: Pyotr Il’yich Tchaikovsky
Additional Choreography: Frederick Ashton
A celebration of the most iconic – and much missed – homegrown star of the 21st century, BACK TO BLACK tells the extraordinary tale of Amy Winehouse. Painting a vivid, vibrant picture of the Camden streets she called home and capturing the struggles of global fame, BACK TO BLACK honours Amy’s artistry, wit, and honesty, as well as trying to understand her demons. An unflinching look at the modern celebrity machine and a powerful tribute to a once-in-a-generation talent. Featuring many of Amy’s hit songs recorded and performed in the film by Marisa Abela, BACK TO BLACK is made with the full support of Universal Music Group and SONY Music Publishing.
In his chilling, oblique study of evil, British director Jonathan Glazer situates the viewer at the centre of frighteningly familiar banality. It’s summer in the mid-1940s, and a German family merrily idles by a river. Father Rudolf Höss (Christian Friedel) and mother Hedwig (Sandra Hüller fresh from her multi-nominated performance in Anatomy of a Fall) tuck their kids in bed at night. They entertain family and guests in their vast backyard garden on the weekends. In the mornings, she oversees chores with a cadre of housekeepers and cooks; he goes to work as head Commandant of Auschwitz Concentration Camp. Their domestic life is paradisiacal. Yet over the wall abutting their home, we can see smokestacks, and at night we hear screams and occasional gunshots. Loosely inspired by the 2014 novel of the same name by Martin Amis, Glazer has created a singular, unsettlingly timeless representation of inhumanity and our capacity for indifference in the face of atrocity, filmed and edited with aptly cold precision and punctuated with an ominous score by Mica Levi.
Screening as the centre-piece for our retrospective of British filmmaker's, Jonathan Glazer, work this month when we are also screening his other films - Sexy Beast starring Ray Winstone and Ben Kingsley, Birth with Nicola Kidman and Lauren Bacall, and Under the Skin starring Scarlett Johansson.
BAFTA AND OSCAR NOMINATIONS
BAFTA: 9 nominations including Best British Film, Best Film not in the English Language, Best Supporting Actress, Editing, Director, Adapted Screenplay, Sound, Production Design, Cinematography
OSCARS: 5 nominations including Best Film, International Feature, Director, Adapted Screenplay, Sound
Part Two explores the mythic journey of Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) as he unites with Chani (Zendaya) and the Fremen while on a warpath of revenge against the conspirators who destroyed his family. Facing a choice between the love of his life and the fate of the known universe, he endeavors to prevent a terrible future only he can foresee. The all-star ensemble cast consists Rebecca Ferguson, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgård, Dave Bautista, Charlotte Rampling, Stephen McKinley Henderson. Austin Butler joins the cast of the film as the notorious Feyd Rautha with Christopher Walken set to portray the Emperor. Florence Pugh, Léa Seydoux, and Souheila Yacoub also star.
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Dog lives in Manhattan and he’s tired of being alone, so one day he decides to build himself a companion, Robot. Their friendship blossoms, and they become inseparable, together exploring the sights and sounds of 1980s New York. But one summer night, Dog, with great sadness, is forced to abandon Robot at the beach. Will they ever meet again?
Based on the popular graphic novel by Sara Varon, and the first animation from Spanish director Pablo Berger (Blancanieves, Abracadabra), Robot Dreams is a dialogue-free love story about friendship – its importance, meaning and fragility. Wise and wistful, charming and often sharply humorous, with evocative sound design and a lovely soundtrack (including joyous use of Earth, Wind & Fire’s dance-floor filler September), it’s full of nods to silent cinema classics.
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GENESIS VISIBLE TOUCH : THE LONGS & SHORTS TOUR 2024 - LIVE ON STAGE
Genesis Visible Touch are the ultimate celebration of Phil Collins-era Genesis!
For their 2024 ‘Longs & Shorts’ tour, GVT are doing exactly that - playing a mixture of Genesis’ longer songs alongside some of their shorter ones, from hits to old classics.
Expect anything from “Follow You Follow Me” to “Dance On A Volcano” with some favourites both old and not so old for good measure!
“The best exponents of Collins-fronted Genesis I’ve seen”
(Nick Davis, Genesis’ producer)
“A ‘must see’ show!”
(Dave Hutchins, Genesis’ engineer on The Lamb…)
“Genesis fan or not, go see them, you won’t be disappointed!”
(Cardiff Live)
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Carmen declares that any man she loves should beware. However, even she is unprepared for what will happen when she decides to seduce Don José, an army corporal who initially appears uninterested in her charms. Don José soon abandons his sweetheart Micaëla and his army job for Carmen, and joins her and her smuggler friends in the mountains. But Carmen quickly wearies of Don José's possessiveness. When she turns her attentions to the dashing toreador Escamillo, Don José's jealousy erupts into violence.
Damiano Michieletto's sizzling new production evokes all the passion and heat of Bizet's score, which features Carmen’s sultry Habanera and the rousing Toreador song. Antonello Manacorda and Emmanuelle Villaume conduct an exciting international cast, with Aigul Akhmetshina and Vasilisa Berzhanskaya sharing the title role.
Cast: Aigul Akhmetshina, Piotr Beczala, Kostas Smoriginas, Blaise Malaba, Sarah Dufresne, Olga Kulchynska, Gabrielė Kupšytė, Pierre Doyen, Vincent Ordonneau, Grisha Martirosyan
Conductor: Antonello Manacorda
Director: Damiano Michieletto
Tony and BAFTA Award winner Ralph Fiennes (Antony & Cleopatra, Schindler's List, Coriolanus) and Olivier Award winner Indira Varma (Present Laughter, Game of Thrones, Luther) star in a brand-new ‘full-voltage visceral’ (★★★★ Daily Telegraph) production of William Shakespeare’s Macbeth. Filmed live at Dock X, a custom-built theatre space in London, this critically acclaimed staging of Macbeth ‘that quickens the pulse, then goes for the jugular’ (★★★★ Financial Times) will be unmissable on the big screen.
Directed by Simon Godwin (Antony & Cleopatra, Romeo & Juliet, Hansard) with set and costume design by Frankie Bradshaw (Jerusalem, Blues for an Alabama Sky), this is a cinematic and ‘beautifully staged’ (★★★★ WhatsOnStage) production that brings ‘Shakespeare’s tragedy pulsing into the present day’ (★★★★★ The I).
Macbeth is coming. A couple corrupted by their relentless lust for power have blood on their hands. Witness the gripping tale of greed, murder, deception, and superstition in cinemas for a limited time only. Once you cross the line, you can never turn back.
TICKETS GO ON SALE 9:30AM ON 20TH MARCH
Teenager Chloe has never been close with her Nan Peg but when she gets diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and moves into the family home, Chloe’s forced to become her stay-at-home carer overnight. Chloe’s Mum forces her to join a local support group where she meets Sam who helps her realise how much things are soon about to change for her Nan. Chloe confronts Peg – what does she really want to do before she forgets? Chloe comes up with a list and decides to make Peg’s summer unforgettable.
Stephanie Beacham stars in this heartwarming British drama playing the award-worthy role of Peg who gets diagnosed with Alzheimer's. The film has made waves on the international film circuit, receiving critical acclaim at its world premiere at the Female Eye Film Festival in Toronto and winning the Best Foreign Debut award. It had its US premiere at Naples International Film Festival to sold out screenings and rave reviews and premiered at London Film Week in the UK. The film is in partnership with charity BRACE Dementia Research who funds small scale pilot projects looking at new and promising ways of understanding and tackling dementia.
This award-winning debut film from British filmmaker Arabella Burfitt-Dons was filmed in and around Southwold and Lowestoft in Suffolk
Starring Academy Award winners Jessica Chastain and Anne Hathaway, Mothers’ Instinct is an unnerving psychological thriller about two best friends and neighbours, Alice and Céline, whose perfect lives in ‘60s suburbia are shattered by a tragic accident involving one of their children.
Marking the directorial debut of acclaimed cinematographer Benoit Delhomme, we follow Alice and Céline as their familial bonds are gradually undermined by guilt and paranoia and a gripping battle of wills develops, revealing the darker side of maternal love.
Returning to cinemas for its 25th Anniversary for only a few days!
The Phantom Menace, Episode I of the Star Wars saga and the first film in the prequel trilogy, originally arrived in cinemas on May 19, 1999, following tremendous hype. Written and directed by George Lucas, it introduced the world to young Anakin Skywalker, Padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi, Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn, Queen Padmé Amidala, and the evil Sith duo, Darth Sidious and Darth Maul. The Phantom Menace would be a landmark in the development of visual effects and become one of the highest grossing movies of all time.
Experience the heroic action and unforgettable adventures of Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace. See the first fateful steps in the journey of Anakin Skywalker. Stranded on the desert planet Tatooine after rescuing young Queen Amidala from the impending invasion of Naboo, Jedi apprentice Obi-Wan Kenobi and his Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn discover nine-year-old Anakin, a young slave unusually strong in the Force. Anakin wins a thrilling Podrace and with it his freedom as he leaves his home to be trained as a Jedi. The heroes return to Naboo where Anakin and the Queen face massive invasion forces while the two Jedi contend with a deadly foe named Darth Maul. Only then do they realize the invasion is merely the first step in a sinister scheme by the re-emergent forces of darkness known as the Sith.
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David Lynch’s most Oz-inspired film, a road movie about lovers Lula and Sailor, who leave a trail of sex and carnage in their wake.
Sailor (Nicolas Cage) and Lula (Laura Dern) are passionately in love. The only issue is that Lula’s mother is set on sending a string of various gangsters and weirdos to take out Sailor and keep the lovers apart. The David Lynch film with the most The Wizard of Oz DNA, Wild at Heart is a hyper-violent, dizzying romantic love story and an essential big screen watch.
Contains scenes of strong violence and sexual threat, flashing images which may affect viewers who are susceptible to photosensitive epilepsy.
Screening as part of our y ear-long retrospective - Dreaming of Darkness: The Films of David Lynch
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Please note this film is being screened as part of the Woodbridge Film Society's 2023/2024 season and is therefore not open to the general public. You can read more about becoming a member here.
In this sublime, Hitchcockian noir thriller from Park Chan-wook (Oldboy, The Handmaiden), a detective gets a little too close to the murder he’s trying to solve.
Busan Detective Hae-joon (Park Hae-il) is happily married, although work means spending too much time apart from his wife. When a climber’s body is found, suspicious photos on his phone lead to a murder investigation, and Hae-joon to the man’s young wife, Seo-rae (an entrancing Teng Wei) and a stakeout of her home. But even as her alibi clears her, Hae-joon finds himself unable to end his surveillance. Is this his detective’s instinct, or something more?
His questioning of Seo-rae at the police station reveals an evident chemistry between them, but it’s unclear whether she is genuine in her behaviour or cleverly manipulating the detective.
Director Park has crafted a mystery plotted with virtuoso aplomb – one breathless, twisting story-turn after another. Every shot is marked by its boldness and visual beauty, while the intricacy of the details on display harmonises with the ingeniously crafted plot. And at its centre are the mesmeric performances of Teng Wei and Park Hae-il.
Decision to Leave finds director Park working at the dizzying peak of his powers.
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25th Anniversary Edition of the pioneering Bristol trio’s album, Roseland NYC Live; recorded and filmed at New York’s Roseland Ballroom with a 28-piece orchestra in 1997, and released in 1998.
The live album and concert film combined have sold over 1 million copies to date, and features performances of the most acclaimed tracks, ‘Glory Box’, ‘Sour Times’, and ‘Roads’, from their debut and sophomore albums, Dummy and Portishead.
Newly remastered, the concert film has been expanded to include ‘Undenied’ and ‘Numb’ from the concert film, as well as the full length performance of ‘Western Eyes’, which played in part over the credits of the film.
‘Sour Times’ and ‘Roads’ are also now the original Roseland versions (previously substituted on the album release with recordings from other performances).
The film is being released in cinemas just for 7 days and we are delighted to be one of only a very small number of cinemas screening the concert film as part of our Music Monthly strand kindly supported by Old Jet, Decoy Sound Studios, Sundowners DJ's, Stoddard Music, Whizzy Wallop Vinyl and Stephen "Foz" Foster.
Alex Garland anticipates a civil war in the United States. In the midst of a North American presidential election year that could see Donald Trump re-elected, and in a climate of high tension and social mistrust in Uncle Sam's country - the assault on the Capitol is not so far off - the British director unveils a future that may be closer than it seems.
To tell the story of this fractured America, Civil War follows three Reuters photo-reporters who bear witness to the situation through their photographs. In a veritable throwback to the American Civil War, Texas and California, allied with Florida, the dissident army of the West, clash with the other government-backed, army-held states. From New York, the three journalists(Kirsten Dunst, Wagner Moura and Stephen Henderson) attempt to reach the front line in Charlottesville at all costs, 1300km from their starting point, then on to Washington DC, where the President is holed up in the White House.
WARNING: This film CIVIL WAR contains a sequence of flashing lights which might affect customers who are susceptible to photosensitive epilepsy’
Wim Wenders’ beguiling Tokyo-set drama is a poignant, warm-hearted portrait of a Tokyo toilet cleaner, played by Cannes Best Actor prize-winner Koji Yakusho.
Hirayama (a captivating performance by Yakusho) lives a life of quiet routine. He goes to work, eats in the same cafe every day and buys second-hand books at the weekend. Wenders’ empathetic portrait gradually draws us into this world, one in which the tiniest details add to the richness of a simple and decent life. With a soundtrack featuring Lou Reed and Patti Smith, this is a gorgeous hymn to humanity and to finding meaning in the everyday.
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Andrew Scott brings to life multiple characters in Simon Stephen’s radical new version of Anton Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya.
Comedic and tragic, Chekhov’s examination of our shared humanity - our hopes, dreams, regrets - is thrust into sharp focus in VANYA.
This production explores the kaleidoscope of human emotions, harnessing the power of the intimate bond between actor and audience to delve deeper into the human psyche.
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We are delighted to be collaborating with Bawdsey Radar Trust for this special screening of the 1969 film THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN starring Michael Caine, Laurence Olivier, Trevor Howard, Susannah York, Christopher Plummer and Harry Andrews.
Most of you will know the story of the Battle of Britain when the gallant ‘few’ defended our shores in their Spitfires and Hurricanes. What is far less well known is that experimental developments carried out in Suffolk in the years leading up to the outbreak of war enabled this success. Using radio waves to detect the presence of aircraft was first demonstrated in 1935. As a result, a team of scientists and engineers were sent initially to Orfordness and then to Bawdsey Manor. This work, carried out in haste and in great secrecy, turned the idea into a chain of coastal radar stations ready and able to defend the country.
Before the showing of the film Graham Murchie, from Bawdsey Radar Trust, will describe the development of radar, the contribution of the team at Bawdsey Manor and explain how the system was used to direct the British fighters to intercept the incoming attacks.
A percentage of the ticket sales will go to the amazing work being done by the Bawdsey Radar Trust.
TICKETS ON SALE FROM 26TH FEBRUARY
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It is August 1971. Football teams from England, Argentina, Mexico, France, Denmark and Italy are gathering at Mexico City’s sun-drenched Azteca Stadium. The scale of the tournament is monumental: lavish sponsorship, extensive TV coverage, merchandise on every street corner and crowds of over 100,000 hollering fans turn this historic stadium into ‘a cauldron of noise and heat’ match after match. A fawning media treat the players like rock stars. The atmosphere is reminiscent of the greatest moments in international footballing history.
But this is a tournament unlike anything that’s happened before. The players on the pitch are all women. And it’s likely you’ve never even heard of it. This is Copa 71, the unofficial Women’s World Cup. Dismissed by both FIFA and domestic football associations around the world, this event has been entirely written out of history. Until now.
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Filmmaker Thomas Pickering has never eaten meat.
Born in the 1980’s and raised vegetarian, before switching to a vegan diet, Tom’s always believed he’s been doing right by the animals, his own health, and - more recently - the planet. Despite this he still can’t go a day without hearing from others why they could never go vegan. From “where do you get your protein” and “soya is killing the rainforests” to “vegan food is expensive” and “climate change doesn’t exist”, he’s heard it all. With no sign of these arguments against his lifestyle choice going away, Tom sets out on a quest to investigate the many reasons he’s heard over the years, and see if they’re unjustified, or whether his upbringing was one big plant based con.
On his journey Tom tracks down several top athletes, witnessing world records, championship successes and an 84-year-old taking part in his sixth ultra-marathon. He speaks to doctors, environmental scientists, psychologists and chefs. He follows investigative journalists and activists as he goes undercover into factory farms, where he learns the A Rating awarded to the UK for its farming practise isn’t what it seems.
At the end of it all, Tom tries to piece together this complex picture as he finds a clear link between the way we treat animals, the effect it has on our planet, and our own health.
BAFTA-nominated and critically acclaimed for her 2019 psychological horror Saint Maud, British director Rose Glass returns with a queer love story and thriller set in small-town America, Love Lies Bleeding.
Kristen Stewart stars as reclusive gym manager Lou, who falls hard for Jackie (Katy O’Brian), an ambitious bodybuilder passing through town en route to pursuing her dreams in Las Vegas. But their love ignites violence, pulling them deep into the web of Lou’s criminal family – led by her father (a tanned, taciturn Ed Harris, sporting a truly chilling hairstyle) – and threatening disaster.
With a wider ensemble cast including Jena Malone, Dave Franco and Anna Baryshnikov, Love Lies Bleeding promises to be a passionate romance and an electric thriller fuelled by ego, desire, and the American dream.
Zendaya plays a romantically challenged tennis pro in the new ménage à trois sports drama from Luca Guadagnino (Call Me By Your Name, I Am Love, Bones and All, A Bigger Splash), co-starring Josh O’Connor and Mike Faist. One of the most feverishly anticipated films of 2024 (especially after its delayed release following the 2023 US actors’ strikes), Challengers is scripted by playwright Justin Kuritzkes (Guadagnino’s repeat collaborator on the upcoming Queer), sound-tracked by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, and promises to be a punchy, sensationally watchable blend of romance, comedy, tennis and high drama, both on and off court.
Zendaya is Tashi Duncan, a former tennis prodigy-turned-coach and a force of nature. Married to Art, a champion on a losing streak (Faist), Tashi’s coaching strategy for her husband’s redemption takes a surprising turn when she signs him up for a ‘Challenger’ match against the washed-up Patrick (O’Connor) – Art’s ex-best friend, and Tashi’s former lover. As the trio reunite, memories of their youthful love triangle arise and new feelings of jealousy, lust and betrayal come to the fore. Tashi must ask herself: what will it cost her to win?
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From the Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam
Given complete and unprecedented access to the treasures of Amsterdam’s Van Gogh Museum, this is a major film about one of the world’s favourite artists.
This film provides viewers with the moving and inspiring experience of seeing Vincent’s iconic masterpieces close-up on the screen and presents new insights and interpretations by specially invited guests including V. Willem van Gogh great grandson of Theo van Gogh and contemporary artist Lachlan Goudie.
Vincent’s illuminating letters to his family and friends are brought to life by dramatisation which puts flesh on the bones of new biography. Recent research question the many myths surrounding Vincent’s troubled life.
We look closely at the life of a man who reminds us that, “Art is long and life is short.”
“A revolutionary ‘gallery’ experience” – Canberra Times
“Paintings shown in breath-taking detail” – Daily Mail
Screening to coincide with a major forthcoming exhibition at The National Gallery from September 2024
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Following on from his acclaimed features SHOPLIFTERS and BROKER, Hirokazu Kore-eda presents us with another poetic, humanist drama. There is some kind of darkness surrounding 11-year-old Minato (Soya Kurokawa). As his behaviour begins to shift at school, his mum Saori (Sakura Ando) confronts his teachers in order to discover the truth. Using the 'RASHOMON' parallel timeline technique, we watch the series of events unfold from different perspectives, broadening our considerations on what might have happened, but holding its final secret until the end.
The film was also awarded the Best Screenplay at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival.
The Taste of Things is a delectable cinematic journey set in late 19th-century France, unraveling the intricate relationship between Dodin Bouffant, as the preeminent chef, and Eugénie, his devoted personal cook. Over time, their professional collaboration evolves into a tender romance, marked by extraordinary culinary creations that captivate the world's top chefs. However, Eugénie hesitates to commit romantically, prompting Dodin to embark on an unprecedented culinary venture: cooking for her. As Dodin endeavors to express his love through gastronomic artistry, the film explores the profound connection between the characters. Each dish becomes a symbolic gesture in Dodin's pursuit of Eugénie's heart, leading to emotionally charged and beautifully crafted culinary moments.
We are delighted that following our screening on the 20th May local renowned chef, Vernon Blackmore (The Table, The Anchor) will be reproducing a menu inspired by dishes from the film in our restaurant and there will be a limited number of 50 spaces available for you take up this offer at £50 for a three-course dinner which includes a film ticket. All other tickets at general admission prices.
Menu for screening on 20th May by Vernon Blackmore:
Salade Lyonnaise
Pork and Gressingham Duck cassoulet
Île Flottante or Tarte au Citron
Vegetarian/Vegan alternatives available on the day.
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King Leontes is increasingly overpowered by unfounded jealousy, believing his pregnant wife Hermione to be having an affair with his childhood friend King Polixenes. Leontes's actions tear the two friends' families apart across generations. Hermione’s baby daughter is abandoned and Hermione is believed to have died of distress. But the baby Perdita is rescued by a shepherd, and grows up to fall in love with Florizel, son of Polixenes. The young couple is reunited with the remorseful Leontes, and Hermione is miraculously returned to life.
Christopher Wheeldon, Artistic Associate of The Royal Ballet, created his adaptation of Shakespeare’s late romance The Winter’s Tale for The Royal Ballet in 2014. It received ecstatic praise at its premiere, acclaimed by critics and audiences alike for its intelligent and emotionally powerful storytelling through exquisite dance. With striking designs by Bob Crowley and atmospheric music by Joby Talbot, The Winter’s Tale is widely considered a modern ballet classic
The story follows the destruction of a marriage through consuming jealousy, the abandonment of a child, and a seemingly hopeless love. Yet, through remorse and regret – and the apparent miracle of a statue coming to life – the ending is uplifting as it brings forgiveness and reconciliation. The two lands between which the drama unfolds are vividly portrayed in movement, sound and image. The Sicilia of King Leontes grows in threatening coolness and darkness, while the Bohemia of King Polixenes is a pastoral idyll of lyricism and sun-saturated colour.
Cast: TBC
Choreography: Christopher Wheeldon
Music: Joby Talbot
For the first time in almost a decade, comedy icon Jack Black returns to his role as Po, the world’s most unlikely kung fu master, with a hilarious, butt-kicking new chapter in DreamWorks Animation’s beloved action-comedy franchise: Kung Fu Panda 4.
After three death-defying adventures, Po is called upon by destiny to relax a little: he's tapped to become the Spiritual Leader of the Valley of Peace. But Po's no spiritual leader (and he's got to find a replacement, Dragon Warrior too), so an unlikely team-up with quick-witted thief Zhen (Awkwafina) puts him on the road for another fun-filled quest.
Colt Seavers (Ryan Gosling) is a stuntman, and like everyone in the stunt community, he gets blown up, shot, crashed, thrown through windows and dropped from the highest of heights, all for our entertainment. And now, fresh off an almost career-ending accident, this working-class hero has to track down a missing movie star, solve a conspiracy and try to win back the love of his life while still doing his day job. What could possibly go right?
Having left the business a to focus on both his physical and mental health, Colt is drafted back into service when the star of a mega-budget studio movie, being directed by his ex Jody Moreno (Emily Blunt), goes missing.
While the film’s ruthless producer (Hannah Waddington) maneuvers to keep the disappearance of star Tom Ryder (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) a secret from the studio and the media, Colt performs the film’s most outrageous stunts while trying (with limited success) to charm his way back into Jody’s good graces. But as the mystery around the missing star deepens, Colt will find himself ensnared in a sinister, criminal plot that will push him to the edge of a fall more dangerous than any stunt.
Inspired by the hit 1980s TV series, The Fall Guy also stars Winston Duke (Black Panther franchise, Us) and Academy Award® nominee Stephanie Hsu (Everything Everywhere All at Once).
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Sam Mendes (The Lehman Trilogy) directs Mark Gatiss as John Gielgud and Johnny Flynn as Richard Burton in this fierce and funny new play.
1964: Richard Burton, newly married to Elizabeth Taylor, is to play the title role in an experimental new Broadway production of Hamlet under John Gielgud’s exacting direction. But as rehearsals progress, two ages of theatre collide and the collaboration between actor and director soon threatens to unravel.
Written by Jack Thorne (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child) and designed by Es Devlin (The Crucible), the Evening Standard award-winning best new play was filmed live during a sold-out run at the National Theatre.
★★★★★ ‘A brilliant, compassionate new play’ (Financial Times)
★★★★★ ‘Immaculately directed by Sam Mendes’ (Times)
★★★★★ ‘Mark Gatiss gives the performance of his career’ (Telegraph)
★★★★★ ‘Smooth and sophisticated’ (WhatsOnStage)
★★★★ ‘Will give you goosebumps’ (Independent)
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In Sudan, cinema is a thing of the past, but four directors and lifelong friends refuse to accept it. They learned their art abroad—one of them is jokingly referred to as the Sudanese Eisenstein by the others. With their Sudanese film club, the men struggle to keep their film culture alive. Much of their work has been lost, but a few excerpts are included in the documentary.
To introduce others to the magic of film, they decide to rent a dilapidated old open-air cinema for a big free screening. But how do you do this in a country where there are power cuts, you lack the equipment and infrastructure, and the call to prayer blares out from mosques on all sides? “How did we used to do it?” they wonder, laughing. Then they realize that there didn’t used to be a call to prayer. Sudan’s repressive and violent history remains in the background, but film is clearly still out of favor with the regime. Nevertheless, the men remain hopeful.
Screening as part of our year-long season - CINEMA ON SCREEN
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It's time for another one of our popular Film Quizzes! The last three sold out very quickly so don't delay in booking a team space!
James King from BBC Radio, ITV and Sky will be quiz master along with our manager, Neil, live on stage asking the questions to test your knowledge of film, and they'll be giving prizes to the winning team.
Following the success of using the screen last time we are going to run a clips round again this time again too!
Teams can include up to a maximum of 6 people or minimum of 2, but team entry price regardless is £10 - a maximum of 17 teams allowed.
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Winner of both the 2024 Oscar and BAFTA for Best Documentary
An AP team of Ukrainian journalists trapped in the besieged city of Mariupol struggle to continue their work documenting atrocities of the Russian invasion. As the only international reporters who remain in the city, they capture what later become defining images of the war: dying children, mass graves, the bombing of a maternity hospital, and more.
After nearly a decade covering international conflicts, including the Russia-Ukraine war, for The Associated Press, 20 DAYS IN MARIUPOL is Mstyslav Chernov’s first feature film. The film draws on Chernov’s daily news dispatches and personal footage of his own country at war. It offers a vivid, harrowing account of civilians caught in the siege, as well as a window into what it’s like to report from a conflict zone, and the impact of such journalism around the globe.
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The peaceful village of Bebko is alive with joyous celebrations. Suddenly, under attack, everything changes forever. Three siblings, Leto, Mati and Tana, must embark on perilous journeys in order to survive.
Message In A Bottle is a spectacular dance-theatre show from five-time Olivier Award nominee, Kate Prince, inspired by and set to the iconic hits of 17-time Grammy Award-winning artist Sting, including Every Breath You Take, Roxanne, Walking On The Moon and more. With a mix of exhilarating dance styles, high-energy footwork and breath-taking athleticism, Message In A Bottle tells a unifying and uplifting story of humanity and hope.
Message In A Bottle is the latest masterpiece from the ground-breaking creator behind West End hits Some Like it Hip Hop, Into the Hoods, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie (choreography) and SYLVIA (Old Vic), and features the astonishing talents of dance storytelling powerhouse, ZooNation: The Kate Prince Company.
Cast: TBC
Choreography: Kate Prince Music: based on the songs of Sting
PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS EVENT TAKES PLACE AT WOODBRIDGE COMMUNITY CENTRE
SpongeBob SquarePants is the musical adaptation of Nickelodeon’s long-running animated children’s sitcom of the same name. We find ourselves in the undersea city of Bikini Bottom, inhabited by happy-go-lucky and ever-optimistic yellow sea sponge SpongeBob SquarePants and his equally quirky circle of friends and neighbors. SpongeBob’s pleasant existence is abruptly interrupted when it is discovered that Mt. Humongous, a nearby volcano, will erupt within the next 48 hours and completely obliterate Bikini Bottom. SpongeBob, trying to prove to himself and the world that he is not “just a simple sponge,” resolves to save the day when everybody else has given up all hope. SpongeBob SquarePants features an eclectic score of music, each song having been written by a different musical artist with the purposes of recreating the type of musical hodgepodge exhibited by the original television series.
Nickelodeon™
THE SPONGEBOB MUSICAL: YOUTH EDITION
Based on the series by Stephen Hillenburg
Book by Kyle Jarrow
Original Songs by: Yolanda Adams, Steven Tyler and Joe Perry of Aerosmith, Sara Bareilles, Jonathan Coulton, Alex Ebert of Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, The Flaming Lips, Lady A, Cyndi Lauper, John Legend, Panic! At the Disco, Plain White T’s, They Might Be Giants, T.I.
And Songs by David Bowie, Tom Kenny & Andy Paley
Additional Lyrics by Jonathan Coulton
Additional Music by Tom Kitt
Musical Production Conceived by Tina Landau
©2023 Viacom International Inc. All Rights Reserved. Nickelodeon, SpongeBob SquarePants and all related titles, logos and characters are trademarks of Viacom International Inc. Created by Stephen Hillenburg.
This amateur production of THE SPONGEBOB MUSICAL: YOUTH EDITION is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals. www.concordtheatricals.co.uk
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In the town of Twin Peaks, everybody has their secrets—but no one more than Laura Palmer. In this prequel to his groundbreaking 1990s television series, David Lynch resurrects the teenager found wrapped in plastic at the beginning of the show, following her through the last week of her life and teasing out the enigmas that surround her murder. Homecoming queen by day and drug-addicted thrill seeker by night, Laura leads a double life that pulls her deeper and deeper into horror as she pieces together the identity of the assailant who has been terrorizing her for years. Nightmarish in its vision of an innocent torn apart by unfathomable forces, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me is nevertheless one of Lynch’s most humane films, aching with compassion for its tortured heroine—a character as enthralling in life as she was in death.
Screening as part of our year-long retrospective - Dreaming of Darkness: The Films of David Lynch
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Please note this film is being screened as part of the Woodbridge Film Society's 2023/2024 season and is therefore not open to the general public. You can read more about becoming a member here.
Manuela Martelli places the viewer in a historical moment fraught with anxiety: the early years of Augusto Pinochet’s regime in Chile. Her narrative presents Pinochet’s oppressive reign from the unusual and surprising perspective of Carmen (a superb Aline Küppenheim), an upper-middle-class woman whose life begins to unravel after local priest Father Sánchez (Hugo Medina) implores her to use her summer beach house, under renovation, to hide an injured young man (Nicolás Sepúlveda) whom she comes to suspect is a victim of political persecution. As Carmen descends into danger, she experiences a gradual moral awakening. Martelli’s film is a taut, evocative, and impressively assured depiction of the inescapable, ever-tightening noose of patriarchal, governmental dictatorship and how its effects gradually bleed into our everyday experiences.
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The National Gallery of London is one of the world’s greatest art galleries. It is full of masterpieces, an endless resource of history, an endless source of stories. But whose stories are told? Which art has the most impact and on whom? The power of great art lies in its ability to communicate with anyone, no matter their art historical knowledge, their background, their beliefs.
This film gives voice to those who work at the gallery – from cleaner to curator, security guard to director – who identify the one artwork that means the most to them and why. An assortment of people from all walks of life who have a strong connection to the gallery make surprising choices of both well-known and lesser-known artworks. Finally, some well-known celebrities explain what they head for when they visit the gallery.
These stories are used as a lens through which to explore the 200-year history of the National Gallery and what the future may hold for this spectacular space.
Everyone in this film has a special connection to the National Gallery, making for some heart-warming, moving and surprising stories.
Beloved celebrities, devoted staff members and world class experts come together to paint a unique portrait of this iconic British institution for its 200th birthday.
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Billy Connolly is at the peak of his powers in this newly restored and rediscovered film.
Capturing 'The Big Yin' on and off stage during his 1975 tour of Ireland, Big Banana Feet is a captivating record of Connolly on the cusp of international stardom.
Inspired by the fly-on-the-wall style of DA Pennebaker's Bob Dylan documentary Dont Look Back, director Murray Grigor and cinematographer David Peat present Connolly at his beguiling best, using humour and charm to successfully navigate the political tensions of 1970s Dublin and Belfast.
Featuring iconic stand-up material alongside fascinating behind-the-scenes glimpses, this previously elusive milestone of British comedy is now newly restored in 2K (from original 16mm materials), reaffirming the genius that has endeared Connolly to generations of fans.
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The poet Andrea Chénier attends a party at the Countess di Coigny's mansion. He expresses outrage at the corruption in King Louis XVI's government and the poverty of many Frenchmen. This moves the Countess's daughter Maddalena, and inspires the footman and revolutionary-in-the-making Carlo Gérard to quit his servitude. Soon after, the French Revolution begins.
Five years on, Louis XVI has been executed, the Jacobin party are in power, and their leader Robespierre has imposed 'The Terror'. Gérard has become a leading Jacobin, but Chénier has fallen out of favour with the authorities and is in danger. He delays his flight from Paris to meet a mysterious woman who has written to him. She reveals herself to be Maddalena, and the pair quickly realize they are in love. However, Gérard also desires Maddalena. When Chénier is arrested by the authorities, Gérard realizes that he has the power to destroy the man who once inspired him. As his conscience is tested, so too is the love of Andrea and Maddalena.
At a glittering party in 18th-century Paris, the poet Andréa Chenier delivers an impassioned denunciation of Louis XVI. Five years later, the Revolution has given way to the Terror, transforming the power balance between Chénier, his beloved Maddalena, and Gérard, the man who could destroy him...
Jonas Kaufmann headlines David McVicar’s spectacular staging, under the baton of long-time collaborator Antonio Pappano – who conducts Giordano’s epic historical drama of revolution and forbidden love in his last production as Music Director of The Royal Opera.
Cast: Jonas Kaufmann, Sondra Radvanovsky, Amartuvshin Enkhbat
Conductor: Antonio Pappano
Director: David McVicar
The Riverside Musical Theatre Company are back on stage again in June with their next musical - Made in Dagenham, drawn from the real-life 1968 sewing machinists strike at the Ford factory in Dagenham, Essex, this strike was influential in the passing of the Equal Pay Act of 1970.
The leader of the strike, Rita O’Grady, encourages the women of the Ford factory to walk out after they are re-classified as unskilled workers, while their male counterparts see their wages increase.
After Rita is patronized and snubbed by the factory at a union meeting, the women’s grievances over their worker status turn into a fight for equal pay. Determined not to be treated like the poor relation, the women vote unanimously to strike (“Everybody Out”) and encourage the women at the Liverpool factory to strike also.
However, when the American bosses fly in and lay off 5,000 men as a result, including Rita’s husband Eddie, cracks begin to show in the women’s solidarity. Risking her marriage and her friendships, Rita continues with her efforts for equality and gives a rousing speech at a televised Trade Union Conference (“Stand Up”), leading to the passing of equal pay within the union.
As Eddie finally recognises his wife’s achievements, the women celebrate their life-changing success.
RMTC Creative team
Director and Choreographer - Sam De Vita
Musical Directors - Mike Wren and Jade Tournay-Godfrey
Producer - Mike Warden
Assistant Director - Rachel Lansdowne
Assistant Choreographer - Sarah Wheatley
Age guidance is 12+ and show runs for 2hr 30mins with interval
Made in Dagenham the Musical
Book by Richard Bean
Music by David Arnold
Lyrics by Richard Thomas
Based on the Woolley/Karlsen/Number 9 Motion Picture
This amateur production is presented by arrangement with Music Theatre International
All authorised performance materials are also supplied by MTI
www.mtishows.co.uk
For this production we shall be supporting The Blossom Appeal
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Martin Scorsese presents an impassioned and highly personal tribute to Powell and Pressburger’s work, richly illustrated with clips and rare archive material. It’s been said that had Martin Scorsese not become one of the world’s great filmmakers, he would still have been one of its greatest teachers of film history. This impassioned exploration of the films of two of his formative and most treasured inspirations follows the US filmmaker’s film essays on American and Italian cinema, delivering deeply personal reflections on what Powell and Pressburger’s work has meant to his life, alongside wonderfully illuminating analyses of the films themselves.
Producing, writing, and directing, Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger created some of great classics of the British golden age including The Red Shoes, Black Narcissus, A Matter of Life and Death and The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp. In the words of Martin Scorsese their films were “grand, poetic, wise, adventurous, headstrong, enraptured by beauty, deeply romantic, and completely uncompromising”.
Drawing richly from the BFI National Archive, as well as private material from Scorsese and the film’s editor (and Powell’s widow) Thelma Schoonmaker, David Hinton’s film is both an ideal introduction to Powell and Pressburger’s work, and the perfect complement to our 6pm evening screening of their film, I KNOW WHERE I'M GOING (1945)
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Headstrong Joan Webster (the wondrous Wendy Hiller) sets off, wedding dress in tow, to marry a rich older man on his remote Hebridean island. Stranded on Mull thanks to the weather, Joan finds herself struggling to cope with the unplanned turn of events.
Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger weave their course of true love through flashes of surrealism, a life-threatening whirlpool and an ancient curse, disarming and enchanting in equal measure. But this is a film where small moments count the most – the passing of a cigarette between two windows or a slip on a ladder – as they build by stealth into something overwhelming. By the end we are left breathless and desperate to book the next night train and ferry to Mull.
Screening to accompany the new documentary MADE IN ENGLAND: THE FILMS OF POWELL AND PRESSBURGER shown earlier at 3pm.
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Jorge has been devoted to his job at the Cinemateca in Montevideo for 25 years, and his cosy rut is neatly documented in the first half of this concise film. He wanders through the film library, tests and repairs broken seats, introduces tardy guest filmmakers, and struggles to drum up scant business on a local radio show.
When drastic funding cuts threaten the closure of the institution, this professional crisis precipitates a charmingly mild personal revolution for Jorge. We observe him awkwardly negotiating life in the outside world with the subtle assistance of the many movie lives he’s experienced while effacing his own.
This wry, melancholic film is slyly observed by second-time director Federico Veiroj, and graced with superb black-and-white chiaroscuro and an inventive soundtrack that juxtaposes old movie music with the raucous clatter of projectors and the monastic silence of libraries and archives.
Screening as part of our year-long season - CINEMA ON SCREEN
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Please note this film is being screened as part of the Woodbridge Film Society's 2023/2024 season and is therefore not open to the general public. You can read more about becoming a member here.
An epic journey of friendship and self-discovery, The Eight Mountains is a landmark cinematic experience as intimate as it is monumental, as deep as it is expansive. Adapting the award-winning novel by Paolo Cognetti, directors Felix van Groeningen and Charlotte Vandermeersch (The Broken Circle Breakdown) portray through observant detail and stunning landscape photography the profound, complex relationship between Pietro (Luca Marinelli) and Bruno (Alessandro Borghi), who first meet as children when Pietro’s Milan family vacations in an isolated village at the base of the Alpine slopes. As they mature, Pietro becomes estranged from his business-minded father (Filippo Timi) even as Bruno—emotionally abandoned by his own father—takes up the role of surrogate son. Pietro’s father’s death reunites the two in realizing his dream of constructing a cabin on the Alps, and the project and subsequent explorations of the awe-inspiring mountain range bond Pietro and Bruno in a shared purpose. Yet despite their connection, the purity of nature and the demands of society both threaten to drive the men to pursue different, possibly irrevocably divergent paths on the vertiginous terrain of life.
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Monet, Cezanne, Degas, Renoir: some of the world’s most popular artists. Their works, and that of their contemporaries, fetch tens of millions of dollars around the globe. But who were they really? Why & how exactly did they paint? What lies behind their enduring appeal?
To help answer these questions, this unique film secured unparalleled access to a major exhibition focussing on the man credited with inventing impressionism as we know it: 19th-century Parisian art collector Paul Durand-Ruel. This eagerly anticipated international exhibition is possibly the most comprehensive exploration of the Impressionists in history.
It was Durand-Ruel’s brave decision to exhibit the Impressionists in New York in 1886 that introduced enlightened wealthy Americans to this modern French painting. In doing so, he not only filled great American galleries with Impressionist masterworks but kept Impressionism alive at a time when it faced complete failure. This energetic and revealing film will tell his remarkable story along with that of the Impressionists themselves.
A pictorial movement that revolutionised the history of art celebrates its 150th anniversary in 2024
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After a pulsating Bowie song - accompanied by a moronic cruise down a (presumably lost) highway, there is a disconcerting 20 minute overture. Pullman as Fred Madison puts in a splendidly foul-stenched performance opposite a high voltage Arquette (playing his wife Renee) - clad in the best wig and super sexy clothes since Uma T. in Pulp Fiction.
Things go pear-shaped when each morning, mysterious videos are left outside their house, the contents of which become more disturbing each day. Pullman starts hallucinating witchlike images of his wife. He kills her but doesn't remember doing it, is imprisoned, dies and comes back as car mechanic Pete Dayton (Getty) who is working at a garage under the supervision of Arnie (Richard Pryor).
Meanwhile, Arquette returns as a blonde siren (called Alice Wakefield) who is stepping out with mob man Mr. Eddy (Robert Loggia). She has an affair with Dayton and in search of a fast buck tries to get him to commit murder. But will she double-cross and kill him? And so the dream becomes - as things are wont to do on Planet Lynch - a nightmare, signposted by the recurring presence of a Dracula-type Mystery Man (Robert Blake) who will try to destroy them all. There's also numerous other oddities including a cameo by visceral US rocker Marilyn Manson as a porn star. And much disturbance later, we're back for a laconic drive down the highway.
Confused? Oh well, go with it. Interested? You should be.
Screening as part of our year-long retrospective - Dreaming of Darkness: The Films of David Lynch
WARNING: THIS FILM CONTAINS FLASHING IMAGES THAT MAY CAUSE DISCOMFORT OR TRIGGER SEIZURES FOR PEOPLE WITH PHOTOSENSITIVE EPILEPSY.
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The classic movie palaces of central Recife are all but gone now. This film by Kleber Mendonça Filho is a love letter to cinema and this Brazilian city, which for the director are inextricably bound together. It was at cinemas such as Art Palácio, Trianon, and São Luiz that Mendonça Filho discovered the art form that would shape his life. Recife has changed dramatically, and Mendonça Filho has come to take stock of its cinematic ruins.
This seaside metropolis was the setting for the director’s earlier films Aquarius (2016) and Neighboring Sounds (2012). Now it is the springboard for an emotionally moving and playful essay about his parental home, the former movie houses in the city, genre cinema, and the Nazi ties that film distribution had there in the past.
The three chapters are suffused with a love of film. Mendonça Filho wanders through the apartment where he grew up, and visits a now-closed cinema. Archive footage recalls the golden era when stars like Janet Leigh and Tony Curtis visited Recife. The third chapter explores the relationship between film and religion: the Eldorado and Albatroz cinemas were, tellingly, converted into churches. We thus see the director creating a new, personal map of the city, through the lens of cinema.
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The Straight Story is a bedrock film in which Lynch inverts all his places, objects and characters by exposing all of them without exception towards the sun. Clearly, it is a film of contrast, capable of demonstrating that the “matter” of Lynch’s cinema, when solarized, can take on a classic and moving tone…
An elderly man wants to reach his brother to make peace with him but has only one way of getting there: taking a small tractor across half of America. The Straight Story recaptures, although in a deconstructed version, the spirit of the classic road movie. Somehow, Lynch intends to suggest that The Straight Story is Wild at Heart turned upside down: Big Tuna is replaced with a hospitable and very human rural community, the most ferocious accidents are replaced with tragic conflicts of a benign nature, and man-on-man violence is healed through a journey and forgiveness. Now, there are two ways of interpreting The Straight Story: there are those who think that Lynch has not changed much and look for the film’s disturbing elements to prove that we are still dealing with a world that is more like a nightmare than a dream; and those who think Lynch is (too) conciliatory… Both seemingly feuding factions are wrong. The Straight Story is pure Lynch, but upside down. The film seems to be an easy win: use all of Lynch’s materials, expose them “to the sun”, shape them positively and tell the story of America… The Straight Story is a story of decency, dignity and honour in all its forms through a journey in stages (and a false start) that presents itself as “straight” like the direct and stubborn protagonist. The deviations do not impede the journey – unlike its antithesis Wild at Heart – on the contrary, they reinforce it. In fact, Alvin not only chose to make the journey, but he chose to do it slowly. Respectful of his age, the protagonist travels at eight kilometres an hour and takes the time he needs to walk across the slab of America that separates him from his sick brother. The road becomes the space of earning forgiveness.
Screening as part of our year-long retrospective - Dreaming of Darkness: The Films of David Lynch
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Every Rembrandt exhibition is eagerly anticipated but this major show hosted by London’s National Gallery and Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum was an event like no other.
Given privileged access to both galleries the film documents this landmark exhibition, whilst interweaving Rembrandt’s life story, with behind-the-scenes preparations at these world famous institutions. Exploring many of the exhibition’s key works, through contributions from specially invited guests including curators and leading art historians, this EXHIBITION ON SCREEN favourite makes a welcome return to the big screen.
For many, Rembrandt is the greatest artist that ever lived and this deeply moving film seeks to explore the truth about the man behind the legend.
“This Brilliant, brave blockbuster reveals the true Rembrandt” – The Guardian
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Like the Royal Theater in THE LAST PICTURE SHOW and the title movie house in CINEMA PARADISO, the Fu-Ho is shutting down for good. A palace with seemingly mile-wide rows of red velvet seats, the Fu-Ho’s valedictory screening is King Hu’s 1967 wuxia epic DRAGON INN, playing to a motley smattering of spectators. The standard grievances persist — patrons snack noisily and remove their shoes, treating this temple of cinema like their living room — but as we watch the enveloping film deep into a pandemic, the sense that moviegoing as a communal experience is slipping away takes on a powerful and painful resonance.
Yet GOODBYE, DRAGON INN, released nearly two decades ago, is too multifaceted to collapse into a simple valentine to the age of pre-streaming cinephilia…. By the time the possibility arises that the cinema is haunted, we’ve already identified it as a space outside of time — indeed, two stars of Hu’s original opus, Miao Tien and Shih Chun, watch their younger selves with tears in their eyes, past and present commingling harmoniously and poignantly.
Screening as part of our year-long season - CINEMA ON SCREEN
André Rieu is ready to blow you away with his brand new cinema concert ‘Power of Love’. From his picturesque hometown of Maastricht The King of the Waltz presents a must-see big screen spectacular. Accompanied by his world famous Johann Strauss Orchestra and a cast of hundreds this promises to be the music event of the summer by one of the world’s most prolific artists.
In a concert overflowing with passion André’s unique repertoire combines classical, musicals, pop and rock! You have to see it to believe it.
Set against the backdrop of the historic Vrijthof square André will amaze you with iconic film scores, beautiful waltzes, tear jerking ballads and unexpected chart hits - music has the power to unite and this is a concert for all the family.
Let's enjoy André’s music together and spread the love. Don’t miss André Rieu ‘Power of Love’ exclusively in cinemas this summer.
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David Lynch’s distinctive take on the city of dreams is a compelling must see.
A love story in the city of dreams . . . Blonde Betty Elms (Naomi Watts) has only just arrived in Hollywood to become a movie star when she meets an enigmatic brunette with amnesia (Laura Harring). Meanwhile, as the two set off to solve the second woman’s identity, filmmaker Adam Kesher (Justin Theroux) runs into ominous trouble while casting his latest project. David Lynch’s seductive and scary vision of Los Angeles’s dream factory is one of the true masterpieces of the new millennium, a tale of love, jealousy, and revenge like no other.
"Mulholland Drive is pure cinema - a gorgeous, noir-narcotic loop of heartbreak in the "dream place" of Los Angeles." - Financial Times
Screening as part of our year-long retrospective - Dreaming of Darkness: The Films of David Lynch
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Pierre Auguste Renoir is known and loved for his impressionist paintings of Paris which rank among the world’s favourites. Renoir, however, grew tired of this style and changed course.
This stunning film – based on the remarkable Renoir collection at Philadelphia’s Barnes Foundation – explores the artist’s new approach. These later works still provoke extreme reactions – some people are repulsed by them and others seduced.
Two 20th century titans– Picasso and Matisse are intriguingly among the many artists who were clearly influenced by Renoir’s later direction. This film is a new biography of an artistic giant – Renoir – but also uncovers an untold story that identifies him as a significant link between the art world’s old order and the new.
We are delighted that the founder of Exhibition on Screen and director of Renoir, Phil Grabsky, will be joining us for a Q&A after the film.
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THE MOVIE MAN introduces us to colorful entrepreneur Keith Stata and his bizarre multiplex set deep in the forest of small-town Ontario, Canada. After 40 years in business, Keith is forced to confront his current limitations, dwindling health, and a global pandemic. The future of his quixotic cinema becomes more and more uncertain as the film unfolds.
Has the pandemic ended movies as we knew them? Is the collective experience of sitting in the cinema quickly fading away?
The film explores Highlands Cinemas and it’s importance to the town of Kinmount as a microcosm of the world facing COVID-19. What happens to a small town when it’s only allure is forced to close? Will 2022 be the last season at Highlands Cinemas?
Keith Stata opened Highlands Cinemas during the summer of 1979. What began as a single screen, transformed into a 5-screen multiplex showing first-run films over the course of it’s 40-year history. Changes in technology, dwindling ticket sales, a popcorn-eating bear, and his 50 cats all contribute to the chaos.
Despite his steadfast passion, we follow Keith as he is beaten down with issues and complications due to COVID-19. With no family and few friends to help, Keith is confronted with insurmountable challenges of keeping his unlikely cinema open for another season.
Screening as part of our year-long season - CINEMA ON SCREEN
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Inland Empire is to-date the last feature film by renowned director, David Lynch. One of his most challenging and provocative works, known for its complex, nonlinear narrative and dreamlike visuals, the film is an intense, ethereal experience made to be seen in cinemas.
The film follows the story of Nikki (Laura Dern) who lands a role in a new film directed by Kingsley (Jeremy Irons). As Nikki delves deeper into her character, she becomes entangled in a surreal and nightmarish web of reality and illusion. As the film within the film unfolds, Nikki finds herself facing a series of bizarre and inexplicable events that challenge her perception of what is real and what is imagined.
Lynch's trademark use of enigmatic symbolism and haunting imagery creates a sense of unease and throughout and demands multiple viewings to unravel its layers of meaning.
Screening as part of our year-long retrospective - Dreaming of Darkness: The Films of David Lynch
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The beauty of cinemas as a cultural hub and gathering place for the community is explored in this touching story set within the aisles of a cinema named Splendor and focusing on three main characters: Jordan, Luigi, and Chantal. Jordan, portrayed by the great Marcello Mastroianni, is an old projectionist who has dedicated his life to the cinema. Luigi, played by Massimo Troisi, is a man who inherits the old theatre and tries to keep it running despite facing financial difficulties and Chantal, portrayed by Marina Vlady, is the woman who both Jordan and Luigi love.
Echoes of Giuseppe Tornatore’s Cinema Paradiso flow through the narrative as it presents themes of love, nostalgia, and the passage of time. It reflects on the magic and significance of cinema as a place where dreams and reality intertwine.
Receiving critical acclaim for its heartfelt storytelling and the remarkable performances of its cast, particularly Marcello Mastroianni and Massimo Troisi, Splendor remains a cherished gem among cinephiles and is indeed an ode to the golden age of cinema.
Screening as part of our year-long season - CINEMA ON SCREEN
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Delve deeper into the labyrinthine psyche of surrealist nightmare-weaver David Lynch with these unsettling, hallucinatory shorts that reflect the origins and evolution of his singular style. Spanning the early experimental and painterly works that laid the foundation for his cult sensation ERASERHEAD through his darkly absurdist web animation series DUMBLAND, these films are replete with the sinister, uncanny imagery that could have emerged only from an artist so deeply in tune with his subconscious.
Six Men Getting Sick (1967): 1 minutes film projected on sculptured screen. The Alphabet (1968): 16mm 4 minutes The Grandmother (1970): 16mm 34 minutes The Amputee (1973): Video - 2 versions 5 minutes / 4 minutes The Cowboy And The Frenchmam (1988): 35mm 26 minutes Lumiere (1995): 35mm 55 seconds using original Lumiere Brothere's camera, Weather Report (2020) - 1min
Screening as part of our year-long retrospective - Dreaming of Darkness: The Films of David Lynch
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First the chandelier is dismantled in the foyer, each string of lamps lowered to the floor one by one. The other retro light fittings come later, after the curtain that lines the walls of the auditorium has been pulled down and before the seats are unscrewed and carried out. As the director narrates in impassive voiceover, the Scala has recently ceased operations, the last of the three great cinemas built in Bangkok in the 1960s to close its doors to the public. Her father used to work at the already shuttered Siam, and she spent much of her childhood there, sleeping behind the projection room, her sheets of the same fabric as the curtains. Her recollections flow into those of who appear on camera, those whose lives are just as linked to such spaces as hers and who now strip it bare. As the space empties out ever further, it is perversely filled by something else: an almost unbearable sense of melancholy that infects director, staff and audience alike, at a life, at a culture, at a community that will soon disperse, even if its importance remains undimmed, here and elsewhere too. In the dark windows behind the palms, the only moving images are reflections of the glowing billboards.
Following SCALA (2022) we will be screening a selection of short films from the Riverside film archive covering various significant events that have happened at The Riverside over the last 40+ years.
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Speaking into a vintage microphone from his painting studio in the hills above Hollywood, Lynch takes us on an intimate journey through his youth. He talks about his childhood in small-town America, his family, the awkward teenage years, his anxieties and fears, and the people who helped him become who he is. Lynch recounts the influence his youth had on him as an artist and his subsequent move into filmmaking.
Combining home movies, stock footage, moody artworks and observations of him working on his paintings and sculptures, David Lynch: The Art Life, which premiered at the BFI London Film Festival in 2016, is an immersive and compelling experience. He’s an entrancing storyteller who delivers fascinating anecdotes. And the soundtrack, as you’d expect, is deliciously strange, dark and beautiful.
Screening as part of our year-long retrospective - Dreaming of Darkness: The Films of David Lynch
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A celebration of youth, friendship and the everlasting magic of the movies, Cinema Paradiso won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film and is considered a classic of world cinema. Restored in 4K.
Giuseppe Tornatore’s loving homage to the cinema tells the story of Salvatore, a successful film director, returning home for the funeral of Alfredo, his old friend who was the projectionist at the local cinema throughout his childhood.
Soon memories of his first love affair with the beautiful Elena and all the highs and lows that shaped his life come flooding back, as Salvatore reconnects with the community he left 30 years earlier.
A homage to the inspirational power of the moving image, played out to a gorgeous score by the maestro Ennio Morricone..
Screening as part of our year-long season - CINEMA ON SCREEN