Director Wes Ball breathes new life into the global, epic franchise set several generations in the future following Caesar’s reign, in which apes are the dominant species living harmoniously and humans have been reduced to living in the shadows. As a new tyrannical ape leader builds his empire, one young ape undertakes a harrowing journey that will cause him to question all that he has known about the past and to make choices that will define a future for apes and humans alike.

Anya Taylor-Joy and Chris Hemsworth star in Academy Award-winning mastermind George Miller’s “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga,” the much-anticipated return to the iconic dystopian world he created more than 30 years ago with the seminal “Mad Max” films.  

Miller now turns the page again with an all-new original, standalone action adventure that will reveal the origins of the powerhouse character from the multiple Oscar-winning global smash “Mad Max: Fury Road.”  

As the world fell, young Furiosa is snatched from the Green Place of Many Mothers and falls into the hands of a great Biker Horde led by the Warlord Dementus.  Sweeping through the Wasteland, they come across the Citadel presided over by The Immortan Joe.  While the two Tyrants war for dominance, Furiosa must survive many trials as she puts together the means to find her way home.

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

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.

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

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.

Catherine Larner in conversation with…

Former European, Commonwealth and World Champion, Iwan Thomas.

Considered one of the finest 400m runners that Britain has ever seen, Iwan is now a popular tv and radio presenter.

Sharing the story of his life and career - the highs and the lows - and the mental, emotional and physical challenges of competing in elite sport, Iwan Thomas is joining us for this special evening event on the release of his autobiography, ‘Brutal’.

Iwan put everything into becoming and remaining an elite athlete. After a stint as a world-class BMX rider in his youth, he dedicated himself to running and between 1996 and 1998 established himself as one of the world’s fastest men, taking gold in both the 400m and the 4x400m at the European Championships, silver at the Olympics and gold at the Worlds. His British 400m record of 44.36s stood for nearly 25 years.

But he was beset with injuries and in 2012 finally conceded retirement. Since then he has built a successful media profile while also undertaking gruelling physical challenges. He’s run several marathons, participated in a number of triathlons, and also completed the 100 mile South Downs Way ultra race.

There have been mental and emotional challenges too, both in his sporting career and in his personal life. He suffered an extended period of anxiety and depression as his adjusted to life as a former athlete, and his newborn son was desperately ill.

‘Brutal’ is an honest, raw, absorbing and sometimes uncomfortable read, and this is sure to be a fascinating, wide-ranging, entertaining and enlightening event.

Tickets are £20 and include a signed copy of ‘Brutal’ (RRP £20)

One further ticket may be purchased for £12 (without the book)

Fifty years on from its original release, Swallows and Amazons has achieved the status of a timeless classic, and the new, digitally remastered version gives its Lake District scenery vibrant clarity on the big screen.

Arthur Ransome's tale of juvenile rivalry between the two crews has lost none of its freshness, and the boats themselves, Swallow and Amazon, have become stars in their own right. Swallow was recently valued on the Antiques Roadshow at over £20,000.

Both the boats have been recently rescued by the Arthur Ransome Society and both are in need of some care and attention, so this Gala screening is being held to raise funds for their restoration.

Amazon will be on show at the cinema on the day the film is screened and will be available to sail on the Norfolk Broads this summer - details at arthur-ransome.org/sail/ or phone Hunters Yard on 01692 678263.

A new feature-length documentary depicting the extraordinary and emotional return of blur, captured during the year in which they made a surprise return with their first record in 8 years, the critically acclaimed #1 album ‘The Ballad of Darren’.  blur: To The End follows the unique relationship of four friends - and band mates of three decades - Damon Albarn, Graham Coxon, Alex James and Dave Rowntree as they come together to record new songs ahead of their sold-out, first ever shows at London’s Wembley Stadium in 2023.  Featuring performances of their most iconic, much-loved songs, footage of the band in the studio and life on the road, this film is an intimate moment in time with this most enduring of English bands, who have been at the heart of British cultural life and influence for over three decades.

Screening as part of our Monthly Music strand kindly supported by Old Jet, Decoy Sound Studios, Whizzy Wallop Vinyl, Stoddart Music, Sundowners DJ's and Stephen "Foz" Foster.

Tickets on sale from 12pm on Tuesday 7th May