Ralph Fiennes and Stanley Tucci revel in the ritual and intrigue surrounding the process of choosing a new pontiff, in this tantalisingly tense Vatican-set drama.

The Pope has died. Cardinal Lawrence must lead the Conclave to select the new leader of the Catholic world. But as high-ranking cardinals gather, he discovers sides have been drawn and secrets that might destroy a future pope, perhaps even the Church itself, threaten to be revealed. Following his Oscar-winning success with All Quiet on the Western Front, Edward Berger presents us with another tale of conflict, albeit one where battles are waged in hushed tones in hallowed hallways. Fiennes, Tucci and John Lithgow make the most of Peter Straughan’s (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) screenplay, based on Robert Harris’ 2016 novel, albeit with Isabella Rossellini almost stealing the film as the formidable Sister Agnes.

The film recounts the troubled life of French child prodigy sculptor Camille Claudel and her long relationship with the married sculptor Auguste Rodin. Claudel was the daughter of a devoutly Catholic, socialite mother and a wealthy French businessman. While the latter was sympathetic to her highly iconoclastic, secular art, her mother found it odious.

Beginning in the 1880s, with the young Claudel's first meeting with Rodin, the film traces the development of their intense romantic bond. The growth of this relationship coincides with the rise of Claudel's career as she overcomes prejudices against female artists.

However, their romance soon sours due to the increasing pressures of Rodin's fame and his love for another woman. After Claudel's father dies, she's at the mercy of her mother's ire. These difficulties combine with her increasing doubts about the value of her work, driving Claudel into emotional tumult.

While her zealot mother wants her institutionalized, her sympathetic brother tries to comfort her and promote her artwork. The film contributes to a broader exploration of mental illness in films, depicting Camille Claudel's emotional tumult and the societal challenges she faced.

Juror #2 is a 2024 courtroom drama-thriller directed by Clint Eastwood, starring Nicholas Hoult, Toni Collette, J.K. Simmons, and Kiefer Sutherland. The film follows Justin Kemp (Hoult), a devoted family man serving as a juror in a high-profile murder trial. As the case unfolds, Justin realizes that he may have been responsible for the victim's death in a reckless driving accident. This discovery forces him into a moral dilemma: should he use his knowledge to sway the jury’s verdict and protect himself, or let an innocent person face conviction? Kemp’s struggle between justice and self-preservation is at the heart of this tense thriller.

Joe Dante's hilariously overblown comedy horror cheerfully pits man against beast in a cosy suburban setting. Zach Galligan is the hapless teenager who receives the oh-so-loveable Mogwai, Gizmo, for Christmas, completely disregards the instructions not to get it wet or feed it after midnight, and watches, along with his girlfriend Phoebe Cates, the mayhem unfold when the goggle-eyed cutie starts birthing evil sprites as a result. Played almost totally for laughs (even Cates' monologue on how she found out there's no Santa Claus has a vein of pitch black humour in it), this serves as a delightfully offbeat reminder of how inventive and witty blockbusters seemed when you were a kid.

Dante’s critters-run-amok-in-snowbound-Spielberg-suburbia satire takes the Christmas milieu of It’s A Wonderful Life (Screening as part of this season on 18th December) and splatters it with cartoony carnage, anarchic comedy and a stripe of gleeful subversion a mile wide.

Screening as part of our 6 for £6 each Christmas Films Season

Beauty and the Beast will feature a host of CBeebies’ stars - and some new faces too! There’ll be lots of singing, dancing and laughs for all the family in this Christmas adventure that celebrates that the only thing that matters is what’s inside!

Narrated by Snow Raven, played by James Mackenzie, the story has been especially adapted for CBeebies by Isabel Fay and takes place in a magical setting inspired by Scottish landscapes.  There are brand-new characters to meet too, including funny garden gnomes, mischievous wolves and a sneaky Thorn Fairy.  Expect unexpected twists and turns as the story unfolds!

Courtesy of composers Banks & Wag, this Christmas special has a toe-tapping pop soundtrack that will have the whole family singing, moving and grooving along. Festive fun for all the family!

The Muppets perform the classic Christmas tale by Charles Dickens, the iconic Michael Caine playing Ebenezer Scrooge, with Kermit the Frog playing Bob Cratchit. Miss Piggy, Gonzo and Fozzie Bear take up supporting roles as Scrooge receives visits from the spirits of Christmas past, Christmas present and Christmas future. The Spirits do everything in their power to show him the error of his ways and to help him find redemption and lasting happiness.

Screening as part of our 6 for £6 each Christmas Films Season

There have been many contenders over the past twenty years, but ELF is clearly the first and best classic Christmas movie of the 21st century.  Buddy, a human orphan raised by Santa’s elves at the North Pole, learns that his father is still alive and on the naughty list. Determined to save his father from such a fate, Buddy travels to New York City to meet him for the first time and inspire some Christmas spirit, but the Big Apple is very different from the North Pole. Can Buddy save his father from the naughty list, but more importantly, figure out where Buddy truly belongs?