The Prince Charles Cinema

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In The Mood For Love
2000 98mins Hong Kong (PG) Romance
Directed by Wong Kar Wai Starring Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Maggie Cheung, Rebecca Pan, Lai Chen, Paulyn Sun

In 1962 Hong Kong, neighbors Su Li-zhen (Mrs. Chan) and Chow Mo-wan (Mr. Chow) discover their spouses are having an affair. As they spend time together, they develop feelings for each other, but their relationship remains chaste and unspoken, reflecting societal constraints and their own moral compass.

Close-Up
1990 98mins Iran (U) Documentary
Directed by Abbas Kiarostami Starring Hossain Sabzian, Monoochehr Ahankhah, Mahrokh Ahankhah

This fiction-documentary hybrid uses a sensational real-life event—the arrest of a young man on charges that he fraudulently impersonated the well-known filmmaker Mohsen Makhmalbaf—as the basis for a stunning, multilayered investigation into movies, identity, artistic creation, and existence, in which the real people from the case play themselves.

Lust, Caution
2007 158mins China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, USA (18) Romance
Directed by Ang Lee Starring Tony Leung, Tang Wei, Joan Chen

During World War II era, a young woman, Wang Jiazhi, gets swept up in a dangerous game of emotional intrigue with a powerful political figure, Mr. Yee.

Akira
1988 125mins Japan (15) Anime
Directed by Katsuhiro Ôtomo Starring Mami Koyama, Mitsuo Iwata, Nozomu Sasaki

Iconic and game-changing, AKIRA is the definitive anime masterpiece! Katsuhiro Otomo's landmark cyberpunk classic obliterated the boundaries of Japanese animation and forced the world to look into the future. AKIRA's arrival shattered traditional thinking, creating space for future generations of ground-breaking movies.

July, 1988 - World War III breaks loose. Then, in 2019, in megalopolis Tokyo...As the leader of a group of young robust delinquents, Kaneda spent his nights tearing through the urban wastes, racing his motorbike against rival groups. One night while riding with his gang, his friend Tetsuo suddenly encounters a strange boy - the product of human experimentation and is injured in the ensuing crash. Shortly thereafter, a military squadron appears on the scene to take the boy and Tetsuo away to an army research facility. Determined to free Tetsuo from capture, Kaneda sneaks into the army research lab. However, a regimen of extreme experimental procedures has awakened a new power in his friend, and now he is consumed by madness..

Cure
1997 111mins Japan (15) Horror
Directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa Starring Kôji Yakusho, Masato Hagiwara, Tsuyoshi Ujiki

A detective starts spiraling out of control when a wave of gruesome murders with seemingly similar bizarre circumstances are sweeping Tokyo.

A Generation [Pokolenie]
1955 87mins Poland (12) Drama
Directed by Andrzej Wajda Starring Tadeusz Lomnicki, Urszula Modrzynska, Tadeusz Janczar

Stach is a wayward teen living in squalor on the outskirts of Nazi-occupied Warsaw. Guided by an avuncular Communist organizer, he is introduced to the underground resistance—and to the beautiful Dorota. Soon he is engaged in dangerous efforts to fight oppression and indignity.

La Haine
1995 98mins France (15) Crime
Directed by Mathieu Kassovitz Starring Vincent Cassel, Hubert Koundé, Saïd Taghmaoui

Hatred breeds hatred...

24 hours in the lives of three young men in the French suburbs the day after a violent riot.

Reflection in a Dead Diamond
2025 87mins Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg (15) Thriller / Mystery
Directed by Hélène Cattet|Bruno Forzani Starring Fabio Testi, Yannick Renier, Koen De Bouw

Featuring filmmakers Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani live and in person with a Post-Film Q&A, hosted by Peter Strickland.

When the mysterious woman in the room next door disappears, a debonair 70-year-old ex-spy living in a luxury hotel on the Côte d'Azur is confronted by the demons and darlings of a lurid past in which moviemaking, memories and madness collide.

La Dolce Vita
1960 174mins Italy (12A) Comedy / Drama
Directed by Federico Fellini Starring Marcello Mastroianni, Anouk Aimée, Magali Noël, Anita Ekberg, Alain Cuny, Yvonne Furneaux, Nadia Gray, Lex Barker, Annibale Ninc

In Federico Fellini's lauded Italian film, restless reporter Marcello Rubini (Marcello Mastroianni) drifts through life in Rome. While Marcello contends with the overdose taken by his girlfriend, Emma (Yvonne Furneaux), he also pursues heiress Maddalena (Anouk Aimée) and movie star Sylvia (Anita Ekberg), embracing a carefree approach to living. Despite his hedonistic attitude, Marcello does have moments of quiet reflection, resulting in an intriguing cinematic character study.

Amelie - 25th Anniversary
2001 123mins France (15) Romance/Comedy
Directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet Starring Audrey Tautou, Mathieu Kassovitz, Rufus

23-year-old Amélie is lonely. After an isolating childhood, she moves to Paris and becomes a waitress at the Café des Deux Moulins, a bar restaurant filled with a colourful cast of diners and employees. One night, Amélie happens across a box of treasures hidden in her apartment, left by a little boy in the Fifties, that changes the course of her life. Henceforth, she dedicates herself to giving back to her community, tracking down the owner of these keepsakes, consoling a widowed neighbour and befriending a reclusive artist. When completing these good deeds, she crosses paths with Nino, a photobooth collagist who shares her oddball sensibilities. She quickly falls in love with him.  

No Other Choice
2025 139mins South Korea (15) Crime/Comedy
Directed by Park Chan-Wook Starring Lee Byung-hun, Son Ye-jin, Park Hee-soon

Looking for a job? When a happy family man is dismissed after twenty-five years of loyal service at a paper company, he finds the perfect solution to land his next role: truly eliminate the competition.

Chungking Express
1994 101mins Hong Kong (12) Romance/Drama
Directed by Wong Kar Wai Starring Takeshi Kaneshiro, Brigitte Lin, Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Faye Wong, Valerie Chow, Tony Leung

Every day, Cop 223 (Takeshi Kaneshiro) buys a can of pineapple with an expiration date of May 1, symbolizing the day he'll get over his lost love. He's also got his eye on a mysterious woman in a blond wig (Brigitte Lin), oblivious of the fact she's a drug dealer. Cop 663 (Tony Leung Chiu Wai) is distraught with heartbreak over a breakup. But when his ex drops a spare set of his keys at a local cafe, a waitress (Faye Wong) lets herself into his apartment and spruces up his life.

Yi Yi
2000 173mins Taiwan (15) Drama
Directed by Edward Yang Starring Wu Nien-jen, Elaine Jin, Issey Ogata, Kelly Lee, Jonathan Chang, Hsi-Sheng Chen, Su-Yun Ko, Lawrence Ko

The extraordinary, internationally embraced Yi Yi (A One and a Two . . .), directed by the late Taiwanese master Edward Yang, follows a middle-class family in Taipei over the course of one year, beginning with a wedding and ending with a funeral. Whether chronicling middle-age father NJ’s tentative flirtations with an old flame or precocious young son Yang-Yang’s attempts at capturing reality with his beloved camera, the filmmaker deftly imbues every gorgeous frame with a compassionate clarity. Warm, sprawling, and dazzling, this intimate epic is one of the undisputed masterworks of the new century.

4K digital restoration carried out by Pony Canyon Inc., with analog and digital processes provided by Imagica Entertainment Media Services, Inc.

Your Name [Kimi no Na wa.]
2016 106mins Japan (12A) Anime
Directed by Makoto Shinkai Starring Ryunosuke Kamiki, Mone Kamishiraishi

Two teenagers share a profound, magical connection upon discovering they are swapping bodies. Things manage to become even more complicated when the boy and girl decide to meet in person.

8 1/2
1963 138mins France, Italy (15) Drama
Directed by Federico Fellini Starring Anouk Aimée, Claudia Cardinale, Marcello Mastroianni

Troubled Italian filmmaker Guido Anselmi (Marcello Mastroianni) struggles with creative stasis as he attempts to get a new movie off the ground. Overwhelmed by his work and personal life, the director retreats into his thoughts, which often focus on his loves, both past and present, and frequently wander into fantastical territory. As he tries to sort out his many entanglements, romantic and otherwise, Anselmi finds his production becoming more and more autobiographical.

The Umbrellas of Cherbourg [Les parapluies de Cherbourg]
1964 91mins France, Germany, West Germany (PG) Musical / Romance
Directed by Jacques Demy Starring Catherine Deneuve, Nino Castelnuovo, Anne Vernon

An angelically beautiful Catherine Deneuve was launched to stardom by this dazzling musical heart-tugger from Jacques Demy. She plays an umbrella-shop owner’s delicate daughter, glowing with first love for a handsome garage mechanic, played by Nino Castelnuovo. When the boy is shipped off to fight in Algeria, the two lovers must grow up quickly. Exquisitely designed in a kaleidoscope of colors, and told entirely through the lilting songs of the great composer Michel Legrand, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg is one of the most revered and unorthodox movie musicals of all time.

Come and See
1985 141mins Russia (15) War / Horror
Directed by Elem Klimov Starring Aleksei Kravchenko, Olga Mironova

This widely acclaimed film from Soviet director Elem Klimov is a stunning, senses-shattering plunge into the dehumanizing horrors of war. As Nazi forces encroach on his small village in present-day Belarus, teenage Flyora (Aleksei Kravchenko, in one of the screen’s most searing depictions of anguish since Renée Falconetti’s Joan of Arc) eagerly joins the Soviet resistance. Rather than the adventure and glory he envisioned, what he finds is a waking nightmare of unimaginable carnage and cruelty—rendered with a feverish, otherworldly intensity by Klimov’s subjective camerawork and expressionistic sound design. Nearly suppressed by Soviet censors who took eight years to approve its script, Come and See is perhaps the most visceral, impossible-to-forget antiwar film ever made.

The Handmaiden [Theatrical Cut]
2016 145mins (18) Thriller / Romance
Directed by Park Chan-Wook Starring Kim Min-hee, Kim Tae-ri, Ha Jung-woo

In 1930s Korea, a swindler and a young woman pose as a Japanese count and a handmaiden to seduce a Japanese heiress and steal her fortune.

The Grandmaster (Extended Cut)
2013 130mins China, Hong Kong (15) Martial Arts
Directed by Wong Kar-wai Starring Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Zhang Ziyi, Chang Chen

Ip Man's peaceful life in Foshan changes after Gong Yutian seeks an heir for his family in Southern China. Ip Man then meets Gong Er who challenges him for the sake of regaining her family's honor. After the Second Sino-Japanese War, Ip Man moves to Hong Kong and struggles to provide for his family. In the mean time, Gong Er chooses the path of vengeance after her father was killed by Ma San.

Wong Kar-wai’s original 130-minute cut on the big screen in the UK for the first time, courtesy Janus Films

The Fall - 20th Anniversary
2006 117mins India, USA (15) Adventure / Fantasy
Directed by Tarsem Singh Starring Lee Pace, Catinca Untaru, Justine Waddell

A bedridden patient in a hospital on the outskirts of 1920s Los Angeles befriends a fellow patient, and shares a fantastic tale of heroes, myths, and villains on a desert island with the little girl.

Le Samourai
1967 105mins France, Italy (PG) Crime
Directed by Jean-Pierre Melville Starring Alain Delon, François Périer, Nathalie Delon, Caty Rosier, Jacques Leroy, Michel Boisrond

After professional hitman Jef Costello is seen by witnesses his efforts to provide himself an alibi drive him further into a corner.

El Topo
1970 125mins Mexico (18) Mind F**k
Directed by Alejandro Jodorowsky Starring Alejandro Jodorowsky, Brontis Jodorowsky, José Legarreta

El Topo decides to confront warrior Masters on a trans-formative desert journey he begins with his 6 year old son, who must bury his childhood totems to become a man.

Hard Boiled
1992 128mins Hong Kong (18) Action / Crime
Directed by John Woo Starring Chow Yun-Fat, Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Teresa Mo Shun-Kwan

A cop who loses his partner in a shoot-out with gun smugglers goes on a mission to catch them. In order to get closer to the leaders of the ring he joins forces with an undercover cop who's working as a gangster hitman. They use all means of excessive force to find them.

Please Note: We plan to have the 35mm print of Hard Boiled on site in the New Year to check on its quality, and if we find it is unsuitable for screening, we will switch to the new 4K restoration courtesy of Arrow Films!

The Killer (1989)
1989 111mins Hong Kong (18) Action / Crime
Directed by John Woo Starring Chow Yun-Fat, Danny Lee Sau-Yin, Sally Yeh

Mob assassin Jeffrey is no ordinary hired gun; the best in his business, he views his chosen profession as a calling rather than simply a job. So, when beautiful nightclub chanteuse Jennie is blinded in the crossfire of his most recent hit, Jeffrey chooses to retire after one last job to pay for his unintended victim's sight-restoring operation. But when Jeffrey is double-crossed, he reluctantly joins forces with a rogue policeman to make things right.

The Worst Person in the World
2022 128mins Denmark, France, Norway, Sweden (15) Romance/Comedy
Directed by Joachim Trier Starring Renate Reinsve, Anders Danielsen Lie, Herbert Nordrum

On the verge of turning thirty, Julie is faced with a series of choices that force her to pursue new perspectives on her life in contemporary Oslo. Over the course of four years, she navigates love affairs and existential uncertainty as she starts deciding who she wants to become.

Osamu Tezuka’s Metropolis
2001 107mins Japan (PG) Anime
Directed by Rintaro Starring Scott Weinger, Toshio Furukawa, Toshi, Yuka Imoto

A future society, where humans and robots co-exist. Amidst the chaos created by anti-robot factions, detective Shunsaku Ban and his sidekick Ken-ichi are searching for rebel scientist Dr. Laughton, to arrest him and seize his latest creation, a beautiful young girl named Tima. When they locate them, Shunsaku soon realizes that the eccentric scientist is protected by a powerful man and his fierce desire to reclaim a tragic figure from his past and therefore is beyond their reach.

After Life (1998)
1998 119mins Japan (PG) Fantasy
Directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda Starring Arata Iura, Erika Oda, Susumu Terajima

In this acclaimed Japanese film, a group of people who have recently died find themselves in a limbo realm resembling a relatively mundane building. Counselors, including Takashi (Arata) and Shiori (Erika Oda), are on hand to help new arrivals pick one memory from their lives to bring with them into eternity. Once the memories are chosen, the staff makes a short film representing each one, and the films make up a collage of thoughtful cinematic moments.

Cinema Paradiso [Nuovo Cinema Paradiso]
1988 124mins Italy (12A) Drama
Directed by Giuseppe Tornatore Starring Philippe Noiret, Enzo Cannavale, Antonella Attili

A winner of awards across the world including Best Foreign Language Film Oscar, 5 BAFTA Awards including Best Actor, Original Screenplay and Score, the Grand Prize of the Jury at the Cannes Film Festival and many more.

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.

Wake in Fright - 4K Restoration
1971 108mins Australia, USA (18) Psychological Thriller
Directed by Ted Kotcheff Starring Donald Pleasence, Gary Bond, Chips Rafferty

After finishing up the school term in a remote outback town, teacher John Grant (Gary Bond) looks forward to spending his holiday with his girlfriend in Sydney. But John gets waylaid in a mining town where a gambling spree leaves him completely broke. He quickly falls in with the hard-drinking locals, who constantly ply him with alcohol and force him to participate in a gruesome kangaroo hunt. Disgusted, John tries to hitchhike out of town and, when that fails, begins to contemplate suicide.

Please Note: This is a new 4K Restoration, presented from a 2K DCP, courtesy of Arrow Video

Tampopo
1985 114mins Japan (15) Comedy / Western
Directed by Jûzô Itami Starring Ken Watanabe, Tsutomu Yamazaki, Nobuko Miyamoto

The tale of an eccentric band of culinary ronin who guide the widow of a noodle-shop owner on her quest for the perfect recipe, this rapturous “ramen western” by Japanese director Juzo Itami is an entertaining, genre-bending adventure underpinned by a deft satire of the way social conventions distort the most natural of human urges—our appetites. Interspersing the efforts of Tampopo (Nobuko Miyamoto) and friends to make her café a success with the erotic exploits of a gastronome gangster and glimpses of food culture both high and low, the sweet, sexy, and surreal Tampopo is a lavishly inclusive paean to the sensual joys of nourishment, and one of the most mouthwatering examples of food on film ever made.

Millennium Mambo
2001 119mins Taiwan (15) Romance/Drama
Directed by Hou Hsiao-hsien Starring Shu Qi, Jack Kao, Duan Chun-hao

A neon-drenched trip through nocturnal Taipei, Millennium Mambo stars Shu Qi as Vicky, a bar hostess losing interest in her dull, garrulous boyfriend, and attracted to the mysterious, sensual gangster Jack. Built as a flashback from the future, she finds herself afloat amidst a world of ecstatic nights out and an undertow of nagging emptiness, torn between the two men.

Like Edward Yang (A Brighter Summer Day, Yi Yi), director Hou Hsiao-Hsien emerged as one the major figures of the Taiwanese New Wave, and even collaborated with Yang as a screenwriter on Taipei Story (1985).

Misunderstood at the time by critics and audiences as a misstep in Hou’s otherwise excellent track record, it’s now reclaimed as a vital cog in his filmography. Hou’s meditative style is front-and-centre in Millennium Mambo, aided by the presence of the sublime cinematographer Mark Lee Ping-bin, who at the time had just finished work on In the Mood for Love (2001).

Seven Samurai [Shichinin no samurai]
1954 207mins Japan (PG) Western
Directed by Akira Kurosawa Starring Toshirô Mifune, Takashi Shimura, Toshi, Keiko Tsushima

Farmers from a village exploited by bandits hire a veteran samurai for protection, who gathers six other samurai to join him.

The Seventh Seal
1957 97mins Sweden (PG) Fantasy
Directed by Ingmar Bergman Starring Max von Sydow, Bengt Ekerot, Gunnar Björnstrand, Bibi Andersson, Nils Poppe, Inga Gill, Maud Hansson, Inga Landgré

When disillusioned Swedish knight Antonius Block (Max von Sydow) returns home from the Crusades to find his country in the grips of the Black Death, he challenges Death (Bengt Ekerot) to a chess match for his life. Tormented by the belief that God does not exist, Block sets off on a journey, meeting up with traveling players Jof (Nils Poppe) and his wife, Mia (Bibi Andersson), and becoming determined to evade Death long enough to commit one redemptive act while he still lives.

Beau Travail
1999 93mins France (15) Drama
Directed by Claire Denis Starring Denis Lavant, Gregoire Colin, Michel Subor

Foreign Legion officer Galoup recalls his once glorious life, training troops in the Gulf of Djibouti. His existence there was happy, strict and regimented, until the arrival of a promising young recruit, Sentain, plants the seeds of jealousy in Galoup's mind.

Tokyo Drifter [Tōkyō nagaremono]
1966 82mins Japan (12) Comedy / Action
Directed by Seijun Suzuki Starring Tetsuya Watari, Chieko Matsubara, Hideaki Nitani

In this jazzy gangster film, reformed killer Tetsu's attempt to go straight is thwarted when his former cohorts call him back to Tokyo to help battle a rival gang. Director Seijun Suzuki's onslaught of stylized violence and trippy colors is equal parts Russ Meyer, Samuel Fuller, and Nagisa Oshima—an anything-goes, in-your-face rampage. Tokyo Drifter is a delirious highlight of the brilliantly excessive Japanese cinema of the sixties.

High and Low
1963 143mins Japan (12) Crime / Thriller
Directed by Akira Kurosawa Starring Toshirô Mifune, Tatsuya Nakadai, Kyôko Kagawa

Toshiro Mifune is unforgettable as Kingo Gondo, a wealthy industrialist whose family becomes the target of a cold-blooded kidnapper in High and Low (Tengoku to jigoku), the highly influential domestic drama and police procedural from director Akira Kurosawa. Adapting Ed McBain's detective novel King's Ransom, Kurosawa moves effortlessly from compelling race-against-time thriller to exacting social commentary, creating a diabolical treatise on contemporary Japanese society.

Pauline at the Beach [Pauline à la plage]
1983 95mins France (15) Romance/Comedy
Directed by Éric Rohmer Starring Amanda Langlet, Arielle Dombasle, Pascal Greggory

Fifteen-year-old Pauline (Amanda Langlet) journeys to the Normandy coast for a summer vacation with her adult cousin Marion (Arielle Dombasle). Marion is waiting out her divorce and, along the shore, runs into her old flame Pierre (Pascal Greggory). Although he's anxious to rekindle their former romance, Marion wants nothing to do with him, and she sets him up with Pauline. The romantic web gets more tangled yet when Marion starts a liaison with Henri (Féodor Atkine), a middle-aged playboy.

Taste of Cherry
1997 99mins Iran (PG) Comedy / Drama
Directed by Abbas Kiarostami Starring Homayoun Ershadi, Abdolrahman Bagheri, Safar Ali Moradi

Winner of the Palme d’Or at the 1997 Cannes Film Festival, Iranian auteur Abbas Kiarostami’s _Taste of Cherry_ is an emotionally complex meditation on life and death. Middle-aged Mr. Badii (Homayoun Ershadi) drives through the hilly outskirts of Tehran—searching for someone to rescue or bury him.

Kanal
1957 91mins Poland (12) Drama
Directed by Andrzej Wajda Starring Teresa Izewska, Tadeusz Janczar, Wienczyslaw Glinski

During the last few days of the Warsaw Uprising following World War II, a modest group of Resistance members remains. The band must take refuge in the sewers under the orders of leader Zadra, but it's only a matter of time before they will have to emerge. However, when they try, they are met only with intense hostility from the Nazis. Despite their attempts stay resolute through immense mental strain, it becomes increasingly apparent that they may be doomed.

The Holy Mountain
1973 115mins Mexico (18) Mind F**k
Directed by Alejandro Jodorowsky Starring Alejandro Jodorowsky, Horacio Salinas, Zamira Saunders

In a corrupt, greed-fueled world, a powerful alchemist leads a messianic character and seven materialistic figures to the Holy Mountain, where they hope to achieve enlightenment.

Cowboy Bebop: The Movie
2001 115mins Japan, USA (12A) Anime
Directed by Shin'ichirô Watanabe|Tensai Okamura Starring Beau Billingslea, Melissa Fahn, Nicholas Guest

The year is 2071. Following a terrorist bombing, a deadly virus is released on the populace of Mars and the government has issued the largest bounty in history, for the capture of whoever is behind it. The bounty hunter crew of the spaceship Bebop; Spike, Faye, Jet and Ed, take the case with hopes of cashing in the bounty. However, the mystery surrounding the man responsible, Vincent, goes deeper than they ever imagined, and they aren't the only ones hunting him.

Battle Royale [Batoru rowaiaru]
2000 114mins Japan (18) Action / Thriller
Directed by Kinji Fukasaku Starring Aki Maeda, Tatsuya Fujiwara, Tatsuya Fuji, Tarô Yamamoto

42 9th graders are sent to a deserted island. They are given a map, food, and various weapons. An explosive collar is fitted around their neck. If they break a rule, the collar explodes. Their mission: kill each other and be the last one standing. The last survivor is allowed to leave the island. If there is more than one survivor, the collars explode and kill them all.

The Young Girls of Rochefort [Les demoiselles de Rochefort]
1967 126mins France (U) Musical / Comedy
Directed by Jacques Demy Starring Catherine Deneuve, George Chakiris, Françoise Dorléac

Delphine (Catherine Deneuve) and Solange (Françoise Dorléac) are twin sisters who each want to find romance and leave their small seaside town of Rochefort, France. Soon they befriend a couple of visiting carnival workers who frequent their lonely mother's (George Chakiris) café and hire the girls to sing in the carnival. Wanting a career as a songwriter, Solange falls for an American musician, Andy (Jacques Perrin), while Delphine dumps her beau and searches Rochefort for her ideal man.

Mr. Hulot's Holiday [Les vacances de Monsieur Hulot]
1953 88mins France (U) Comedy
Directed by Jacques Tati Starring Jacques Tati, Nathalie Pascaud, Micheline Rolla

When the ever-hapless Monsieur Hulot (Jacques Tati) decides to vacation at a beautiful seaside resort, rest and relaxation don't last long, given the gangly gent's penchant for ridiculous antics. While simply out to enjoy himself, the well-meaning Hulot inevitably stumbles into numerous misadventures, including an utterly disastrous attempt at playing tennis, as he encounters fellow French vacationers from various social classes, as well as foreign tourists.

Little Amelie or the Character of Rain
2025 78mins Belgium, France (PG) Animation
Directed by Maïlys Vallade|Liane-cho Han Starring Loïse Charpentier, Victoria Grobois, Yumi Fujimori

The world is a perplexing, peaceful mystery to Amélie until a miraculous encounter with chocolate ignites her wild sense of curiosity. As she develops a deep attachment to her family's housekeeper, Nishio-san, Amélie discovers the wonders of nature as well as the emotional truths hidden beneath the surface of her family's idyllic life as foreigners in post-war Japan.

Oscar® and BAFTA nominated, it is a tender, poignant and visually stunning story about the healing power of human connection based on Amélie Nothomb’s best-selling autobiographical novel.

Enter The Dragon
1973 99mins Hong Kong, USA (15) Martial Arts
Directed by Robert Clouse Starring Bruce Lee, Jim Kelly, John Saxon

Sent to an exotic island by his government, a spy (Lee) competes in a deadly tournament by day and infiltrates a ruthless crime lord's illegal drug operation by night. With plot twists, exquisite cinematography and bone-crushing fight scenes choreographed by Lee himself, ENTER THE DRAGON remains cinema's most influential martial arts action film.

Paprika
2006 90mins Japan (15) Adventure / Drama
Directed by Satoshi Kon| Toshi Starring Megumi Hayashibara, Tôru Emori, Katsunosuke Hori

When a machine that allows therapists to enter their patients' dreams is stolen, all hell breaks loose. Only a young female therapist, Paprika, can stop it.

The Colour of Pomegranates [Sayat Nova]
1969 80mins Soviet Union (PG) Drama
Directed by Sergei Parajanov Starring Sofiko Chiaureli, Melkon Alekyan, Vilen Galstyan

Sergei Parajanov's celebrated masterpiece paints an astonishing portrait of the 18th century Armenian poet Sayat Nova, the 'King of Song'. Parajanov's aim was not a conventional biography but a cinematic expression of his work, resulting in an extraordinary visual poem. Key moments in his subject's life are illustrated through a series of exquisitely orchestrated tableaux filled with rich colour and stunning iconography, each scene a celluloid painting alive with stylised movement.

Taipei Story
1985 119mins Taiwan (18) Drama
Directed by Edward Yang Starring Chin Tsai, Hou Hsiao-hsien, Wu Nien-jen

Edward Yang's second feature is a mournful anatomy of a city caught between the past and the present. Made in collaboration with Yang's fellow New Taiwan Cinema master Hou Hsiao-hsien, TAIPEI STORY chronicles the growing estrangement between a washed-up baseball player (Hou, in a rare on-screen performance) working in his family's textile business and his girlfriend (Tsai Chin), who clings to the upward mobility of her career in property development. As the couple's dreams of marriage and emigration begin to unravel, Yang's gaze illuminates the precariousness of domestic life and the desperation of Taiwan's globalised modernity.

Bullet in the Head
1990 131mins Hong Kong (18) Action / Crime
Directed by John Woo Starring Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Jacky Cheung Hok-Yau, Waise Lee Chi-Hung

Three childhood friends from the slums of Hong Kong flee to war-time Saigon after accidentally murdering a gang leader, but their troubles only escalate.

Goodbye, Dragon Inn
2003 83mins Taiwan (PG) Comedy / Drama
Directed by Ming-liang Tsai Starring Lee Kang-sheng, Chen Shiang-chyi, Kiyonobu Mitamura

On a dark, wet night a historic and regal Chinese cinema sees its final film. Together with a small handful of souls they bid "Goodbye, Dragon Inn".

Fantastic Planet
1973 72mins Czechoslovakia, France (PG) Animation
Directed by René Laloux Starring Gérard Hernandez, Jean Valmont, Jennifer Drake

On the planet Ygam, the Draags, extremely technologically and spiritually advanced blue humanoids, consider the tiny Oms, human beings descendants of Terra's inhabitants, as ignorant animals. Those who live in slavery are treated as simple pets and used to entertain Draag children; those who live hidden in the hostile wilderness of the planet are periodically hunted and ruthlessly slaughtered as if they were vermin.

Perfect Days
2023 125mins Germany, Japan (PG) Drama
Directed by Wim Wenders Starring Kôji Yakusho, Aoi Yamada, Min Tanaka, Tokio Emoto, Arisa Nakano, Yumi Aso

Hirayama is content with his life as a toilet cleaner in Tokyo. Outside of his structured routine, he cherishes music on cassette tapes, books, and taking photos of trees. Through unexpected encounters, he reflects on finding beauty in the world.

Persepolis
2007 95mins France, USA (12) Animation
Directed by Vincent Paronnaud|Marjane Satrapi Starring Chiara Mastroianni, Danielle Darrieux, Catherine Deneuve

In 1970s Iran, Marjane 'Marji' Satrapi watches events through her young eyes and her idealistic family of a long dream being fulfilled of the hated Shah's defeat in the Iranian Revolution of 1979. However as Marji grows up, she witnesses first hand how the new Iran, now ruled by Islamic fundamentalists, has become a repressive tyranny on its own.

Playtime
1967 123mins France, Italy (PG) Comedy Genius
Directed by Jacques Tati Starring Jacques Tati, Barbara Dennek, Rita Maiden

Clumsy Monsieur Hulot (Jacques Tati) finds himself perplexed by the intimidating complexity of a gadget-filled Paris. He attempts to meet with a business contact but soon becomes lost. His roundabout journey parallels that of an American tourist (Barbara Dennek), and as they weave through the inventive urban environment, they intermittently meet, developing an interest in one another. They eventually get together at a chaotic restaurant, along with several other quirky characters.

Ashes and Diamonds
1958 103mins Poland (15) Drama
Directed by Andrzej Wajda Starring Zbigniew Cybulski, Waclaw Zastrzezynski, Adam Pawlikowski

A young academy soldier, Maciek Chelmicki, is ordered to shoot the secretary of the KW PPR. A coincidence causes him to kill someone else. Meeting face to face with his victim, he gets a shock. He faces the necessity of repeating the assassination. He meets Krystyna, a girl working as a barmaid in the restaurant of the "Monopol" hotel. His affection for her makes him even more aware of the senselessness of killing at the end of the war. Loyalty to the oath he took, and thus the obligation to obey the order, tips the scales.

Climax
2018 97mins France (18) Psychological Drama
Directed by Gaspar Noé Starring Sofia Boutella, Romain Guillermic, Souheila Yacoub

With Climax, Gaspar Noé, enfant terrible of French cinema and director of the highly controversial Irreversible, Enter the Void and Love, returns with perhaps his most critically-acclaimed work yet.

Following a successful and visually dazzling rehearsal, a dance troupe set about celebrating with a party. But when it becomes apparent that someone has spiked the sangria, the dancers soon begin to turn on each other in an orgiastic frenzy.

Starring Sofia Boutella (The Mummy, Atomic Blonde) and featuring a pulse-pounding score by the likes of Daft Punk, Aphex Twin and Gary Numan, Gaspar Noé's latest offering shows a director at the height of his hallucinatory filmmaking powers.

Ghost in the Shell
1995 89mins Japan (15) Anime
Directed by Mamoru Oshii Starring Akio Ôtsuka, Atsuko Tanaka, Iemasa Kayumi

In this Japanese animation, cyborg federal agent Maj. Motoko Kusanagi (Mimi Woods) trails "The Puppet Master" (Abe Lasser), who illegally hacks into the computerized minds of cyborg-human hybrids. Her pursuit of a man who can modify the identity of strangers leaves Motoko pondering her own makeup and what life might be like if she had more human traits. With her partner (Richard George), she corners the hacker, but her curiosity about her identity sends the case in an unforeseen direction.

Rashomon [Rashômon]
1950 88mins Japan (12A) Drama
Directed by Akira Kurosawa Starring Toshirô Mifune, Machiko Kyo, Masayuki Mori, Toshi

Set in feudal Japan, this film presents an intriguing tale of violent crime in the woods, told from the perspective of four different characters -- a bandit, a woman, her husband and a woodcutter. Only two things about the incident seem to be clear -- the woman was raped and her husband is now dead. However, the other elements radically differ as the four participants and/or witnesses relate their own stories (with the dead man, eerily enough, speaking through a medium). As each account is revealed, what seemed black-and-white turns to various hues of gray, leading to surprising -- and confounding -- revelations.

Pickpocket
1959 74mins France (PG) Crime
Directed by Robert Bresson Starring Martin LaSalle, Marika Green, Jea Pélégri

Uncomplainingly jobless in late-50s Paris, Michel starts stealing from strangers, for reasons unclear even to himself. He spouts vague theories about exceptional individuals being above the law – but is he lost in another world, as Jeanne, a young woman he halfheartedly befriends, tells him?

Intentionally not a thriller but certainly not without suspense, Robert Bresson’s film is profoundly ambivalent about Michel’s ethics, sexuality (he seems aroused by his thefts), his capacity for compassion and his courtship of suspicion in others. His isolation, however, is undeniable. A riveting morality tale reminiscent of both Hitchcock and Dostoevsky, it’s imbued with the director’s distinctive rigour.

Perfect Blue
1997 81mins Japan (18) Anime
Directed by Satoshi Kon| Toshi Starring Junko Iwao, Rica Matsumoto, Shinpachi Tsuji

"THE COLOUR OF ILLUSION IS PERFECT BLUE"

A young Japanese singer is encouraged by her agent to quit singing and pursue an acting career, beginning with a role in a murder mystery TV show.

Ugetsu
1953 97mins Japan (12A) Fantasy
Directed by Kenji Mizoguchi Starring Machiko Kyo, Masayuki Mori, Mitsuko Mito, Kinuyo Tanaka, Sakae Ozawa

By the time he made Ugetsu, Kenji Mizoguchi was already an elder statesman of Japanese cinema, fiercely revered by Akira Kurosawa and other directors of a younger generation. And with this exquisite ghost story, a fatalistic wartime tragedy derived from stories by Akinari Ueda and Guy de Maupassant, he created a touchstone of his art, his long takes and sweeping camera guiding the viewer through a delirious narrative about two villagers whose pursuit of fame and fortune leads them far astray from their loyal wives. Moving between the terrestrial and the otherworldly, Ugetsu reveals essential truths about the ravages of war, the plight of women, and the pride of men.

The Ascent
1977 111mins Soviet Union (12) War
Directed by Larisa Shepitko Starring Boris Plotnikov, Vladimir Gostyukhin, Sergey Yakovlev

The crowning triumph of a career cut tragically short, the final film from Larisa Shepitko won the Golden Bear at the 1977 Berlin Film Festival and went on to be hailed as one of the finest works of late Soviet cinema. In the darkest days of World War II, two partisans set out for supplies to sustain their beleaguered outfit, braving the blizzard-swept landscape of Nazi-occupied Belorussia. When they fall into the hands of German forces and come face-to-face with death, each must choose between martyrdom and betrayal, in a spiritual ordeal that lifts the film's earthy drama to the plane of religious allegory. With stark, visceral cinematography that pits blinding white snow against pitch-black despair, THE ASCENT finds poetry and transcendence in the harrowing trials of war.

Solaris (1972)
1972 167mins Soviet Union (12A) Science Fiction
Directed by Andrei Tarkovsky Starring Natalya Bondarchuk, Donatas Banionis, Jüri Järvet

A psychologist is sent to a station orbiting a distant planet in order to discover what has caused the crew to go insane.

Harakiri
1962 133mins Japan (15) Drama
Directed by Masaki Kobayashi Starring Tatsuya Nakadai, Akira Ishihama, Shima Iwashita

Down-on-his-luck veteran Tsugumo Hanshirō enters the courtyard of the prosperous House of Iyi. Unemployed, and with no family, he hopes to find a place to commit seppuku—and a worthy second to deliver the coup de grâce in his suicide ritual. The senior counselor for the Iyi clan questions the ronin's resolve and integrity, suspecting Hanshirō of seeking charity rather than an honorable end. What follows is a pair of interlocking stories which lay bare the difference between honor and respect, and promises to examine the legendary foundations of the Samurai code.

Breathless [À bout de souffle]
1960 90mins France (12A) Neo Noir
Directed by Jean-Luc Godard Starring Daniel Boulanger, Jean Seberg, Jean-Paul Belmondo

Petty thug Michel (Jean-Paul Belmondo) considers himself a suave bad guy in the manner of Humphrey Bogart, but panics and impulsively kills a policeman while driving a stolen car. On the lam, he turns to his aspiring journalist girlfriend, Patricia (Jean Seberg), hiding out in her Paris apartment while he tries to pull together enough money to get the pair to Italy. But when Patricia learns that her boyfriend is being investigated for murder, she begins to question her loyalties.

Branded To Kill
1967 91mins Japan (18) Action / Crime
Directed by Seijun Suzuki Starring Jô Shishido, Mariko Ogawa, Annu Mari

Seijun Suzuki's delirious 1967 hit-man film has drawn comparisons with contemporaries Le Samourai and Point Blank and influenced directors such as John Woo, Jim Jarmusch and Quentin Tarantino among others.

The story of laconic yakuza Hanada, aka 'No. 3 Killer', the third rated hit-man in Japan who takes an impossible job from the mysterious, death obsessed Misako. Hanada bungles the hit and finds himself the target of his employers and a bullet ridden journey leads him to face the No. 1 Killer.

Shot in cool monochrome with beguiling visuals, Branded to Kill is an effortlessly cool crime film with a jazzy score that caused Suzuki to be fired by the studio's executives but is now rightly recognised as his masterpiece.

Daisies (Sedmikrásky)
1966 76mins Czechoslovakia, Slovakia (15) Comedy
Directed by Vera Chytilová Starring Ivana Karbanová, Jitka Cerhová

After realizing that all world is spoiled, Marie and Marie are committed to be spoiled themselves. They rip off older men, feast in lavish meals and do all kinds of mischief. But what is all this leading to?

Ran
1985 160mins Japan (15) War
Directed by Akira Kurosawa Starring Tatsuya Nakadai, Akira Terao, Jinpachi Nezu

At the age of seventy, after years of consolidating his empire, the Great Lord Hidetora Ichimonji (Tatsuya Nakadai) decides to abdicate and divide his domain amongst his three sons. Taro (Akira Terao), the eldest, will rule. Jiro (Jinpachi Nezu), his second son, and Saburo (Daisuke Ryu) will take command of the Second and Third Castles but are expected to obey and support their elder brother. Saburo defies the pledge of obedience and is banished.

Fallen Angels
1995 99mins Hong Kong (15) Thriller / Romance
Directed by Wong Kar Wai Starring Takeshi Kaneshiro, Leon Lai, Michele Reis, Karen Mok

An assassin goes through obstacles as he attempts to escape his violent lifestyle despite the opposition of his partner, who is secretly attracted to him.

All You Need Is Kill
2025 86mins Japan (15) Anime
Directed by Kenichiro Akimoto Starring Ai Mikami, Natsuki Hanae, Kana Hanazawa

Set in the year 20XX, ALL YOU NEED IS KILL follows the story of Rita, a resourceful but isolated young woman volunteering to help rebuild Japan after the mysterious appearance of a massive alien flower known as “ Darol. ” When Darol unexpectedly erupts in a deadly event, unleashing monstrous creatures that decimate the population, Rita is caught in the destruction — and killed. But then she wakes up again. And again. Caught in an endless time loop, Rita must navigate the trauma and repetition of death until she crosses paths with Keiji, a shy young man trapped in the same cycle. Together, they fight to break free from the loop and find meaning in the chaos around them.

Sentimental Value
2025 133mins Denmark, France, Germany, Norway, Sweden, United Kingdom (15) Drama
Directed by Joachim Trier Starring Renate Reinsve, Stellan Skarsgård, Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, Elle Fanning

Sisters Nora and Agnes reunite with their estranged father, the charismatic Gustav, a once-renowned director who offers stage actress Nora a role in what he hopes will be his comeback film. When Nora turns it down, she soon discovers he has given her part to an eager young Hollywood star.

Winner Cannes Film Festival 2025 Grand Prix

Enter The Void
2009 161mins France (18) Mind F**k
Directed by Gaspar Noé Starring Cyril Roy, Nathaniel Brown, Paz de la Huerta

An American drug dealer living in Tokyo is betrayed by his best friend and killed in a drug deal. His soul, observing the repercussions of his death, seeks resurrection.

Fitzcarraldo
1982 158mins Peru, West Germany (PG) Adventure / Drama
Directed by Werner Herzog Starring Klaus Kinski, Claudia Cardinale, José Lewgoy

Fitzcarraldo tells the story of Brian Sweeney Fitzgerald, a fortune hunter who dreams of bringing opera to the Peruvian jungle.

One of Werner Herzog's most acclaimed films, Fitzcarraldo tells the incredible story of Brian Sweeney Fitzgerald (played by Herzog regular Klaus Kinski), an opera-loving fortune hunter who dreams of bringing opera (specifically Caruso) to a remote trading post in the heart of the Peruvian jungle.

With the help of the beautiful madam Molly (Claudia Cardinale), his loyal crew, and an indigenous tribe, Fitzcarraldo journeys up the rivers of the Amazon hauling his steamship, the Molly Aida, over a mountain in order to access the riches of hitherto unexploited rubber territory. Evocative of the troubled circumstance of its own production, Fitzcarraldo is both a confessional self-portrait of Herzog the adventuring artist and a grandiose paean to those who dare to live out their wildest dreams.

Days
2020 126mins Taiwan (15) Drama
Directed by Tsai Ming-Liang Starring Lee Kang-sheng, Anong Houngheuangsy

Kang lives alone in a big house. Through a glass façade, he looks out onto the treetops lashed by wind and rain. He feels a strange pain of unknown origin which he can hardly bear and which grips his whole body. Non lives in a small apartment in Bangkok where he methodically prepares traditional dishes from his native village. When Kang meets Non in a hotel room, the two men share each other's loneliness.

Happy Together
1997 96mins Hong Kong (15) Romance
Directed by Wong Kar Wai Starring Kwok-Wing, Leslie Cheung, Tony Leung, Tony Leung Chiu-wai

A couple take a trip to Argentina but both men find their lives drifting apart in opposite directions.

Grave of the Fireflies
1988 88mins Japan (12A) Anime
Directed by Isao Takahata Starring Tsutomu Tatsumi, Ayano Shiraishi, Akemi Yamaguchi

When an American air raid kills their mother in the final days of World War II, 14 year-old Seita and his 4 year-old sister Setsuko are left to fend for themselves in the devastated Japanese countryside. After falling out with their only living relative, Seita does his best to provide for himself and his sister by stealing food and making a home in an abandoned bomb shelter. But with food running short, the siblings can only cling to fleeting moments of happiness in their harsh reality. 

“One of the most startling and moving animated films ever”– The New York Times 

“A grim story of love, sacrifice and survival” – The Observer 

“A movie everyone should see” – Screen Rant 

“An emotional experience so powerful that it forces a rethinking of animation” – Roger Ebert 

Two Boxes : La cabina and El televisor w/ Reece Shearsmith Intro
1972 103mins Spain (18) Horror / Comedy
Directed by Antonio Mercero|Narciso Ibañez Serrador Starring José Luis López Vázquez, Agustín González, Narciso Ibáñez Menta, María Fernanda D'Ocón

Spain in the early 1970s was a country in transition, with increasing economic prosperity and the expectations of a growing middle class put in direct conflict with the dying dictatorship regime of Franco, where state surveillance, media censorship and social control was still the norm. Inspired by mystery-horror anthology series such as Alfred Hitchcock Presents and The Twilight Zone, this unique period in history is depicted with terrifying clarity and dark humour in these two infamous television films: La cabina and El televisor.

In Antonio Mercero’s La cabina, a group of officials install a telephone box outside a block of flats. After a man enters to make a phone call, he finds himself unable to leave, attracting the attention of fascinated locals as he grows increasingly desperate to escape. A sensation upon release and a cultural touchstone in Spain to this day, La cabina also developed a huge cult following in the UK after regular screenings on late-night TV.

In El televisor, a man living a dreary suburban life has a simple dream: to possess his own television. When he finally gets his wish, the dream soon becomes a dangerous, all-consuming obsession. Originally a special episode of the hugely popular series Tales to Keep You Awake, written and directed by Narcisco Ibanez Serrandor (Who Can Kill A Child), El televisor’s escalating dread and shocking conclusion still retains its power to shock over 50 years later.

Released on Blu-ray for the first time in the UK by Transmission on 22nd July, this double bill will be released into UK cinemas on June 19th to coincide with Bleak Week, and will receive its premiere screening at the Prince Charles Cinema with an intro from Reece Shearsmith (Inside No 9, The League of Gentlemen). 

Salo, Or The 120 Days of Sodom
1975 117mins France, Italy (18) Arthouse Horror
Directed by Pier Paolo Pasolini Starring Paolo Bonacelli, Giorgio Cataldi, Uberto Paolo Quintavalle, Aldo Valletti, Caterina Boratto, Elsa De Giorgi

Four corrupted fascist libertines round up 9 teenage boys and girls and subject them to 120 days of sadistic physical, mental and sexual torture.

Audition • 4K Restoration UK Theatrical Premiere
1999 115mins Japan (18) Horror
Directed by Takashi Miike Starring Ryo Ishibashi, Eihi Shiina, Tetsu Sawaki

UK Theatrical Premiere of new 4K Restoration, courtesy of Arrow Films

This disturbing Japanese thriller follows Aoyama (Ryo Ishibashi), a widower who decides to start dating again. Aided by a film-producer friend (Miyuki Matsuda), Aoyama uses auditions for a fake production to function as a dating service. When Aoyama becomes intrigued by the withdrawn, gorgeous Asami (Eihi Shiina), they begin a relationship. However, he begins to realise that Asami isn't as reserved as she appears to be, leading to gradually increased tension and a harrowing climax.

The Furious - UK Premiere
2026 114mins Hong Kong (18) Action / Thriller
Directed by Kenji Tanigaki Starring Mo Tse, Joe Taslim, Yang Enyou

After the daughter of Wang Wei is kidnapped by a criminal network and he receives no help from the corrupt police, Wei sets out on a rampage to find her himself. His only ally is Navin – a relentless journalist whose wife has mysteriously disappeared. Fueled by a furious vengeance, the unlikely duo ruthlessly fights against the kidnappers in this explosive martial arts showdown.

Satantango
1994 439mins Hungary (15) Drama
Directed by Béla Tarr Starring Mihaly Vig, János Derzsi, Erika Bók, Miklos B Szekely, Alfred Jarai, Putyi Horvath, Laszlo Lugossy, Eva Almassy Albert, Iren Sza

ALL NIGHTER : FAQs, HOUSE RULES & TIPS

Bela Tarr's seven-hour episodic film. Yes, seven hour.

Presented over three parts with 20-minute breaks between, during Bleak Week, in partnership with American Cinematheque.

The bar will close, and alcohol sales will end at midnight on 20th June 2026. 

Inhabitants of a small village in Hungary deal with the effects of the fall of Communism. The town's source of revenue, a factory, has closed, and the locals await a cash payment offered in the wake of the shuttering. A villager thought to be dead, returns and, unbeknownst to the locals, is a police informant. In a scheme, he persuades the villagers to form a commune with him.

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NO ADMISSIONS TO THE CINEMA AFTER MIDNIGHT

NO ALCOHOL PURCHASED FROM OUTSIDE IS PERMITTED IN THE BUILDING!

AGE RESTRICTIONS : For the All Night Marathon, due to the event running through the night, all attendees must be 16+.

The Green Ray - 40th Anniversary
1986 98mins France (12A) Romance
Directed by Éric Rohmer Starring Marie Rivière, María Luisa García, Vincent Gauthier

Delphine (Marie Rivière) is a beautiful young Parisian who is still smarting from a recent break-up. When a friend nixes their travel plans shortly before the trip, Delphine is left to decide how to spend her holiday. Soon she is dealing with various uncomfortable situations, including a beach getaway where she is the only single person. After attempting a trip to the overcrowded Alps, Delphine entertains more vacation options, but will the restless soul ever find what she's looking for?

Irreversible
2002 97mins France (18) Horror / Thriller
Directed by Gaspar Noé Starring Monica Bellucci, Vincent Cassel, Albert Dupontel

A woman's lover and her ex-boyfriend take justice into their own hands after she becomes the victim of a rapist. Because some acts can't be undone. Because man is an animal. Because the desire for vengeance is a natural impulse. Because most crimes remain unpunished.

Man Bites Dog
1992 95mins Belgium (18) Crime/Comedy
Directed by Rémy Belvaux|André Bonze|Benoit Poelvoorde Starring Benoit Poelvoorde, Jacqueline Poelvoorde Pappaert, Nelly Pappaert, Jenny Drye, Malou Madou, Willy Vandenbroeck

The activities of rampaging, indiscriminate serial killer Ben are recorded by a willingly complicit documentary team, who eventually become his accomplices and active participants. Ben provides casual commentary on the nature of his work and arbitrary musings on topics of interest to him, such as music or the conditions of low-income housing, and even goes so far as to introduce the documentary crew to his family. But their reckless indulgences soon get the better of them.

The Mother and the Whore
1973 215mins France (15) Psychological Drama
Directed by Jean Eustache Starring Bernadette Lafont, Jean-Pierre Léaud, Françoise Lebrun

After the French New Wave, the sexual revolution, and May '68 came The Mother and the Whore, the legendary, autobiographical magnum opus by Jean Eustache that captured a disillusioned generation navigating the post-idealism 1970s within the microcosm of a ménage à trois. The aimless, clueless, Parisian pseudo-intellectual Alexandre (Jean-Pierre Léaud) lives with his tempestuous older girlfriend, Marie (Bernadette Lafont), and begins a dalliance with the younger, sexually liberated Veronika (Françoise Lebrun, Eustache's own former lover), leading to a volatile open relationship marked by everyday emotional violence and subtle but catastrophic shifts in power dynamics. Transmitting his own sex life to the screen with a startling immediacy, Eustache achieves an intimacy so deep it cuts.

All About Lily Chou-Chou
2001 146mins Japan (15) Crime / Thriller
Directed by Shunji Iwai Starring Hayato Ichihara, Yû Aoi, Shûgo Oshinari, Ayumi Ito, Takao Ohsawa, Miwako Ichikawa, Izumi Inamori, Yû Aoii

For kids around the world, music is often the only salvation when the pain and anxiety of teenage life becomes too much to bear. Yuichi (Hayato Ichihara) is in the 8th grade and he worships Lily Chou-Chou, a Bjork-like chanteuse whose epic music is lush and transcendent. Yuichi only lives for Lily Chou-Chou's big Tokyo concert, where the lies and violence can be washed away by the presence of his goddess and her powerful music. But fate has yet another obstacle in store for Lily's devoted fan.

Funeral Parade presents 'In a Year of 13 Moons'
1978 124mins West Germany (18) Drama
Directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder Starring Volker Spengler, Ingrid Caven, Gottfried John

Elvira Weishaupt, once a burly working-class butcher, has made an enormous sacrifice for love. She has undergone a sex change for a romantic interest who has abandoned her, and she now must struggle to reconcile her past life with her present identity.

A Better Tomorrow
1986 95mins Hong Kong (18) Action / Crime
Directed by John Woo Starring Ti Lung, Chow Yun-Fat, Leslie Cheung

A reforming ex-gangster tries to reconcile with his estranged policeman brother, but the ties to his former gang are difficult to break.

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
1966 180mins Italy, Spain, USA, West Germany (18) Western
Directed by Sergio Leone Starring Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef, Eli Wallach

While the Civil War rages on between the Union and the Confederacy, three men – a quiet loner, a ruthless hitman, and a Mexican bandit – comb the American Southwest in search of a strongbox containing $200,000 in stolen gold.

Godzilla [Gojira]
1954 96mins Japan (PG) Kaiju
Directed by Ishirô Honda Starring Akihiko Hirata, Akira Takarada, Takashi Shimura

Godzilla is the roaring granddaddy of all monster movies. It’s also a remarkably humane and melancholy drama, made in Japan at a time when the country was reeling from nuclear attack and H-bomb testing in the Pacific. Its rampaging radioactive beast, the poignant embodiment of an entire population’s fears, became a beloved international icon of destruction, spawning almost thirty sequels.

The Spirit of the Beehive
1973 99mins Spain (PG) Drama
Directed by Víctor Erice Starring Fernando Fernán Gómez, Teresa Gimpera, Ana Torrent

In a small Castilian village in 1940, in the wake of Spain's devastating civil war, six-year-old Ana attends a traveling movie show of Frankenstein and becomes possessed by the memory of it. Produced as Franco's long regime was nearing its end and widely regarded as the greatest Spanish film of the 1970s, The Spirit of the Beehive is a bewitching portrait of a child's haunted inner life and one of the most visually arresting movies ever made.

Memories of Murder [Salinui chueok]
2003 132mins South Korea (15) Crime / Thriller
Directed by Bong Joon Ho Starring Kang-ho Song, Sang-kyung Kim, Roe-ha Kim

In 1986, Park (Song Kang-ho) and Cho (Kim Roi-ha) are two simple-minded detectives assigned to a double murder investigation in a South Korean province. But when the murderer strikes several more times with the same pattern, the detectives realize that they are chasing the country's first documented serial killer. Relying on only their basic skills and tools, Park and Jo attempt to piece together the clues and solve the case in this thriller based on true events.

Good Morning [Ohayo]
1959 94mins Japan (U) Comedy / Drama
Directed by Yasujirō Ozu Starring Chishū Ryū, Masahiko Shimazu, Keiji Sada, Yoshiko Kuga, Kuniko Miyake

A lighthearted take on director Yasujiro Ozu's perennial theme of the challenges of inter­generational relationships, Good Morning tells the story of two young boys who stop speaking in protest after their parents refuse to buy a television set. Ozu weaves a wealth of subtle gags through a family portrait as rich as those of his dramatic films, mocking the foibles of the adult world through the eyes of his child protagonists. Shot in stunning color and set in a suburb of Tokyo where housewives gossip about the neighbors' new washing machine and unemployed husbands look for work as door-to-door salesmen, this charming comedy refashions Ozu's own silent classic I Was Born, But . . . to gently satirize consumerism in postwar Japan.

The Raid
2011 101mins Indonesia (18) Action
Directed by Gareth Huw Evans Starring Donny Alamsyah, Iko Uwais, Joe Taslim, Ray Sahetapy, Yayan Ruhian

A S.W.A.T. team becomes trapped in a tenement run by a ruthless mobster and his army of killers and thugs.

The Human Condition - Part 1 - No Greater Love
1959 208mins Japan (15) Drama
Directed by Masaki Kobayashi Starring Tatsuya Nakadai, Michiyo Aratama

First of a trilogy of films. During the Second World War, a Japanese conscientious objector named Kaji works as a supervisor in a Manchurian prison camp. He hopes to avoid duty as a soldier, but he also hopes to be helpful to the welfare of his prisoners. An escape attempt by Chinese prisoners results in Kaji's arrest for collusion. He faces the possibility of transferral to combat--or worse.

The Human Condition - Part 2 - Road to Eternity
1959 180mins Japan (15) Drama
Directed by Masaki Kobayashi Starring Tatsuya Nakadai, Michiyo Aratama

Second part of a trilogy. Conscientious objector Kaji, now forced to serve in the Japanese army during the Second World War, helps a friend defect to the Russians and nearly goes with him. But despite his opposition to war, Kaji does his best to serve as help and guide to the men in his charge, most of whom are doomed to fall to the relentless attack of Russian armored divisions.

The Human Condition - Part 3 - A Soldier's Prayer
1961 190mins Japan (15) Drama
Directed by Masaki Kobayashi Starring Tatsuya Nakadai, Michiyo Aratama

Part three of a trilogy. After the Japanese defeat to the Russians in the last episode, Kaji, the Japanese soldier and humanistic protagonist, leads the last remaining men through Manchuria. Intent on returning to his dear wife and his old life, Kaji faces great odds in a variety of different harrowing circumstances as he and his fellow men sneak behind enemy lines.