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The Prince Charles Cinema

Travel the globe from the comfort of your PCC seat with masterpieces, discoveries and essential works from every corner of the cinematic world.

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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.

Angel's Egg
1985 71mins Japan (12A) Anime
Directed by Mamoru Oshii Starring Keiichi Noda, Mako Hyodo, Jinpachi Nezu

In an underwater city, a young girl takes care of a large egg she holds carefully in her arms. A boy with a gun arrives in search of a bird he saw in his dream. At first, it seems as if feelings of sympathy are developing between the two.

Forty years after the film’s original release, Anime Limited is proud to present an all-new 4K restoration of the film, supervised by director Mamoru Oshii, in cinemas nationwide for the very first time.

The film is a creative collaboration between acclaimed director Mamoru Oshii (Ghost in the Shell), who wrote and directed the feature, and revered artist Yoshitaka Amano (Final Fantasy, Vampire Hunter D). The film beautifully intertwines Oshii’s thematic reflections on philosophy and theology with Amano’s distinctive ink painting style, culminating in an arrestingly beautiful hand-drawn allegorical fantasy.

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..

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.  

The Time Masters
1982 79mins France (PG) Animation / Sci-Fi
Directed by René Laloux Starring Jean Valmont, Michel Elias, Frédéric Legros

Directed by visionary science-fiction animator René Laloux (Fantastic Planet) and designed by the legendary Jean Giraud (a.k.a. Mœbius) The Time Masters is a visually fantastic foray into existentialist space adventure. After his parents are killed on the dangerous planet Perdide, young Piel (voiced by Frédéric Legros) survives by maintaining radio contact with Jaffar (Jean Valmont), a pilot transporting the exiled Prince Matton (Yves-Marie Maurin) and Princess Belle (Monique Thierry) from their former kingdom. Jaffar seeks the help of Silbad (Michel Elias), a cheerful old-timer who knows how to circumvent Perdide’s hazards, including brain-devouring insects and watery graves. Along the way, Jaffar and company encounter a pair of impish homunculi stowaways, identity-less angels controlled by an amorphous hive mind, and the Masters of Time, mysterious beings who can bend reality and perhaps reveal to the heroes their secret origins and destinies.

Restored in 4K in 2023 at the initiative of CITE FILMS in collaboration with the Fondazione Cineteca di Bologna and with the support of the CNC

Evangelion: Death (True)² + The End of Evangelion : Double Feature
1998 156mins Japan (15) Anime
Directed by Hideaki Anno Starring Megumi Hayashibara, Megumi Ogata, Yuko Miyamura

EVANGELION: DEATH (TRUE)²: A recap of the first 24 episodes of Neon Genesis Evangelion. Fifteen years after the Second Impact, apathetic teen Shinji joins his father's group NERV to fight the Angels. But the truth may destroy them all.

THE END OF EVANGELION: Concurrent theatrical ending of the TV series Neon Genesis Evangelion (1995). Seele orders an all-out attack on NERV, aiming to destroy the Evas before Gendo can trigger Third Impact and Instrumentality under his control.

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.

Love Exposure
2001 237mins Japan (18) Comedy
Directed by Sion Sono Starring Takahiro Nishijima, Hikari Mitsushima, Sakura Andô

The story of a teenage boy named Yu, who falls for Yoko, a girl he runs into while working as an "up-skirt" photographer in an offshoot of the porn industry. His attempts to woo her are complicated by a spot of cross-dressing – which convinces Yoko that she is lesbian – dalliances with kung-fu and crime, and a constant struggle with the guilt that's a legacy of his Catholic upbringing.

Contains very strong bloody violence and sex references
 

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.

Who Can Kill a Child?
1976 111mins Spain (18) Horror / Mystery
Directed by Narciso Ibañez Serrador Starring Lewis Fiander, Prunella Ransome, Antonio Iranzo

Tom and Evelyn (Lewis Fiander and Prunella Ransome), a young couple from England, plan an idyllic getaway to a remote Spanish island, in anticipation of the birth of their third child.

When they arrive, they find their destination almost entirely deserted, with the exception of a number of children, all of whom are acting strangely.  When the couple begin to find evidence of a number of atrocities on the island, they quickly find themselves embroiled in a terrifying battle for survival, as well as being forced to confront a previously unthinkable question…

Directed by Narciso Ibáñez Serrador (El televisor, The House That Screamed), the legendary master of horror dubbed the ‘Spanish Hitchcock’, Who Can Kill A Child? is his undisputed masterpiece, an extreme and unbearably tense work that remains deeply shocking in its disregard for societal taboos. With a cult reputation that has continued to grow among genre aficionados since its release in 1976, Who Can Kill A Child? is now considered not just as a landmark work of Euro-horror, but as one of the greatest horror films ever made (Slant Magazine).

Content warning: Please be aware that this version of the film contains a restored eight-minute documentary prologue composed of real archival footage of children suffering in global conflicts including The Holocaust, The Vietnam War and the Nigerian Civil War. The filmmakers included it to underline how adults have historically used and harmed children as helpless victims of conflict, but the use of real-life tragedies has proved controversial and disturbing for audiences.

Presented from a brand-new 4K restoration of the film courtesy of Radiance Films.

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

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?

Whisper of the Heart
1995 111mins Japan (U) Anime
Directed by Yoshifumi Kondô Starring Yoko Honna, Issei Takahashi, Takashi Tachibana

Discover the brilliance of this heartwarming coming-of-age classic from the legendary Studio Ghibli, creators of My Neighbour Totoro and the Academy Award®-winning Spirited Away.

A chance encounter with a mysterious cat sends Shizuku, a girl with her head in the clouds, on a quest for her true talent. Together with Seiji, a boy determined to follow his dreams, and enchanted by The Baron, an antique cat figurine who guides her to listen to the whispers of her heart, Shizuku embarks on a life-changing adventure that takes her beyond the boundaries of her imagination. Based on a screenplay and storyboards from Hayao Miyazaki, WHISPER OF THE HEART is a precious gem in the Studio Ghibli catalogue, directed by veteran animator Yoshifumi Kondo.

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.

Gandahar
1987 83mins France (12A) Animation / Sci-Fi
Directed by René Laloux Starring Catherine Chevallier, Pierre-Marie Escourrou, Anny Duperey

An entire civilisation must confront its destiny in alternative-animation pioneer René Laloux's final feature, a cult classic of mind-bending science fiction. In a distant world, a merciless army of automata attacks Gandahar, turning its peace-loving people to stone. Hoping to discover the source of these Men of Metal, a council of matriarchs enlists the brave yet inexperienced warrior Sylvain (Pierre-Marie Escourro), who, while journeying through his planet's outer regions, teams up with the Deformed, a race cast out from Gandahar after failed science experiments rendered them mutants. Soon, Sylvain learns that a gargantuan brain called Metamorphis (Georges Wilson) is responsible for his utopian society's strife and—together with the beautiful Airelle (Catherine Chevallier)—travels through time to defeat him, in the process risking their lives and Gandahar's very existence. Featuring stunningly surreal creatures and wondrously bizarre environments designed by renowned comic-book artist Caza, Gandahar is a visceral, visionary head-trip in which animation opens a gateway to the furthest reaches of the imagination.

Arrietty
2010 94mins Japan (U) Anime
Directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi Starring Mirai Shida, Tomokazu Miura, Shinobu Ohtake

From the creators of Spirited Away and Ponyo, and Academy Award®-nominated director Hiromasa Yonebayashi, comes a gorgeous and adventure-filled adaptation of The Borrowers, one of the most beloved children’s books of all time.
 
In a secret world hidden beneath the floorboards, tiny people called Borrowers live out of sight of humans. But when brave Arrietty is out gathering supplies, she is discovered by Shawn, a human boy, and they begin to form a friendship that blossoms into a heartwarming adventure.

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.

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.

Ikiru
1952 143mins Japan (PG) Drama
Directed by Akira Kurosawa Starring Takashi Shimura, Nobuo Kaneko, Shin'ichi Himori

Mr. Watanabe suddenly finds that he has terminal cancer. He vows to make his final days meaningful. His attempts to communicate his anguish to his son and daughter-in-law lead only to heartbreak. Finally, inspired by an unselfish co-worker, he turns his efforts to bringing happiness to others by building a playground in a dreary slum neighborhood. When the park is finally completed, he is able to face death with peaceful acceptance.

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.

A Confucian Confusion
1994 125mins Taiwan (18) Comedy
Directed by Edward Yang Starring Chen Shiang-chyi, Chen Yi-wen, Danny Deng

Art versus commerce, friendship versus status, independence versus conformity—values clash and collide in Edward Yang's study of an increasingly Westernized country heading into the twenty-first century without moral guideposts. Moving from breakout hit A Brighter Summer Day's investigation of the past to a critical survey of the present, A Confucian Confusion charts the tangled web of emotional and professional manipulations among a group of young urbanites. At its center is Molly (Ni Shu-chun), director of a floundering public-relations firm. Alienated by the childish fiancé (Bosen Wang) who bankrolls her enterprise—and frustrated by the demands of an assistant, Qiqi (Chen Shiang-chyi), and her own fiancé, Ming (Wang Wei-ming)—Molly lashes out at everyone in her path and threatens to dismantle the company altogether. Meanwhile (amid several other subplots), Molly's talk-show-host sister (Chen Li-mei) attempts to dissuade her separated husband from continuing to write a dark novel about the return of Confucius to a jaded modern society. Injecting comedic elements into his patented brand of earnest soul-searching, Yang finds humor as well as pathos in the desperate behavior of a lost and lonely generation.

My Neighbor Totoro
1988 87mins Japan (U) Anime
Directed by Hayao Miyazaki Starring Hitoshi Takagi, Noriko Hidaka, Toshi, Chika Sakamoto

Satsuki and Mei's mother has taken ill. In order to be closer to her while she recovers in a rural convalescent hospital, their father moves the two sisters from their home in a city to the countryside. The house they move into is a ramshackle old place in the shadow of an ancient camphor tree, and Satsuki and Mei embark on adventures with the wondrous forest spirits who live nearby.

The Worst Person in the World
2022 128mins Denmark, 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.

2046
2004 128mins Hong Kong (12A) Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Directed by Wong Kar Wai Starring Gong Li, Tony Leung Chiu Wai, Ping Lam Siu, Carina Lau, Zhang Ziyi, Chen Chang, Tony Leung, Takuya Kimura, Faye Wong, Maggie Cheung, Wang Su

Wong Kar Wai’s loose sequel to In the Mood for Love combines that film’s languorous air of romantic longing with a dizzying time-hopping structure and avant-sci-fi twist. Tony Leung Chiu Wai reprises his role as writer Chow Mo-Wan, whose numerous failed relationships with women who drift in and out of his life (and the one who goes in and out of room 2046, down the hall from his apartment) inspire the delirious futuristic love story he pens. 2046’s dazzling fantasy sequences give Wong and two of his key collaborators—cinematographer Christopher Doyle and editor/costume designer/production designer William Chang Suk Ping—license to let their imaginations run wild, propelling the sumptuous visuals and operatic emotions skyward toward the sublime.


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.

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.

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.

A Tale of Winter
114mins (15) Romance/Comedy
Directed by Éric Rohmer Starring Charlotte Véry, Frédéric van den Driessche, Michel Voletti

Felicie and Charles have a whirlwind holiday romance. Due to a mix-up on addresses they lose contact, and five years later at Christmas-time Felicie is living with her mother in a cold Paris with a daughter as a reminder of that long-ago summer. For male companionship she oscillates between hairdresser Maxence and the intellectual Loic, but seems unable to commit to either as the memory of Charles and what might have been hangs over everything.

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.

Wings of Desire [Der Himmel über Berlin]
1987 128mins France, Germany, West Germany (12A) Drama
Directed by Wim Wenders Starring Bruno Ganz, Solveig Dommartin, Otto Sander

Two angels, Damiel (Bruno Ganz) and Cassiel (Otto Sander), glide through the streets of Berlin, observing the bustling population, providing invisible rays of hope to the distressed but never interacting with them. When Damiel falls in love with lonely trapeze artist Marion (Solveig Dommartin), the angel longs to experience life in the physical world, and finds--with some words of wisdom from actor Peter Falk (playing himself) -- that it might be possible for him to take human form.

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.

Raise the Red Lantern
1991 125mins China, Hong Kong (12A) Drama
Directed by Zhang Yimou Starring Gong Li, He Saifei, Cao Cuifen

Celebrating its 35th Anniversary. Raise the Red Lantern is about nineteen-year-old Songlian, a promising student whose family has been destroyed by her father’s death, is forced to abandon her studies and marry into wealth, becoming the fourth and newest concubine of the aging, unseen Master Chen. Inside his walled estate, she discovers a household ruled by a merciless ritual: each night, red lanterns are lit outside the chambers of whichever wife the master chooses to visit, granting her privilege and status while the others are cast into cold irrelevance. Songlian is drawn into the orbit of her rivals, each shaped by years of fighting for the same scraps of attention. Determined at first to rise above the games, Songlian is gradually worn down by isolation and humiliation until she strikes back, trading secrets and favours to secure her place in Master Chen’s hierarchy. As petty cruelty turns even more dire, Songlian is forced to confront what these desperate measures will cost her soul.

“As visually striking as it is dramatically effective,” Zhang Yimou’s Academy Award-nominated and BAFTA-winning Raise the Red Lantern sumptuously captures 1920s China while “subtly exploring the politics of power and control” (Janet Maslin, The New York Times). One of international cinema’s greatest stars of the era, Gong Li is “nuanced and understated” (Chicago Reader) as the stifled young woman forced into a repressive world of concubinage. Newly restored, the film stands as one of the defining works of Fifth Generation Chinese cinema and international film of the 1990s.

The 4K restoration of Raise the Red Lantern was carried out by the Udine Far East Film Festival on the occasion of its 26th edition. The original image and sound negatives were used under the supervision of Director Zhang Yimou. The vintage positive copy, presented at the 1991 Venice International Film Festival and preserved at the Venice Biennale’s Historical Archive of Contemporary Arts, was used for colour reference. The restoration was made in 2024 at L’Immagine Ritrovata (Hong Kong – Bologna)

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.

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.

Howl's Moving Castle
2004 119mins Japan (U) Anime
Directed by Hayao Miyazaki Starring Chieko Baishô, Takuya Kimura, Tatsuya Gashûin

From the legendary Studio Ghibli, creators of Spirited Away, and acclaimed director Hayao Miyazaki, comes the Academy Award®-nominated fantasy adventure for the whole family.

Sophie, a quiet girl working in a hat shop, finds her life thrown into turmoil when she is literally swept off her feet by a handsome but mysterious wizard named Howl. The vain and vengeful Witch of the Waste, jealous of their friendship, puts a curse on Sophie and turns her into a 90-year-old woman. On a quest to break the spell, Sophie climbs aboard Howl’s magnificent moving castle and into a new life of wonder and adventure. But as the true power of Howl’s wizardry is revealed, Sophie finds herself fighting to protect them both from a dangerous war of sorcery that threatens their world.

Werckmeister Harmonies
2000 146mins Hungary (12A) Drama
Directed by Ágnes Hranitzky|Béla Tarr Starring Hanna Schygulla, Lars Rudolph, Peter Fitz

A naive young man witnesses an escalation of violence in his small hometown following the arrival of a mysterious circus attraction.

Woman In The Dunes
1964 127mins Japan (15) Psychological Thriller
Directed by Hiroshi Teshigahara Starring Eiji Okada, Kyoko Kishida

An entomologist misses the last bus home and spends the night sharing a young widow’s desert shack, only to find the next morning that he’s unable to leave. He soon becomes psychologically and erotically entangled in her strange existence, which includes a daily ritual of shovelling away endlessly drifting sand. 

Winner of a Special Jury Prize at Cannes in 1964 and nominated for two Academy Awards for Best Foreign Film and Best Director, the film combines an extremely erotic drama with a terrifically gripping thriller. Adapted from Kobe Abe’s novel by acclaimed director Hiroshi Teshigahara, the film also features startling high-contrast black and white photography from Hiroshi Segawa and a superb minimalist score by Toru Takemitsu.

Amores Perros
2000 154mins Mexico (18) Psychological Drama
Directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu Starring Gael García Bernal, Emilio Echevarría, Goya Toledo

The lives of three people in Mexico City become fatefully interlinked, creating a patchwork of violence at all levels: A lad from the roughest part of town becomes an amateur dog-fighter to make money, a supermodel is seriously injured, leaving her career in the balance, and a homeless assassin finally questions his client's intentions, as they all struggle to find love when their lives are transformed by one devastating car crash that has endless repercussions.

Leviathan
2014 141mins Russia (15) Crime
Directed by Andrey Zvyagintsev Starring Aleksey Serebryakov, Elena Lyadova, Vladimir Vdovichenkov

In a Russian coastal town, Kolya is forced to fight the corrupt mayor when he is told that his house will be demolished. He recruits a lawyer friend to help, but the man's arrival brings further misfortune for Kolya and his family.

La bola negra
160mins France, Spain (15) War
Directed by Javier Ambrossi|Javier Calvo Starring Guitarricadelafuente , Miguel Bernardeau, Carlos González

The intertwined lives of three men in three different eras, three lives intimately linked by sexuality and desire, pain, and legacy.

The Double Life of Véronique
1991 98mins France, Norway, Poland (15) Drama
Directed by Krzysztof Kieslowski Starring Irène Jacob, Halina Gryglaszewska, Philippe Volter

Véronique is a beautiful young French woman who aspires to be a renowned singer; Weronika lives in Poland, has a similar career goal and looks identical to Véronique, though the two are not related. The film follows both women as they contend with the ups and downs of their individual lives, with Véronique embarking on an unusual romance with Alexandre Fabbri, a puppeteer who may be able to help her with her existential issues.

Portrait of a Lady on Fire
2020 122mins France (15) Romance/Drama
Directed by Céline Sciamma Starring Noémie Merlant, Adèle Haenel, Luàna Bajrami

On an isolated island in Brittany at the end of the eighteenth century, a female painter is obliged to paint a wedding portrait of a young woman.

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.

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

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.

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

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.

Querelle
1982 109mins France, West Germany (18) Erotic Drama
Directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder Starring Brad Davis, Franco Nero, Jeanne Moreau

French sailor Querelle arrives in Brest and starts frequenting a strange whorehouse. He discovers that his brother Robert is the lover of the lady owner, Lysiane. Here, you can play dice with Nono, Lysiane's husband: if you win, you are allowed to make love with Lysiane; if you lose, you have to make love with Nono... Querelle loses on purpose.

Floating Clouds [Ukigumo]
1955 123mins Japan (12A) Romance/Drama
Directed by Mikio Naruse Starring Hideko Takamine, Masayuki Mori, Mariko Okada

A married Japanese forester during WWII is sent to Indochina to manage forests. He meets a young Japanese typist and promises to leave his wife. He doesn't and after the war, she turns up and the affair resumes.

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.

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.

The Battle of Algiers
1966 121mins (15) War
Directed by Gillo Pontecorvo Starring Brahim Hadjadj, Jean Martin, Yacef Saâdi

Paratrooper commander Colonel Mathieu, a former French Resistance fighter during World War II, is sent to Algeria to reinforce efforts to squelch the uprisings of the Algerian War. There he faces Ali la Pointe, a former petty criminal who, as the leader of the Algerian Front de Liberation Nationale, directs terror strategies against the colonial French government occupation. As each side resorts to ever-increasing brutality, no violent act is too unthinkable.

Fatherland
2026 82mins France, Germany, Italy, Poland (12A) Drama
Directed by Paweł Pawlikowski Starring Sandra Hüller, Hanns Zischler, August Diehl

At the height of the Cold War, the writer Thomas Mann and his daughter—actress, writer, and rally driver—Erika embark on a road trip in a black Buick cruiser across a divided Germany in ruins, traveling from the Allied-occupied city of Frankfurt to Soviet-controlled Weimar.

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.

Chungking Express
1994 101mins Hong Kong (12A) 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.

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).

Rome, Open City
1945 104mins Italy (12A) Thriller / Drama
Directed by Roberto Rossellini Starring Aldo Fabrizi, Anna Magnani, Marcello Pagliero, Harry Feist

Roberto Rossellini’s landmark of Italian neorealism often cited as one of the greatest films ever made.

A landmark of Italian neorealism often cited as one of the greatest films ever made, Roberto Rossellini’s portrait of life under the Nazi Occupation remains remarkable for its sheer immediacy, tension and power.

Made in extraordinarily straitened circumstances immediately after the liberation of Rome, the film follows Manfredi (Marcello Pagliero), a partisan leader, as he attempts to evade the Gestapo by enlisting the help of Pina (Anna Magnani) fiancée of a fellow member of the underground resistance, and Don Pietro (Aldo Fabrizi), the priest due to oversee her marriage. Both Fabrizi and Magnani were well known comedic actors and perform magnificently against type. Shot both on the ravaged streets and in the studio, Rome, Open City seamlessly blends sequences reminiscent of documentary with more conventional dramatic scenes notable for their pace, precise staging and affectingly naturalistic performances. Its emotional punch remains undiminished.

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".

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.

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.

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.

Infernal Affairs
2002 101mins Hong Kong (15) Crime / Thriller
Directed by Alan Mak|Andrew Lau Starring Andy Lau, Anthony Wong, Eric Tsang, Tony Leung

Idealistic police cadet Chan Wing-Yan (Tony Leung) is recruited by Police Superintendant Wong (Anthony Wong) to go deep undercover as a member of the criminal Triad society. Into the same cadet class, crime boss Hon Sam (Eric Tsang) installs new Triad member Lau Kin Ming (Andy Lau) to become a long-term mole for the gang. A decade later, both have risen through the ranks in their respective aliases -- but when both of their covers are in danger of being blown, a game of life and death ensues.

When a Woman Ascends the Stairs [Onna ga kaidan wo agaru toki]
1960 111mins Japan (PG) Drama
Directed by Mikio Naruse Starring Hideko Takamine, Tatsuya Nakadai, Masayuki Mori

Keiko, whom everyone calls Mama, narrates her story: she's a hostess on the Ginza, 30, a widow. She describes life's vicious cycle: acting cheerful around drunks, dressing and living well to convey confidence, needing money for these expenses and for her demanding mother and brother, and knowing she's growing older.

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.

Sentimental Value
2025 133mins Denmark, Norway, Sweden (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

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.

Throne of Blood [Kumonosu-jô]
1957 110mins Japan (12A) Drama
Directed by Akira Kurosawa Starring Toshirô Mifune, Minoru Chiaki, Isuzu Yamada

Returning to their lord's castle, samurai warriors Washizu and Miki are waylaid by a spirit who predicts their futures. When the first part of the spirit's prophecy comes true, Washizu's scheming wife, Asaji, presses him to speed up the rest of the spirit's prophecy by murdering his lord and usurping his place. Director Akira Kurosawa's resetting of William Shakespeare's “Macbeth” in feudal Japan is one of his most acclaimed films.

The Taste of Tea
2004 143mins Japan (15) Comedy / Fantasy
Directed by Katsuhito Ishii Starring Maya Suzuno, Takahiro Sato, Tadanobu Asano

Filmmaker Katsuhito Ishii takes a break from the post-Tarantino excess of such highly-stylized outings as Shark Skin Man and Peach Hip Girl for this low-key look at an eccentric family residing in a quiet countryside town just north of Tokyo.

The Haruno family is a five-piece clan living the simple life in Japan. The summer sun shining gently down, this quiet quintet is transformed into a six-piece when urban-dwelling uncle Ayano (Tadanobu Asano), a successful music producer, arrives to visit his family and confront his feelings for the ex-girlfriend who married another man after Ayano moved to the city.

As the lazy days pass by, each member of the family is followed in a series of episodic vignettes.