Selam - Sunday 27th October 5pm

In Anatolia 25 years ago, twelve idealist teachers left their home country to take their teaching skills to countries with poor education. This Sunday's film tells the story of three of these people, Harun, Zehra and Adem. Harun goes to Senegal and Zehra to war-torn Afghanistan, whilst Adem finds himself in Boznia Herzegovnia, leaving his pregnant wife behind in Turkey.

In The Fog - Sunday 20th October 5pm

This week's film promises to be a thing of beauty, whilst giving us plenty to think about too.  "In the Fog" is "one of the best Russian films to open in Britain over the past decade" , says Philip French in the Guardian. The story is a moral maze set in occupied Belarus in 1942, where anyone might turn out to be a friend or an enemy. Is our hero Sushenya - who  himself can trust no-one in the fog of war - a true partisan, or a traitor to the cause?  Visually, the cinematographer Oleg Mutu gets highly praised for producing beautiful long takes with muted colours through the fog of the Belarussian forests.  For the Director Sergei Loznitsa, this is his second film to be nominated for the Palme D'Or at Cannes.  A good story, well acted, beautifully photographed with award-winning direction; an evening to look forward to, then.

Sleep Tight - Sunday 13th October 5pm

For those of us still quaking from Luis Tosar's performance in Cell 211 (and only slightly mollified by the gentler side of him in Even the Rain), heart rates are likely to be raised again by his appearance in Sleep Tight. Philip French in the Observer said "Sleep Tight, is a psychological thriller set in a slightly superior but shabby art nouveau apartment house, also in Barcelona, which is at the mercy of an embittered concierge, César Marcos (Luis Tosar), a sad psychopath on the brink of middle age. César has it in for the world and especially the tenants he's supposed to be helping, and the picture is a frightening study of unmotivated malevolence."

Directed by Jaume Balguero, who has previously directed two movies also set within apartment blocks, Total Film sums up Sleep Tight as "Clever suspense cinema with a gleam in its eye and ice in its heart from an emergent Spanish A-lister. Hitchcock himself would be proud, and maybe shocked"

Running time is 105 minutes giving a finish time of around 6.50pm.

Broken - Sunday 6th October 5:00 PM

This season we are having 4 films by new British directors. The first one is from Rufus Norris this week - 'Broken'. Technically Norris has directed before, but only for the theatre - 'London Road'. This film has brought him nominations for 'Best British Newcomer' and 'European Discovery of the Year', so it promises to be good. Add to this the acting of Tim Roth, Rory Kinnear and Cillian Murphy (recently playing Thomas Shelby in 'Peaky Blinders' if you have been watching it) and we should be in for a good night!

The story follows the real actions behind a seemingly ordinary suburb in North London. The innocent world of a young girl (played by newcomer Eloise Lawrence, also to great acclaim) is gradually stripped away by what she witnesses.

A good British Indie drama, by all accounts; 'Broken is a valuable showcase for an outstanding up-and-coming talent, and Laurence is an actor to watch' - Peter Bradshaw, Guardian. Let's hope we enjoy watching it.

White Elephant - Sunday 29th September 5pm

Our second film of the season is another in the increasingly impressive run of films from South America. White Elephant is a film by Argentine Director, Pablo Trapero (Carancho and Lion’s Den), set in a Buenos Aires slum. It stars Ricardo Darin (The Secret in their Eyes) and the Darnelle Brothers favourite, Jeremie Renier (The Kid With A Bike, In Bruges). Add in a Michael Nyman score and this is classic KFC fare.

It has been critically acclaimed:

In this unique and impressive drama Argentinian filmmaker Pablo Trapero invites us into the lives of a team of dedicated Catholic priests, led by Father Julian, who work with and live amongst gang members, drug addicts and outcasts in a huge slum in Buenos Aires. Just as these Fathers have chosen to fully face the reality of one of the world’s dark places rather than opting for an easier life, Trapero and his co-writers dive fully into wrestling with the grey areas and compromised principles that, in this context, become inescapable for these men of faith; it makes for a rich and satisfying character study. 

Paul Gallagher – List film

Produced on a grand scale, this powerhouse of a movie recounts a true story with skill and artistry, highlighting an extremely volatile situation and the brave people who put themselves in the middle of it. And fiery performances make it very moving.......
It's such a tough, messy, thoroughly authentic story that we can't help but be swept up in the escalating crisis. And along the way we are challenged to try to make a difference somewhere ourselves.

 Rich Cline – Shadows on the Wall