"With humour blacker than black bean noodles, the film is a masterful work of cinema which might well be Chan-wook’s masterpiece. And given this is the man who directed The Handmaiden that’s saying a lot." - John Bleasdale, Time Out
"As cinema, 'The Voice of Hind Rajab' is formally extraordinary, superbly acted, beautifully shot, and shaped and edited with rare urgency" - Leila Latif, Little White Lies.
Another Cannes prize winner for you, the Grand Prize went to Sentimental Value and the film also has 8 BAFTA and 9 Oscar nominations. The BAFTA Awards are taking place the same evening as our screening so you'll be able to find out what it won after the film.
It's a movie that sneaks up on you like great fiction, blending theme and character in a way that allows it to live in your mind after you see it, rolling around what it means to both the people in it and your own life" - Brian Tallerico, RogerEbert.com.
Another Members' Choice this Sunday with Rental Family. The 'dicey premise' is an out-of-work American actor, Phillip (Brendan Fraser), living in Japan, is offered a job: being hired out to pretend to be a friend or a family member - his first role is to be a mourner at a funeral. Why is he doing this? Because in Japan this actually happens! The comedy is very real, but so is the pathos - why would anybody hire someone to pretend to be their groom at a wedding..?
“This is gentle, crowd-pleasing drama comedy powered by Fraser’s heroic comeback. It won’t break your heart — but it might quietly mend a small piece of it.” - Linda Marric, HeyUGuys
The first of our BAFTA and Oscar nominated Best Films Not In The English Language is IT WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT, the latest and many are saying one of the best films from Jafar Panahi.
“It's a beautifully-written and executed work, one of Panahi's most formally straightforward yet powerful, gripping and generous.” - David Jenkins, Little White Lies
Set in 1936 as the British Mandate is fading in Palestine and German Jews are beginning to flee to the area in larger and larger numbers, Palestine 36 attempts to show us some of the origins of today's troubles. This was all the more timely as filming was set to start soon after Hamas raided Israel and set off the present fighting.
“At its best it cuts between historical footage and new material and achieves the awed emotional resonance of connecting history with the present.” - Marcel Steinbauer-Lewis, Little White Lies
“For a study of human connection at its most honest and affecting, with two remarkable lead performances, Dragonfly is a powerfully striking experience.” - Philip De Semlyen, Time Out
DIE MY LOVE is our first Members' Choice for 2026. Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson, directed by Lynne Ramsay (who brought us greats like 'Ratcatcher' and 'We Need To Talk About Kevin') with Lawrence giving her best performance as new mother, Grace.
"Scorsese, it’s reported, was convinced that no other actor could do justice to the complex character. He may well be correct: Lawrence is thrillingly uninhibited and physically impulsive." - Wendy Ide, Observer
Souleymane's Story is the winner of festival awards around the world, including the coveted 'Un Certain Regard' Jury prize at Cannes last year, get ready to follow the routes of Souleymane Sangaré as he frantically tries to keep up a gruelling schedule delivering food on his bicycle round the streets of Paris. To make his life even more stressful, he is an illegal immigrant from Ghana who faces an interview to gain asylum in just two days.
"An intimate, powerful and moving chronicle of life on the margins." -Tara Brady, Irish Times
Our AGM covering the 2024-2025 seasons, will be held at 4.30 on Sunday 11 January in the Alhambra before the film. We are hoping to make this a friendly, bigger affair this year by offering all members a free drink from 4.00pm so please come along to hear the latest news and, importantly, give your views on the club future.