Film Programme January 2026 to April 2026
Please be aware that late changes to the programme may be needed for technical or licensing reasons.
Click on film images for film reviews and trailers.
Click on film images for film reviews and trailers.
Films in January
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The Ballad Of Wallis Island
Tuesday 13 January 2026 at 7.45pm 99 mins cert 12A A very charming, and very British, character comedy; written by its two leads, Tom Basden (known for Plebs & the lovely TV series, Here We Go) and Tim Key (Alan Partridge sidekick Simon, stand-up comedian, poet and much more). Filmed on an unnamed British island just off the Welsh coast where reclusive and eccentric Charles (Tim Key) lives an isolated life with just his memories and his continuing obsession with the music of fictional folk duo McGwyver Mortimer (Tom Basden and Carey Mulligan) who have long since split, both professionally and emotionally. Charles dreams of getting them back together. On a pretext he books Herb McGwyver to perform a solo gig on the island without giving him the full picture. Charles is ecstatic when Herb arrives, but Herb is much less so when the nature of the gig emerges. Could Charles’ fantasy ever become a reality? As both writers and performers, Tom Basden and Tim Key compassionately convey the essence of their bruised characters, downplaying their complex emotions and leaving it to the audience to observe telling details and connect the dots. This is a warm, quietly affecting film that strikes a human chord with characters you become invested in. Both nostalgic and absolutely sincere, it speaks poignantly of missed opportunities and mistaken choices. A film about love and the transformative magic of music - with gags. Why Watch? You’ll leave wanting your own island, your own gig and your own lock of Carey Mulligan’s hair. (The Guardian) The Ballad of Wallis Island is a big-hearted, consoling hug of a movie. It might not reinvent the wheel, but it’s the low-(Tim)-key crowd-pleaser of the year so far. (Empire) Language: English |
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Santosh
Tuesday 20 January 2026 at 7.45pm 128 mins cert 15 Written and directed by British-Indian filmmaker, Sandhya Sufi, Santosh is a tense and gripping murder mystery set in Northern India. A fascinating portrayal of unfamiliar environments with plenty to get you thinking. A young widow, unaccustomed to working but forced to by necessity, inherits her husband’s job in the local police force through the Indian convention of ‘appointment on compassionate grounds’. Santosh Saini soon finds herself involved in the murder investigation of a young Dalit girl. As she discovers the realities of policing in this divided rural community with its corruption and caste prejudices, it is not long until she understands the true nature of the law of the land. When protests break out over the local police force’s failure to take steps to solve the crime, a cynical woman detective, Senior Inspector Geeta Sharma, is brought in to lead the case. Given the responsibility of taking the girl’s body to the morgue we see Santosh’s pride in her new responsibilities and pleasure at being in uniform. As a woman her confidence develops - no longer a 2nd class citizen - even to the point of accepting a bribe, just as her fellow male officers do. A fundamentally decent yet disillusioned Santosh is not averse to doing it their way. Is her career and new found independence something to cling on to or can she keep her principles and integrity? Shahana Goswami is restrained and relatable in the title role. Her nuanced performance is the anchor that keeps viewers invested in her story and the wider implications. Santosh does not offer any answers to its social criticism but it elevates the police procedural into something relevant and meaningful. Why Watch? As well as working rivetingly as a procedural thriller and a psychological study, Santosh has a hard, documentary-like edge, exploring Indian social phenomena with intense analytical focus. (Danny Leigh - Financial Times) Language: Hindi with subtitles |
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Disco Boy
Tuesday 27 January 2026 at 7.45pm 92 mins cert 15 Belorussian ex-con Aleksei arrives in Poland with his buddy Mikhail (Michal Balicki) on a tourist visa, supposedly to see a football match. Their aim is to reach France, so at the first chance they get, they hitch a lift to Paris from a friendly truck driver. With no papers, and limited French, Aleksei joins the Foreign Legion which gives him a residence permit and a promise of French citizenship in five years. On his first mission Aleksei (now Alex) is sent to rescue French hostages taken by MEND, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta where oil extraction is destroying the jungle habitat. Jomo (Morr Ndiaye) the charismatic leader of MEND is the disco boy - asked what he would like to become if he was born “on the other side among the whites”, he replies “I’d be a dancer - a Disco Boy”. Their paths intersect when Alex is involved in a terrifying sortie - a brilliantly filmed set-piece. The impact of this hallucinatory fire-fight is profound as Alex breaks down, his disillusionment and guilt weighing heavily on him. Udoka (Laetitia Ky) Jomo’s sister, their tribe’s spiritual dancer, is the film’s third main character and, on Alex’s return to Paris, he encounters her by chance at a disco. Dance is the thread that ties the three of them together; their universal connection. Could it hold the possibility of redemption for Alex, yet to find his identity and place in the world? This is bold, creative film-making. A magnetic lead performance by Franz Rogowski (Passages, Great Freedom), the luminous cinematography and pulsating electronic dance music all come together to make Disco Boy a striking film experience. Be prepared not to understand every moment. The final sequences may be just the distorted reality of a traumatised man and a Utopian vision but, “It’s quite a trip.” - Peter Bradshaw, Guardian Why Watch? Italian director Giacomo Abbruzzese makes a really stylish debut with this visually thrilling, ambitious and distinctly freaky adventure into the heart of imperial darkness, or into something else entirely: the heart of an alternative reality, or a transcendent new self. (Peter Bradshaw - Guardian) Language: French, English, Ibo, Russian, Polish with subtitles |
Films in February
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Love Life
Tuesday 10 February 2026 at 7.45pm 123 mins cert 12A Kōji Fukada’s Love Life is a story quietly told which explores the relationship of one couple whilst revealing some of the sad realities of human nature. In their small flat in Tokyo, Taeko (Fumino Kimura) and her husband Jiro (Kento Nagayama) lead a tranquil, middle-class existence with her 6 year old son, Keita, from a previous marriage. Jiro’s parents, who live in the same housing complex, do not approve of his marriage, seeing Taeko as a cast-off, and it appears that their disapproval has made Jiro reluctant to formally adopt Keita. At a celebratory party a tragic accident occurs which brings Keita’s half-Korean father, Park (Atom Sunada), back into Taeko’s life. She throws herself into helping this deaf, homeless man who can only communicate in Korean sign language. Jiro is working out his feelings, too, which involves re-engaging with his own past long-term relationship with near neighbour, Yamazaki. As they both adjust to their new realities could it be that to survive they will have to dissolve their relationship? The film embraces the heaviest subjects, those of life, death, grief, and love in the most understated fashion, with dry humour keeping the narrative from being dragged into sentimentality. Fukada passes no judgment on how his characters choose to process their feelings. Their story is fascinating and ultimately very poignant. Why Watch? Fukada finally proves himself a real craftsman, a filmmaker to watch, and yet another unique voice in Asian cinema … in terms of innovation, the depth of emotion and intellect; it doesn’t talk down to audiences, instead inviting them to experience something relatable, something that both challenges and provides answers. How refreshing. (Alex Saveliev - Film Threat) Language: Japanese with subtitles |
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I Swear
Tuesday 17 February 2026 at 7.45pm 123 mins cert 15 The very moving true story of Tourette’s activist John Davidson. It starts from his teenage years when he first began to experience its tics. John goes from a confident, capable boy to being expelled from High School, leaving him without prospects or hope. Scott Ellis Watson who plays John at this age is astonishing in the way he brilliantly brings him to life. 13 years pass and charismatic Robert Aramayo takes over as the adult John; discriminated against by the police, shunned and mocked by ignorant people in the community, without a job or a future. Two people come into his life who help and give him a chance in life. John Davidson now works to educate others about the condition and as seen in the hilarious first scene has recently been awarded an MBE. Avoiding classic biopic tropes and fake emotion, director Kirk Jones allows the story and characters to connect with the audience. Robert Aramayo brilliantly delivers the heartache and bewilderment the condition causes John to suffer, at the same time as bringing heart-warming truthfulness to his life. There are terrific performances too from Shirley Henderson as John’s fragile mother, Maxine Peake as the Mental Health nurse who takes him in and Peter Mullan as the community centre worker who gives John a chance. An extraordinarily frank depiction of living with Tourettes. I Swear does justice to John’s inspiring story with a mix of humour, compassion and intelligence; giving respect and understanding to him and others who experience this condition. If you haven’t yet caught this inspirational film we suggest you do. Why Watch? We have been with John every step of the way, at his side through all the hardships, happiness, and empowerment. It is an unforgettable experience. (Loud & Clear) Empathetic, funny and myth-busting. It gives you permission to laugh at the situation while feeling only compassion for the man. (Time Out) Language: English |
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On Becoming A Guinea Fowl
Tuesday 24 February 2026 at 7.45pm 99 mins cert 12A As Shula (Susan Chardy) drives down a dimly lit road somewhere in Zambia’s capital city Lusaka, she encounters a body of a man in the road. In full party fancy dress she waddles over to inspect the body. She knows him: he is her Uncle Fred. For a brief moment, Shula’s younger self appears beside her and both solemnly stare at the corpse. Without emotion she calls her father. Why the odd response? On arriving home Shula is soon given the responsibility of organising Uncle Fred’s multi-day funeral. Her lack of grief is in striking contrast to her mother and aunties who gather together to mourn in traditional Bemba style. The elders insist on reverence and tradition; the established patriarchal social order has defined their lives for generations, but Shula and her cousin Nsansa (Elisabeth Chisela) harbour a quiet disdain. This seems odd, but as events unfold and buried secrets are gradually uncovered, this disconnect is slowly, poignantly, and painfully revealed. As the source of their discomfort creeps from the shadows through dreams and repressed memories, we begin to understand the chilling cost of silence. There is a vein of dark humour underpinning the film but its focus on how devotion to tradition can become toxic never wavers. The film intelligently shows how the family is complicit in permitting it; maintaining the status quo regardless of the effects on the health and wellbeing of their younger generation. Rungano Nyoni, the British-Zambian writer/director (awarded at the Cannes Film Festival for her direction), skilfully and artfully weaves Shula’s own story into the narrative and is discerning and sensitive in her handling of a difficult subject. Susan Chardy gives a wonderfully nuanced performance of subtlety and purpose and Elizabeth Chisela is magnificent. A powerful, thought-provoking drama on a difficult subject. Why Watch? Rungano Nyoni is one of the most exciting voices in cinema today and On Becoming a Guinea Fowl is abject proof: a disquieting, blistering examination of a family where social status trumps blood ties. (Empire) Language: Bemba with subtitles, English |
Films in March
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The Seed Of The Sacred Fig
Tuesday 24 March 2026 at 7.45pm 167 mins cert 15 This is a tense and gripping drama was shot entirely in secret and the Cannes Film Festival accepted it for screening, director Mohammad Rasoulof was sentenced to flogging and eight years in prison. After Rasoulof was handed his sentence, he decided to flee Iran. With his passport confiscated he travelled on foot to Germany, where he now lives in exile. The film was shown at Cannes to a lengthy standing ovation and won the Special Jury Prize. Iman (Missagh Zareh), an honest lawyer is promoted to be an Investigating Judge in Iran’s Revolutionary Court just as student protests are taking place against the theocratic Iranian state. He is a loving husband to Najmeh (Soheila Golestani) and father of two daughters, 21 year old Rezvan and teenager, Sana. They are all delighted and look forward to living in better accommodation and the prestige his new role will bring. With revolution outside their door Najmeh tries to isolate her daughters from the protests, allowing only official Iranian television, whilst via a VPN on their mobiles the girls see what we see - the actual footage of the 2022 Woman, Life, Freedom uprising on the streets, which Rasoulof has inserted into his film and which inspired him to make it. As the demands on Iman grow, his sense of self slips away as he makes one concession after another. He begins to succumb to the psychological strain of dealing with hundreds of cases, frequently rubber-stamping the death sentence for protesters. For his safety he is issued with a handgun. After it goes missing and his guilt grows, he dramatically changes; the family home becoming a microcosm of the wider conflict. This is sure to be Rasoulof’s defining work, such is the passion and commitment he brings to this powerful polemic, intending it to be a stark warning to Iranians, and to the rest of the world, to hold freedom dear. An essential film for our times. Why Watch? The Seed of the Sacred Fig grows into an epic of suspense an unpredictable domestic thriller where the personal is always political. (AV Club) There are hints of Hitchcock and Kubrick as this story inexorably unravels beyond the control of its players... this is unnervingly tense, properly intelligent, essential viewing. (Evening Standard) Language: Farsi with subtitles |
Films in April
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Power Alley
Tuesday 14 April 2026 at 7.45pm 99 mins cert 15 17 year-old Sofia is an exceptionally talented volleyball player. The star player in the São Paulo C.Leste team who are competing in the Youth Volleyball Championship. Her outstanding performances have given her the chance of a life-changing university scholarship in Chile. Winning this tournament with them would virtually guarantee her place, but she discovers she is pregnant. This could change everything; both of her goals are in jeopardy. She wants to have a termination. Her father is supportive but there are very strict legal obstacles against abortion in Brazil. Taking matters into her own hands she finds a clinic online. She does not realise that it is a front run by a religious fundamentalist pressure group whose sole aim is to prevent all abortion … This is a deeply committed work from director Lillah Halla which was rewarded with the Fipresci Prize at Cannes. Halla also co-wrote the screenplay which doesn’t just focus on Sofia’s right to choose an abortion but also on the strong bond she has with her teammates through sport. The diversity and inclusivity of her teammates who support her brings a wonderful energy to the narrative as they stand up to the strict societal values. There is fantastic chemistry between the actors with the performance of Ayomi Domenica as Sofia a highlight. She completely inhabits her character and radiates star quality. An engaging slice of life drama with a brilliant electronic soundtrack and a defiant ending full of hope. Why Watch? Well directed and edited, with an excellent soundtrack that echoes sport and team grit and moves the film along. Power Alley provides an underlying insight into Brazilian life. (Sabina Dana Plasse - Film Threat) Language: Portuguese, Spanish with subtitles |
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The Marching Band
Tuesday 28 April 2026 at 7.45pm 103 mins cert 15 This gently humorous French drama, led by two of France’s most watchable actors, is a simple yet effective story about the power of music to overcome barriers and give solace in difficult times. An uplifting film, reminiscent of Brassed Off, it was a great success with the audience at the Cannes Festival last year. Benjamin Lavernhe (comedically brilliant as the over-zealous bridegroom some of you will have seen in C’est La Vie) plays Thibaut, an internationally reknowned musician and conductor who discovers he has leukaemia and needs an immediate bone-marrow transplant. He discovers he is adopted with no blood relatives who can serve as a donor. He embarks on a journey to find a match. His search leads him to Jimmy (Pierre Lottin, When Autumn Falls, The Stranger), a caféteria worker in a colliery near Lille, who plays the trombone in the colliery marching band and has a passion for jazz. Thibaut recognises Jimmy’s musical ability and, reflecting on the good fortune of his own background and how the choices made for them in their respective childhoods have determined their very different lives, he decides to encourage him to fulfil his natural talent. Jimmy begins to dream of a different life … Maybe not a wholly original plot but it still resonates. The engaging chemistry of the two leads gives this unpretentious story authenticity and a diverse range of music enhances this good-natured and heart-warming tale. Why Watch? The Marching Band is a film that, without great pretensions, manages to thrill … to move the viewer with its balance between humour and drama, showing how art can overcome barriers and serve as a refuge in difficult times. (The Herald) Language: French with subtitles |