Financial hardship has forced 61 year-old Fern to abandon home and family. She seeks a new way of life among America’s nomadic community of van dwellers who support themselves with seasonal work. Frances McDormand stars in this award-winning drama/documentary charting the challenges and camaraderie of life on the road.
Les Miserables
Not to be confused with the Victor Hugo novel or the musical! Relations between police and the immigrant community in a tough neighbourhood are at breaking point when new officer Stephane joins the anti-crime squad. As Paris celebrates France’s victory in the 2018 World Cup, tensions spark into violence.
The Quiet Girl
A beautiful, compassionate film based in rural Ireland, where nine-year-old Cait is sent to live with childless relatives for one summer. Neglected and ignored at home she finds freedom and the attention she craves with her foster parents, but she senses an unspoken grief that engulfs them and begins to uncover the truth.
Short Films Evening
98 mins inc a 5 minute break.
A mix of twelve animated and live action films from nine countries. From experimental to surrealist, from clay animation to live action. Scary, emotional, poignant, and funny. There is a broad breadth of subject matter and everything from less familiar debut shorts to Oscar winners.
Broker
Baby boxes, introduced in Korea in 2009, allow people to anonymously drop off unwanted babies safely. But what if these babies are illegally sold on? A dark story about child trafficking unexpectedly switches into a quest for family, identity and belonging, from the Director of Oscar nominated ‘Shoplifters’.
Wild Men
In midlife crisis, Martin has fled his family to live high up in the Norwegian mountains, hunting and gathering like his ancestors did thousands of years ago. The world’s worst Viking goes off grid and unwittingly stumbles into a drug smuggling ring in this comic Scandi-Noir.
Official Competition
Two accomplished male leads (Antonio Banderas and Oscar Martinez) vie for the attention of a demanding film director (Penelope Cruz) in a satire about the excesses and pretentiousness of the film industry.
Compartment No 6
Set in 1990s Russia, a female Finnish archaeology student shares a train compartment with a menacing shaven headed Russian miner. The early scenes are uncomfortable on this tough journey to the Arctic. Strangers on a train with a twist.
Alcarràs
An extended family of peach farmers face eviction when their landlord threatens to uproot their trees and switch to a more profitable enterprise. Director Carla Simón (Summer 1993) draws upon a cast of amateurs to produce a moving portrait of rural life in Catalonia’s sun-dappled orchards.
Return To Dust
A film banned in China in 2022, where humble Ma and disabled Cao have been cast off by their families and forced into an arranged marriage. From an unpromising start and constantly tested by adversity, this gentle couple gradually form a bond and work hard to build a future for themselves. A touching tale of love and resilience.