To conclude the first half of our season we have a highly acclaimed animated drama based on the novel by Deborah Ellis. Parvana is an 11-year-old girl growing up under the Taliban in Afghanistan in 2001. When her father is wrongfully arrested, Parvana cuts off her hair and dresses like a boy in order to support her family. Working alongside her friend Shauzia, Parvana discovers a new world of freedom-and danger. With undaunted courage, Parvana draws strength from the fantastical…

Viewed by some as one of the finest British films of the sixties, Albert Finney gives a brilliant performance as a writer from working class Manchester who quickly achieves riches and fame, yet somehow sits uncomfortably with his new plush lifestyle. The writer’s journey north to visit his estranged wife and son accidentally becomes an attempt to re-engage with life, people and his own history. Locations include Manchester and Edale. The cast includes Liza Minnelli in her first film role…

Winner of three Oscars, including Best Foreign Language Film at the 2019 Academy Awards, this is a powerful and at times emotionally draining drama. It spans a year in the life of a middle class family in Mexico City in the early 1970s. Dr Antonio and Sofia have four children, and two domestic workers, one of whom is Cleo, the live-in maid and housekeeper. With Antonio running off with his mistress, and Cleo finding herself pregnant, the lives of Cleo…

Jack is a struggling musician from Lowestoft whose career is going nowhere despite the faith that his friend/manager Ellie Appleton has in him. On the night he decides to give it all up, the whole world is momentarily hit with a massive blackout during which he is hit by a bus. Upon regaining consciousness, Jack learns to his astonishment that he is now the only one who knows the music of the Beatles. Claiming their songs as his own, Jack…

This bitter-sweet Chinese tragi-comedy perfectly balances emotion and humour. Chinese-American woman, Billi, returns to China when her beloved grandmother is diagnosed with terminal cancer. Billi struggles with the family decision to keep the knowledge of her terminal condition from the grandmother and to stage a wedding so that they can all see her one last time. Described as ‘captivating’, it is a beautiful portrayal of a long farewell, giving an insight into the differences between western and eastern culture. The…

The swansong of a movie legend, Robert Redford, this film is based on the true story of Forrest Tucker, whose audacious escape from San Quentin at the age of 70 is followed by an unprecedented string of heists that confounded authorities and enchanted the public! Wrapped up in the pursuit are detective John Hunt (Casey Affleck), who becomes captivated with Forrest’s commitment to his craft, and a woman (Sissy Spacek), who loves him in spite of his chosen profession. “A…

With music galore, this film moves from the 50s to the early 80s in the life of Elton John, showing his difficult early years and struggles with emotional instability and depression. Described as a ‘dazzlingly executed’ musical in its truest sense, it portrays a very real and human, yet flawed, man who achieves international stardom and happiness. Rocketman won a BAFTA for Outstanding British Picture of the Year, and Taron Egerton’s brilliant portrayal of the star won him a Golden…