WHAT’S ON / NOVEMBER 2014 THIS ISSUE:
MR. TURNER THE DROP BEYOND THE INFINITE: SCI-FI ON SCREEN
THE IMITATION GAME www.jamesonwhiskey.com
BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH STARS AS WORLD WAR II CODE-BREAKER ALAN TURING IN THIS NAIL-BITING DRAMA.
QFT is the home of independent cinema in Northern Ireland, open seven days a week – please check page 12 for screening times. City Hospital
QFT 20 University Square Belfast BT7 1PA Recorded information line: Tel. 028 9097 1097 www.queensfilmtheatre.com
Queen’s University
TICKET PRICES Standard admission: £6.50 Senior Citizens, Disabled Users (Carers’ tickets are free), Unwaged, QUB Staff: £5 QFT Film Card, Students (aged 16 and over in full-time education), Children (under 16 years): £4 Mondays and Tuesdays: * £4 for every film *Certain exclusions may apply, check website for details
QFT BOX OFFICE The box office opens 30 minutes before the first screening of the day. You can book tickets via our app, available on Google Play for Android and iTunes for iPhone – search for ‘Queen’s Film Theatre’. SKIP THE QUEUE - PRINT AT HOME Skip the queue at box office by booking online at www.queensfilmtheatre.com, printing your tickets at home and going straight to the door of the auditorium. Simple!
02/03
BOOK ONLINE AT WWW.QUEENSFILMTHEATRE.COM
BOOKING AND VENUE INFORMATION
STOP PRESS OFT FILM OUIZ
For information on advertising in the QFT programme please visit queensfilmtheatre.com/aboutus/advertise
QFT FILM CARD Buy online at www.queensfilmtheatre.com and receive £2.50 ticket discount off the standard ticket price and a range of other benefits. (see the website for details) PAYMENTS QFT does not accept payment by cheque or American Express and operates a minimum card transaction amount of £5 when paying in person or by telephone. SUBTITLED FILMS Customers are advised that viewing of subtitles may be restricted along the first few rows of Screen One. THE JAMESON BAR AT QFT QFT offers a fully licensed bar, plus tea, coffee and a range of confectionery and snacks. QFT IS KINDLY SUPPORTED BY:
FREE PARKING QFT offers free on-site car parking after 5.30pm within the main Queen’s University site (access via University Square). Disabled badge holders can access disabled bay parking in front of the main Queen’s University site. DISABILITY ACCESS Wheelchair users: Ramp access, accessible toilets, wheelchair spaces in both screens (please book in advance). PROGRAMME CHANGES We reserve the right to change the published programme.Please check www.queensfilmtheatre.com for the most up to date information about film screening dates and times.
CONTENTS
4
MR. TURNER / SERENA
5
HE IMITATION GAME / MAPS T TO THE STARS
6
HE DROP / HUMAN CAPITAL / T THE CASE AGAINST 8
7
IFE ITSELF / HOCKNEY: LIVE L FROM LA / GLOBE ON SCREEN: MACBETH
8
JÖRK: BIOPHILIA LIVE / NAS: B TIME IS ILLMATIC / GHOSTBUSTERS
9
ABRISKIE POINT / PLAYTIME / Z M
10-11
CINEMAGIC FILM FESTIVAL
AT A GLANCE
12
14-17
EYOND THE INFINITE: SCI-FI B ON SCREEN
18-19
UTBURST QUEER ARTS O FESTIVAL
20-21
HADOWS OF THE GREAT WAR: S WORLD WAR ONE ON FILM
OMELESS FILM FESTIVAL / H GULABI GANG
WED 19 NOV, 9PM
Would you pass the Voight-Kampff test? How about the Bechdel test? If you’re up to the challenge, come along to our ultimate movie trivia quiz where the Paul Thomas Andersons are separated from the Paul WS Andersons and the dumb from the dumberer. The winners will be subject to a Voight-Kampff test to prove they are human.
22
VISIT THE JAMESON BAR AT QFT
Tickets are FREE but must be booked in advance. Maximum 5 players per team.
FOLLOW US ON: /QUEENSFILMTHEATRE
@QFTBELFAST
04/05
BOOK ONLINE AT WWW.QUEENSFILMTHEATRE.COM
NEW RELEASES
MR. TURNER
SERENA
FRI 31 OCT – THURS 13 NOV
FRI 24 OCT – THURS 6 NOV
THE IMITATION GAME
FRI 14 – THURS 27 NOV
FRI 7 – SUN 9 & WED 12 –THURS 13 NOV
DIR: MIKE LEIGH • UK • 2014 • 2 HRS 30 MINS • BIOGRAPHY/DRAMA • CAST: TIMOTHY SPALL, PAUL JESSON, DOROTHY ATKINSON
DIR: SUSANNE BIER • USA/ CZECH REPUBLIC • 2014 • 1 HR 50 MINS • DRAMA • CAST: JENNIFER LAWRENCE, BRADLEY COOPER, RHYS IFANS
DIR: MORTEN TYLDUM • UK/USA • 2014 • 1 HR 53 MINS • BIOGRAPHY/DRAMA/THRILLER • CAST: BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH, KEIRA KNIGHTLEY, MATTHEW GOODE
Timothy Spall won the Best Actor prize at Cannes for his magnificent performance as J.M.W. Turner, in Mike Leigh’s gorgeously rendered biopic of the famed British landscape painter.
Home and studio life is contrasted with scuffles and politics at the Royal Academy, while the establishment of the time, embodied here in the form of a precocious John Ruskin, comes in for some gentle ribbing.
Set in depression-era North Carolina, Jennifer Lawrence stars as Serena, the wife of timber tycoon George Pemberton (Bradley Cooper).
Choosing to focus on the artist in middle age, Leigh finds a strange, anti-social mumbler far more comfortable with canvas and paint than the social niceties demanded of the era. Turner is single-minded in his focus on his art and career, but his interactions with women shape much of the narrative that Leigh details so effectively. Mr. Turner portrays a man dismissive of the mother of his two daughters, predatory toward his housekeeper, and yet ultimately blessed with an unexpected relationship that arrives in the autumn of his life.
Mike Leigh has ventured occasionally into period settings; when he has, he’s achieved some of his subtlest work. Mr. Turner is one of his masterworks: a film about one artist, made by another.
Benedict Cumberbatch stars as brilliant Cambridge mathematician, cryptanalyst and pioneering computer scientist Alan Turing, who spearheaded the Enigma code-breaking operation during World War II and was later persecuted by the British government for his homosexuality.
Introduction by Shan McAnena, Director & Curator of Art, The Naughton Gallery at Queen’s, on Wed 5 Nov, 6pm.
The future of the Pemberton timber empire comes into question when the couple learns that Serena cannot have children, and they must decide what to do in the absence of an heir to pass their fortune onto. Based on the book by Ron Rash and directed by Susanne Bier (Love Is All You Need), Serena is an emotional and gripping tale of what happens when greed and the desire for money come up against the importance of family.
MAPS TO THE STARS
At Cambridge University, the young Turing quickly establishes himself as a ground-breaking thinker with his theories about the potential of computing machines. When war between Britain and Germany is declared, these theories are put into active practice. Turing easily passes a test to become a member of a top-secret group assigned to decode critical German naval communications. Much to the surprise of the commanding officers, so does a woman, Joan Clarke (Keira Knightley).
CERT TBC
DIR: DAVID CRONENBERG • CANADA/ USA/GERMANY/FRANCE • 2014 • 1 HR 52 MINS • DRAMA • CAST: JULIANNE MOORE, MIA WASIKOWSKA, ROBERT PATTINSON
Turing and Clarke become fast friends, and are soon engaged to be married. But Turing is gay, struggling with his identity at a time when it is illegal and subject to terrible punishment.
A Hollywood family with some explosive secrets finds their perfect world unraveling in this satire from director David Cronenberg and writer Bruce Wagner.
Norwegian director Morten Tyldum’s Headhunters won attention for its gripping pace and neat balance of suspense and character work. In his English-language debut, Tyldum excels again. Turing and his colleagues race against time to devise a machine that can crack Germany’s Enigma codes, while Turing himself must work out how to be a gay man at a time when such men are routinely crushed by the law. It’s an intensely powerful story.
With a stellar ensemble cast including Julianne Moore, John Cusack, Mia Wasikowska and Olivia Williams, Maps to the Stars takes you on a darkly comic journey into the heart of the Weiss family - chasing celebrity, one another and the relentless ghosts of their pasts.
The 8.50pm screening on Wed 26 Nov will be an Access screening with audio description and on-screen captioning.
The result is a modern Hollywood Gothic at once about the ravenous 21st Century need for fame and validation -- and the yearning, loss and fragility that lurk in the shadows underneath. Introduction by Marcus Smith, Associate Tutor, The Open University, on Sun 9 Nov, 9.15pm.
NEW RELEASES
THE DROP
FRI 21 – THURS 27 NOV
THE CASE HUMAN CAPITAL AGAINST 8 IL CAPITALE UMANO
MON 3 – TUES 4 NOV
FRI 14 – MON 17 NOV
FRI 21, MON 24 & WED 26 NOV CERT TBC
DIR: PAOLO VIRZÌ • ITALY/FRANCE • 2013 • 1 HR 51 MINS • DRAMA • CAST: FABRIZIO BENTIVOGLIO, MATILDE GIOLI, VALERIA BRUNI TEDESCHI • SUBTITLED
DIR: BEN COTNER & RYAN WHITE • USA • 2014 • 1 HR 49 MINS • DOCUMENTARY
Tom Hardy, Noomi Rapace and the late, great James Gandolfini star in this gritty crime drama from Michaël R. Roskam, the Academy Award nominated director of Bullhead.
An intelligent and stylish thriller, Paolo Virzi’s adaptation of Stephen Amidon’s novel uses the mystery at its core to take an incisive look at class in Italian society.
Over 18,000 same-sex couples married in 2008 after a long and fiery fight for the freedom to marry in California. Six months later, Proposition 8 won the popular vote and a ban on same-sex marriage was put into law.
The film begins with a cyclist being driven off the road late one night, and then proceeds to tell the story of two interconnected families in the north of Italy. When middle-class Dino drops his daughter off at her rich boyfriend’s house, he ingratiates himself with the boy’s banker father. In no time, Dino is committing hundreds of thousands of Euros he doesn’t really have in an investment scheme run by the banker. The fates of these two families are intertwined in this scathing look at greed and inequality.
HOCKNEY: LIVE FROM LA
LIFE ITSELF
DIR: MICHAËL R. ROSKAM • USA • 2014 • 1 HR 46 MINS • CRIME/DRAMA • CAST: TOM HARDY, NOOMI RAPACE, JAMES GANDOLFINI
Based on a screenplay from Dennis Lehane (Mystic River, Gone Baby Gone), The Drop follows lonely bartender Bob Saginowski (Tom Hardy) through a covert scheme of funneling cash to local gangsters - “money drops” - in the underworld of Brooklyn bars. Under the heavy hand of his employer and cousin Marv (James Gandolfini), Bob finds himself at the centre of a robbery gone awry and entwined in an investigation that digs deep into the neighbourhood’s past where friends, families, and foes all work together to make a living - no matter what the cost.
06/07
NEW RELEASES/SPECIAL EVENTS
Against all odds, the American Foundation for Equal Rights, the plaintiffs—two likable and committed couples who put their lives on the line for this historic hearing—and lawyers Ted Olson and David Boies (from opposing sides of Bush v. Gore), band together to take the case all the way to the Supreme Court. Winner of the Directing Award for US Documentary at the Sundance Film Festival, The Case Against 8 investigates the inner workings of this emotionally charged fight for equality under the law.
DIR: STEVE JAMES • USA • 2014 • 2 HRS • DOCUMENTARY/BIOGRAPHY
TUES 25 NOV, 7PM CERT TBC
DIR: RANDALL WRIGHT • UK • 2014 • 3 HRS 15 MINS APPROX. (FILM + Q&A) • DOCUMENTARY
Life Itself explores the impact and legacy of Roger Ebert’s life, from his Pulitzer Prize-winning film criticism at the Chicago Sun-Times to becoming one of the most influential cultural voices in America.
An exclusive gala screening of the highly anticipated new feature Hockney, followed by an in-depth conversation with David Hockney from his Los Angeles studio, broadcast live into cinemas.
Based on his autobiography of the same name, acclaimed director Steve James (Hoop Dreams) examines with touching sensitivity the people and things dearest to Ebert: his colleagues, his family, the movies and sure enough, life itself. As Ebert reminds us of the wonder that awaits us when the theatre lights go out, we can’t help but fall in love with the movies all over again.
Hockney is the definitive exploration of one of the most significant artists of his generation. For the first time, David Hockney has given access to his personal archive of photographs and film, resulting in an unparalleled visual diary of a long life.
The screening on Wed 26 Nov at 6pm will be followed by a discussion about film criticism with local legends Mike Catto and Brian Henry Martin.
The film chronicles Hockney’s vast career, from his early life in working-class Bradford, where his love for pictures was developed through his admiration for cinema, to his relocation to Hollywood where his life long struggle to escape labels (‘queer’, ‘working class’, figurative artist’) was fully realised. TICKETS £12.50 (£10 concessions and Film Card holders)
MACBETH
SUN 9 NOV, 2.30PM RUNNING TIME: 2 HRS 35 MINS (INCL. INTERVAL)
Eve Best’s sublime and unexpectedly funny period-dress production of Shakespeare’s great tragedy returns for an encore after overwhelming demand. A trio of witches prophesy that Scottish general Macbeth (Joseph Millson) will one day become king. Egged on by his ambitious, scheming wife (Samantha Spiro), he decides to hasten matters by murdering virtuous King Duncan (Gawn Grainger). But having taken the throne, he becomes a tyrant who must continue to kill – starting with former comrade-in-arms Banquo (Billy Boyd). A masterpiece of ambition, treachery and madness, Macbeth is renowned as the Bard’s most chilling engagement with the forces of evil. But Best also brings out the play’s humour to great effect. TICKETS £12.50 (£10 concessions and Film Card holders)
08/09
SECOND SIGHT
NEW RELEASES/SECOND SIGHT
SECOND SIGHT BJÖRK: BIOPHILIA LIVE
SAT 1 NOV, 9.30PM
NAS: TIME IS ILLMATIC
SAT 15 NOV, 9.30PM
HALLOWEEN SPECIAL
GHOSTBUSTERS
FRI 31 OCT, 9.15PM
QFT’s pick of restored and re-released classics, back on the big screen where they belong.
ZABRISKIE POINT PLAYTIME
FRI 7 – SAT 8 NOV
FRI 14 – MON 17 NOV
M
SAT 1, SAT 8 & SUN 16 NOV
DIR: NICK FENTON & PETER STRICKLAND • UK • 2014 • 1 HR 37 MINS • MUSIC
DIR: ONE9 • USA • 2014 • 1 HR 15 MINS • DOCUMENTARY/MUSIC
DIR: IVAN REITMAN • USA • 1984 • 1 HR 45 MINS • COMEDY/FANTASY/ SCI-FI • CAST: BILL MURRAY DAN AYKROYD, SIGOURNEY WEAVER
DIR: MICHELANGELO ANTONIONI • USA • 1970 • 1 HR 54 MINS • DRAMA • CAST: MARK FRECHETTE, DARIA HALPRIN, PAUL FIX
DIR: JACQUES TATI • FRANCE/ITALY • 1967 • 2 HRS 4 MINS • COMEDY • CAST: JACQUES TATI, BARBARA DENNEK, RITA MAIDEN • SUBTITLED
DIR: FRITZ LANG • GERMANY • 1931 • 1 HR 51 MINS • CRIME/DRAMA/ THRILLER • CAST: PETER LORRE, ELLEN WIDMANN, INGE LANDGUT • SUBTITLED
Biophilia Live is a concert film by Nick Fenton and Peter Strickland that captures the human element of Björk’s multi-disciplinary multimedia project: Biophilia.
Twenty years after its release, Nas’ debut album Illmatic has become a hip-hop benchmark that encapsulates the socio-political outlook, enduring spirit, and collective angst of a generation of young black men searching for their voice in America.
Join us on Halloween night to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Ghostbusters with a brand new digital restoration of a modern comedy classic.
A new digital restoration of Antonioni’s epic portrait of late ‘60s America.
Newly restored and considered by many to be Jacques Tati’s masterpiece, PlayTime is a perfectly orchestrated city symphony.
A pin-sharp new restoration of Fritz Lang’s world cinema classic.
Recorded live at Björk’s show at London’s Alexandra Palace in 2013, the film features Björk and her band performing every song on ‘Biophilia’ and more using a broad variety of instruments - some digital, some traditional and some completely unclassifiable. The film has already been hailed as “a captivating record of an artist in full command of her idiosyncratic powers” (Variety) and “an imaginative stand-alone artwork” (Hollywood Reporter) and is a vital piece of the grand mosaic that is ‘Biophilia.’
Time Is Illmatic tracks the musical legacy of the Jones family, handed down to Nas from his jazz musician father, Olu Dara. It also examines the social conditions and environmental influences that contributed to Nas’ worldview. Along the way, Time Is Illmatic shows how Nas overcame insurmountable odds to create the greatest work of music from hip-hop’s second golden era.
Featuring Bill Murray starring opposite a host of New York’s undead, an infinitely quotable script from Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis, and a soundtrack that hasn’t left audiences’ heads since they were first asked “Who ya gonna call?”, Ghostbusters is back on the big screen for one night only – early booking is advised! “Whoever thought of having evil’s final manifestation take the form of a 100-ft. marshmallow deserves the rational mind’s eternal gratitude.” – TIME MAGAZINE
With a soundtrack by The Grateful Dead’s Jerry Garcia and Pink Floyd, Zabriskie Point is a poetic chronicle of late ‘60s counterculture America, as seen through the eyes of anthropology student Daria and social dropout Mark. Produced five years after Antonioni’s first English-language film Blow Up, Zabriskie Point has now achieved cult status. Primarily known for its soundtrack and explosive finale, the film remains one of Antonioni’s greatest triumphs. “If you just sit back and let the film ride out as an experience, you’re bound to enjoy the journey.” - FILMCRITIC.COM
Shot on 70mm on a huge constructed set of concrete, glass and steel, the film was the most ambitious project Tati ever took on. Monsieur Hulot has a job interview - but before he can worry about impressing his future employer, he’ll need to find them first. Landing in a reimagined modernist Paris, he has to navigate endless corridors, slippery floors, sinking chairs, sliding doors and misleading reflections in a high-tech corporate labyrinth where organised chaos reigns and Hulot sticks out as a misaligned cog in the machinery of modern life.
Made two years before Hitler came to power, Fritz Lang’s first sound film is a great psychological thriller, a trenchant treatise on crime and justice, and a vivid portrait of the rapidly disintegrating Weimar Republic. Peter Lorre’s first major screen role was also his greatest. He shot to stardom as the compulsive child murderer who is hunted down not only by a desperate, frustrated police force, but - rather more ruthlessly - by Berlin’s criminal underworld. “An astounding hybrid of Bible-black film noir and a lithe take on German expressionist dynamics in which the shadows are literally out to kill you… the time is exactly right for a reappraisal of M” - LITTLE WHITE LIES
SPECIAL EVENTS: CINEMAGIC
CINEMAGIC Cinemagic returns to QFT with UK and Irish premieres of new films from Belgium, France, Canada, Germany, Slovenia, Iceland, Spain and the USA.
Also returning for his 10th Cinemagic jaunt is the UK’s most dapper film critic and double bassist, Mark Kermode. Mark will be in conversation with Brian Henry Martin on Sat 22 Nov at 5.30pm, followed by a screening of his 10th anniversary festival pick, Powell & Pressburger’s 1946 classic, A Matter of Life and Death. Tickets for Cinemagic screenings are £6 (£5 concessions), except Mark Kermode Film Night which is £12. Book online at www.queensfilmtheatre.com or from the main festival box office at www.wegottickets.com
UK PREMIERE
UK PREMIERE
NI PREMIERE
UK PREMIERE
BENEATH THE HARVEST SKY
THE GOOD LIFE
JACK
DIR: BAS DEVOS • BELGIUM/NETHERLANDS • 2014 • 1 HR 25 MINS • ACTION/DRAMA/ FAMILY • CAST: CESAR DE SUTTER, KOEN DE SUTTER, MIRA HELMER • SUBTITLED • AGE: 15+
DIR: JEAN DENIZOT • FRANCE • 2013 • 1 HR 33 MINS • ADVENTURE • CAST: ZACHARIE CHASSERIAUD, NICOLAS BOUCHAUD, JULES PÉLISSIER • SUBTITLED • AGE: 15+
DIR: EDWARD BERGER • GERMANY • 2014 • 1 HR 43 MINS • DRAMA • CAST: IVO PIETZCKER, GEORG ARMS, JOHANN FOHL • SUBTITLED • AGE: 15+
DIR: ARON GAUDET & GITA PULLAPILLY • USA • 2013 • 1 HR 56 MINS • DRAMA • CAST: EMORY COHEN, CALLAN MCAULIFFE, AIDAN GILLEN • AGE: 18+
15-year-old Jesse is the lone eyewitness to the murder of one of his friends. After the brutal incident Jesse returns home to his family and his BMX riders’ crew. Words cannot express the sorrow and emotional turmoil Jesse is going through – how can he explain the inexplicable? Violet is a visual account of a teenager’s mourning process.
This spin on the coming-of-age tale tells the story of 16-yearold Sylvain, growing up in the Loire Valley and living off the official grid with his father for reasons he is starting to realise are more pressing than philosophical. His doubts take form with his first budding love, but the film is rewardingly optimistic, seeing possibilities instead of just pitfalls.
Jack is an urban odyssey embarked upon by a 10-yearold boy, beautifully played by the young Ivo Pietzcker, as he struggles to reunite with his mother and younger brother. Director Edward Berger and co-writer Nele Mueller-Stöfen have crafted a sensitive, compassionate and engagingly unsentimental portrait of two boys and their rather brutal plight.
Trapped in a dead-end industrial town in Maine, two teenage best friends (The Place Beyond the Pines’ Emory Cohen and The Great Gatsby’s Callan McAuliffe) take tragically different paths to realise their dream of making it to the big city, in this vividly detailed fiction feature debut from documentary filmmakers Aron Gaudet and Gita Pullapilly.
UK PREMIERE
IRISH PREMIERE
NI PREMIERE
UK PREMIERE
VIOLET
SAT 22 NOV, 10.30AM
FALSE MOVEMENT SAT 22 NOV, 1PM
Full details of all films can be found at www.queensfilmtheatre.com and www.cinemagic.org.uk
10/11
SPECIAL EVENTS: CINEMAGIC
SAT 22 NOV, 3PM
CLASS ENEMY SAT 22 NOV, 6.30PM
DIR: CHRISTOPHE COUSIN • FRANCE/CANADA • 2014 • 1 HR 25 MINS • DRAMA • CAST: AURE ATIKA, ZACHARIE CHASSERIAUD, ANTOINE L’ÉCUYER • SUBTITLED • AGE: 15+
DIR: ROK BICEK • SLOVENIA • 2013 • 1 HR 52 MINS • DRAMA • CAST: IGOR SAMOBOR, NATASA BARBARA GRACNER, TJASA ZELEZNIK • SUBTITLED • AGE: 15+
Victor feels adrift. Uprooted by his mother from Paris to his new home in Quebec City, he’s still reeling from the recent death of his father. One day while skipping class, Victor stumbles upon a classmate’s suicide. A touching coming-of-age film, False Movements is a modern story of grief, connection and the stories we tell ourselves.
A group of teens blame their demanding new German teacher and his demeaning methods when one of their classmates commits suicide. As a colossal battle of wills unfolds, debuting Slovenian helmer Rok Bicek demonstrates an impressive control of tension and suspense, making each encounter between class and instructor crackle with the possibility of violence.
SUN 23 NOV, 1PM
METALHEAD SUN 23 NOV, 3.30PM DIR: RAGNAR BRAGASON • ICELAND • 2013 • 1 HR 37 MINS • DRAMA • CAST: INGVAR EGGERT SIGURÐSSON, THORA BJORG HELGA, SVEINN ÓLAFUR GUNNARSSON • SUBTITLED • AGE: 16+
Fueled by a remarkable breakout performance by actress Thora Bjorg Helga, director Ragnar Bragason’s intense drama of loss, faith, redemption, Megadeth and Judas Priest begins with a farming accident in the 1980s that sends a young girl, Hera, and her parents into a tail-spin of grief over the death of her Heavy Metal music-obsessed older brother.
SUN 23 NOV, 6.30PM
ARCTIC
SUN 23 NOV, 9PM DIR: GABRIEL VELÁZQUEZ • SPAIN • 2014 • 1 HR 18 MINS • DRAMA • CAST: DEBORAH BORGES, VÍCTOR GARCÍA, LUCÍA MARTÍNEZ • SUBTITLED • AGE: 18+
A group of young ‘quinquis’ (nomadic Spaniards) try to survive in difficult economic times. More than money, what they search for in the streets is a future. Arctic is a powerfully stark drama about hopeless adolescence, violence and solitude, studded with moments and images that linger in the mind.
AT A GLANCE
OCTOBER DATE
EVENT
TIME
DATE
EVENT
TIME
Fri 31
Mr. Turner Serena Ghostbusters
6.15pm/8.50pm 6.30pm 9.15pm
Fri 14
PlayTime The Imitation Game The Case Against 8
6.30pm 6.40pm/9.00pm 9.10pm
Sat 15
In the Turn + Q&A PlayTime The Imitation Game The Case Against 8 Nas: Time Is Illmatic
3.00pm 4.45pm 6.40pm/9.00pm 7.15pm 9.30pm
Sun 16
The Battles of Coronel and Falkland Islands M The Case Against 8 The Imitation Game PlayTime
3.00pm 3.10pm 5.30pm 5.40pm/8.00pm 7.50pm
Mon 17
The Case Against 8 The Imitation Game PlayTime
6.30pm 6.40pm/9.00pm 8.50pm
Tues 18
Love Is Strange The Imitation Game Regarding Susan Sontag
6.15pm 6.30pm/8.50pm 8.30pm
Wed 19
The Way He Looks The Imitation Game The Dog QFT Film Quiz
6.15pm 6.30pm/8.50pm 8.30pm 9.00pm
NOVEMBER DATE
EVENT
TIME
Sat 1
Mr. Turner M The Girl Who Leapt Through Time Serena Björk: Biophilia Live
3.15pm/6.15pm 4.00pm
Sun 2
NT Live: A Streetcar Named Desire Mr. Turner Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind Serena
6.30pm 8.40pm 9.30pm 2.00pm 3.30pm/5.40pm /8.40pm 6.30pm 8.50pm
Mon 3 – Tues 4
Mr. Turner Human Capital Serena
6.00pm/9.00pm 6.30pm 8.50pm
Wed 5
Mr. Turner + intro The Fisher King Mr. Turner Serena
6.00pm 6.30pm 9.05pm 9.15pm
Thurs 6
Mr. Turner The Unloved + Q&A Serena
6.00pm/9.00pm 6.30pm 9.15pm
Fri 7
Mr. Turner Maps to the Stars Zabriskie Point
6.00pm/9.00pm 6.30pm 8.50pm
Sat 8
Junior Sci-Fi: Ulster Orchestra & E.T. M Mr. Turner Maps to the Stars Zabriskie Point
10.30am 4.00pm 6.00pm/9.00pm 6.30pm 8.50pm
Globe on Screen: Macbeth Mr. Turner
Thurs 20 52 Tuesdays The Imitation Game Appropriate Behavior
6.15pm 6.30pm/8.50pm 8.30pm
Fri 21
Life Itself The Drop The Imitation Game
6.30pm 6.40pm/9.00pm 9.10pm
Sat 22
Violet False Movement The Drop The Good Life Mark Kermode Film Night Class Enemy The Imitation Game
10.30am 1.00pm 2.30pm/8.50pm 3.00pm 5.30pm 6.30pm 9.10pm
Sun 23
Jack A Night at the Cinema in 1914 Metalhead The Drop Beneath the Harvest Sky The Imitation Game Arctic
1.00pm 3.00pm 3.30pm 6.00pm 6.30pm 8.15pm 9.00pm
A Clockwork Orange Maps to the Stars + intro
2.30pm 3.30pm/5.40pm /8.40pm 6.30pm 9.15pm
Mon 10
Mr. Turner Gulabi Gang + Q&A Logan’s Run + intro
6.00pm/9.00pm 6.30pm 9.15pm
Mon 24
Life Itself The Drop The Imitation Game
6.30pm 6.40pm/9.00pm 9.10pm
Tues 11
Mr. Turner The Battles of Coronel and Falkland Islands Sleeper
6.00pm/9.00pm
Tues 25
The Imitation Game Hockney: Live from LA The Drop
6.30pm 7.00pm 8.50pm
Mr. Turner Children of Men Maps to the Stars
6.00pm/9.00pm 6.30pm 8.50pm
Wed 26
Life Itself + discussion The Drop The Imitation Game (Access)
6.00pm 6.30pm/9.10pm 8.50pm
Thurs 13 Mr. Turner District 9 Maps to the Stars
6.00pm/9.00pm 6.30pm 8.50pm
Sun 9
Wed 12
6.30pm 9.00pm
Thurs 27 Cinemagic Young Filmmaker Showcase The Drop The Imitation Game
Times are subject to change. Please check www.queensfilmtheatre.com for up-to-date information.
6.00pm 6.30pm/8.30pm 8.50pm
14/15
SPECIAL EVENTS: BEYOND THE INFINITE: SCI-FI ON SCREEN
BEYOND THE INFINITE: SCI-FI ON SCREEN
“ SCIENCE FICTION IS THE IMPROBABLE MADE PROBABLE.” ROD SERLING, CREATOR OF THE TWILIGHT ZONE
Our voyage into the farthest reaches of the cinematic universe continues with a look at some speculative Sci-Fi visions of the future in our Utopia/Dystopia season, along with Takeover’s on-going programme, curated by young people.
SCI-FI: DAYS OF FEAR AND WONDER
TAKEOVER FILM FESTIVALPRESENTS
U.F.O. – THE UNIVERSE, FICTION AND THE OBSCURE
Programmed and introduced by QFT’s Takeover youth panel, Takeover Film Festival presents the second part of its Sci-Fi season, inspired by speculative fiction. TOKI O KAKERU SHÔJO
THE GIRL WHO LEAPT THROUGH TIME
ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND COMING SOON! Takeover’s U.F.O. season continues at the end of November with screenings of: THE HITCHHIKER’S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY SAT 29 NOV 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY SUN 30 NOV
Beyond the Infinite: Sci-Fi on Screen is part of BFI Sci-Fi: An out-of-this-world season of films and events at venues across the UK, October – December 2014. Supported by Film Hub NI. Proud to be a partner of the BFI Film Audience Network, funded by the National Lottery. Film Hub NI is part of a significant new national initiative aimed at growing audiences for film across the UK - BFI Film Audience Network. It aims to put film at the centre of cultural life in Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK, encouraging more people to see a more diverse range of films in more locations nationally.
Film Hub NI is managed and delivered by Queen’s Film Theatre. For further information please see facebook.com/filmhubni or queensfilmtheatre.com/filmhub or bfi.org.uk/sci-fi
SAT 1 NOV, 6.30PM
SUN 2 NOV, 6.30PM
DIR: MAMORU HOSODA • JAPAN • 2006 • 1 HR 38 MINS • ANIMATION/ COMEDY/DRAMA • VOICE CAST: RIISA NAKA, TAKUYA ISHIDA, MITSUTAKA ITAKURA • SUBTITLED
MICHEL GONDRY • USA • 2004 • 1 HR 47 MINS • DRAMA/ROMANCE/ SCI-FI • CAST: JIM CARREY, KATE WINSLET, TOM WILKINSON
This stunning Japanese anime is a loose sequel to a 1967 novel by Yasutaka Tsutsui and follows on from a live action film adaptation from 1983. Makoto is a typical Japanese teenager living in Tokyo – when she accidentally acquires the ability to travel through time when riding her bike, lots of adventures ensue…
Joel (Jim Carrey) is stunned to discover that his girlfriend Clementine (Kate Winslet) has had their relationship erased from her mind, and so he decides to get the same treatment. This bizarre and touching film is a Takeover favourite.
For more information about Takeover Film and the annual Takeover Film Festival in February, go to www.takeoverfilm.com
16/17
BEYOND THE INFINITE: SCI-FI ON SCREEN
UTOPIA/DYSTOPIA
Speculative visions of the future and of alternative realities abound in Sci-fi, imagining futures from the idyllic to the horrific. This season looks at some striking possible futures – Sci-Fi style.
A CLOCKWORK ORANGE
LOGAN’S RUN
CHILDREN OF MEN
DISTRICT 9
SLEEPER
COMING SOON!
Keep watching the skies! Coming in December we have Star Tracks: Sounds of Sci-Fi, our choice of great films with great Sci-Fi scores. Screenings include: FORBIDDEN PLANET FRI 28 NOV THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL MON 1 DEC
WED 12 NOV, 6.30PM
SUN 9 NOV, 6.30PM DIR: STANLEY KUBRICK • UK/USA • 1971 • 2 HRS 16 MINS • CRIME/ DRAMA/SCI-FI • CAST: MALCOLM MCDOWELL, PATRICK MAGEE, MICHAEL BATES
Adapted from the novel by Anthony Burgess, Stanley Kubrick’s darkly ironic satire of the near future still has the power to shock and disturb even now and at times feels almost prophetic. Proto-punk Alex (Malcolm McDowell) and his gang of “Droogs” spend their nights getting high and embarking on sprees of rape and ‘ultraviolence’. Caught and imprisoned for murder, Alex receives behavioural modification treatment and is rendered defenceless becoming, in turn, a victim of the violence he once so enjoyed. Icily dissecting the nature of violence and interrogating the state’s complicity in Alex’s fate A Clockwork Orange is uncomfortable but essential viewing.
MON 10 NOV, 9.15PM
TUES 11 NOV, 9PM
DIR: MICHAEL ANDERSON • USA • 1976 • 1 HR 58 MINS • ACTION/ADVENTURE/ SCI-FI • CAST: MICHAEL YORK, JENNY AGUTTER, RICHARD JORDAN
DIR: WOODY ALEN • USA • 1973 • 1 HR 27 MINS • COMEDY/SCI-FI • CAST: WOODY ALLEN, DIANE KEATON, JOHN BECK
Extravagant and (dare we say) rather high-camp, this cult 1976 film depicts a dystopian future in which population size is managed with brutal efficiency: by the simple expedient of exterminating everyone who reaches the age of thirty.
Vintage Woody, Sleeper is a hilarious homage to Sci-Fi conventions and slapstick comedy, recalling both Buster Keaton and 1984.
It’s 2274 and the remnants of humanity live in a vast sealed domed city, maintained by computers with resources carefully balanced against population. Reaching the age of 30, citizens must undergo the ritual of ‘Carousel’, in which they are taken up and ostensibly ‘renewed’, but are in fact vaporised. If they refuse and run they are hunted down and destroyed. Fast approaching the big three-oh, our hero Logan, unsurprisingly, goes on the run… Introduction by Dr. Derek Johnston, Lecturer in Broadcast Literacy, School of English, Queen’s University Belfast.
It’s 1973 and Miles (Allen), a jazz musician and owner of the ‘Happy Carrot’ Health-Food Store is cryogenically frozen after a routine operation goes wrong. Fast forward 200 years and Miles is defrosted by a group of rebel scientists fighting against a totalitarian state. The ‘brave new world’ that Miles awakens to is one of deadening conformity and crushing control - and Miles soon finds himself on the run, disguised as a robot and hiding out in the home of attractive greetings cards designer Luna (Diane Keaton)…You can probably guess where this is going…
THURS 13 NOV, 6.30PM
DIR: ALFONSO CUARÓN • USA/UK • 2006 • 1 HR 49 MINS • DRAMA/SCI-FI/ THRILLER • CAST: JULIANNE MOORE, CLIVE OWEN, CHIWETEL EJIOFOR
DIR: NEILL BLOMKAMP • USA/NEW ZEALAND/CANADA/SOUTH AFRICA • 2009 • 1 HR 52 MINS • ACTION/SCI-FI/ THRILLER • CAST: SHARLTO COPLEY, DAVID JAMES, JASON COPE
As a picture of a dystopian future Children of Men is particularly chilling as it’s all so, well, familiar.
Strikingly original and a significant sleeper hit, Neill Blomkamp’s sci-fi thriller carries a strong political message befitting its setting in the ghettos of Cape Town.
Directed by Alfonso Cuarón and adapted from the book by P D James, the film portrays the London of 2027 - a shabby, run-down city, under constant assault from terrorist bombs and not so far away from the here-and-now. In this nightmarish vision, the world ends not with a bang but a whimper. Pollution has rendered the Earth’s population infertile and the youngest person on the planet is now 18 – a slow fading away of humanity rather than an apocalyptic event. Against this grim background, Children of Men, paints a portrait of a society on the edge…but perhaps redemption is at hand…
Based on Blomkamp’s 2005 short Alive in Joburg, the film depicts a world where aliens are here already, living alongside humans but despised, feared and segregated. Scathingly referred to as ‘prawns’, the insect-like aliens are confined to a camp, the titular District 9, and treated as second-class citizens by the local population and the government. Exploring themes of xenophobia and social segregation, the parallels between the fictional world of the film and South Africa’s system of Apartheid are clear.
STALKER TUES 2 DEC THE THING WED 3 DEC FLASH GORDON THURS 4 DEC We are also delighted to bring you a special run of Stanley’s Kubrick’s masterpiece 2001: A Space Odyssey, for many the greatest Sci-Fi film ever made, showing from Sun 30 Nov to Thurs 4 Dec.
OUTBURST OUEER ARTS FESTIVAL WORLD PREMIERE
IN THE TURN
18/19
BOOK ONLINE AT WWW.QUEENSFILMTHEATRE.COM
SPECIAL EVENTS: OUTBURST QUEER ARTS FESTIVAL Outburst brings you the very best in new queer cinema from around the world, in partnership with QFT.
WWW.OUTBURSTARTS.COM
REGARDING LOVE IS STRANGE SUSAN SONTAG
52 TUESDAYS
HOJE EU QUERO VOLTAR SOZINHO
THE WAY HE LOOKS
THE DOG
THURS 20 NOV, 6.15PM DIR: SOPHIE HYDE • AUSTRALIA • 2013 CERT TBC • 1 HR 54 MINS • DRAMA/FAMILY • CAST: TILDA COBHAM-HERVEY, DEL HERBERT-JANE, MARIO SPÄTE
SAT 15 NOV, 3PM DIR: ERICA TREMBLAY • USA/CANADA CERT • 2014 • 1 HR 31 MINS • DOCUMENTARY TBC
Crystal is a 10-year-old transgender girl growing up in rural Canada. After being denied the right to join local athletics teams due to her gender, Crystal and her mom discover the Vagine Regime, an international queer collective of roller derby players comprised of people of all shapes, sizes, backgrounds and identities. In the Turn is a gorgeous and inspiring documentary that weaves Crystal’s story into the broader story of the evolution of roller derby, from a niche sport into a social movement with strong roots in the LGBTQ community. The film will be introduced by its Director, Erica Tremblay, and followed by Time for T, a discussion with local activists on the emergence of a vibrant Trans* sector in Northern Ireland. In association with SAIL and Public Health Agency.
TUES 18 NOV, 6.15PM DIR: IRA SACHS • USA/FRANCE • 2014 • 1 HR 34 MINS • DRAMA • CAST: JOHN LITHGOW, ALFRED MOLINA, MARISA TOMEI
After 39 years together, Ben and George tie the knot in an idyllic wedding ceremony in Manhattan. But when news of their marriage reaches the Catholic school where George works, he is fired from his longtime job and the couple can no longer afford their New York City apartment. George temporarily moves in with the two gay cops next door, while Ben moves to Brooklyn to live with his nephew, Eliot, and his wife and teenaged son. The pain of living apart and their presence in two foreign households test the resilience and relationships of all involved. With remarkable performances from John Lithgow and Alfred Molina, Love Is Strange is a subtle and graceful tribute to the beauty of commitment in the face of adversity.
WED 19 NOV, 6.15PM
TUES 18 NOV, 8.30PM DIR: NANCY D. KATES • USA • 2014 • 1 HR 41 MINS • DOCUMENTARY
CERT TBC
Regarding Susan Sontag is a fascinating, intimate study of one of the most influential and provocative thinkers of the 20th century. Endlessly curious and gracefully outspoken throughout her career, Susan Sontag became one of the most important literary, political, and feminist icons of her generation. Nancy Kates’ in-depth documentary tracks Sontag’s life-changing moments through archival materials, accounts from friends, family, colleagues, and lovers, as well as her own words. From her early infatuation with books to her first experience in a gay bar; from her first marriage to her last lover (photographer Annie Leibovitz), Regarding Susan Sontag is a nuanced investigation into the life and loves of a towering cultural critic and writer whose works on photography, war, and terrorism still resonate today.
WED 19 NOV, 8.30PM
DIR: DANIEL RIBEIRO • BRAZIL • 2014 • 1 HR 36 MINS • DRAMA/ROMANCE • CAST: GHILHERME LOBO, FABIO AUDI, TESS AMORIM • SUBTITLED
DIR: ALLISON BERG & FRANK KERAUDREN • USA • 2013 • 1 HR 40 MINS • DOCUMENTARY
The Way He Looks tells the story of Leonardo, a blind 15-year-old boy struggling to become less dependent on his overprotective mother.
An intimate portrait of John Wojtowicz, the inspiration behind Al Pacino’s character in the Oscar-nominated 1975 film, Dog Day Afternoon.
He decides to take part in a cultural exchange program, but his plans — and his life — are dramatically changed following the arrival of Daniel, a new student at his high school. As he deals with the unsettling feelings he shares with his new friend, Leonardo must also cope with the jealousy of his best friend, Giovana.
In 1972, Wojtowicz attempted to rob a Brooklyn bank to finance his lover’s gender reassignment surgery, a heist which resulted in a fourteen-hour hostage situation that was broadcast on TV. Three years later, Pacino portrayed his character on the big screen. The film had a profound influence on Wojtowicz and when he emerged from prison he became known as “The Dog.”
The Way He Looks is a delicate and sweet coming of age story that won this year’s coveted Teddy Award at Berlin Film Festival and has just been nominated as Brazil’s entry in the Best Foreign Feature category at the 2015 Oscars.
CERT TBC
Filmed over a ten-year period, The Dog interweaves extraordinary archival footage on the robbery, ‘70s era interviews and the early gay liberation movement (in which Wojtowicz played an active role), capturing the many sides of his hypnotising larger- than-life persona.
A delicate and frequently touching debut drama, Australian director Sophie Hyde’s film, shot over a year of Tuesdays, traces a teenage girl’s explorations of her own sexual identity while her mother undergoes gender transition. Possibly the most unmissable indie film of 2014.
APPROPRIATE BEHAVIOR THURS 20 NOV, 8.30PM DIR: DESIREE AKHAVAN • UK • 2014 CERT TBC • 1 HR 30 MINS • COMEDY • CAST: DESIREE AKHAVAN, REBECCA HENDERSON, SCOTT ADSIT
Shirin is struggling to become an ideal Persian daughter, politically correct bisexual and hip young Brooklynite but fails miserably in her attempt at all identities. Being without a cliché to hold onto can be a lonely experience. Writer/director Desiree Akhavan stars in an intelligent, engaging comedy (think a lesbian Girls) that heralds an exciting new voice in indie cinema.
SHADOWS OF THE GREAT WAR: WORLD WAR ONE ON FILM
SHADOWS OF THE GREAT WAR: WORLD WAR ONE ON FILM To mark the Centenary of World War One, QFT and Film Hub NI are delighted to present this ongoing programme of films, talks and events, supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund. Film was in its infancy when the Great War broke out – however it too played its part in the war effort, recording and documenting the events of the conflict, relaying news back to those on the home front and keeping the population at home informed, as well as entertained. Running over the next six months at selected venues across Northern Ireland, our season of films, talks and events will explore how the events and the legacy of the Great War has been depicted on film; from screenings of classic films through to presentations of rare archive material. Our programme will include screenings of some of cinema’s greatest World War One films, including La Grande Illusion and Lawrence of Arabia, along with talks and presentations from leading experts in the field.
UPCOMING HIGHLIGHTS AT QFT INCLUDE: ARMISTICE DAY LAUNCH EVENT:
THE BATTLES OF CORONEL AND FALKLAND ISLANDS + INTRO TUES 11 NOV, 6.30PM DIR: WALTER SUMMERS • UK • 1927 • 1 HR 47 MINS • DRAMA/WAR • CAST: ROGER MAXWELL, CRAIGHALL SHERRY
This new restoration from the British Film Institute National Archive is one of the finest films of the British silent era – a thrilling reconstruction of two decisive naval battles of 1914, recreated and filmed 13 years later, in peacetime. With a new score performed by the Band of Her Majesty’s Royal Marines, The Battles of Coronel and Falkland Islands is a unique, epic and thrilling experience that is essential viewing for anyone interested in the history of the Great War. ‘…the greatest British war film you’ve never heard of.’ The Guardian Also showing at QFT on Sunday 16 November at 3.00pm
A NIGHT AT THE CINEMA IN 1914 SUN 23 NOV, 3.00PM DIR: NOT KNOWN • UK/US • 2014 • 1 HR 24 MINS • DOCUMENTARY
Travel back in time with us to experience what audiences would have watched in cinemas one hundred years ago.
For Information about other participating venues and future screenings please visit http://blogs.qub.ac.uk/filmhubni/projects/worldwar1/
20/21
BOOK ONLINE AT WWW.QUEENSFILMTHEATRE.COM
Drawing from the archives of the British Film Institute, this collection of newsreel footage, travelogues, short films and cinematic curiosities, recreates a typical cinema programme as seen in 1914 and includes an early glimpse of a very familiar face.
ALL OUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT SAT 29 NOV, 3.00PM DIR: LEWIS MILESTONE • USA • 1930 • 2 HRS 13 MINS • DRAMA/WAR • CAST: LEW AYRES, LOUIS WOLHEIM, JOHN WRAY
Based on the novel by Erich Maria Remarque, this classic anti-war film tells its story from the perspective of the German soldiers who fought in the Great War. A masterpiece with a powerful anti-war message the film went on to win Oscars for Best Picture and Best Director.
LA GRANDE ILLUSION SAT 6 DEC, 3.00PM DIR: JEAN RENOIR • FRANCE • 1937 • 1 HRS 54 MINS • DRAMA/WAR • CAST: JEAN GABIN, DITA PARLO, PIERRE FRESNAY • SUBTITLED
Jean Renoir’s masterpiece is one of the greatest anti-war films ever made, with a message that rings as true today as it did almost 80 years ago. Rightly considered one of the greatest pacifist films of all time. La Grande Illusion has a humanitarian resonance that extends far beyond its anti-war message. Following the adventures of a group of prisoners of war and their heroic bid for freedom, their travails are depicted with compelling detail and a dark wit.
This programme is supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund. www.hlf.org.uk
LAWRENCE OF ARABIA SUN 7 DEC, 2.00PM DIR: DAVID LEAN • UK • 1962 • 3 HRS 47 MINS • ADVENTURE/ BIOGRAPHY/DRAMA • CAST: PETER O’TOOLE, ALEC GUINNESS, ANTHONY QUINN
David Lean’s portrait of T.E. Lawrence, the British Army officer who became a national hero for his work in the 191618 Arab uprising against the Turks, still stands as one of British cinema’s most towering achievements. Epic, magnificent and not to be missed.
JOYEUX NOEL (MERRY CHRISTMAS) SUN 21 DEC, 3.30PM DIR: CHRISTIAN CARION • FRANCE/ GERMANY/UK/BELGIUM/ROMANIA/ NORWAY • 2005 • 1 HRS 56 MINS • DRAMA/ HISTORY • CAST: DIANE KRUGER, BENNO FÜRMANN, GUILLAUME CANET • SUBTITLED
One of the happier moments of the Great War is recounted in this warm-hearted film that tells the story of the 1914 Christmas truce on the Western Front. Rising above the horrors that surrounded them, on Christmas Eve 1914 Germans, British and French troops all laid down their arms, to exchange gifts, sing carols and play football.
22/23
SPECIAL EVENTS
THE FISHER KING
WED 5 NOV, 6.30PM
THE UNLOVED
THURS 6 NOV, 6.30PM
GULABI GANG
MON 10 NOV, 6.30PM
DIR: TERRY GILLIAM • USA • 1991 • 2 HRS 17 MINS • COMEDY/DRAMA • CAST: JEFF BRIDGES, ROBIN WILLIAMS, ADAM BRYANT
DIR: SAMANTHA MORTON • UK • 2009 • 1 HR 43 MINS • DRAMA • CAST: MOLLY WINDSOR, ROBERT CARLYLE, SUSAN LYNCH
DIR: NISHTHA JAIN • NORWAY/ CERT INDIA/DENMARK • 2012 • 1 HR 36 MINS TBC • DOCUMENTARY • SUBTITLED
The Homeless Film Festival is the first festival of its kind that is dedicated to confronting and presenting homeless issues.
The directorial debut from Oscar-nominated actress Samantha Morton, this powerful drama about a young girl growing up in a children’s home provides an intimate child’s-eye view of the UK’s care system.
Enter the badlands of Bundelkhand in central India and you have entered a place of desolation, dust and despair. And yet it is hope that this film discovers, as it follows the Gulabi Gang, an unusual group of rural women.
Its touring film festival screens films from around the world in independent cinemas and special locations, all of which have homeless issues as a central theme or are films that are made by homeless creatives in a mixture of genres. Terry Gilliam’s classic The Fisher King is even more poignant after the tragic suicide of Robin Williams. A former radio DJ, suicidally despondent because of a terrible mistake he made, finds redemption in helping a deranged homeless man who was an unwitting victim of that mistake.
Placed in a tumultuous foster home, 11-year-old Lucy befriends her rebellious teenage roommate Lauren, and together they navigate the cold and uncaring world before them. The Unloved captures the subtle magic and melancholy of childhood while painting an honest portrait of a girl torn between a broken family and an inept social system.
Screening as part of the Homeless Film Festival. The film will be followed by a Q&A with actress Lauren Socha.
Led by the energetic and charismatic Sampat Pal, they travel long distances to fight for the rights of women and Dalits. They encounter resistance, apathy and corruption, even ridicule. Sometimes whole villages connive against them to protect the perpetrators of violence. The film pulls us into the centre of these blazing conflicts and uncovers a complex story, disturbing yet heartening. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with the film’s Director, Nishtha Jain.