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3 You Must See
Your time is precious, so we've done some of the hard work for you.
3 of the best from the world's greatest filmmakers, themes and cinematic movements.
Melodrama
Vivid visual language and heightened dramatics invite you to leave your cynicism at the door and feel something.
Red Angel Red Angel
Drama 1966 95 mins Director: Yasuzo Masumura
A potent and blood-soaked tale of saints and sinners set at the height of the Sino-Japanese war.
Breaking the Waves Breaking the Waves
Drama 1996 159 mins Director: Lars von Trier
A man is injured in an oil rig accident, leaving his wife wracked with guilt, willing to do anything to restore her marriage and relationship with God
Portrait of a Lady on Fire Portrait of a Lady on Fire
Romance 2019 121 mins Director: Céline Sciamma
Céline Sciamma’s BAFTA-nominated film about the tentative love between a painter and her subject in 18th-century France.
Made in Prague
Three films from the 2025 Made In Prague Festival.
Riders of the Sky Riders of the Sky
War 1968 95 mins Director: Jindrich Polák
Gripping portrayal of wartime aviation drawn from the real-life experiences of Czech RAF gunner Richard Husmann.
The White Disease The White Disease
Drama 1937 109 mins Director: Hugo Haas
The world is gripped by a mysterious and incurable plague, in this chillingly prescient anti-war, sci-fi allegory.
Ecce Homo Homolka Ecce Homo Homolka
Comedy 1970 83 mins Director: Jaroslav Papousek
Razor-sharp, darkly comic portrait of one ordinary Sunday gone spectacularly wrong.
Halloween
Start streaming, then start screaming…
It Follows It Follows
Horror 2014 100 mins Director: David Robert Mitchell
David Robert Mitchell’s remarkable, terrifying shocker is a fresh and stimulating meditation on sexual paranoia, steeped in horror cinema history.
Laurin Laurin
Horror 1989 83 mins Director: Robert Sigl
Richly atmospheric, gloriously morbid and menacing Gothic chiller about a child killer in 19th century Germany.
The Living Dead at the Manchester Morgue The Living Dead at the Manchester Morgue
Horror 1974 93 mins Director: Jorge Grau
A chemical leak causes a zombie outbreak amid the picturesque landscapes of the Lake District, in this superbly chilling undead classic.
Black History Month
Celebrating the Black creatives who have enriched cinema to put new voices and stories on screen.
Bushman Bushman
Documentary 1971 75 mins Director: David Schickele
Neglected since its release in 1971, Bushman follows a Nigerian student in San Francisco but is interrupted by the arrest of its leading man.
To Sleep with Anger To Sleep with Anger
Comedy 1990 102 mins Director: Charles Burnett
Charles Burnett's brilliant drama about an African American family reeling from a a surprise visit from an old friend, played by Danny Glover.
Welcome II the Terrordome Welcome II the Terrordome
Drama 1995 94 mins Director: Ngozi Onwurah
A ferocious dystopian nightmare, this was the first film directed by a Black British woman to receive a UK theatrical release.
Michael Haneke
Precision, purpose and provocation in this selection from an Austrian legend…
Funny Games Funny Games
Thriller 1997 109 mins Director: Michael Haneke
Haneke’s most controversial film is a terrifying home invasion thriller.
The White Ribbon The White Ribbon
Drama 2009 143 mins Director: Michael Haneke
Michael Haneke's Cannes prizewinner, set in a pre-WW1 German village, explores the oppressively strict social conditions that gave rise to Nazism
The Piano Teacher The Piano Teacher
Drama 2001 131 mins Director: Michael Haneke
Isabelle Huppert’s turn as a woman disturbed yet consumed by her own desires has lost none of its gut-punching torment, in Haneke’s unsettling drama.
School Sucks
They told you it was the best years of your life. They were wrong…
The 400 Blows The 400 Blows
Drama 1959 100 mins Director: François Truffaut
François Truffaut’s French New Wave landmark is one of the greatest movies about adolescence.
Welcome to the Dollhouse Welcome to the Dollhouse
Drama 1995 87 mins Director: Todd Solondz
Todd Solondz’s outstanding sophomore feature is a darkly comic portrait of suburban teen angst.
Monster Monster
Drama 2023 127 mins Director: Hirokazu Koreeda
Not all is as it seems in Hirokazu Koreeda’s powerful drama told from shifting perspectives.
From Censored to Restored
Once shamed but now famed...
The Ear The Ear
Thriller 1969 95 mins Director: Karel Kachyna
An official finds his home under surveillance and his marriage facing turbulence in this Orwellian portrait of life in Communist-era Czechoslovakia.
The Passion of Joan of Arc The Passion of Joan of Arc
Biopic 1928 80 mins Silent Director: Carl Th. Dreyer
An incontestable masterpiece of silent cinema, Carl Dreyer's moving biopic features one of the most powerful performances ever captured on film.
Un Chien Andalou Un Chien Andalou
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1928 16 mins Silent Director: Luis Buñuel
A scabrous study of desire, the subconscious and anti-clericalism - Buñuel and Dalí’s provocative first film is a classic of Surrealist cinema.
The Swimming Pool
Immerse yourself in a special selection and please remember: no running, no bombing, but please do dive in…
Swimming Home Swimming Home
Comedy 2024 96 mins Director: Justin Anderson
A family finds a stranger floating naked in their swimming pool in this sensual, sun-baked drama starring Christopher Abbott
La Piscine La Piscine
Drama 1969 123 mins Director: Jacques Deray
A ménage à trois stirs passion and jealousy beside a secluded pool in this sultry, French cult-thriller.
Deep End Deep End
Drama 1970 92 mins Director: Jerzy Skolimowski
Jerzy Skolimowski’s darkly comic and utterly compelling story of teenage infatuation in a run-down swimming pool.
Moviedrome
Experience the weird and wild with these three Moviedrome picks.
Fat City Fat City
Drama 1972 97 mins Director: John Huston
A washed-up boxer (Stacy Keach), and young hopeful (Jeff Bridges), navigate dreams and despair in John Huston’s gritty boxing drama.
Highway Patrolman Highway Patrolman
Drama 1991 105 mins Director: Alex Cox
Alex Cox’s Mexican film follows the journey of a highway patrolman whose idealism eventually gives way to inevitable corruption.
White of the Eye White of the Eye
Thriller 1987 111 mins Director: Donald Cammell
British visionary Donald Cammell directs this kaleidoscopic, highly stylised thriller about a series of brutal murders in an isolated community.
One-Film Directors
Three filmmakers who were one and done, never returning to the director's chair after their brilliant debuts…
An Elephant Sitting Still An Elephant Sitting Still
Drama 2018 234 mins Director: Hu Bo
The troubled lives of four desperate people unfold over the course of a single day, in this melancholy masterpiece about the human condition.
Nil by Mouth Nil by Mouth
Drama 1997 129 mins Director: Gary Oldman
Twenty-five years old and newly restored, Gary Oldman’s BAFTA-winning debut as writer-director remains a magnificent achievement.
Naked Acts Naked Acts
Drama 1996 88 mins Director: Bridgett M. Davis
Bridgett M. Davis’s comedy about an aspiring young Black actress who lands her first major role, but there’s a big problem: it requires a nude scene.
Pride Month
Pride Month has begun and we've got the perfect way to mark it..
Sebastian Sebastian
Drama 2024 110 mins Director: Mikko Mäkelä
A young London-based writer begins a double life as a sex worker to research his debut novel, in this gripping psychological drama.
Who We Love Who We Love
Drama 2021 94 mins Director: Graham Cantwell
Bullied for her sexuality, Dublin schoolgirl Lily turns to her gay best friend for support in this vibrant coming-out, coming-of-age drama.
Layla Layla
Drama 2024 100 mins Director: Amrou Al-Kadhi
A British-Palestinian drag performer catches the eye of a strait-laced white man in Amrou Al-Kadhi’s stunning, semi-autobiographical debut.
Mai Zetterling
Celebrating the work of Mai Zetterling, born 100 years ago today.
Loving Couples Loving Couples
Drama 1964 118 mins Director: Mai Zetterling
Three expectant mothers on a maternity ward recall their personal and sexual experiences in Mai Zetterling’s bold, subversive debut.
Night Games Night Games
Drama 1966 105 mins Director: Mai Zetterling
In Mai Zetterling’s scathing rebuke of European entitlement, a man returns to his childhood home and confronts his repressed memories and desire.
The Girls The Girls
Drama 1968 100 mins Director: Mai Zetterling
Three stage actresses starring in Aristophanes’ classic play Lysistrata start to draw parallels with their own lives in Mai Zetterling’s feminist comedy.
Final Films
Three outstanding final cuts from three titans of world cinema.
L'Argent L'Argent
Crime 1983 84 mins Director: Robert Bresson
Bresson’s superb final film and Cannes winner is a Tolstoy adaptation relating how a prank with a forged bank note leads to tragedy.
L'innocente L'innocente
Period drama 1976 130 mins Director: Luchino Visconti
Luchino Visconti's final film is a brilliant and disturbing drama set against the opulent backdrop of decadent, late 19th-century aristocracy.
An Autumn Afternoon An Autumn Afternoon
Drama 1962 113 mins Director: Yasujirō Ozu
Yasujiro Ozu's elegiac final film charts the inevitable eclipse of older generations by irreverent youth.
Luchino Visconti
A selection of works from a filmmaker who mastered realism and drama on the way to greatness
La Terra Trema La Terra Trema
Drama 1948 160 mins Director: Luchino Visconti
A fishing family tries to escape poverty and exploitation by becoming the owner of its own boat in Luchino Visconti's work of uncompromising realism.
Rocco and His Brothers Rocco and His Brothers
Drama 1960 179 mins Director: Luchino Visconti
Italian maestro Luchino Visconti’s epic drama follows a mother and her five sons who move from a small town to Milan, changing their lives forever.
L'innocente L'innocente
Period drama 1976 130 mins Director: Luchino Visconti
Luchino Visconti's final film is a brilliant and disturbing drama set against the opulent backdrop of decadent, late 19th-century aristocracy.
Radu Jude
Explore the back catalogue of a Romanian master…
Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World
Comedy 2023 163 mins Director: Radu Jude
Radu Jude’s follow-up to the Golden Bear-winning Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn is a pin-sharp, caustically funny critique of workplace culture and oppression.
Everybody in Our Family Everybody in Our Family
Thriller 2012 103 mins Director: Radu Jude
Radu Jude delivers on the promise of his first feature, The Happiest Girl in the World, with this superb black comedy.
Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn
Comedy 2021 106 mins Director: Radu Jude
Berlin Golden Bear winner, Radu Jude’s scathing satire finds schoolteacher Emi threatened with dismissal when a private sex tape goes viral.
New York Stories
Three tales from the city so good they named it twice, and filmed it much, much more...
King of New York King of New York
Crime 1990 103 mins Director: Abel Ferrara
Christopher Walken is the dogged drug-lord determined to keep his empire together, in Abel Ferrara's brutally gritty crime thriller.
Frances Ha Frances Ha
Comedy 2012 86 mins Director: Noah Baumbach
Barbie creators Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach hit their stride with this critical smash about an awkward girl and her complex passions.
News From Home News From Home
Documentary 1976 89 mins Director: Chantal Akerman
Chantal Akerman reads letters sent to her from her mother in Belgium, against a tableau of shots of 1970s New York.
Holidays from Hell
We've gone on holiday by mistake…
Holiday Holiday
Thriller 2018 88 mins Director: Isabella Eklöf
A lavish trip to the Turkish Riviera goes horribly awry in this disturbing tale of power, exploitation and complicity from the writer of Border.
Stranger by the Lake Stranger by the Lake
Drama 2013 100 mins Director: Alain Guiraudie
A young man witnesses a violent crime at a gay cruising ground and becomes obsessed with the killer in Alain Guiraudie’s acclaimed mystery-thriller.
More More
Drama 1969 116 mins Director: Barbet Schroeder
The first feature by Barbet Schroeder (Maîtresse, The Valley), More created a sensation when it was released in 1969, quickly becoming a cult classic and famed for its Pink Floyd soundtrack.
Cannes
This weekend, bring the Croisette to you with our selection of standout winners from across the years…
The Square The Square
Comedy 2017 151 mins Director: Ruben Östlund
From director Ruben Östlund (Force Majeure) comes a satire on the hypocrisy of the art world, starring Claes Bang, Elisabeth Moss and Dominic West. Winner of the Palme d'Or.
Underground Underground
Comedy 1995 170 mins Director: Emir Kusturica
Set against the backdrop of 50 years of Yugoslavian history, this moving tragic-farce by Emir Kusturica earned him his second Palme d'Or.
Paris, Texas Paris, Texas
Drama 1984 145 mins Director: Wim Wenders
The late, great Harry Dean Stanton's finest role came as the near-mute Travis, on a journey across America to reunite his family, in Wim Wenders' moving tale of loss and redemption.
Heist Films
Everybody be cool, this is a robbery…
Bande à part Bande à part
Crime 1964 95 mins Director: Jean-Luc Godard
Godard's playful tribute to the Hollywood pulp crime movies of the 1940s, executed with typically Gallic cool.
Face Face
Crime 1997 101 mins Director: Antonia Bird
Robert Carlyle and Ray Winstone are members of a criminal gang that tears itself apart after a heist goes wrong, in Antonia Bird’s stylish thriller.
Before the Devil Knows You're Dead Before the Devil Knows You're Dead
Thriller 2008 117 mins Director: Sidney Lumet
Philip Seymour Hoffman and Ethan Hawke star as criminal brothers whose botched heist leads to escalating turmoil, in Sidney Lumet's twisty thriller.
Great Composers
A trio of notable scores from past and present talent
Walkabout Walkabout
Drama 1970 101 mins Director: Nicolas Roeg
Jenny Agutter plays the teenage girl reliant on a young Aboriginal for her survival, in Nicolas Roeg's stunning Australian outback drama.
The Battle of Algiers The Battle of Algiers
Drama 1966 121 mins Director: Gillo Pontecorvo
Gillo Pontecorvo’s masterpiece about the last years of French colonial rule in Algeria, seen from the perspective of both the revolutionaries and the French authorities.
Tom of Finland Tom of Finland
Biopic 2017 116 mins Director: Dome Karukoski
The story of a gay icon is brought to life in Dome Karukoski’s handsome biopic of Touko Laaksonen, the artist whose homoerotic drawings gave visual expression to a growing gay culture.
So Good They Remade It
Update your watchlist with three exceptional originals…
Ikiru Ikiru
Drama 1952 143 mins Director: Akira Kurosawa
A bureaucrat’s life finds new meaning in Kurosawa’s classic original, the source for Bill Nighy’s brilliant drama, Living.
Wings of Desire Wings of Desire
Fantasy 1987 128 mins Director: Wim Wenders
In director Wim Wenders' (Paris, Texas) most metaphysical work, a guardian angel desires nothing more than to be human.
Bad Lieutenant Bad Lieutenant
Crime 1992 96 mins Director: Abel Ferrara
Abel Ferrara's disturbing character study of a corrupt N.Y.C. cop and his slide into insanity, starring Harvey Keitel in a career-best performance.
Carnival Spirit
We're banging the steel drum this weekend, for Notting Hill and beyond…
Black Orpheus Black Orpheus
Romance 1959 107 mins Director: Marcel Camus
Academy Award and Palme d'Or-winning adaption of the Orpheus myth, incorporating the music, costume and dance of Brazil’s Rio Festival.
Babylon Babylon
Drama 1980 95 mins Director: Franco Rosso
A young Rastafarian toaster (rapper) aims for success at a Reggae Sound System competition.
The Story of Lover's Rock The Story of Lover's Rock
Documentary 2011 100 mins Director: Menelik Shabazz
Menelik Shabazz (Burning an Illusion) shines a light on the music genre often dubbed ‘romantic reggae’; a uniquely black British sound that developed in the late 70s and 80s against a backdrop of riots, racial tension and sound systems.
Ingmar Bergman's The Faith trilogy
"I want to be one of the artists in the cathedral on the great plain"
Through a Glass Darkly Through a Glass Darkly
Drama 1961 89 mins Director: Ingmar Bergman
The first part of Ingmar Bergman's 'Faith Trilogy', about a writer (Björnstrand) who joins his daughter, son and son-in-law on holiday, where tensions soon arise.
The Silence The Silence
Drama 1963 95 mins Director: Ingmar Bergman
Two sisters, one ailing, the other with her young son, check into a hotel in a foreign city readying itself for war, in Ingmar Bergman's nightmarish vision of emotional isolation.
Winter Light Winter Light
Drama 1962 81 mins Director: Ingmar Bergman
Ingmar Bergman's highly personal treatise on the torments of faith, in which a widowed village pastor struggles to deal with his parishioners and ex-lover.
Harris Dickinson
Triangle of Sadness is just the latest film for a singular talent
Postcards from London Postcards from London
Drama 2018 89 mins Director: Steve McLean
A stylish, sensuous film about a young man’s journey into an unusual form of escort work.
Beach Rats Beach Rats
Drama 2017 98 mins Director: Eliza Hittman
Gripping account of repressed sexual desire in a masculine environment, with British newcomer Harris Dickinson as a virulently macho Brooklyn teen.
County Lines County Lines
Drama 2019 90 mins Director: Henry Blake
Blistering thriller of a teen groomed to work for a brutal, organised drugs network.
François Truffaut
The pioneer of a new kind of cinema.
The 400 Blows The 400 Blows
Drama 1959 100 mins Director: François Truffaut
François Truffaut’s French New Wave landmark is one of the greatest movies about adolescence.
Jules et Jim Jules et Jim
Drama 1962 106 mins Director: François Truffaut
François Truffaut’s hugely popular classic depicts one of cinema’s most captivating love triangles
The Woman Next Door The Woman Next Door
Drama 1981 105 mins Director: François Truffaut
Happily married Bernard (Gérard Depardieu) has his life is thrown into turmoil when Mathilde (Fanny Ardant) - an old flame - moves into the house opposite.
Fassbinder
A fearless artist who knew no taboos, he combined scathing criticism with profound human insight
The Marriage of Maria Braun The Marriage of Maria Braun
Drama 1978 120 mins Director: Rainer Werner Fassbinder
With a blazing star performance from Hanna Schygulla in the title role, this was the greatest critical and commercial success of Fassbinder’s career.
Querelle Querelle
Drama 1982 109 mins Director: Rainer Werner Fassbinder
Jeanne Moreau plays a jaded brothel madam caught up in the violent sexual awakening of Brad Davis' naïve young sailor.
Fear Eats the Soul Fear Eats the Soul
Melodrama 1974 93 mins Director: Rainer Werner Fassbinder
Fassbinder’s international breakthrough, this unconventional love story combines lucid social analysis with devastating emotional power.
Ingmar Bergman
Bergman's work still dazzles - tackling love, life and reflection in a way that feels ageless and vital.
The Seventh Seal The Seventh Seal
Fantasy 1957 96 mins Director: Ingmar Bergman
Ingmar Bergman’s best-known film is a brilliant allegorical drama starring Max von Sydow as a knight trying to elude his own death.
Wild Strawberries Wild Strawberries
Drama 1957 88 mins Director: Ingmar Bergman
Victor Sjöström is magnificent as the crabby professor taking a nostalgic road trip with his daughter-in-law, in Ingmar Bergman's elegiac masterpiece.
Summer with Monika Summer with Monika
Drama 1953 97 mins Director: Ingmar Bergman
Ingmar Bergman’s scandalous tale of two lovers enjoying the freedom of youth.
A-list meets arthouse
When established stars chose rawer, more challenging pictures
Only God Forgives Only God Forgives
Crime 2013 90 mins Director: Nicolas Winding Refn
Ryan Gosling takes on Bangkok’s criminal underworld in this kaleidoscopic revenge fantasy from cult director Nicolas Winding Refn.
Personal Shopper Personal Shopper
Drama 2016 106 mins Director: Olivier Assayas
Kristen Stewart plays a celebrity's personal shopper, who keeps receiving strange text messages from an unknown source.
Journey to Italy Journey to Italy
Drama 1954 86 mins Director: Roberto Rossellini
Roberto Rossellini's acerbic but finally very moving masterpiece about marital crisis boasts great performances from Ingrid Bergman and George Sanders