Sun 22 Feb • Kenji Mizoguchi double bill

THE LADY OF MUSASHINO (PG) 1.15

(Japan 1951) dir.Kenji Mizoguchi 88m. Subtitles.
Kiyoko Hirai, Akihiko Katayama, Masayuki Mori, Minako Nakamura, Satoshi Nishida.

An atmospheric evocation of post war Japan exploring the climate of social and economic change, THE LADY OF MUSASHINO tells the story of Michiko (Kinuyo Tanaka), a disillusioned young wife, trapped in a loveless marriage to her translator husband (Masayuki Mori). Starved of any real affection, Michiko turns to her cousin (Akihiko Katayama), only to become entangled in a destructive affair. Mizoguchi's serene visual style and meticulously detailed mise-en-scene captures the moral decadence and emotional brittleness of Japan's post war society. Exploring the divide between traditional values and a new found personal liberation, Mizoguchi contrasts the pace of life in the countryside with the bustling suburbs of the encroaching city. The superb Kinuyo Tanaka gives another outstanding performance as the self-sacrificing heroine.

+ THE LIFE OF O-HARU (PG) 3.00

(Japan 1952) dir.Kenji Mizoguchi 148m. Subtitles.
Kinuyo Tanaka, Toshiro Mifune, Ichiro Sugai, Toshiro Yanane, Ataro Shindo, Tsuki Matsura.

"In 1952 Japanese cinema was busy putting out feelers to the past. RASHOMON was one catalyst, but so too was the waning of American imposed circumscriptions: the MacArthur command had sought to entrench democracy by weeding out films 'favouring or approving the feudal loyalty, and direct or indirect approval of suicide,' and consequently took a dim view of all period drama. There couldn't be a better illustration of their philistinism than Mizoguchi's 'spectacle of an ill-fated woman', as damning a portrait of entrenched injustice as you'll see. It's set in the late seventeenth century, but the oppression that permeates its frame could stand for any era's: this is a masterpiece of feminist cinema."
(Time Out)

Tue 24 Feb • Parents & Babies Club

THE LIFE OF O-HARU (PG) 12.30

(Japan 1952) dir.Kenji Mizoguchi 148m. Subtitles.
Kinuyo Tanaka, Toshiro Mifune, Ichiro Sugai, Toshiro Yanane, Ataro Shindo, Tsuki Matsura.

An opportunity for parents with babies to visit the cinema without having to find a baby sitter or worry about their babies causing disturbance. A secure space is provided for pushchairs.

Adm £5/£4 Concessions

Thur 26 Feb • Parents & Babies Club

LOST IN TRANSLATION (15) 1.00

(US 2003) dir.Sofia Coppola 102m.
Bill Murray, Scarlett Johansson, Giovanni Ribisi Akiko Takeshita

An opportunity for parents with babies to visit the cinema without having to find a baby sitter or worry about their babies causing disturbance. A secure space is provided for pushchairs.

Adm £5/£4 Concessions

Sun 29 Feb • Treble bill

TRILOGY: ONE ('On the Run') (15) 11.45

(France 2002) dir.Lucas Belvaux 111m. Subtitles.
Lucas Belvaux, Dominique Blanc, Gilbert Melki, Catherine Frot.

"Theoretically, the films in actor- writer-director Belvaux's momentous TRILOGY can be seen in any order, but this taut crime thriller makes the best possible introduction to its weave of stories in contemporary Grenoble."
(Trevor Johnson, Time Out)

+ TRILOGY: TWO ('An amazing Couple') (PG) 1.55

(France 2002) dir.Lucas Belvaux 97m. Subtitles.
Ornella Muti, François Morel, Valérie Mairesse, Gilbert Melki.

"This isn't a sequel to TRILOGY: ONE, but a parallel film, in the alternate universe we call 'comedy'. It makes no sense to pretend this is a discrete film; it's the grand design that's so compelling, the prismatic effects of genre, the correspondences, connections and coincidences the triptych throws up."
(Tom Charity, Time Out)

+ TRILOGY: THREE ('After Life') (15) 3.50

(France/Belg 2002) dir.Lucas Belvaux 123m. Subtitles.
Dominique Blanc, Gilbert Melki, Ornella Muti.

"The camera's close-in, the performances committed and tremendously raw in this most emotive segment of the series."
(Trevor Johnson, Time Out)

Adm £8/£7 Concessions treble bill, £7/£5.50 TWO and/or THREE

Thur 4 Mar • Parents & Babies Club

VIZONTELE TUUBA (12A) 12.45

(Turkey 2003) dir.Yilmaz Erdogan 111m. Subtitles.
Yilmaz Erdogan, Demet Akbag, Altan Erkekli, Tarik Akan, Tuba Ünsal.

An opportunity for parents with babies to visit the cinema without having to find a baby sitter or worry about their babies causing disturbance. A secure space is provided for pushchairs.

Adm £5/£4 Concessions

Sat 6 Mar • Matinee

A MIGHTY WIND (12A) 1.15

(US 2003) dir.Christopher Guest 91m.
Jim Moret, Stuart Luce, Mary Gros.

£6/£5 Concs/£4 Under 15's

Sun 7 Mar • Christopher Guest double bill

THIS IS A SPINAL TAP (15) 2.15

(US 1983) dir.Rob Reiner 82m.
Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, Harry Shearer, RJ Parnell, David Kaff, Rob Reiner, June Chadwick, Ed Begley Jr.

"Since the antics of so many heavy metal bands already teeter on the edge of self-parody, it would have been no surprise if this spoof 'rockumentary' about a comeback tour by a has-been English Rock group had turned out to be a one-joke movie. In the event, Reiner's brilliantly inventive script and smart visuals avoid all the obvious pitfalls, making this one of the funniest films ever about the music business."
(Time out)

+ A MIGHTY WIND (12A) 4.00

(US 2003) dir.Christopher Guest 91m.
Jim Moret, Stuart Luce, Mary Gros.

"Reassembling the superb improvisational stock company behind his community-theatre spoof WAITING FOR GUFMANN and dog-owners' parade BEST IN SHOW, A MIGHTY WIND sees Guest trout-tickling in a musical milieu again , some two decades on from SPINAL TAP. Reconvening a PBS concert for showdown in honour of their late agent, the three outfits relive old memories and demonstrate the attrition of years: the heart of the film is as much about the pathos of aging as the comedy aspiration. At times even the laughs seem to be thinning in empathy, which may explain Guest's stockpiling of ephemeral delights around the margins."
(Time out)

Tue 9 Mar • Parents & Babies Club

FREAKY FRIDAY (PG) 1.00

(USA, 2003) dir.Mark S. Waters 97m.
Jamie Lee Curtis, Lindsay Lohan, Mark Harmon.

15-Year old daughter Anna and psychotherapist mum Tess are just not getting on. Anna isn't pleased at all with her widowed mum's re-marriage while Tess doesn't prove very supportive of her daughter's musical ambitions. In short, neither of of them seems to understand the other's point of view... Until they wake up on a Friday morning in each other's body after an old Chinese lady has played some strange hocus-pocus the night before. Jamie Lee Curtis is at her best in this hilarious remake of the 1976 Disney comedy.

An opportunity for parents with babies to visit the cinema without having to find a baby sitter or worry about their babies causing disturbance. A secure space is provided for pushchairs.

Adm £5/£4 Concessions

Wed 10 Mar • Classic Matinee

FREAKY FRIDAY (PG) 2.30

(USA, 2003) dir.Mark S. Waters 97m.
Jamie Lee Curtis, Lindsay Lohan, Mark Harmon.

NB. With a 15 minute intermission

Thur 11 Mar • Parents & Babies Club

21 GRAMS (15) 12.30

(US 2003) dir.Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu 125m.
Sean Penn, Benicio Del Toro, Naomi Watts, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Melissa Leo, Clea DuVall, Danny Huston, Paul Calderon.

An opportunity for parents with babies to visit the cinema without having to find a baby sitter or worry about their babies causing disturbance. A secure space is provided for pushchairs.

Adm £5/£4 Concessions

Sat 13 Mar • Matinee

LOST IN TRANSLATION (15) 1.15

(US 2003) dir.Sofia Coppola 102m. Bill Murray, Scarlett Johansson, Giovanni Ribisi.
£6/£5 Concs/£4 Under 15’s

Sun 14 Mar • Sofia Coppola double bill

THE VIRGIN SUICIDES (15) 1.45

(US 1999) dir.Sofia Coppola 97m.
James Woods, Kathleen Turner, Kirsten Dunst.

“In a quiet, conservative American suburb in the 70s, 13-year-old Cecilia Lisbon attempts suicide. She is one of five beautiful teenage sisters, and her action is a catalyst for the already strict and secretive family to become ever more insular. Sofia Coppola, writing and directing, captured all the elliptical complexity of Jeffrey Eugenides's cult novel and added something haunting of her own.”
(The Guardian)

+ LOST IN TRANSLATION (15) 3.40

(US 2003) dir.Sofia Coppola 102m.
Bill Murray, Scarlett Johansson, Giovanni Ribisi.

“Contempary Tokyo, and Bob Harris (Murray) is having an out-of-body experience. Nothing says disconnection so much as giant billboards of yourself commending Suntory whiskey to a foreign audience when the shoot behind the ads leaves stranded you in a sterile hotel bar nursing your loneliness over several glasses of the same. That’s when he meets Charlotte (Johansson), a soul-searching young New Yorker idling time while her photographer husband disappears on assignment. She recognises a fellow castaway, and soon the two are trading quips and confidences. Coppola’s film is a deft manifold delight. Johansson again impresses as an old head on young shoulders, but it’s Murray’s infinitely modulated performance that underpins the film. Cinematic cherry blossom.”
(Time Out)

Thur 15 Apr - Parents & Babies Club

Monster (18) 11.15am

Tue 16 Mar • Parents & Babies Club

21 GRAMS (15) 12.30

(US 2003) dir.Alejandro González Iñárritu 125m.
Sean Penn, Benicio Del Toro, Naomi Watts, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Melissa Leo, Clea DuVall, Danny Huston, Paul Calderon.

An opportunity for parents with babies to visit the cinema without having to find a baby sitter or worry about their babies causing disturbance. A secure space is provided for pushchairs.

Adm £5/£4 Concessions

Sat 20 Mar • Matinee

TOUCHING THE VOID (15) 1.15

(Br 2003) dir.Kevin Macdonald 106m. Documentary.
£6/£5 Concs/£4 Under 15’s

Sun 21 Mar • Documentary double bill

THE FIVE OBSTRUCTIONS (15) 2.00

(Den/Swi/Bel/Fr 2003) dir.Jørgen Leth 91m. Documentary. Subtitles.

“In 1967, Leth made THE PERFECT HUMAN, a short anthropological comedy, which became a firm favourite of the young Lars von Trier. Many years later, the latter came to Leth with an offer he couldn’t refuse: he would produce five remakes of PERFECT HUMAN, each to be directed by Leth according to his diktat. Von Trier’s ruthless instinct for his collaborator’s soft spots may be sadistic but it’s vastly entertaining.”
(Tom Charity, Time Out)

+ TOUCHING THE VOID (15) 3.50

(Br 2003) dir.Kevin Macdonald 106m. Documentary.

“In 1985, two British mountaineers conquered the west face of Siula Grande in the Peruvian Andes. Little did they know that the challenge was only just beginning... TOUCHING THE VOID is a very physical film. We experience the effort, the exhaustion, the pain, the triumph without triumphalism – and it is a breathtakingly beautiful film as we watch these small figures crossing glaciers and climbing rock faces in the majestic mountains.”
(The Guardian)

Tue 23 Mar • Parents & Babies Club

TOUCHING THE VOID (15) 12.45

(Br 2003) dir.Kevin Macdonald 106m. Documentary.

An opportunity for parents with babies to visit the cinema without having to find a baby sitter or worry about their babies causing disturbance. A secure space is provided for pushchairs.

Adm £5/£4 Concessions

Thur 25 Mar • Parents & Babies Club

ZATOICHI (18) 12.30

(Jap 2003) dir. Takeshi Kitano 115m. Subtitles.
Beat Takeshi, Tadanobu Asano, Michiyo Ogusu, Yui Natsukawa, Guadalcanal Taka, Daigoro Tachibana, Yuko Daike, Ittoku Kishibe.

An opportunity for parents with babies to visit the cinema without having to find a baby sitter or worry about their babies causing disturbance. A secure space is provided for pushchairs.

Adm £5/£4 Concessions

For the third year running, we are pleased to present a week of Spanish films in association with the 10th Viva! Spanish Film Festival, organised by the Cornerhouse Manchester. The week will feature the London premiere of David Trueba’s SALAMINA SOLDIERS and previews of Julio Medem’s controvbersial THE BASQUE BALL, Fernando Léon de Aranoa’s MONDAYS IN THE SUN, Pablo Berger’s TORREMOLINOS 73 and Emilio Martinez-Lazaro’s THE WRONG SIDE OF THE BED.

A Festival Pass offering admission to all 12 films costs £30 (£24 Concs), £28 for Rio Friends (£22 Concs). A separate programme leaflet will be available from Friday 19 March. Our special thanks to Linda Pariser, Manchester Cornerhouse Cinema Director.

Fri 26 Mar

BOX 507 (La Caja 507) (15) 4.00

(Sp 2002) dir. Enrique Urbizu 112m. Subtitles.
Antonio Resines, Jose Coronado, Goya Toledo.

Bank manager Modesto (Resines) lost his daughter to a forest fire. Seven years later his branch is robbed, his wife taken hostage and left in a coma. In the afternath, Modesto discovers documents from one of the vandalised safety deposit boxes indicating the fire that killed his child was deliberately set. Seeking revenge, Modesto decides to investigate, parallel to a gunman (Coronado) assigned by the mob to find the missing documents. The methodical bank manager uncovers a web of deceit and corruption woven around the lucrative property market of the Costa del Sol. Co-written by the co-scripter of VACAS (Michel Gaztambide), CAJA 507 is a taut socio-political thriller.

BULGARIAN LOVERS (Los Novios Búlgarios) (18) 6.30

(Sp 2002) dir.Eloy de la Iglesia 95m. Subtitles.
Fernando Guillén Cuervo, Dritán Biba, Pepón Nieto.

After an absence of fifteen years, queer director Eloy de la Iglesia returns with a sexy comedy-drama of obsessive gay love, adapted from the novel by Eduardo Mendicutti. Daniel (Guillén Cuervo), is an aristocratic 40-year-old gay man with a flourishing law firm, a posh Madrid flat, and an understanding wealthy family. Cruising the bars of Chueca with his friends, Daniel falls madly in lust with hunky Bulgarian immigrant Kyril, aware that the young man has other commitments, such as a fiancée in Bulgaria. As Kyril’s needs increase, Daniel risks everything in a tangle of love tokens, illegal dealings and Bulgarian familial ties.

THE SHOOT (El Pico) (18) 11.15

(Sp 1983) dir.Eloy de la Iglesia 105m. Subtitles.
José Luis Manzano, Javier Garcia, José Manuel Cervino, Luis Iriondo, Alfred Luchetti.

An early film from the director of THE BULGARIAN LOVERS, EL PICO was de la Iglesia’s most successful film and demonstrates the director’s interest in addressing contemporary social issues through genre filmmaking. Set in Bilbao as the Socialists ascended in 1982, this is the story of mismatched mates Paco (son of a Civil Guard) and Urko (son of a Basque nationalist politician) who find themselves introduced into the local drug culture and become addicted to heroin. Addiction leads to violence and soon the Civil Guard are after them. EL PICO is a heady mix of drugs, Basque nationalism (plus an ETA attack), homosexuality and family.

Sat 27 Mar

BOLIVIA (15) 3.45

(Argentina 2001) dir.Adrián Caetano 75m. English subtitles.
Freddy Waldo Flores, Rosa Sánchez, Oscar Bertea.

Caetano's second feature is an example of the lively cinema coming from Argentina, despite the harsh economic climate. Originally shot on video, BOLIVIA is the story of Freddy (Flores), a former coca fields worker forced by the U.S. destruction of his livelihood to leave his native Bolivia to seek work in Argentina. Working in a Buenos Aires café, Freddy learns first hand what it means to be an illegal alien - from the cops, his boss, and the customers. Shot in gritty black & white and full of restless energy, BOLIVIA offers an organic cultivation of Argentina's economic problems and ethnophobic woes in the confines of a run-down caff.

THE WRONG SIDE OF THE BED (El Otro Lado de la Cama) (15) 6.15

(Sp 2002) dir.Emilio Martinez-Lazaro 114m. Subtitles.
Ernesto Alterio, Paz Vega, Guillermo Toledo, Natalia Verbeke.

“A charming, sexy, perfectly calibrated comedy, THE WRONG SIDE OF THE BED is a 180-degree stylistic turnaround for helmer Emilio Martinez-Lazaro, whose last pic (HIS MASTER’S VOICE) was a gritty take on Basque terrorism. Romantic Paula (Verbeke) leaves good-hearted slob Pedro (Toledo), telling him she's in love with someone else. The someone else, as Pedro is slow to discover, is his best buddy, the Machiavellian Javier (Alterio), boy friend of Sonia (Vega). Soon, Pedro is spying on Paula with the help of private detective Sagaz (underrated Ramon Barea, in a memorable comic turn). A nicely contemporary mood, engaging characters energized by solid performances from a good-looking, high-profile young cast, and genuinely witty scripting.”
(Variety)

(Preview courtesy of Swipe Films)

BOX 507 (La Caja 507) (15) 11.15

(Sp 2002) dir.Enrique Urbizu 112m. Subtitles.
Antonio Resines, Jose Coronado, Goya Toledo.

Bank manager Modesto (Resines) lost his daughter to a forest fire. Seven years later his branch is robbed, his wife taken hostage and left in a coma. In the afternath, Modesto discovers documents from one of the vandalised safety deposit boxes indicating the fire that killed his child was deliberately set. Seeking revenge, Modesto decides to investigate, parallel to a gunman (Coronado) assigned by the mob to find the missing documents. The methodical bank manager uncovers a web of deceit and corruption woven around the lucrative property market of the Costa del Sol. Co-written by the co-scripter of VACAS (Michel Gaztambide), CAJA 507 is a taut socio-political thriller.

Sun 28 Mar • Double bill

CUBAN RAFTERS (Balseros) (15) 1.30

(Sp 2002) dirs.Carlos Bosch & Josep Maria Domènech 120m. Subtitles.

In the summer of 1994, more than 50,000 Cubans took to the sea in a motley array of rafts and floating junk in an attempt to reach the Florida shores. Originated as a Catalan TV report, this documentary follows seven separate rafters over seven years, charting their first attempts, through internment at the notorious U.S. military base at Guantanamo Bay to new lives in the US. Shot with an intense sense of both immediacy and intimacy, BALSEROS meets friends affected by this pursuit of the ‘American Dream’. Nominated for Best Documentary at the 2004 Oscars.

+ SEVILLE SOUTHSIDE (Polígono Sur) (15) 3.50

(Sp 2003) dir.Dominique Abel 105m. Subtitles.

Forget the flashy stylings of Joaquin Cortes. This at times surreal documentary reveals the true flamenco, as it comes from the squalid streets of Seville’s Las Tres Mil Viviendas (The Three Thousand Homes) estate. The neighbourhood portrait reveals the struggling Gypsy population, forcibly moved into the high-rises 30 years ago from their shanty towns of Triana, across the city. The crowded, poverty-stricken conditions have led to some creative living, from drug-dealing to a flowering of the Gypsy (Gitano) culture, with both traditional and ‘new flamenco’. Features Rafael and Raimundo Amador
(Pata Negra).

SALAMINA SOLDIERS (Soldados de Salamina) (15) 6.00

(Sp 2003) dir.DavidTrueba 121m. Subtitles.
Ariadna Gil, Ramón Fontsere, Joan Dalmau.

Based on the bestseller by Javier Cercas, this powerful yet understated drama refuses to takes sides in its exploration of the dehumanising nature of war and the impact of history upon the present. Listless journalist Lola (Gil) reluctantly accepts the assignment of a Civil War story on Rafael Sánchez Mazas. A (real-life) fascist author and ideologue, he was supposed to be executed by Republican soldiers during the war but in fact escaped due to the aid of the ‘Friends of the Forest’. She learns that one person is especially responsible for his salvation and dedicates herself to finding the now elderly man – and the truth. In an effective blend of fiction and documentary, SOLDADOS features appearances by some of the actual historical participants, interviewed by the fictional reporter. Beautifully shot, directed and performed, the film was selected as Spain’s official submission to the 2004 Oscars and nominated for 5 Goyas.

Mon 29 Mar

SEVILLE SOUTHSIDE (Polígono Sur) (15) 4.00

(Sp 2003) dir.Dominique Abel 105m. Subtitles.

Documentary portrait of Seville’s Las Tres Mil Viviendas estate and the flowering of the Gypsy (Gitano) culture, with both traditional and ‘new flamenco’.

FOURTH FLOOR (Planta Quarta) (15) 6.30

(Sp 2003) dir.Antonio Mercero 100m. Subtitles.
Juan José Ballesta, Luis Angel Priego.

Starring Juanjo Ballesta (EL BOLA), this spirited, bittersweet tale of adolescent cancer patients was a feelgood sleeper hit in Spain and winner of the Audience Prize at the Montreal Film Fest. Based on writer Albert Espinosa’s autobiographical play, PLANTA CUARTA follows a recalcitrant gang of wheelchair-using guys from amongst the ‘baldie’ population of the 4th floor. Led by wisecracking Miguel Angel (Ballesta) and his mate Izan (Priego), they strive to maintain their humour – and ability to be normal teens – against the restrictive rules of the hospital and their own fears. Avoiding excessive sentimentality with lashings of dark comedy, cheeky antics, and a casual realism, the film soars on the excellent performances by the young cast, especially Ballesta.

Tue 30 Mar

THE BASQUE BALL: THE SKIN AGAINST THE STONE (La Pelota Vasca: La piel contra la piedra ) (15) 6.15

(Sp 2003) dir.Julio Medem 120m. Subtitles.

Julio Medem’s feature documentary uses poetic imagery and an innovative structure to offer a subjective and complex exploration of Basque nationalism and the ‘Basque Question’. Around 70 people contribute their opinions.

"Both epic and intimate, Basque Ball is the fascinating work of a master film-maker. He brilliantly grounds this study of a particular geographical landscape into a far-reaching contemplation of issues around identity and nationality, globalisation and local cultures, human rights and the nation-state, language and power, presence and absence." Times London Film Festival

“The most controversial Spanish film in decades.”
(The Guardian)

(Preview courtesy of Tartan Films)

Wed 31 Mar

FOURTH FLOOR (Planta Quarta) (15) 4.00

(Sp 2003) dir.Antonio Mercero 100m. Subtitles.
Juan José Ballesta, Luis Angel Priego.

A spirited, bittersweet tale of adolescent cancer patients with lashings of dark comedy and excellent performances.

MONDAYS IN THE SUN (Los Lunes al Sol) (15) 6.20

(Sp 2002) dir.Fernando León de Aranoa 113 m. Subtitles.
Javier Bardem, Luis Tosar, José Ángel Egido, Nieve de Medina, Enrique Villen.

An almost unrecognisable Javier Bardem (BEFORE NIGHT FALLS, LIVE FLESH) plays Santa, the unofficial leader of a group of shipbuilders who lost their jobs when the yard closed down. Years later, only two of them have found work. Attempting to support each other, the rest drift through their individual daily rituals, usually located around the bar owned by a former workmate. Theirs is a world of perpetual Sundays. Built upon quiet but affecting performances (especially Bardem and Tosar as his best mate), this moving drama was Spain’s submission to the 2003 Oscars and the winner of 5 Goyas in 2003. "A powerful parable about unemployed men which confirms Fernando León de Aranoa as one of Spain's brightest young talents."
(Variety)

(Preview courtesy of Winchester Entertainment)

Thur 1 Apr

THE SHOOT (El Pico) (18) 4.00

(Sp 1983) dir.Eloy de la Iglesia 105m. Subtitles.
José Luis Manzano, Javier Garcia, José Manuel Cervino, Luis Iriondo, Alfred Luchetti.

An early film from the director of THE BULGARIAN LOVERS, EL PICO was de la Iglesia’s most successful film and demonstrates the director’s interest in addressing contemporary social issues through genre filmmaking. Set in Bilbao as the Socialists ascended in 1982, this is the story of mismatched mates Paco (son of a Civil Guard) and Urko (son of a Basque nationalist politician) who find themselves introduced into the local drug culture and become addicted to heroin. Addiction leads to violence and soon the Civil Guard are after them. EL PICO is a heady mix of drugs, Basque nationalism (plus an ETA attack), homosexuality and family.

TORREMOLINOS 73 (15) 6.30

(Sp/Den 2003) dir.Pablo Berger 93m. Subtitles.
Javier Cámara, Candela Peña, Juan Diego.

Bilbao-born director Pablo Berger made cult short MÁMA featuring art direction by a young Alex de la Iglesia. He returns with one of the savviest directorial débuts in years. Based on real events, this quirky yet tender retro comedy follows an encyclopaedia salesman in the waning years of Franco who discovers his career prospects equally fading. Until the publishing company goes into a new line of educational films aimed at the Scandinavian market and Alfredo (Camara of HABLE CON ELLA) finds he has the makings of a successful porn director. Cue wife Carmen (Peña) who becomes a big star in Sweden. But all Pablo really wants is to be Ingmar Bergman…

(Preview courtesy of Tartan Films)

Tue 30 Mar • Parents & Babies Club

ZATOICHI (18) 12.30

(Jap 2003) dir. Takeshi Kitano 115m. Subtitles.

Beat Takeshi, Tadanobu Asano, Michiyo Ogusu, Yui Natsukawa,
Guadalcanal Taka, Daigoro Tachibana, Yuko Daike, Ittoku Kishibe.

An opportunity for parents with babies to visit the cinema without having to find a baby sitter or worry about their babies causing disturbance. A secure space is provided for pushchairs.

Adm £5/£4 Concessions

Sun 4 Apr • Double bill

KANDAHAR (PG) 2.30

(Iran/Fr 2001) dir.Moshen Makhmalbaf 85m. Subtitles.
Niloufar Pazira Tabib, Hassan Tantai, Sadou Teymouri.

“Makmalbaf’s film provides a guided tour of discovery as we accompany journalist Nafas (Pazira), back to Afghanistan’s Iranian border after she receives a letter from her suicidal sister. Characteristically, Makhmalbaf’s film is jam-packed with metaphors and striking visual epiphanies.”
(Time Out)

+ OSAMA (12A) 4.15

(Afg/Jap/Ire 2003) dir.Siddiq Barmak 82m. Subtitles.
Marina Golbahari, Arif Herati, Zubaida Sahar.

“Afghanistan: the Taliban has decreed that women can only emerge from home in male company. Desperate for the wherewithal to feed herself, her mother and her 12-year-old daughter, a widow reluctantly decides to dress the child as a boy, sending her out to work as a baker’s assistant. Will ‘Osama’ – as another kid helpfully names the understandably distraught girl – be found out? Certainly there are boys around who find Osama a little timid; more worryingly, some mullahs seem to have their eyes on the beautiful teenager – out of suspiscion or lust? This first feature out of post-Taliban Afghanistan takes a straightforward, even unpromisingly obvious premise and transforms it into a film of considerable power, suspense and sophistication. If KANDAHAR (by Mohsen Makhmalbaf, who helped Barmak make this movie) was more topical, this has a clear-headed intelligence and unflitching honesty all of its own.”
(Time Out)

Tue 6 Apr • Parents & Babies Club

OSAMA (12A) 11.30

(Afg/Jap/Ire 2003) dir.Siddiq Barmak 82m. Subtitles.
Marina Golbahari, Arif Herati, Zubaida Sahar.

An opportunity for parents with babies to visit the cinema without having to find a baby sitter or worry about their babies causing disturbance. A secure space is provided for pushchairs.

Adm £5/£4 Concessions

Thur 8 Apr • Parents & Babies Club

MONSTER (18) 11.00

(Afg/Jap/Ire 2003) dir.Siddiq Barmak 82m. Subtitles.
Marina Golbahari, Arif Herati, Zubaida Sahar.

An opportunity for parents with babies to visit the cinema without having to find a baby sitter or worry about their babies causing disturbance. A secure space is provided for pushchairs.

Adm £5/£4 Concessions

Sun 11 Apr • Double bill

WAITING FOR HAPPINESS (U) 2.00

(Maur/Fr 2002) dir.Abderrahmane Sissako 96m. Subtitles.
Khatra Ould Abdel Kader, Maata Ould Mohamed Abeid, Mohamed Mahamed Ould Mohamed.

“A town, flanked on one side by the vast Mauritanian desert, on the other by the crashing Atlantic. Some – like young Abdallah – are passing through en route to Europe. This lovely first feature from one of African cinema’s brightest rising star offers a wondrously subtle account of themes – communication breakdown, the importance of tradition, the perils of exile – which in other hands would probably have made for the odd heavy-handed sermon. Sissako wisely prefers to make points through visual and aural poetry, narrative ellispsis and a good deal of deadpan humour.”
(Geoff Andrew, Time Out)

+ AMANDLA! A REVOLUTION IN FOUR PART HARMONY (12A) 3.55

(SA/US 2002) dir.Lee Hirsch 103m. Documentary.

“Most scholars agree that the true catalyst for change in South Africa was the ‘60 Sharpeville massacre. What isn’t so widely known, perhaps, is just how profound an effect song was to have on those Black South Africans who otherwise held out very little hope for the future. Using exclusive interviews with various expats and some illuminating archive footage, Hirsch’s edifying document unfolds like a potted history of South Africa. It’s tragic, up-lifting, chilling, even funny; and the music stirs the soul out.”
(Time Out)

Tue 13 Apr • Parents & Babies Club

MONSTER (18) 11.00

(Afg/Jap/Ire 2003) dir.Siddiq Barmak 82m. Subtitles.
Marina Golbahari, Arif Herati, Zubaida Sahar.

An opportunity for parents with babies to visit the cinema without having to find a baby sitter or worry about their babies causing disturbance. A secure space is provided for pushchairs.

Adm £5/£4 Concessions

Thur 15 Apr • Parents & Babies Club

THE HAUNTED MANSION (PG) 11.15am

(US 2003) dir.Rob Minkoff 87m.
Eddie Murphy, Terence Stamp, Nathaniel Parker, Marsha Thomason, Wallace Shawn, Jennifer Tilly.

Workaholic Jim Evers and his wife Sara have been invited to the Gracey mansion with their children. What they don’t know is that the mansion holds a tragic secret and a lot of ghostly presences. This is a scary and funny supernatural comedy for all the family based on a Disney theme park ride.

An opportunity for parents with babies (and older children) to visit the cinema without having to find a baby sitter or worry about their babies causing disturbance. A secure space is provided for pushchairs.

Adm £5/£4 Under 15’s & Concessions

Sat 17 Apr • Matinee

SCHOOL OF ROCK (PG) 1.15

(US 2003) dir.Richard Linklater 109m.
Jack Black, Mike White, Joan Cusack, Sarah Silverman.

“As teacher training films go, SCHOOL OF ROCK is different. It’s not just that our hero, Jack Black’s quack supply teacher, is to all purposes a headbanging jackass who can’t even spell his claimed name (Schneebly). What makes his encounter with a class of prep-school fifth graders the greatest breakthrough in pedagogy since Bill and Ted met Socrates is his discovery that even square kids might yet be saved by a swift baptism in the rejuvenating fount of Rock. A cathartic class comedy for kids of all sizes...”
(Time Out)

£6/£5 Concs/£4 Under 15’s

Sun 18 Apr • Double bill

SONGS FROM THE SECOND FLOOR (15) 2.00

(Den/Swe/Nor 2000) dir.Roy Andersson 99m. Subtitles.
Lars Nordh, Stefan Larsson, Peter Roth, Hanna Eriksson.

“Loosely linked sketches and tableaux depicting personal calamity against a backdrop of social breakdown and apocalyptic despair. A middle-aged man begs to get his job back. An immigrant is stabbed before an impassive bus queue. A magician saws a man in half – without success. The imagery is stunning, and it’s hard to think of anything quite like it.”
(Time Out)

+ KITCHEN STORIES (PG) 4.00

(Nor 2003) dir.Bent Hamer 95m. Subtitles.
Tomas Norström, Joachim Calmeyer, Bjørn Floberg, Reine Brynolfsson.

“It’s the early 1950s, and Sweden’s home Research Institute, having successfully created the perfect kitchen for the national housewife, sets its sights on the Norwegian bachelor. The plan is simple - an inspector installs himself on a stepladder in the volunteer’s kitchen and for weeks logs all movement and business in the room. Don’t let this seemingly limited premise put you off; it’s from the chamber restrictions of the scenario that the film’s humour and insights derive. This is wonderfully warm-hearted and entertaining cinema from one of Norway’s most distinctive talents.”
(Gareth Evans, Time Out)