The Parents and Babies Club gives parents with babies a chance to visit the cinema, without having to find a baby sitter or worry about their babies causing a disturbance. The auditorium is lighter than usual, and there is a secure space for pushchairs. The Club is exclusively for parents with babies under one year old. Membership is free but you do need to sign up and receive a membership card to come to these screenings. You may join on the day, or email us: jemma@riocinema.org.uk with your name, address, contact telephone number, your baby's name and date of birth. Tickets are at the normal matinee price of £6 and £5 Concessions.

• Thur 14 Aug 11.00am

MAN ON A WIRE (12A)

(UK 2008) dir. James Marsh 94m. Digital.
Philippe Petit, Jean-Louis Blondeau, Annie Allix, Jim Moore, Mark Lewis, Jean-Francois Heckel.

This delightfully compelling documentary focuses on eccentric daredevil Philippe Petit, most famous for his staggering stunt of 1974 when he walked across a high-wire from one World Trade Centre tower to the other. While the film builds up to this moment through cleverly put-together reconstructions, the narrative is simultaneously driven forward by details of Petit’s earlier stunts, with superb archive footage of accomplishments at Notre Dame and the Sydney Bridge. Insightful interviews with the wonderfully charismatic Petit all help to make this the most entertaining documentary of recent years, and fully-deserved of both its audience and jury prizes at this year’s Sundance Festival.

SOMERS TOWN (12A)

(UK 2008) dir. Shane Meadows 71m. Digital.
Thomas Turgoose, Kate Dickie, Piotr Jagiello, Ireneusz Czop, Perry Benson, Elisa Lasowski.

Shane Meadows’ latest venture exceeds the considerable expectations placed on him since the phenomenal success of THIS IS ENGLAND. Moving the action from the Midlands to London, the film is centered on the unlikely teenage friendship between Nottingham runaway Tomo (Thomas Turgoose) and Polish teenager Malek (Piotr Jagiello). Settling in Somers Town, an impoverished area situated between Euston and Kings Cross, the bond between the two is tested by their desire for a French waitress (Elisa Lasowski). Shot in beautiful monochrome, Meadows proves once again his ability to gain scene-stealing performances from younger cast members, with both Turgoose and Jagiello excelling in this coming-of-age wonder from one of Britain’s most gifted directors.

• Thur 28 Aug 11.30am

SOMERS TOWN (12A)

(UK 2008) dir. Shane Meadows 71m. Digital.
Thomas Turgoose, Kate Dickie, Piotr Jagiello, Ireneusz Czop, Perry Benson, Elisa Lasowski.

• Tue 2 Sep 1.00

BEN X (15)

(Belgium 2007) dir. Nic Balthazar 93m. Subtitles. Digital.
Greg Timmermans, Laura Verlinden, Marijke Pinoy, Pol Goossen, Titus De Voogdt, Maarten Claeyssens, Gilles De Schrijver.

Virtual reality meets real life in one of the year's most powerful and original movies. Ben is different: a bright but autistic teenager who lives in his own universe. His only solace is the time spent playing sword-and-sorcery game “Overlord,” and the closest thing he has to a friendship is with Scarlite, a female online gamer he’s never met. Ben devises a plan but his love for the game will soon turn into something more threatening... First-time director Nic Balthazar mixes some striking visual effects and a superb star performance by newcomer Greg Timmermans to deliver a bold and memorable movie-going experience.

• Thur 4 Sep 12.15

SAVAGE GRACE (15)

(Spain/US/France 2007) dir. Tom Kalin 97m. Digital.
Julianne Moore, Stephen Dillane, Eddie Redmayne, Elena Anaya.

A gripping and powerful film recalling the story of Barbara Daly (Moore) who marries above her class to Brooks (Dillane), heir to the Bakelite plastic fortune. Barbara’s fierce determination to prove her social worth takes a shocking turn as the unusually close bond she shares with her son intensifies leading to irreversible, tragic consequences. Tremendously acted, with a superb central performance from Moore.

• Tue 9 Sep 12.45

THE DUCHESS (12A)

(UK 2008) dir. Saul Dibb 110m. Digital.
Kiera Knightly, Dominic Cooper, Ralph Fiennes, Hayley Atwell, Charlotte Rampling, Simon McBurney, Aidan McArdle.

Kiera Knightly continues to prove herself as one of Britain’s leading talents in this ravishing costume drama chronicling the life of 18th century aristocrat Georgina, Duchess of Devonshire. A celebrated beauty of her time, this royal celebrity was renowned for her extravagant and scandalous lifestyle, causing fascination and intrigue across the country. With striking cinematography and confident direction gaining landmark performances from the young cast, this harks back to the golden age of the British heritage film, and looks set to take the rest of the world by storm.

• Thur 11 Sep 12.45

THE DUCHESS (12A)

(UK 2008) dir. Saul Dibb 110m. Digital.
Kiera Knightly, Dominic Cooper, Ralph Fiennes, Hayley Atwell, Charlotte Rampling, Simon McBurney, Aidan McArdle.

• Tue 16 Sep 12.45

THE DUCHESS (12A)

(UK 2008) dir. Saul Dibb 110m. Digital.
Kiera Knightly, Dominic Cooper, Ralph Fiennes, Hayley Atwell, Charlotte Rampling, Simon McBurney, Aidan McArdle.

• Tue 23 Sep 12.45

THE WAVE (15)

(Germny 2008) dir. Dennis Gansel 107m. Subtitles. Digital.
Jürgen Vogel, Frederick Lau, Max Riemelt, Jennifer Ulrich, Christiane Paul.

Based on real events in a Californian High School in 1967 and transferred to modern day Germany, this gripping thriller looks certain to shine come awards season. When a high school teacher (Vogel) decides to set up an experiment on dictatorship, it gathers momentum faster than anyone could have expected, with students actually embracing such strictures and opting in to the system. But as members of this system feel their dominance grow, so too does campus resistance and violence. Drumming up broad examinations of fascism, and more focused questions of the emergence of a Third Reich for a new generation, THE WAVE reveals how simply an ideology of supremacy can take hold.

• Thur 25 Sep 12.45

THE WAVE (15)

(Germny 2008) dir. Dennis Gansel 107m. Subtitles. Digital.
Jürgen Vogel, Frederick Lau, Max Riemelt, Jennifer Ulrich, Christiane Paul.

Based on real events in a Californian High School in 1967 and transferred to modern day Germany, this gripping thriller looks certain to shine come awards season. When a high school teacher (Vogel) decides to set up an experiment on dictatorship, it gathers momentum faster than anyone could have expected, with students actually embracing such strictures and opting in to the system. But as members of this system feel their dominance grow, so too does campus resistance and violence. Drumming up broad examinations of fascism, and more focused questions of the emergence of a Third Reich for a new generation, THE WAVE reveals how simply an ideology of supremacy can take hold.

LINHA DE PASSE (15)

(Brazil 2008) dirs. Walter Salles & Daniela Thomas 113m. Subtitles.
Sandra Corveloni, João Baldasserini, Vinícius de Oliveira, José Geraldo Rodrigues, Kaique Jesus Santos.

A touching tale of four brothers from a poor Brazilian family, superbly directed by the man behind THE MOTORCYLCE DIARIES. An alternative to recent Brazilian offerings immersed in drugs and death, these siblings centre their lives on everything from football to faith, desperately attempting to hold onto their dream of making it out of the slums and its cycle of grinding poverty without wading into illegal terrain. As dramatic as it is moving, this is a poignant story that reveals the softer side of Brazilian cinema while negating none of its hard-hitting impact.

LINHA DE PASSE (15)

(Brazil 2008) dirs. Walter Salles & Daniela Thomas 113m. Subtitles.
Sandra Corveloni, João Baldasserini, Vinícius de Oliveira, José Geraldo Rodrigues, Kaique Jesus Santos.

A touching tale of four brothers from a poor Brazilian family, superbly directed by the man behind THE MOTORCYLCE DIARIES. An alternative to recent Brazilian offerings immersed in drugs and death, these siblings centre their lives on everything from football to faith, desperately attempting to hold onto their dream of making it out of the slums and its cycle of grinding poverty without wading into illegal terrain. As dramatic as it is moving, this is a poignant story that reveals the softer side of Brazilian cinema while negating none of its hard-hitting impact.