• Friday 2 October for 2 weeks

THE ARMY OF CRIME (15)

(France 2009) dir. Robert Guédiguian 139m. Subtitles. Digital.
Simon Abkarian, Virginie Ledoyen, Robinson Stevenin, Gregoire Leprince-Ringuet, Lola Naymark.

The gripping true story of that section of the wartime French underground resistance movement which became known as the "Army of Crime", a group of foreign partisans who not only defied the German occupation authorities but also the apathy and collaborationist stance of many French citizens. Subjected to a campaign of racial abuse, this band of Jews, Poles, Italians, Spaniards and Armenians sacrificed both their beliefs and their lives in the cause of their adopted country. It's an engrossing story of real people involved in violent actions alongside their routine everyday lives. Convincingly played by a large cast, this is powerful film making with a purpose.

• Friday 9 October for 1 week

LE DONK & SCOR-ZAY-ZEE (15)

(UK 2009) dir. Shane Meadows 72m. Digital.
Paddy Considine, Dean Palinczuk, Shane Meadows, Mark Herbert, Olivia Coleman, Richard Graham, Seamus O'Neil.

A roughly fashioned mockumentary from one of Britain's most talented filmmakers. Long-time collaborator Paddy Considine reveals his comical genius as aging, embittered rock-roadie Le Donk who lands a gig with leading pop group the Arctic Monkeys, and hopes to get his rap protégé Scor-Zay-Zee in on the act. This low-budget improvised comedy from Meadows (who himself features as the director of the faux-rockumentary crew) is filled with the director's trademark humour and heart, offering genuine laughs that proved a solid hit at this year's Edinburgh Film Festival.

• Friday 16 October for 2 weeks

THE IMAGINARIUM OF DOCTOR PARNASSUS (12A)

(France/Canada/UK 2009) dir. Terry Gilliam 123m. Digital.
Heath Ledger, Johnny Depp, Jude Law, Colin Farrell, Christopher Plummer, Tom Waits, Lily Cole.

The carnival sideshow of the immortal 1,000-year old Dr Parnassus, where ticket buyers enter a world of their own imagination through a magic mirror, is the setting for Gilliam's latest fantastical outing.  When a mysterious outsider (Ledger) joins the group, he becomes embroiled in an ongoing feud between the Doctor and the Devil (Waits). Gilliam's remarkable powers of imagination are in full flood and Depp, Law and Farrell's contribution to the completion of Ledger's final film adds a whole new dimension. The result is a dazzling, colourful and entertaining adventure – and a welcome return to what Gilliam does best.

• Friday 30 October for 1 week

TALES FROM THE GOLDEN AGE (12A)

(Romania/France 2009) dirs. Ioana Uricaru, Hanno Höfer, Razvan Marculescu, Constantin Popescu & Cristian Mungiu 131m. Subtitles. Digital.
Alexandru Potocean, Teo Corban, Emanuel Pirvu, Avram Birau, Paul Dunca, Viorel Comanici, Vlad Ivanov, Tania Popa, Liliana Mocanu, Ion Sapdaru, Virginia Mirea, Gabriel Spahiu, Diana Cavalioti, Radu Iacoban, Calin Chirila.

A very original idea from the writer of the Palme d'Or-winning FOUR MONTHS, THREE WEEKS AND TWO DAYS. Five stories, each shot by a different director recreate urban myths that flourished during the repressive regime of dictator Nicolai Ceausescu, the so-called 'golden age' of Romanian history. The wide range and reach of the stories, from the comic to the tragic, mirrors the uncertainty and confusion of the period, and marks another landmark in Romania's film-making renaissance.

N.B. The 5.15pm screening on Saturday 31 October will be followed by a Q&A with director Ioana Uricaru, introduced by Ed Lawrenson

• Friday 30 October for 1 week

THIRST (18)

(South Korea 2009) dir. Chan-wook Park 134m. Subtitles. Digital.
Song Kang-ho, Kim Ok-vin, Kim Hae-suk, Shin Ha-gyun, Park In-hwan.

The director of OLD BOY and SYMPATHY FOR MISTER VENGEANCE brilliantly reinvents the vampire movie in this Cannes Jury prize-winning visual feast. A priest volunteers for a medical experiment to find the cure for a deadly disease but the experiment fails and turns him into a vampire. He fights his new nature in a desperate struggle to retain his goodness, but at what cost? It's a complex, baroquely plotted tale of sin and redemption, often lyrical and moving, both playful and serious, beautifully shot and clearly the work of a major film-maker.

• Friday 13 November for 1 week

BRIGHT STAR (PG)

(UK/Australia/France 2009) dir. Jane Campion 119m. Digital.
Abbie Cornish, Ben Whishaw, Paul Schneider, Kerry Fox, Edie Martin, Thomas Brodie-Sangster.

A thing of beauty is indeed a joy for ever, and Jane Campion's story of poet John Keats' love for girl next door Fanny Brawne is equally a long way from being just another musty period costume drama. He describes her as a minx; she has trouble understanding his poetry but their brief love affair was as intense as it was short-lived and it inspired some of the most beautiful love letters ever written. It may be set in a bygone age, but the superb performance of Abbie Cornish as Fanny and Ben Whishaw's very sensual Keats combine to produce a very modern mix of strength and sensitivity. Beautifully filmed against a background of the changing seasons, this tale of poetry and passion, in which fleeting gestures, moments and looks have an equal part to play, is a real gem.

• Friday 20 November for 2 weeks

A SERIOUS MAN (15)

(US 2009) dir. Ethan & Joel Coen 105m. Digital.
Michael Stuhlbarg, Fred Melamed, Richard Kind, Aaron Wolf, Sari Wagner, Jessica McManus, Adam Arkin.

Not just the most original trailer of the year, but another full-scale gem to savour from the brothers Coen as they continue their tour of recent American history and locations. This time it's 1960’s Minnesota and, with autobiographical undertones, the focus is on on a Jewish academic couple and their young adolescent sons. Physics professor Larry Gopnik's life is unravelling around him. His wife Judith is preparing to leave him, his unemployable brother Arthur is sleeping on the couch, his children are constantly in trouble and, to top it all, an anonymous hostile letter-writer is trying to sabotage his chances for tenure at the university. Struggling for clarity (working through three rabbis in the process) in a world where everyone seems to have abandoned him, will Larry ever find what he is looking for?