Plymouth Arts Cinema February Film Programme

26th January 2023

Where to find Plymouth Arts Cinema

You can find Plymouth Arts Cinema inside Arts University Plymouth’s main campus at Tavistock Place. Go through Arts University Plymouth’s main entrance and turn right, you will face their Box Office and Café-Bar.

   

Opening times and how to Book

The Box Office and Café-bar open Tuesday, Thursday and Friday: 5-8.30pm; Wednesday: 1-8.30pm; Saturday: 1-8pm). You can call Box Office during these times: 01752 206114.

Standard £9.00 | Matinees £7.00 | Bringing in Baby £4 | Over 60s £7.75 | 25 & Under, Students, PCA Staff, Unwaged and low income £4 | Friends 10% discount and £6 on Tuesdays. Please bring relevant ID if you are eligible for a discount.

Online booking fee £1.50. Advance booking recommended.

Fnd out more on the Plymouth Arts Cinema website

  

Till (12A)

Friday 3 – Thursday 9 February

F-Rated | Book Early

• Fri 3, 5.45pm
• Sat 4, 2.30pm & 8pm
• Tue 7, 5.45pm
• Wed 8, 8.15pm (Captioned Screening)
• Thu 9, 5.45pm

Dir. Chinonye Chukwu, USA, 2022, 130 mins. Cast. Danielle Deadwyler, Jalyn Hall, Frankie Faison, Haley Bennett, Whoopi Goldberg.

While in Mississippi for a family visit, 14-year-old Emmett Till was kidnapped and murdered after being wrongfully accused of harassing a white woman, Carolyn Bryant. When it became clear that the white establishment was unconcerned with bringing his killers to justice, his mother Mamie turned reluctant activist, her fight becoming a major catalyst for the US Civil Rights movement. Danielle Deadwyler brings deep emotional resonance to her role as Mamie Till-Mobley. As relevant now as ever, Till is intelligent, emotional and gripping from the first shot to the last.

   

Holy Spider (18)

Programmer’s Pick | MUBI GO

Saturday 4 – Thursday 9 February

• Sat 4, 5.30pm
• Tue 7, 8.30pm
• Wed 8, 2.30pm & 5.45pm
• Thu 9, 8.30pm

Dir. Ali Abbasi, Denmark, 2022, 118 mins, subtitled. Cast. Mehdi Bajestani, Zar Amir-Ebrahimi, Arash Ashtiani.

Abbasi’s second film is a terrifying retelling of the case of the Spider Killer, a serial killer hunting down sex workers in Iran. Mashhad, early 2000s, despite being the country’s holy city, its residents are ill at ease. A serial killer is on the prowl, reporting their crimes, as well as the location of the bodies, to a local newspaper. When no-nonsense journalist Rahimi is transferred to the paper following a misogyny-related scandal at her last workplace, she immediately immerses herself into the city’s underbelly. Journeying deeper into the case, humanising the murdered women and attempting to navigate the city’s complex judicial system, Rahimi discovers that some don’t believe the Spider Killer’s actions to be crimes. With blistering intent, Abbasi reconfigures the tropes of the serial-killer genre, creating a film that not only grapples with the attempt to bring a criminal to justice but examines what really stands for ‘justice’ in this world.

   

Wurlitza: The Kid + One Week

Friday 10 February, 7.30pm

We are delighted to welcome back Wurlitza for a live performance and screening of two rare gems, Charlie Chaplin’s The Kid and Buster Keaton’s One Week. Each film soundtrack is an absolute labour of love, taking on average about 2 years to compile. Once planned out and relatively familiar, the band start performing and ironing out what truly works and what doesn’t. The band are often asked how on earth they come up with their soundtracks, and the answer is simply a diverse interest in music and a lot of trial and error.

One Week (25 mins) Buster Keaton and Sybil Seely star as a newly-wedded couple who attempt to build a house from a prefabricated kit, with less than perfect results. This charming and comedic short has allowed Wurlitza to delve into the world of slapstick, and create not only a musical accompaniment but an array of inventive sound effects!

The Kid (60 mins) Starring alongside his child protégé Jackie Coogan, this is an hour-long treat of Charlie Chaplin at his best. This funny yet heart-warming film follows Chaplin’s character as a child almost literally falls into his life.

   

The Fabelmans (12A)

Saturday 11 – Saturday 18 February
Bringing in Baby, Wed 15 Feb, 11am
Relaxed Screening, Sat 25 Feb, 2.30pm

• Sat 11, 2.15pm & 7.45pm
• Tue 14, 5.30pm
• Wed 15, 8pm
• Thu 16, 5.30pm
• Sat 18, 5pm

Dir. Steven Spielberg, US, 2022, 151 mins. Cast. Michelle Williams, Gabriel LaBelle, Paul Dano.

Set in post-World War II Arizona, Sammy Fabelman falls in love with the movies after his parents, talented pianist Mitzi and computer engineer Burt take him to see The Greatest Show on Earth. Armed with a camera, Sammy starts to make his own films at home, much to his mother's supportive delight - discovering the power of cinema. With a supporting cast including a cameo from David Lynch as John Ford (yes!), The Fabelmans explores the family roots and dynamics that saw Spielberg become one of the world's most beloved filmmakers. Heartfelt, funny, and highly personal, it's an exploration of family and the wonder of film which looks set to take awards season by storm.

   

Enys Men (15)

Friday 3 – Wednesday 15 February

• Fri 3, 8.30pm
• Sat 11, 5.30pm
• Wed 15, 6pm

Dir. Mark Jenkin, UK, 2022, 96 mins. Cast. Mary Woodvine, John Woodvine, Edward Rowe.

Back by popular demand!

Mark Jenkin follows up his acclaimed breakthrough Bait with this mind-bending Cornish folk horror tale, gorgeously shot on grainy 16mm.

In 1973 on a remote island off the Cornish coast, a wildlife volunteer's daily observations of a rare flower take a dark turn into the strange and metaphysical, forcing both her (and the audience) to question what is real, and what is a nightmare...is the landscape not only alive, but sentient? Shooting on 16mm colour film stock and using post-synched sound, Jenkin has created another boldly experimental work set against his native Cornish landscape. It's an eerie, almost dialogue-free throwback to the British folk horrors of the 1970s; an ode to Cornwall's rich folklore and natural beauty; and a look at how, when alone, we are at the mercy of our memories, dreams, and fears.

   

Roman Holiday (U)

Tuesday 14 – Wednesday 15 February

• Tue 14, 8.30pm
• Wed 15, 2.30pm

Dir. William Wyler, US, 1953, 118 mins. Cast. Audrey Hepburn, Gregory Peck, Eddie Albert.

William Wyler’s beloved romantic classic, featuring Audrey Hepburn in her first starring role, celebrates its landmark 70^th anniversary in 2023 and has been lovingly restored in 4K. As a special Valentine’s Day treat, why not grab a glass of wine, sit back and watch one of cinemas greatest love stories about a European princess longing to escape her suffocating schedule, and experience normal life for once. She falls asleep on a park bench and is found by an American reporter who takes her back to his apartment for safety. At work the next morning, he finds out her regal identity and bets his editor he can get exclusive interview with her, but romance soon gets in the way. With Audrey Hepburn luminous in her American debut, Roman Holiday is as funny as it is beautiful, and sets the standard for the modern romantic comedy.

  

Hold Me Back

Japan Foundation Touring Programme 2023 | F-Rated

Thursday 16 February, 8.30pm

Dir. OHKU Akiko, Japan, 2020, 133 mins, subtitled. Cast. Non, HAYASHI Kento, USUDA Asami.

Thirty-one-year-old Mitsuko (Non) is, on the surface, enjoying her solo life. She cooks for herself, dines on her own, goes to the spa alone, and visits her friend in Italy all by herself. But she is not as alone as you may think. She has her own adviser in her head with whom she often holds conversations: ‘A’ (voiced by NAKAMURA Tomoya). A provides Mitsuko with answers when she feels insecure. It seemed that her peaceful single life with A will continue unchanged until she falls in love with Tada (HAYASHI Kento), a young salesman. Mitsuko decides to take a step forward together with her inner A. Will she be able to break out of her comfort zone of being alone?

Based on a novel by WATAYA Risa, this film portrays the life of the ever-growing unmarried solos in Tokyo. Gaining sympathy from the large singles community both inside and outside of Japan, this award-winning film handles the hidden loneliness of a young woman in Japanese contemporary society with a humorous tone.

   

Saint Omer (12A)

Friday 17 – Wednesday 22 February

F-Rated

• Fri 17, 8.30pm
• Sat 18, 2.30pm
• Wed 22, 8.15pm

Dir. Alice Diop, France, 2022, 123 mins, subtitled. Cast. Kayije Kagame, Guslagie Malanda, Robert Cantarella.

Alice Diop reinvents the courtroom drama in this concentrated, gripping study of a writer and the young African woman whose fate comes to fascinate her. A young novelist, Rama, travels to follow the trial of Laurence, a young Senegalese woman accused of killing her daughter. Pregnant herself, Rama’s own history, doubts, and fears are steadily dislodged as the defendant's testimony unfolds, exposing the corrosive racism she endured on her arrival in Europe and her isolation from her family back home. Loosely inspired by a real court case where a mother abandoned her baby to the rising tides on a beach, Saint Omer is a finely observed drama which probes the unspeakable.

After receiving critical acclaim at this year's Venice Film Festival where it won the Silver Lion, the Best Debut Film Award and the Edipo Re Award, Saint Omer is France’s entry at the 2023 Oscar's®.

  

All the Beauty and the Bloodshed (18)

Friday 17 – Thursday 23 February

F-Rated | Programmer’s Pick | MUBI GO

• Fri 17, 6pm
• Sat 18, 8pm
• Wed 22, 2.30pm & 5.45pm (Captioned Screening)
• Thu 23, 8.15pm

Dir. Laure Poitras, US, 2022, 122 mins. With. Nan Goldin, David Armstrong (archive footage), Marina Berio.

Oscar®-winning filmmaker Laura Poitras (Citizenfour) presents a stirring portrait of renowned artist and activist Nan Goldin, focussing on her fight against Big Pharma. After struggling with addiction to the opioid painkiller Oxycontin, in 2017 the photographer attempted to hold the Sackler family (owners of Purdue Pharma) to account for their responsibility for the staggering opioid epidemic in the USA. Through the foundation of the protest organisation PAIN (Prescription Addiction Intervention Now), Goldin began lobbying galleries and museums, who received donations from the Sacklers, to disavow the family and its ill-gotten funds.

Poitras's film is an unconventional biography that ties Goldin's work and its themes in with her activism and personal history. All the Beauty and the Bloodshed is an empowering work about political awareness and artistic expression, and is an inspiring call to arms. One of the best documentaries of the year.

"A devastating work of shocking intelligence and still greater emotional power." - INDIEWIRE

     

Iris on the Move

Tuesday 21 February

New Iris Prize Productions 6pm

These three new films made by winners of the Iris Prize and a community production are a celebration of LGBTQ+ lives. Each is an example of excellence in storytelling and together the programme is sure to make you cry and laugh.

Cardiff (15) | Dir. Sarah Smith | 25 Mins Perpetually single, Frederick envies his fabulous gay friend Joe, who seems to have a never-ending supply of paramours despite being happily married himself. But when Frederick’s meddling mother arrives for a visit, she thrusts him into a forbidden romance, and a series of unforeseen betrayals hilariously expose some carefully held secrets. The film stars the late Welsh Icon Ruth Madoc, Stifyn Parri and Richard Elis.

I Shall Be Whiter Than Snow (PG) | Dir. Frederick Stacey | 17 Mins This short film is based on the true story of a lesbian couple, Kim and Roseann, who were married at Velindre Hospital, Cardiff in 2018 whilst Kim was receiving treatment for cancer. This emotional film is a touching love story between two women and a celebration of the amazing staff who work for our NHS and the importance of compassionate care. The film stars Rebecca Harries and Lynn Hunter, supported by a cast of NHS professionals.

A Beautiful Form To See (PG) | Dir. Lara Zeidan | 8 Mins This is a short film where a young woman gets trapped in her fantasy inside a Kaleidoscope. This is the 11th film made with the Iris Prize sponsored by The Michael Bishop Foundation.

7pm - Drinks Reception An opportunity to discuss the films with a glass of something.

7.30pm - Meet the Filmmakers An opportunity to hear from some of the film makers screening their work.

Best of Iris 2022 8pm

The 16th Iris Prize LGBTQ+ Film Festival brought a huge variety of LGBTQ+ short films to our in-person and online festival. This diverse selection of outstanding short films showcases unique stories from around the world.

Tarneit (18) | Dir. John Sheedy | Australia | 22 Mins (Winner: Iris Prize 2022) Tyrone lives with his mother and her boyfriend Pommy, a lowlife drug dealer who despises immigrants and homosexuals. Tyrone’s best friend Clinton, a refugee, lives with his older brother Shaker, who also has similarly firm ideas about race and sex. Despite these obstacles, the boys share a bond, both deaf, both neglected by family, and each dreaming of escaping from the brutal violence that surrounds them.

Queer Parivaar (PG)| Dir. Shiva Raichandani | UK | 27 Mins (Winner: Iris Prize Best British 2022) When a mysterious gate crasher appears at their wedding, Madhav and Sufi are forced to face past secrets and reflect on what makes a family.

Breathe (U) | Dir. Harm Van Der Sander | NED | 6 Mins (Winner: Iris Prize Youth Award) A lyrical coming of age film which follows two school friends from childhood to young adulthood, as their friendship matures into something more romantic.

Jim (15)| Dir. Tom Young | UK | 15 Mins (Winner: Co-op Audience Award) Inspired by true events. West London, 1982. Gay priest Jim Fitzsimmons reaches a decision: he’s going to spend one night with a rent boy. The night will change Jim’s life forever, but not for the reasons he expects.

Tank Fairy (PG) | Dir. Erich Rettstadt 雷利 | Taiwan | 10 Mins (Highly Commended Iris Prize) The magical Tank Fairy delivers her gas tanks unlike any other - with sass, stilettos and a healthy helping of glitter. Her arrival upends the life of Jojo, a lonely ten-year-old who dreams of dancing and drag. Outcast by classmates and misunderstood by his stern, single mom, Jojo is inspired to live out loud by his fierce, propane-toting fairy go

  

Blue Thermal - Japan Foundation Touring Programme 2023

Thursday 23 February, 6pm

Dir. TACHIBANA Masaki, Japan, 2022, 103 mins, subtitled. Cast. HOTTA Mayu, SHIMAZAKI Nobunaga, ENOKI Junya.

Tamaki (voiced by HOTTA Mayu), a university fresher from Nagasaki, is determined to have a fairy-tale romance in Tokyo by joining the right student club. However, Tamaki ends up joining the aviation club after damaging their prized glider. Far from the university life that Tamaki had dreamed of, she is at first reluctant to attend the training sessions, but gradually discovers a fascination towards flying. One day, during a joint training session with another university, she meets her estranged sister, Chizuru (voiced by KOMATSU Mikako). Knowing that her sister remains cold towards her and feeling the pressure at her first tournament, Tamaki loses her confidence and becomes doubtful about herself.

With the world of aviation providing an unusual setting, this coming-of-age animation is a successful collaboration between respectable creators and voice actors. The film is like a ‘blue thermal’ – an updraft that occurs under a blue sky which pushes a glider higher. This beautiful work with its spectacular depiction of the sky captures the ever-moving emotion of Tamaki tenderly.

  

The Whale (tbc)

Friday 24 February – Wednesday 1 March

• Fri 24, 6pm
• Sat 25, 8pm
• Tue 28, 6pm (Captioned Screening)
• Wed 1, 2.30pm & 8.30pm

Dir. Darren Aronofsky, US, 2022, 117 mins. Cast. Brendan Fraser, Hong Chau, Sadie Sink, Samantha Morton.

Brendan Fraser gives a career-defining performance as a severely obese tutor seeking to reconcile with his daughter, in this profoundly moving drama. Isolated in his home, Zoom tutor Charlie lives a solitary life. Grief-stricken by the death of his partner, his only contact with the outside world is with his kindly carer Liz and the sudden arrival of keen young religious missionary Thomas. Realising the severity of his medical situation, Charlie sets out to make amends with his estranged daughter before it’s too late.

Oscar buzz rightfully surrounds Brendan Fraser’s affectingly gentle, altogether heart-breaking central performance, in this stunning one-location character study from visionary auteur Darren Aronofsky.

   

Blue Jean (15)

Friday 24 February – Wednesday 1 March

F-Rated | MUBI GO

• Fri 24, 8.30pm
• Sat 25, 5.30pm
• Tue 28, 8.30pm
• Wed 1, 6pm (Captioned Screening)

Dir. Georgia Oakley, UK, 2022, 97 mins. Cast. Rosy McEwen, Kerrie Hayes, Lucy Halliday.

In Oakley’s quiet, soulful drama, a closeted PE teacher reckons with her identity during the introduction of Clause 28 to Thatcherite Britain. By day Jean is a PE teacher, while at night she frequents a local lesbian bar with her friends and long-term partner. Adept at keeping her two lives separate, her world is rocked with the arrival of a new student who could destroy the veneer that she has successfully maintained. With a gorgeous, naturalistic central performance by Rosy McEwan, Blue Jean is an intimate character study of a woman unsure of how she wants to be, or is allowed to be, perceived in her own life. It’s an ode to queer resilience in the not-too-distant past and a timely reminder of the ways in which queer people are still silenced today.

  

Exhibition on Screen: Mary Cassatt: Painting The Modern Woman

Wednesday 8 March, 6pm

Dir. Ali Ray, 93 mins.

Released to coincide with International Women’s Day.

Mary Cassatt made a career painting the lives of the women around her. Her radical images showed them as intellectual, curious and engaging, which was a major shift in the way women appeared in art. Presenting her astonishing prints, pastels and paintings, this film introduces us to the often-overlooked Impressionist whose own career was as full of contradiction as the women she painted.

She printed, sketched, and painted dozens of images of mothers and children yet she never married or had children herself. She was a classically trained artist but chose to join a group of Parisian radicals – the Impressionists – a movement that transformed the language of art.

The world’s most eminent Cassatt curators and scholars help tell this riveting tale of great social and cultural change; a time when women were fighting for their rights and the language of art was completely re-written. Mary Cassatt and her modern women were at the heart of it all.