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Plymouth Arts Cinema October Film Programme
22nd September 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, AUP Staff, Budget - Unwaged and low income £4 | Friends 10% discount and £6 on Tuesdays. Please bring relevant ID if you are eligible for a discount.
Fnd out more on the Plymouth Arts Cinema website.
Past Lives (12A)
F-rated | MUBI GO | Reclaim The Frame | Programmer’s Pick
Friday 29 September – Thursday 5 October
- Fri 29,6pm
- Sat 30, 8pm
- Tue 3, 6pm
- Wed 4, 2.30pm (Captioned Screening) & 8.30pm
- Thu 5, 11am (Bringing in Baby) & 6pm
Dir. Celine Song, US/South Korea, 2023, 106 mins. Cast. Greta Lee, Teo Yoo, John Magaro.
Nora and Hae Sung, two deeply connected childhood friends, are torn apart when Nora's family emigrates from South Korea to Canada. Twenty years later, they are reunited in New York for one fateful week as they confront notions of love and destiny. Director Celine Song's debut feature is a melancholic look at love in its different forms that separate and come together across time and distance. It's a beautiful, aching story about love, connections, memories of past lives and questions about the life not lived.
Paris Memories (15)
F-rated | MUBI GO
Friday 29 September – Thursday 5 October
- Fri 29, 8.30pm
- Sat 30, 5.30pm
- Tue 3, 8.30pm
- Wed 4, 6pm
- Thu 5, 8.30pm
Dir. Alice Winocour, France, 2023, 103 mins, subtitled. Cast. Virginie Efira, Benoit Magimel.
From acclaimed French filmmaker Alice Winocour comes an exceptional new drama. Paris Memories follows Mia (Virginie Efira) as she struggles to make sense of her experience in the aftermath of a violent attack. Her isolation and confusion leads her to meet with others who were there, including Thomas (Benoît Magimel) who she forges a close relationship with. As Mia works through her fractured memories, she starts to rebuild her life and reconnect with the city she loves. Featuring outstanding performances, Winocour’s new film is a powerful story of hope, humanity and compassion.
“A measured, quietly powerful film” ★★★★ The Guardian
Passages (18)
MUBI GO
Friday 6 – Thursday 12 October
- Fri 6, 6pm
- Sat 7, 8pm
- Thu 12, 8.30pm
Dir. Ira Sachs, France, 2023, 92 mins. Cast. Franz Rogowski, Ben Whishaw, Adèle Exarchopoulos.
Celebrated filmmaker Ira Sachs makes a breathtaking return with Passages, a fresh, honest and brutally funny take on messy, modern relationships. Set in Paris, this seductive drama tells the story of Tomas and Martin, a gay couple whose marriage is thrown into crisis when Tomas begins a passionate affair with Agathe, a younger woman he meets after completing his latest film.
Perceptive, intimate and unashamedly sexy, Passages sees Sachs bridge his usually tender style with a uniquely European sensibility, providing an insightful and authentic take on the complexities, contradictions and cruelties of love and desire.
The Old Oak (15)
MUBI GO | Programmer’s Pick
Friday 6 – Thursday 12 October
- Fri 6, 8.30pm
- Sat 7, 5.30pm
- Wed 11, 2.30pm (Captioned Screening) & 6pm
- Thu 12, 6pm
Dir. Ken Loach, UK, 2023, 113 mins. Cast. Dave Turner, Ebla Mari, Debbie Honeydew.
The Old Oak is a special place. Not only is it the last pub standing, but it is also the only remaining public space where people can meet in a once thriving mining community that has now fallen on hard times after 30 years of decline. TJ Ballantyne the landlord hangs on to The Old Oak by his fingertips, and his hold is endangered even more when the pub becomes contested territory after the arrival of Syrian refugees who are placed in the village. In an unlikely friendship TJ encounters a young Syrian, Yara, with her camera. Can they find a way for the two communities to understand each other? So unfolds a deeply moving drama about loss, fear and the difficulty of finding hope.
Fremont (12A)
MUBI GO
Saturday 7 – Wednesday 11 October
- Sat 7, 2.30pm
- Wed 11, 8.30pm
Dir. Babak Jalali, US, 2023, 92 mins, some subtitles. Cast. Anaita Wali Zada, Jeremy Allen White, Gregg Turkington.
Donya, a young Afghan who moved to Fremont, California after serving as a translator for the American army, spends her days working at a fortune cookie factory and her nights wide awake battling between her desire to rebuild her life and the overbearing guilt she carries within. In a bid to connect with the world, she sends an unconventional message through a fortune cookie. Tinged with Jarmuschian deadpan humour, this sensitive immigrant tale packs a breakout performance by real-life refugee Anaita Wali Zada, joined by a perpetually off-kilter Gregg Turkington and Jeremy Allen White from The Bear as a heartthrob mechanic.
The Room 20th Anniversary Event with Greg Sestero (15)
Tuesday 10 October, 7.30pm
Dir. Tommy Wiseau, US, 2003, 99 mins. Cast. Tommy Wiseau, Greg Sestero, Juliette Danielle.
We are very excited to invite our old friends, Mondo Monday to host this very special screening of a genuine cult-classic, with star Greg Sestero in attendance. The event will include a special 20th anniversary screening of The Room, live audience script reading and an extended Q&A with Greg!
Brace yourselves for what has been described as the ‘Citizen Kane of bad films’. Greg Sestero is the co-star of cult film The Room and best-selling author of The Disaster Artist, a memoir of his time as an aspiring actor in Hollywood, which led to his bizarre friendship with Tommy Wiseau, the mysterious and iconoclastic director of The Room.
The premise behind the film is a simple one: It is the story of a banker named Johnny (Wiseau) who suspects that his fiancée Lisa may be sleeping with his best friend Mark (Sestero).
However, surrounding this simple love triangle is a car-crash of cinematic head-scratching conundrums. Various subplots are introduced and then either ignored or not resolved, rooftop scenes are done with awful green-screen effects, and then there are the two awkwardly long and incredibly unerotic sex scenes.
The cult film, which is the true definition of bad cinema, has become a worldwide phenomenon and has attracted an army of loyal followers, playing to sold out screenings around the world.
If you’ve never seen The Room, you will have at least heard of it and you owe it to yourself to finally see what all the fuss is about. Love it or hate it, you’ll never forget it.
Bring spoons.
The Lesson (15)
F-Rated
Friday 13 – Thursday 19 October
- Fri 13, 8.30pm
- Tue 17, 6pm
- Wed 18, 2.30pm
- Thu 19, 8.30pm
Dir. Alice Troughton, UK, 2023, 103 mins. Cast. Richard E. Grant, Julie Delpy, Daryl McCormack.
Liam, an aspiring and ambitious young writer, eagerly accepts a tutoring position at the family estate of his idol, renowned author JM Sinclair, and his wife Hélène. But soon, Liam realises that he is ensnared in a web of family secrets, resentment, and retribution. Reeling from the mysterious passing of their eldest son, the Sinclairs push Liam to work harder and invite him to stay on the estate grounds with them. Soon enough, lies big and small unfurl as a well-intentioned exercise quickly transforms into a tale of lust, betrayal, jealousy, and the quest for legacy-defining relevance.
Klokkenluider (15)
Friday 13 – Thursday 19 October
- Fri 13, 6pm
- Tue 17, 8.30pm
- Wed 18, 8.30pm
- Thu 19, 6pm
Dir. Neil Maskell, UK, 2023, 84 mins. Cast. Amit Shah, Sura Dohnke, Tom Burke, Jenna Coleman.
Maskell’s directorial debut is a witty mix of Black Mirror and Harold Pinter, centring on a government whistleblower and his wife awaiting the arrival of a British journalist at their safehouse. Ewan and Silke have fled to a remote country house in Belgium for their own safety. Joined by two protection officers, they are awaiting the arrival of a British journalist who is going to help them tell their story, but all is not what it seems…
A darkly comic, character-driven thriller, Klokkenluider is a witty and distinctive debut from acclaimed actor Neil Maskell (Kill List, Bull), and is executive produced by Ben Wheatley (Sightseers, High Rise, Free Fire).
Hidden Figures of Plymouth Film Day
Saturday 14th October
‘Hidden Figures of Plymouth’ is a ground-breaking 2-year project sponsored by The National Lottery Heritage Fund.
The project's core aims are to share the untold stories of the contributions of People of the Global Majority to the city of Plymouth. The stories of people like Ann Wilkinson (co-founder of the Plymouth Respect Festival in 1998), Jimmy Peters (the first black rugby player to play for England in 1906), and Claude Miller (who in 2004 became the first black Lord Mayor of Plymouth), to name a few.
As well as highlighting the stories of past figures, the project will capture the stories of living figures and engage with younger people from the Global Majority communities to explore their vision for a future, knowing their past.
The project started in February 2023 and is the brainchild of WonderZoo, a Plymouth based arts collective (www.wonderzoo.org).
To celebrate the launch of the project Hidden Figures of Plymouth have taken over the PAC programme for a day. The launch coincides with Black History Month which is during the month of October.
Hidden Figures (PG)
Saturday 14 October, 2.30pm
Dir. Theodore Melfi, US, 2016, 121 mins. Cast. Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, Janelle Monae, Kevin Costner, Kirsten Dunst, Jim Parsons.
The incredible and inspiring untold true story about three women at NASA who were instrumental in one of history's greatest operations – the launch of astronaut John Glenn into orbit.
Belle (12) + introduction by Dr. Jenny Graham
Saturday 14 October 5.30pm
Dir. Amma Asante, UK, 2012, 100 mins. Cast. Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Tom Wilkinson, Emily Watson.
Belle is inspired by the true story of Dido Elizabeth Belle, the illegitimate mixed-race daughter of a Royal Navy Admiral. Raised by her aristocratic great-uncle Lord Mansfield and his wife, Belle’s lineage affords her certain privileges, yet the colour of her skin prevents her from fully participating in the traditions of her social standing. Left to wonder if she will ever find love, Belle falls for an idealistic young vicar’s son bent on change who, with her help, shapes Lord Mansfield’s role as Lord Chief Justice to end slavery in England.
Belle is screening to coincide with the exhibition, Reframing Reynolds: A Celebration on Sir Joshua Reynolds currently at The Box, Plymouth. Dr Jenny Graham is co-curator of the exhibition and Associate Professor in Art History at University of Plymouth.
https://www.theboxplymouth.com/events/exhibitions/reframing-reynolds
Get Out (15)
Saturday 14 October 8pm
Dir. Jordan Peele, US, 2017, 100 mins. Cast. Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams, Bradley Whitford, Catherine Keener.
Jordan Peele's brilliant horror-satire combined genuine thrills with a no-holds-barred critique of black-white relations with its tale of a young African American man who visits his white girlfriend’s family only to find their superficially warm welcome masks an unthinkably dark secret. Blending race-savvy satire with horror to especially potent effect, this bombshell social critique delivers a breathlessly suspenseful exposé of the horror of covert liberal racism.
Our River… Our Sky (12A)
Wednesday 18 October – Thursday 2 November
- Wed 18, 6pm - Preview Screening introduced by Plymouth Amnesty International
- Fri 27, 6pm
- Tue 31, 6pm
- Thu 2, 8.30pm
Dir. Maysoon Pachachi, UK/France/Kuwait/UAE/Qatar, 2021, 117 mins, Arabic with English subtitles. Cast. Zainab Joda, Darina Al Joundi, Amed Hashimi, Mahmoud Abo Al Abbas, Basim Hajar, Labwa Arab, Meriam Abbas, Siham Mustafa.
This special release marks 20 years since the invasion of Iraq. Set in 2006 against the backdrop of intense sectarian war, Our River… Our Sky follows the stories of a small Baghdad community trying to find some semblance of normality and hope despite unpredictable violence, turmoil, and loss.
Sara is a single mother and a novelist. As her daughter Reema sleeps fitfully against the not-so-distant noise of mortars and gunfire, she’s unable to write. When her closest friend and neighbour, Sabiha, is forced into exile, Sara begins to fight back and recover a sense of defiance. But as the random killing escalates and gets closer to home, she begins to look for a way out for herself and her daughter. Sara and her neighbours invite us into their everyday lives as their world fragments. Through the chaos and destruction, the residents never let their hopes for the future fade. Yet, they can’t help but contemplate leaving Iraq, and are forced to ask a painful question – who does Baghdad really belong to?
The preview screening on Wednesday 18 October is a joint event with Plymouth Amnesty International. We are local volunteers who campaign for the rights of civilians indiscriminately targeted in wars and the rights of refugees forced to flee situations like this. Find out more about what we do and how to join us at the screening.
Daliland (15)
F-Rated
Friday 20 – Thursday 26 October
- Fri 20, 6pm
- Sat 21, 3pm & 8pm
- Tue 24, 8.30pm
- Wed 25, 8.30pm
- Thu 26, 6pm
Dir. Mary Harron, US, 2023, 96 mins. Cast. Ben Kingsley, Barbara Sukowa, Rupert Graves, Suki Waterhouse, Mark McKenna.
From the Director of American Psycho, Academy Award winner Sir Ben Kingsley stars as the great surrealist artist, Salvador Dali. In 1970s New York, Dali enjoys the latter stage of his career with a lifestyle filled with luxury and extravagant parties. Surrounded by his own decadence, and his band of eccentric followers who worship his charismatic persona, he is content with avoiding a fast-approaching art show and the demands of his formidable wife, Gala.
The story is told through the eyes of James Linton, a young gallery assistant, keen to make his name in the art world. After quickly becoming enraptured by the provocative world of Dali, the façade begins to fade when he uncovers that behind the glitz and glamour lies a fragile genius, haunted by the past and unprepared for the changing tide of the world around him.
The Great Escaper (12A)
Friday 20 – Thursday 26 October
- Fri 20, 8.30pm
- Sat 21, 5.30pm
- Tue 24, 6pm
- Wed 25, 2.30pm (Captioned Screening) & 6pm
- Thu 26, 8.30pm
Dir. Oliver Parker, UK, 2023, 96 mins. Cast. Michael Caine, Glenda Jackson, Danielle Vitalis,
In the summer of 2014 -- the 70th Anniversary of the D-Day Landings -- octogenarian Bernie Jordan (Michael Caine) made global headlines. He'd staged a "great escape" from his care home to join fellow war veterans on a beach in Normandy, commemorating their fallen comrades. It was a story that captured the imagination of the world -- Bernie seemed to embody the defiant, "can-do" spirit of a generation that was fast disappearing. But of course, it wasn’t the whole story. It was the story we all tell ourselves to make war and old age bearable. The bitter-sweet script explores the reality with wit and a very big heart. Bernie's adventure, spanning a mere 48 hours, also marked the culmination of his 60-year marriage to Irene (Glenda Jackson) -- the story celebrates their love without sentimentality and with an eye to the lessons we can all learn from the Greatest Generation.
The Nettle Dress (12A)
Saturday 28 October – Wednesday 1 November
- Sat 28, Workshop with Vicky Putler (Thorody), 11.30am + film 2.30pm
- Tue 31, 8.30pm
- Wed 1, 6pm
Dir. Dylan Howitt, UK, 2023, 68 mins.
Textile artist Allan Brown spends seven years making a dress by hand just from the fibre of locally foraged stinging nettles. This is ‘hedgerow couture’, the greenest of slow fashion but also his medicine. It’s how Allan survives the passing of his wife, leaving him and their four children bereft, and how he finds a beautiful way to honour her. The film follows Allan's journey through seasons and years, foraging, spinning, weaving, cutting and sewing the cloth, before finally sharing a healing vision of the dress back in the woods where the nettles were picked, worn by one of his daughters.
A labour of love in the truest sense, The Nettle Dress is a hymn to the healing power of nature and slow craft.
Actor Mark Rylance called the film “Exquisite and inspiring, beautiful and helpful for anyone suffering loss or grief”.
Typist Artist Pirate King (12A)
From Friday 3 November
Dir. Carol Morley, UK, 2023, 106 mins. Cast. Monica Dolan, Kelly Macdonald, Gina McKee.
TYPIST ARTIST PIRATE KING puts forgotten artist Audrey Amiss on the map. Inspired by her extensive archive of diaries, letters and art, the film weaves real events into an imagined journey as Audrey goes on a road trip with her psychiatric nurse. From acclaimed British filmmaker, Carol Morley, this dark and funny exploration of the growing friendship between two women as they hit the road in an electric car looking for reconciliation, is filled with adventure, humour and compassion.
Exhibition on Screen: Klimt and the Kiss
Thursday 2 – Saturday 4 November
- Thu 2, 6pm
- Sat 4, 2.30pm (Captioned Screening)
Dir. Ali Ray, 90 mins, 2023.
The Kiss by Gustav Klimt is one of the most recognised and reproduced paintings in the world. It is perhaps the most popular poster on student dorm walls from Beijing to Boston.
Painted in Vienna around 1908, the evocative image of an unknown embracing couple has captivated viewers with its mystery, sensuality and dazzling materials ever since it was created. But just what lies behind the appeal of the painting – and just who was the artist that created it?
Delving into the details of real gold, decorative designs, symbolism and simmering erotica, a close study of the painting takes us to the remarkable turn of the century Vienna when a new world was battling with the old.
Klimt was a titan of the Art Nouveau movement, creating decadent new worlds which merged tender sensuality, ancient mythology and radical modernity.
Discover the scandalous life and the rich tapestry of extraordinary influences behind one of the world’s favourite paintings.
From the director of ‘Frida Kahlo’ and ‘Mary Cassatt – Painting the Modern Woman’ comes a powerful, gripping and passionate new film.
