When a charming house guest (Nicholas Galitzine) arrives at a remote castle, the delicate dynamic between a neglectful husband, his innocent bride Cherry (Maika Monroe), and their devoted maid Hero (Emma Corrin), is thrown into chaos. Based on Isabel Greenberg’s acclaimed graphic novel, this richly imagined medieval fantasy sees loyalty, desire and storytelling collide.

This screening of this multi-award winning Merchant Ivory classic is presented by the Fashion Film Club and will be followed by Costume Couture: Sixty Years of Cosprop curator Keith Lodwick.

This adaptation brings the novel by E.M. Forster to dazzling life in the Florentine countryside and in the well-appointed homes of the English Edwardian upper classes. A comedy of manners with a quick wit and impeccable comic timing, A Room With A View is also a portrait of the quiet solitude that lies beneath Forster's characters, and of the need for human connection in a world of rigid convention.

The young Englishwoman Lucy Honeychurch (played by Helena Bonham Carter), arrives in Florence on a Baedecker-style grand tour with her aunt Charlotte Bartlett (Maggie Smith). Through a series of events involving English expatriates Miss Eleanor Lavish, an unflappable novelist (Judi Dench), and the Emersons, a free-thinking father and son (played by Denholm Elliot and Julian Sands), Lucy's life is changed forever under a loggia in Florence and in the Tuscan countryside. (Merchant Ivory)

Curator of Costume Couture: Sixty Years of Cosprop at The Fashion and Textile Museum, London (until March 8th), Keith Lodwick is an expert on costume in Merchant Ivory films. A writer, curator and historian, Lodwick was formerly Curator of Theatre and Screen Arts at the V&A.

The Q&A will be hosted by Fashion Film Club founder Sarah Bailey.

This classic Disney musical animation is loosely inspired by one of the stories associated with the Middle Eastern folk tales collection 'One Thousand and One Nights'.

Street-smart Aladdin, pairs up with clever, confident Princess Jasmine to fight against the evil sorcerer Jafar and foil his plans of taking over the kingdom. Along the way, Aladdin learns to believe in himself...with the help of a comical, shape-shifting Genie whose three wishes can change everything.

Aladdin became the highest-grossing film of 1992 and the first animated film to reach the half-billion-dollar mark until it was surpassed by The Lion King in 1994.Critics praised the animation and Robin Williams' performance as the genie, while it's soundtrack won numerous accolades including an Oscar for Best Score and Best Song for A Whole New World.

On Sunday mornings our Family Screenings are followed by a free activity for Children.

The screening is Pay What You Can, which means you’re free to pay as much or as little as you can afford. By paying for a ticket, you will enable us to keep offering Pay What You Can screenings to families struggling with the cost of living. Thank you.

NEW POLISH CINEMA - Kinoteka 2026:

When Ellen and Paul’s son introduces his new girlfriend one lovely afternoon at their 25th anniversary party, no one suspects that it is the beginning of the end for this happy family. The new girlfriend is Liz, Ellen’s former student expelled from the university some years before for her radical views. Her charming appearance hides great ambition, but no scruples at all. With each successive anniversary, Liz’s influence on the family grows stronger and more destructive, and the new ideology she promotes, called “The Change”, gains more and more publicity. Previously concealed family conflicts gain new strength as the country teeters on the brink of collapse.

KINOTEKA, the UK's leading celebration of Polish cinema, is back with daring new voices, acclaimed auteurs and a rich programme of screenings and events. Organised by the Polish Cultural Institute in London (Instytut Kultury Polskiej w Londynie) and supported by the Polish Film Institute.

Avant-Drag! Radical Performers Re-Imagine Athens offers an exhilarating look at ten Athenian drag performers who deconstruct gender, nationalism, belonging, and identity, while facing police brutality, transphobia, and racism. As entertaining as it is thought-provoking, Avant-Drag! challenges societal norms and reshapes perceptions of LGBTQ+ culture by capturing the intimate lives of a tightly knit group of drag performers, proving that being othered has never felt so familiar.

The film captures the vibrancy of Athens’ underground drag scene and its role in pushing boundaries and expressing dissident identities, going beyond mainstream drag representations to focus on the more radical, explicitly political, and raw performances. Influenced by the Greek ‘Weird Wave’ cinema movement, Avant-Drag! aims not to be just another ‘pride’ documentary of pensive talking heads, but to juxtapose magical realism, political commentary, and outrageous performances. It is also a love song to the Greek capital, a city that can be as oppressive as it is a refuge for art freaks and a hotbed of creativity. Examining the use of public space and street performance as acts of visibility and protest by the drag community, the doc also addresses the problem of gentrification and the effects of more than a decade of austerity and extreme financial hardship.

Screened at over 50 international festivals, Avant-Drag! has received widespread acclaim, including the Critics’ Choice Award at the International Film Festival Rotterdam, Best Documentary at the Berlin Porn Film Festival and Wicked Queer Boston, the Youth Jury Award at EDOC Ecuador, and Special Mentions at the Taiwan International Documentary Festival and MixNYC, among many others.

“a precious film… it might be considered the Greek Paris Is Burning” Anreas Kyrkos, Avgi

“visionary... a cinematic journey like no other” Martin Schlutt, Kaltblut

“creative, weird and, above all, combative and highly political… outstanding”, Thomas Abeltshauser, Taz

To mark the start of LGBT+ History Month, the Royal Anthropological Institute, in partnership with Spectra, Queer Non-Fiction Films, presents a special screening of Avant-Drag! followed by a Q&A with writer and film collaborator Foivos Dousos moderated by Dieter Deswarte

Avant-Drag! Radical Performers Re-Imagine Athens offers an exhilarating look at ten Athenian drag performers who deconstruct gender, nationalism, belonging, and identity, while facing police brutality, transphobia, and racism. As entertaining as it is thought-provoking, Avant-Drag! challenges societal norms and reshapes perceptions of LGBTQ+ culture by capturing the intimate lives of a tightly knit group of drag performers, proving that being othered has never felt so familiar.

The film captures the vibrancy of Athens’ underground drag scene and its role in pushing boundaries and expressing dissident identities, going beyond mainstream drag representations to focus on the more radical, explicitly political, and raw performances. Influenced by the Greek ‘Weird Wave’ cinema movement, Avant-Drag! aims not to be just another ‘pride’ documentary of pensive talking heads, but to juxtapose magical realism, political commentary, and outrageous performances. It is also a love song to the Greek capital, a city that can be as oppressive as it is a refuge for art freaks and a hotbed of creativity. Examining the use of public space and street performance as acts of visibility and protest by the drag community, the doc also addresses the problem of gentrification and the effects of more than a decade of austerity and extreme financial hardship.

Screened at over 50 international festivals, Avant-Drag! has received widespread acclaim, including the Critics’ Choice Award at the International Film Festival Rotterdam, Best Documentary at the Berlin Porn Film Festival and Wicked Queer Boston, the Youth Jury Award at EDOC Ecuador, and Special Mentions at the Taiwan International Documentary Festival and MixNYC, among many others.

“a precious film… it might be considered the Greek Paris Is Burning” Anreas Kyrkos, Avgi

“visionary... a cinematic journey like no other” Martin Schlutt, Kaltblut

“creative, weird and, above all, combative and highly political… outstanding”, Thomas Abeltshauser, Taz

The forest comes alive with Bambi, the critically acclaimed coming-of-age story that has thrilled and entertained generations of fans.

This grand adventure is full of humour, heart, and some of the most beloved characters of all time: Bambi, the wide-eyed fawn, his playful pal Thumper, the lovable skunk Flower, and wise Friend Owl. Featuring breathtakingly beautiful artwork and Academy Award nominated music, Bambi's story unfolds from season to season as the young prince of the forest learns valuable lessons about friendship, love, and the miracle of life.

Into Film age recommendation: 5+

On Sunday mornings our Family Screenings are followed by a free activity for Children.

The screening is Pay What You Can, which means you’re free to pay as much or as little as you can afford. By paying for a ticket, you will enable us to keep offering Pay What You Can screenings to families struggling with the cost of living. Thank you

This film was proposed by our members William Reynolds, Will Chegwidden, and Benjamin Harrison. Will writes: 'A wonderful 1994 coming of age film set on a council estate in South East London, with a great cast, superb comedic and dramatic performances, a cameo from Dave Lynn and the most wonderful Mamas and Papas and Mama Cass soundtrack. It’s the film we all need at the moment.'

Jamie is a shy teenager, often bullied at school. His neighbour Ste has a rough time at home, being beaten by his father and brother. This issues bring them together and they find that what they feel for each other is more than friendship.

Led by our very own 'Queen of Collage', Marzia Castelli, this workshop will allow you to unleash your creativity and craft your own Valentine's cards for that special someone, create mini posters to display in your home, or design other works of art - the possibilities are endless!

You might not be familiar with Marzia's name, but you'll certainly have encountered her designs before: she creates all the artwork for The Garden Cinema, including our season flyers, and can often be found in our bar, camera in hand, taking the beautiful pictures you've seen on our socials and in our newsletters.

Everything you need, from scissors and glue to piles of magazines, will be supplied, and Marzia will be there to offer her artistic insights and help you take your design to the next level. If you have any printed materials lying around that you've been meaning to get rid off, feel free to bring them along as well - after all, you never know what might lead to inspiration.

Tickets are restricted to 1 per member, and available for just £7.50, which includes unlimited complimentary tea & coffee for the duration of the event. We'll start the workshop at 14:30, and are expecting to wrap up by 17:30.

This film was proposed by members Sally O'Neill, Kitty Robertson, Stephen Burns, and Molly Thomas. Molly writes: 'For LGBT+ History Month, I’d love to see a screening of the iconic Desert Hearts. It is a queer film made by queer creatives – directed by out lesbian Donna Deitch and based on out lesbian Jane Rule’s novel – and features really lovely performances by Helen Shaver and Patricia Charbonneau in what were some of the first positive and non-sensationalised depictions of queer women in cinema.'

A landmark of queer and independent filmmaking, Desert Hearts blazed a trail for lesbian representation on screen. Arriving in the Reno desert to finalise her divorce, uptight New York academic Vivian’s heart is hijacked by unruly tomboy Cay, who she is introduced to in one of cinema’s most rip-roaring ‘meet cute’ sequences. Shot with a languorous, sensual cinematography that Deitch achieved on a small budget, the film is ahead of its time in its unapologetic celebration of lesbian sexuality.

To mark LGBTQI+ History Month in the UK, Instituto Cervantes are teaming up with SRUK – The Spanish Researchers Assoc in the UK to present a screening of Diosa.

Joan, a queer icon from Barcelona also known as Marina, uses their art to explore their femininity and question masculinity. Despite their own resistances and those of their surroundings, DIOSA takes us into their personal journey to understand gender identity.

The film will be followed by a Q&A with the director and Marina. Marina was in fact in Drag Race Spain S2!

This special screening, part of Planting Seeds, the Garden Cinema's environmental film strand, marks Earth Day 2026, the UN-backed global event occurring every 22nd April since 1970, to profile ecological campaigning.

And it is another UN environmental structure, one that is now deeply problematic, that comes under close scrutiny in Josh Appignanesi's remarkable documentary essay film Colossal Wreck. Taking its title from Ozymandias, Shelley's famous sonnet on imperial hubris, Colossal Wreck plunges us deep into the chaos of contradictions that is COP28, the 2023 UN climate change conference in oil-producing Dubai. Invited to show his earlier film My Extinction, about climate protest, in a fringe pavilion, Appignanesi moves from official gatherings to absurd immersive installations to well-meaning activist rallies and the lived frontline of unarguable indigenous witness. All of this takes place in one of the most jarring cityscapes on the planet, "narcotically Ballardian and surreal... an uncanny valley of hyper-prosperous consumerist placidity... a city-state-sized airport duty free shop crossed with a Kubrickian spaceship" (The Guardian).

Superbly shot and written, evocatively scored by Vik Sharma, Colossal Wreck is a singular, urgent and honest dispatch from the hypocrisy-fuelled frontline of an increasingly precarious future, a film of "mesmerizing energy... as if Schopenhauer had made Blade Runner" (The TLS).

Introducing Colossal Wreck, and discussing it afterwards with host Gareth Evans, will be the film-maker Josh Appignanesi.

Set in an enchanted town in the Colombian mountains, Encanto charts the lives of The Madrigal family. They live in a large, magical house, with each family member possessing a unique power – ranging from speaking to animals to super strength. The young Mirabel is the only one without a special ability, leaving her to wonder if there’s something wrong with her. However, when the house’s magic is threatened by a mysterious force, Mirabel may be the only one able to save the family and their home.

This colourful musical story is all about finding your own uniqueness and community. It is also a celebration of parts of Colombian culture, including music and design.

Encanto has been described as a cultural phenomenon, and in 2022 won Best Animated Feature at the 94th Academy Awards, the Golden Globe Award for Best Animated Feature, and the BAFTA Award for Best Animated Film.

It's soundtrack was a key part of its success, with Surface Pressure its most successful song, topping both the US Billboard Hot 100 and UK Singles Chart for multiple consecutive weeks.

On Sunday mornings our Family Screenings are followed by a free activity for Children.

The screening is Pay What You Can, which means you’re free to pay as much or as little as you can afford. By paying for a ticket, you will enable us to keep offering Pay What You Can screenings to families struggling with the cost of living. Thank you.

A magical journey through sound and vision, Disney's classic Fantasia consists of eight pieces of classical music, each set to its own piece of animation. More than 60 years after the film was made, each section has its own appeal, with moods ranging from charming to awe-inspiring - but the highlight is still the much-loved Sorcerers' Apprentice, with Mickey Mouse frantically battling endless brooms and buckets of water. As an introduction to both animation and classical music, it would be hard to ask for more.

On Sunday mornings our Family Screenings are followed by a free activity for Children.

The screening is Pay What You Can, which means you’re free to pay as much or as little as you can afford. By paying for a ticket, you will enable us to keep offering Pay What You Can screenings to families struggling with the cost of living. Thank you.

The Film Exposure Night is a new event for filmmakers, film photographers, and anyone interested in storytelling created through analogue processes. The evening brings together creatives who work with film, both in moving image and still photography, creating a space to share work, ideas, and a common love for this medium.

The event is presented in collaboration with OnlyFilms, a collective of film photographers led by Garden Cinema member Mandy Izquierdo.

Anyone interested in filmmaking and photography shot on film is welcome to come and enjoy the night, watch the films, meet the photographers, and see the kinds of projects being developed on film today.

Breakdown of the event:

• 19:00 - 20:00 - Film screenings:

The evening will begin with screenings by three filmmakers whose work has been shot on film. Each filmmaker will have up to 15 minutes, including a short introduction, to show their work. This may take the form of a short film, a music video, or a fragment of a longer project.

• 20:00 - 21:00 - Photography stations:

After the screenings, we will shift our focus to photography. Four photographer tickets will be available for those who would like to share their work on the night. Each photographer will have a table to display printed works and talk about their projects with other attendees.

People are invited to move freely between tables, spend time with the work, ask questions, and chat with the photographers. Think grain, hand-printed photographs, cyanotypes, and other alternative photographic processes.

There will also be a table set up for the team behind Assembly Darkrooms, a membership based open-access darkroom in Dalston. In line with their core goal of maintaining the accessibility of photography and analogue processes to both professionals and amateurs alike, they will be on hand to provide their expertise and answer any questions you may have about the printing process. 

• 21:00 - 21:20 - Collective print exchange: 

Alongside the photography tables, the evening will include a collective print exchange. Anyone who wishes to take part is invited to bring one print from a photo shot on film of their own, maximum A4 size. These prints will be placed on a shared table amongst the photography stations, forming a temporary collective display. During the print exchange, participants can choose one print to take home, on a one-print-in, one-print-out basis. Participation in the print exchange is optional.

• 21:20 - 22:00 - Drinks and mingling:

Continuation of photography stations, and mingling with fellow members.

Important booking info:

If you would like to claim one of the film screening or photography station slots, please book a Presenter ticket and email membership@thegardencinema.co.uk to confirm what you'll be presenting. If you'd like to just attend the event, please book an Audience ticket (you can still take part in the print exchange with this).

Tickets are £5 each, and include a glass of house wine, a beer, or a soft drink during the event. They're restricted to 2 per member, so you can bring a fellow film fan along, even if they're not a member.

Forbidden Games was suggested by our member Rachael Grant who writes: 'It’s a heart-breaking story following the bond between two young children trying to cope with their surroundings in a war-ravaged France. The two lead child actors are both excellent, and it’s one of the most poignant and affecting films about civilian life in wartime ever made.'

A young French girl orphaned in a German air attack is befriended by the son of a poor farmer, and together they try to come to terms with the realities of death.

Please note, the screening on Thursday 29 January is our free members' screening, while the one on Tuesday 3 February is a regular matinee screening, which is open to the general public.

The screening on 14 February will be followed by an online Q&A with the director Lu Qingyi, moderated by Chinese Cinema Project curator Millie Zhou.

Four Springs is a documentary film that presents a family’s daily life in the remote town in southern Guizhou. From a subjective angle, the camera introduces the flow of life out of the screen: the quotidian toils, singing, excursions in nature, visits among friends and extended families, funerals, reunions, and separation. It presents the state of being of the two main characters, the director’s own parents, and their attitude when facing irretrievable loss in life.

This special screening celebrates Chinese New Year 2026 (Year of Horse). It is the fourth successive Garden Cinema CNY special event, following the UK Premiere of Kong Dashan’s Journey to the West in 2023, a dress-up screening of Wong Kar Wai’s In the Mood for Love in 2024 and screening of Bi Gan’s Kaili Blues in 2025.

This film was proposed by, and on Sunday 8 February will be introduced by, independent film curator Jaison Washington. He writes: 'One of the most tragic and beautiful films of all time. Fassbinder himself as “Fox” the carney, and his newfound bourgeois friends who weasel their way into his life and his naïve yet optimistic soul. A must see LGBTQ classic and one of my top 4 on Letterboxd!'

A lottery win leads not to financial and emotional freedom but to social captivity, in this wildly cynical classic about love and exploitation by Rainer Werner Fassbinder. Casting himself against type, the director plays a suggestible working-class innocent who lets himself be taken advantage of by his bourgeois new boyfriend and his circle of materialistic friends, leading to the kind of resonant misery that only Fassbinder could create. Fox and His Friends is unsparing social commentary, an amusingly pitiless and groundbreaking if controversial depiction of a gay community in 1970s West Germany.

The royal ice-drama phenomenon that spawned a franchise, it is no surprise it went on to become the fifth highest-grossing film of all time and the Oscar-winner for Best Animated Feature (it also won Golden Globe and Bafta for the same category). With some critics dubbing Frozen the best animated feature to come out of Disney since its Snow White heydey, the Oscar-winning songs - which were a huge part of the movie and will probably never leave you - were written by husband and wife duo Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez.

Elsa and Anna are two young princesses of the mountainous kingdom of Arendelle. They were once very close, until an accident caused by Elsa's ice-making powers pushed them apart. Now soon to become Queen, Elsa's worry over her powers has built so much that an emotional outburst causes her to cast the whole kingdom into eternal winter. With the help of gung-ho mountain man Kristoff and friendly snowman Olaf, Princess Anna must find her sister and save Arendelle. Inspired by the 19th century fairy tale The Snow Queen by Danish author Hans Christian Andersen, Frozen is a musical adventure that puts an inventive twist on the fairytale tradition while carrying the original tales message of the power of love over evil.

On Sunday mornings our Family Screenings are followed by a free activity for Children.

The screening is Pay What You Can, which means you’re free to pay as much or as little as you can afford. By paying for a ticket, you will enable us to keep offering Pay What You Can screenings to families struggling with the cost of living. Thank you.

Join GP Surgery and Soft Limit Cinema in The Atrium Bar for a special Valentine’s Day Weekend event titled ‘Voluptus Obscena’ (latin for ‘Obscene Pleasure’), a night of exploring Queer pleasure, pain, and kink in experimental film and healing through Implied pleasure.

Our main film of the evening, shown digitally courtesy of LUX Moving Image archive, is Swiss Director Cleo Übelmann’s 1986 film “Mano Destra” (italian for “Right Hand”), a lesbian avant-garde art film about erotic objectification and gratification through consensual bondage. Featuring a thrilling soundtrack by Swiss electro-wave band The Vyllies, “Mano Destra” is a thrilling showcase of lesbian erotica and BDSM with Cleo Übelmann starring in the film herself as a dominatrix.

We will also be screening some mystery short experimental films that reflect the themes of kink, pain, and unconventional gratification; including a 16mm short film print from the LUX Moving Image archive projected by Film Projectionist John Wilders. We’ll also have some exciting and topical raffle prizes!

About the curators:

GP Surgery is a film collective founded by Jaison Washington (he/they) who is an independent film curator, archivist at LUX Moving Image, researcher, and filmmaker based in London. GP Surgery specialises in Experimental Film and Artist Moving Image as a means of catharsis, healing, and challenging our audience.

Soft Limit Cinema is a film programming collective founded by Jack Hewitt (he/him), dedicated to examining sexual representation in cinema across a wide variety of genres. Approaching each film without moral or thematic bias, Soft Limit Cinema seeks to create a safe, inclusive space to discuss topics often considered taboo.

Jack is an independent film programmer and critic based in London. His writing has appeared in Radio Times, Next Best Picture, Filmhounds, TakeOne Cinema, and The New Black Film Collective.

Content Warnings:

Some films may contain strobing lights and flashing imagery for photosensitive and epileptic viewers.

Please note that whilst The Garden Cinema is wheelchair accessible, the cinema can only accommodate one wheelchair user in the Atrium.

Please visit The Garden Cinema’s accessibility page for more information about how to book this.

1580 England. Impoverished Latin tutor William Shakespeare meets free-spirited Agnes, and the pair, captivated by one another, strike up a torrid affair that leads to marriage and three children. Yet as Will pursues a budding theatre career in far-away London, Agnes anchors the domestic sphere alone. When tragedy strikes, the couple’s once-unshakable bond is tested, but their shared experience sets the stage for the creation of Shakespeare’s timeless masterpiece, Hamlet.

The Garden Cinema View:

Chloé Zhao roars back to form with this handsome (not just Paul Mescal) and heartfelt tale of Tudor romance, witchcraft, theatre, and grief. The establishing scenes are magical. As is Zhao’s signature style, the natural landscapes seem to breathe with life. Interior sequences are shot in painterly geometrical framings, with cinematographer Łukasz Żal bringing some of visual sensibility of his work on The Zone of Interest (don’t worry, similarities end there). The narrative sags a little in the middle, heavy with loss, and feeling the absence of the playwright, even as Jessie Buckley’s performance remains impressive. The conclusion soars, however, and proves that the play is truly the thing.

Our screening on Thursday 19 February will be introduced by season curator George Crosthwait, and will be followed by a post film discussion group in the Atrium Bar.

Nobuhiko Obayashi (Hausu) takes on the Bōsōzoku (youth bike gang) genre with a poetic and bittersweet look at rebellious youth and young love.

After being threatened by his girlfriend’s brother, Ko (Riki Takeuchi) goes on a trip on his Kawasaki to contemplate his options. He meets Miiyo (Kiwako Harada) by chance, and the two stay in touch. He later receives an invitation to her island, where he begins to teach her how to ride, and quickly falls for her. Miiyo is an extremely quick study, and the two are a well-matched pair. However, her obsession with motorbikes seems to be leading her down a dangerous path.

This family-friendly adventure is a remake of a 1963 film about three pets who go to extraordinary lengths to be reunited with their owners. When a family temporarily leave their golden retriever, bulldog and cat at a friend's farm, the animals grow nervous and decide to embark on a cross-country trip back home. The film benefits from some wonderful American national park locations, but what really brings this against-the-odds tale to life is a witty script and fine voice cast that makes the animals almost human.

According to movie critic Roger Ebert, the movie is "frankly designed for kids, and yet it has a certain craftsmanship and an undeniable charm, and if you find yourself watching it with a child you may end up liking it almost as much."

Into Film recommends this film for ages 5+

On Sunday mornings our Family Screenings are followed by a free activity for Children.

The screening is Pay What You Can, which means you’re free to pay as much or as little as you can afford. By paying for a ticket, you will enable us to keep offering Pay What You Can screenings to families struggling with the cost of living. Thank you.

As The Garden Cinema members community is not just made up of cinema enthusiasts, but also covers a large range of film creatives, we like to help connect our members working across all departments of the industry.

For our regular industry panels, we invite knowledgeable speakers to discuss their specific branch of the industry, leaving plenty of time for asking questions. After the discussion, we all head into the Garden Bar, to network with fellow members.

On Wednesday 18 February, we will be joined by Robbie Taylor Hunt (Pillion) and Adelaide Waldrop (Mickey 17) to discuss intimacy coordination. We will touch on what the role entails, the diversity of projects our guests have worked on, and what an average day might look like.

Tickets are restricted to 1 per member, and available for just £5, which includes a token for a complimentary house wine, beer or soft/hot drink.

About the speakers:

Robbie Taylor Hunt is an intimacy director & coordinator, theatre maker, and writer. His work has focused on queer intimacy and his TV credits include projects for Netflix, HBO, Channel4, Amazon, Disney, AppleTV, Paramount, and the BBC. His film credits include Pillion, Femme and Red, White & Royal Blue.

Adelaide Waldrop is an intimacy coordinator & director. Her lead intimacy coordinator credits include Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy, Mickey 17, Blade Runner 2099, and Get Millie Black. She has worked on productions for Warner Brothers, Plan B, Paramount, Working Title, HBO, Netflix, Disney, Apple TV, BBC, Channel 4, and various independent projects.

The panel will be moderated by The Garden Cinema's own Alix Austin, who is a film director and an interactive multimedia artist. Her debut film Kill Your Lover is a toxic relationship body horror, with a strong focus on the interpersonal drama and has been released on Amazon Prime and SHUDDER.

Check out our Youtube channel for videos of our previous industry panels, which have included:

• Sustainable Production & Climate-conscious Storytelling, with Danusia Samal (Green Rider) and Josh Cockcroft (Climate Spring)
• Film music, with Jen Moss (I, Tonya), Gary Downing (MRKR), and Harry Escott (Shame)
• Art direction, with Lydia Fry (Blade Runner 2049) and Charlotte Dirickx (Saltburn)
• Trailer editing, with Dan Noall and Kate Miller
• Screenwriting, with Luna Carmoon (Hoard) and Daniel Kokotajlo (Starve Acre)
• Casting, with Rebecca Wright (Chuck Chuck Baby) and Lucy Jordan (Kinds of Kindness, Poor Things)
• Animation, with Michaël Dudok de Wit (The Red Turtle) and Alexandra Sasha Balan (The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse)
• Cinematography, with Evelin van Rei (Passenger), Bebe Dierken (Midas Man) and Nanu Segal (Hoard)
• Costume, with Joanna Johnston (Lincoln) and Charlotte Finlay (Barbie)
• Documentary, with Edward Lovelace (Name Me Lawand) and Tom Howson (Dogwoof)
• Film festivals, with Christina Papasotiriou (Raindance Film Festival) and Philip Ilson (London Short Film Festival)
• Film journalism, with Jacob Stolworthy (The Independent) and Jack Shepherd (Total Film)
• Production, with Georgia Goggin (Pretty Red Dress) and Susan Simnett (Fadia's Tree)

As their marriage quietly unravels, Alex and Tess Novak find themselves at a crossroads, both collectively and individually. Facing middle age and the spectre of impending divorce, Alex seeks renewed purpose in the New York stand-up comedy scene, while Tess confronts the sacrifices she made for their family. Together, they’re forced to navigate co-parenting, shifting senses of identity and a burning question: Can love and commitment take a new form?

The Garden Cinema View:

In his third film, Bradley Cooper steers clear of the traces of directorial grandiosity of Maestro and delivers a surprisingly engaging tale of love and self-actualisation.

Is This Thing On? - based on the true story of British comedian John Bishop and his wife - features excellent performances from Will Arnett and, in particular, a terrifically natural Laura Dern. The chaotic backstage banter and camaraderie amongst the comedians feels authentic, and the film offers a positive (and refreshingly mature) portrayal of a long-term relationship.

And Cooper's small role as the oblivious, self-centred friend who monopolises every conversation? An absolute treat.

Winner of the Palme d’Or at Cannes, It Was Just an Accident is a fearless tour-de-force from cinematic luminary Jafar Panahi. Both urgently political and deeply humane, this new moral classic confronts truth and uncertainty, revenge and mercy, head-on.

When auto mechanic Vahid unexpectedly encounters the man who may have been his torturer in prison, he kidnaps him with the intention to exact vengeance. But since the sole clue to Eghbal’s identity is the distinct squeak of his prosthetic leg, Vahid turns to a loose circle of other now-freed victims for confirmation. And the danger only escalates. As they deal with their past and diverging worldviews, the group struggles to decide: Is this him, without a doubt? What would retribution mean, in actuality?

The Garden Cinema View:

Often classified by the media as a thriller or action film, the Palme d'Or 2025 winner It Was Just an Accident is closer to absurdist comedy - an intriguing fusion of Samuel Beckett and slapstick.

Through characters debating opposing viewpoints, Panahi offers a Socratic dialectical debate unfolding in real time: when we seek revenge, do we become like our predators? Should we interrupt the chain of violence by abstaining from it, or strike back, given that bad people will remain unchanged? If we show empathy, will it be reciprocated? Is forgiveness the right path, or does it enable further harm? Is our malice shaped by systemic dysfunction, or do we bear individual responsibility?

A deeply philosophical piece that also deftly functions as a comedy, It Was Just an Accident is filmmaking of the highest order.

When a warlord dies, a peasant thief is called upon to impersonate him, and then finds himself haunted by the warlord’s spirit as well as his own ambitions. In his late colour masterpiece Kagemusha, Akira Kurosawa returns to the samurai film and to a primary theme of his career - the play between illusion and reality. Sumptuously reconstructing the splendour of feudal Japan and the pageantry of war, Kurosawa creates a historical epic that is also a meditation on the nature of power.

The latest season of the LRB’s long-running film series continues its exploration of visions of London created by non-British filmmakers throughout 2026.

First up for the new year is the golden-age British film noir Night and the City. It was Jules Dassin’s last film before he was blacklisted by Hollywood. He declared that he had not read the novel by the now-cult writer, Gerald Kersh, on which it was based. It follows the attempts of a small-time American con artist Harry Fabian (Richard Widmark on definitive, anti-heroic form) to establish himself shattered post-war London’s wrestling rackets.

With a production history as vivid as its tangled plot, Night and the City was widely misunderstood upon release, but is now regarded as a classic of the genre: ‘A work of emotional power and existential drama that stands as a paradigm of noir pathos and despair,’ according to the film scholar Andrew Dickos.

Introducing Night and the City, and discussing it afterwards with regular host Gareth Evans, will be the novelist, occasional LRB contributor and screenwriter Ronan Bennett (Top Boy, Public Enemies, The Day of the Jackal).

UK PREMIERE.

The latest work from acclaimed Hong Kong writer director Flora Lau, LUZ is a bold new vision which explores how human connections, relationships and our very sense of reality are being reshaped around the world and across different generations by technology. Shot in Hong Kong, Chongqing and Paris and featuring a top drawer international cast, the film’s stunning visuals and layers of meaning make it an immersive and transformative journey through existence.

In the neon-lit streets of Chongqing, ex-con Wei (Guo Xiao Dong) desperately searches for his estranged daughter Fa (Deng En Xi), while Hong Kong gallerist Ren (Sandrine Pinna) grapples with her ailing stepmother Sabine (Isabelle Huppert) in Paris. Their disparate lives collide in a VR world called LUZ, where a mystical deer unexpectedly reveals hidden truths, sparking a journey of discovery and connection.

Supported by The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, London

In Chinese Mandarin, French and English with English subtitles

Little Amélie is nominated for Best Animated Feature at the 2026 Oscars and BAFTAs.

Born in Japan to Belgian parents, little Amélie sees the world as a place of endless wonder. With her beloved friend and companion Nishio san by her side, every day becomes a new adventure, full of mystery, humour, and wonder. But on her third birthday, one unexpected moment changes her life forever, opening the door to emotions she never knew existed.

Based on Amélie Nothomb’s best-selling autobiographical novel, The Character of Rain, Little Amélie, is a visually enchanting tale about curiosity, courage, and the healing power of human connection.

The screenings will be in the English language dub.

On Sunday mornings our Family Screenings are followed by a free activity for Children.

The screening is Pay What You Can, which means you’re free to pay as much or as little as you can afford. By paying for a ticket, you will enable us to keep offering Pay What You Can screenings to families struggling with the cost of living. Thank you

This screening will be preceded by a mini stand-up comedy show, featuring a handful of short comedy sets and compèred by Canadian act Mike Sheer (as seen on BBC, Hulu, Netflix). Both will take place inside Screen 3, so we recommend arriving on time to grab any drinks & snacks from the Atrium Bar beforehand.

Booking will be open to members' only during the presale, with general sales opening on Thursday 15 January at 18:00. Our usual ticket pricing applies (£15 adults, £12 members and their +1).

Timings:

19:00        Atrium Bar open for drinks

19:50        Screen 3 opens

20:00        Live stand-up comedy

20:30        Screening of Is This Thing On?

22:40        Expected finish

About the film:

Directed by Bradley Cooper, and starring Will Arnett and Laura Dern, Is This Thing On? was loosely inspired by John Bishop's gig at Manchester's Frog and Bucket comedy club 25 years ago, when he decided to take part in an open-mic night to avoid paying to enter the venue. Cooper's film came about after Arnett met Bishop, and heard the story about how he had only found comedy in 2000, when he and his wife had temporarily separated.

As their marriage quietly unravels, Alex (Arnett) and Tess Novak (Dern) find themselves at a crossroads, both collectively and individually. Facing middle age and the spectre of impending divorce, Alex seeks renewed purpose in the New York stand-up comedy scene, while Tess confronts the sacrifices she made for their family. Together, they’re forced to navigate co-parenting, shifting senses of identity and a burning question: Can love and commitment take a new form?

Marty Mauser, a young man with a dream no one respects, goes to hell and back in pursuit of greatness.

The Garden Cinema View:

There's no time to rest in this angsty 2.5 hour saga made with exceptional filmmaking craft by Josh Safdie. The obsessive pursuit of a ping-pong career becomes launchpad to explore a charismatic yet grating character, and to immerse us in the atmosphere of a long-lost era.

Similarly to Uncut Gems, there is towering suspense amongst the organised chaos, and the plot pushes aggressively forward, demanding full attention for the hefty runtime. But Marty Supreme also revels in its sense of place - a vivid depiction of 1950s New York Jewish community is captured in exquisite detail, and is populated with big, idiosyncratic characters, all of whom feel lived in. The anachronistic use of 80s music blends in seamlessly, never feeling pretentious or like a stylistic gimmick.

Marty Supreme is noisy and, although very engaging, it sometimes makes you wonder to what end - much like its protagonist, moving forward without clear direction. Yet therein lies its charm: in the journey itself rather than any revelatory outcome.

“Practically Perfect In Every Way” Mary Poppins (Julie Andrews) flies out of the windy London skies and into the home of two mischievous children. With the help of a carefree chimney sweep named Bert (Dick Van Dyke), the spirited nanny turns every chore into a game and every day into a “Jolly Holiday”  to reconnect the children with their parents.

Into Film age recommendation: 5+

On Sunday mornings our Family Screenings are followed by a free activity for Children.

The screening is Pay What You Can, which means you’re free to pay as much or as little as you can afford. By paying for a ticket, you will enable us to keep offering Pay What You Can screenings to families struggling with the cost of living. Thank you.

To celebrate our trip to 1980s Japan with our Lost Decade season, we're delighted to welcome back the team from Sake Collective for a sake tasting including cheese pairings. 

Sake Collective are an online sake shop, dedicated to creating a new community of people around sake and other traditional Japanese drinks. They have also been supplying The Garden Bar with a variety of rotating sakes.  

Satoshi Hirasaki from Sake Collective will be showcasing five sakes, taking us through a range of styles, while also teaching us about the history of Japan’s national beverage. Each sake will be paired with a complementary cheese serving provided by Soho Dairy.

There will be a pop-up sake shop after the tasting, so you can buy a bottle of your favourite variety to take home.

Tickets for the sake tasting are £30, and are restricted to 2 per member, meaning you can bring a +1 along. Remember to log into your membership account before booking.

We're offering a multi-buy discount for any members purchasing tickets for the sake tasting and the screening of Nobuhiko Obayashi's His Motorbike, Her Island that follows later in the evening: when both tickets are in the shopping basket, the ticket price for the film will automatically be reduced to just £8.00.

One of the most acclaimed Hong Kong films of recent years, Oliver Chan’s second feature is a powerful and hard-hitting look at the struggles of motherhood

Inspired by her own experiences of becoming a mother and the impact this had on her life and career, Oliver Chan follows the award-winning Still Human with another deeply moving and searching look at Hong Kong society. Challenging gender norms and romanticised notions of motherhood, the film offers a grounded, realistic and at times harrowing look at the sacrifices made by women and the lack of support they often receive after giving birth.

Hedwig Tam gives a stunning, award-winning performance as young mother Suk-jing, whose ordinary life is turned upside down after she gives birth to her daughter. Stressed by having to take care of the baby 24/7 while her husband does little to help, Jing also finds herself dealing with changes to her body, conflicts with her in-laws and problems at work, all the while struggling with depression and an increasing sense of isolation.

Supported by The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, London

In Cantonese with English and Traditional Chinese subtitles

The UK’s Best International Feature Film entry to the 98th Academy Awards and recipient of the Caméra d’Or Special Mention at Cannes, Akinola Davies Jr.’s My Father's Shadow is a poetic, tender portrait of father-son bonds. Framed by the political landscape of 1993 Lagos, the film follows a father and his two young sons as they journey into and around the vibrantly rendered Nigerian metropolis, quietly reckoning with their relationship while navigating a city on the precipice of democratic crisis. Brothers and collaborators Akinola Davies Jr. and Wale Davies bring us a groundbreaking feature debut – centering an award-winning performance by Sopé Dìrísù - that reveals the profound depths of what families leave unspoken.

The Garden Cinema View:

This impressive debut feature from Akinola Davies Jr. is a tender memory play, a tribute to his father, and an immersion into a politically volatile Nigeria in 1993. Co-writing with his brother Wale Davies, My Father’s Shadow is a deeply personal, and partially biographical work. Sopé Dìrísù anchors the drama as their father, exuding strength, vulnerability, desperation, and love, in what is a complex and well-rounded portrayal of father-son relations. Despite a small budget, early 1990s Lagos is rendered in vivid sights and sounds that are transportive. Beneath this ripples mystical energies, whilst the escalating political breakdown gradually frays the edges of this portrait. A poignant film, and one which announces a key new voice in British cinema.  

In his wickedly incisive new thriller, Park Chan-wook delivers a brutal allegory of modern work culture, starring Lee Byung Hun as a devoted family man driven to violence after losing his job.

When esteemed paper specialist Yoo Man-soo is suddenly laid off, the carefully constructed life he has long prided himself on begins to unravel. So when a coveted new opportunity arises, he devises a flawless plan to eliminate his rivals - by any means necessary. With dazzling precision and a gleefully sinister edge, Park delivers an entertaining thriller steeped in his trademark dark humor, razor-sharp twists, and sumptuous visual style, reaffirming his singular place in contemporary cinema.

The Garden Cinema View:

Park Chan-wook returns with his most purely comic film to date, albeit one still bristling with perverse and violent thrills. This satire of workplace precarity is highly prescient, quite unsettling, and thunderously entertaining. Lee Byung-hun is excellent (although playing to type) as our handsome family man, who finds himself following a path of psychotic logic to guarantee his future employment. Park’s camera moves and edits are as playful and baroque as ever here, but without distracting from the action. And by following his Vertigo-esque Decision to Leave with this marks him as the true heir to Alfred Hitchcock.  

This is the story of Godard making Breathless, told in the style and spirit in which Godard made Breathless.

The Garden Cinema View:

Richard Linklater's Nouvelle Vague is a stylish and playful tribute to the pioneers of the French New Wave and the making of Jean-Luc Godard's seminal Breathless.

Striped t-shirts, dark sunglasses, and endless cigarettes fill the screen, while Linklater employs jarring jump-cuts and a 1.37:1 aspect ratio to mirror Godard's aesthetic. Though successful in evoking the New Wave iconography embedded in our subconscious, the film occasionally risks becoming a cartoonish depiction of what was an intellectually thrilling moment in cinema history. Belmondo, and especially Seberg, deserve more three-dimensional portrayals to do justice to their complex personalities.

The film finds its footing in the second half as we witness Godard's unorthodox and daring filming process. Here, Nouvelle Vague becomes an inspiration for artists across generations: a reminder to be brave and experimental, even without financial backing.

NEW POLISH CINEMA - Kinoteka 2026:

Well known on TV and with a small role in Scarborn, this is Matylda Giegżno’s first film lead. Her portrayal of a dynamic, fulfilled social worker who is blind and whose life changes following a meeting with a more reserved photographer (rising star Ignacy Liss) was well received by the blind community in Poland. This simple intimate romance challenges stereotypes, showing how moving outside comfort zones can be empowering. Directed by Tadeusz Śliwa, acclaimed for his music videos, it includes original music from Kaśka Sochacka and Kortez whilst Małgorzata Szumowska’s regular DoP Michał Englert ensures that the images shine.

Content Warning: Strong language and scenes of a sexual nature. Drug use and suicide reference.

KINOTEKA, the UK's leading celebration of Polish cinema, is back with daring new voices, acclaimed auteurs and a rich programme of screenings and events. Organised by the Polish Cultural Institute in London (Instytut Kultury Polskiej w Londynie) and supported by the Polish Film Institute.

In Edhi Alice, director and queer activist Ilrhan Kim interrogates how documentaries about trans communities are made: the creative decisions, relationships, and ethical questions involved. The subject of the documentary is Edhi, who works as a counsellor for LGBTQ+ teens in Seoul, and has decided to undertake gender reassignment surgery. Edhi’s story intertwines with that of Alice, the lighting technician on the film crew and an older trans woman, who is preoccupied with challenging popular stereotypes about female and male bodies. This powerful and thought-provoking documentary refuses to compromise in its depiction of post-surgery recuperation, but offers an authentic portrayal of the trans experience and allyship in South Korea. Edhi Alice is a generous, delicate film and - courtesy of Alice’s lighting - a visually stunning one.

Content Note: contains depictions of post-surgical recovery, discussions of suicide and transphobia

Queer East is a cross-disciplinary festival that showcases boundary-pushing LGBTQ+ cinema, moving image work and live arts from, and about, East and Southeast Asia and its diaspora communities.

Jongno has been a haven for queer life in Seoul since the 1980s. Five gay men navigate both personal and collective challenges in the vibrant neighbourhood:  Aspiring director Joon-moon faces barriers in making gay movies, while activist Byoung-gwon opposes discrimination against minorities in the workplace; Young-soo searches for belonging in the gay choir G-Voice and Yol dreams of the day he and his partner can have a legal wedding and overcome the prejudice against AIDS. Filming them is director Hyuk-sang, whose friendship with the men prompts him to reflect on his own gay identity. A humorous and poignant portrait of enduring queer solidarity, the film construes “coming out” as proudly carving out your own space in a conservative society.

Content Note: Homophobia, discussions of death

Queer East is a cross-disciplinary festival that showcases boundary-pushing LGBTQ+ cinema, moving image work and live arts from, and about, East and Southeast Asia and its diaspora communities.

The UK film industry has historically and systemically failed to represent people from working-class backgrounds. This is the focus of Scottish filmmaker Mark Forbes’ new documentary Quiet On Set: The Class Division in the Film Industry?

Through interviews and testimonies, Mark examines the barriers that working class people have faced accessing and maintaining a career in film. We hear from well known champions of this issue: Paul Laverty, Maxine Peake, Vicky McClure. He also delves into its natural consequence: the dearth of working class representation and storytelling on film. The result is an engaging and eye-opening documentary that paints a comprehensive picture of the systemic nature of exclusion. (The Canary)

After half a year in 2025 with Quiet on Set: The Class Division in the Film Industry? Appearing in four film festivals of 2025, The Galway Film Fleadh gave me the support to continue, when so many film festivals opposed what I was championing:

"Working-class inclusivity for everyone who is working in the film and TV industries".

The BFI, BBC, SKY, BECTU, BAFTA, FILM LONDON, DIRECTORS UK, EQUITY, and all the production companies are responsible. If they do not change their perspective, they are actually weakening the film and TV industry.  

The film will be followed by a Q&A with filmmaker, Mark Forbes.

One of the most important and influential film makers in cinematic history, Akira Kurosawa directed 30 films in a career spanning 57 years. His final masterpiece, Ran, is a reimagining of Shakespeare’s King Lear set in feudal Japan. Ran tells the story of Lord Hidetora Ichimonji (Tatsuya Nakadai) an aging warlord who, after spending his life consolidating his empire, decides to abdicate and divide his Kingdom amongst his three sons Taro, Jiro, and Saburo. This leads to a brutal and bloody war between the brothers for absolute power of the kingdom.

Saipan explores the explosive clash between Roy Keane and manager Mick McCarthy before the 2002 World Cup. Their feud, rooted in clashing standards and personalities, erupted on the

island of Saipan, shaking the Irish team and nation. As Keane walked out, McCarthy faced chaos. This gripping true story goes beyond sport, it’s a dramatic, often comic tale of leadership, loyalty, and a rivalry that captured global attention.

The Garden Cinema View:

For British and Irish viewers above a certain age, Saipan is a cinematic ‘translation’ of a football drama that monopolised the tabloids in the summer of 2002. For international audiences, it is a fun and twisty character study that explores issues like ego, loyalty, and team spirit.

Steve Coogan gives an impressively restrained performance as the team's well intended, yet not-up-to-the-task, coach who has to take charge of the Republic of Ireland team for a rare Word Cup appearance. However, he finds himself constantly locking horns with the his combustible captain Roy Keane - a terrific Éanna Hardwicke who embodies the bullish star in all his hard working, humourless, brilliance.

Both right and wrong, stubborn and uncollaborative, this is an incident in sports history that divided Ireland (and the world) and a cautionary tale of what is lost when teamwork gives way to ego.

Following the success of global phenomenon The Worst Person in the World, Academy Award-nominee Joachim Trier reunites with BAFTA nominee Renate Reinsve for their universally acclaimed follow-up, Sentimental Value. Winner of the prestigious Cannes Grand Prix award, and featuring career-best performances from Golden Globe winner Stellan Skarsgård and Elle Fanning.

Reinsve plays Nora, a successful stage actress who, along with her sister Agnes (Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas), reunites with their estranged father Gustav Borg (Skarsgård) – a once-renowned film director planning a major comeback with a script based on his family. When Gustav offers Nora the lead role, which she

promptly declines, he turns his attention to Rachel Kemp (Fanning), an eager young Hollywood starlet primed for her big breakthrough. With their fraught dynamics made even more complex, Nora, Agnes and Gustav are each forced to confront their difficult pasts.

The Garden Cinema View:

Joachim Trier cements has status as the most successful Norwegian filmmaker of all time with an ambitious and self-reflexive family portrait. As any self-respecting auteur will do at some point, Trier has made a film about filmmaking. This is a subject that, although quite indulgent, opens up Sentimental Value for poignant reflections on creativity, performance, and the meaning of (a broken) home.

Although Trier is a very different filmmaker, there is something faintly Bergman-esque in Sentimental Value. The excavation of family history, the merging of identity, a problematic father, and simply the presence of actors (performing Ibsen no less), all help to conjure the ghost of the Swedish master. Actually the film that Sentimental Value evokes most strongly is Mia Hansen-Løve’s Bergman Island, although with less metatextual contortions.  

This is confident and powerful filmmaking, carried off by a superb cast, and is the is best film about a film director since Almodóvar’s Pain and Glory.

A rare screening of the Director’s Cut of Stephen Chow’s classic kung fu football comedy, one of his wildest, wackiest and most beloved films.

Although Stephen Chow had been one of Hong Kong’s biggest box office draws for over a decade, it was Shaolin Soccer in 2001 which saw the comedian becoming a truly global star.

A one of a kind slice of cinematic madness which combines Chow’s trademark mo lei tau slapstick style and his love of kung fu with football, the film broke records on its original release and has remained one of the most popular and acclaimed of his works as director.

A classic underdog sports story, the film follows Chow as Sing, a former Shaolin monk who teams up with down and out ex-football player Fung (Ng Man-tat) to spread the teachings of martial arts. Enlisting the help of several of Sing’s Shaolin brothers they form a team and enter the China Super Cup tournament, coming up against a series of increasingly tough and bizarre opponents. Although the monks find success through using their kung fu skills on the football field, they meet their match in the form of an evil team led by an enemy from Fung’s past.

In Cantonese with English subtitles

Supported by The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, London

Twenty years after his first appearance, Wallace and Gromit’s cheeky sidekick finally gets his own big screen adventure in this delightful comedy from British animation studio Aardman. Life on the farm is pretty carefree for Shaun and his friends. Bored of the daily routine, Shaun decides to take the day off, but after some very silly, mischievous behaviour he and the rest of the flock are forced to head into the big city to try and rescue the hapless Farmer who has lost his memory.

Packed full of slapstick humour and wonderful visual comedy, this dialogue-free stop-motion animation will be adored by children of all ages.

On Sunday mornings our Family Screenings are followed by a free activity for Children.

The screening is Pay What You Can, which means you’re free to pay as much or as little as you can afford. By paying for a ticket, you will enable us to keep offering Pay What You Can screenings to families struggling with the cost of living. Thank you.

Site&Sound is an event series that explores the relationship between architecture and film. Each session will feature curated clips and short films around a chosen theme, inviting discussion around particular elements of representation and the different techniques employed by filmmakers. Themes will examine a multitude of perspectives on architecture, ranging from varying building types to their individual component parts and how these are interpreted by the viewer as they see the world through the lens of the built environment.

This edition looks at how cinema engages with the full life cycle of architecture, moving from construction to demolition, encompassing collapse and ruin. In film, buildings are never simply static backdrops but instead they take an active role in shaping plots and creating spectacle. From Buster Keaton’s slapstick ballet of housebuilding in One Week (where buildings go up and fall down at a rapid pace) to high-stakes James Bond sequences played out across cranes and unfinished towers, architecture in transition creates instability, risk and cinematic tension. The viewer gets to experience the skeletons of the built world, where the structures behind the “set” take on a new meaning.

But cinema is equally drawn to what comes after. Scenes of demolition can be both the dramatic conclusion of a story or the start of a character’s journey, while ruins and abandoned spaces invite reflection. Crumbling walls, ravaged interiors and empty structures suggest worlds that have been disrupted or left behind, offering a distinct counterpoint to the possibility of construction. This event will invite the audience to experience architecture as process rather than product, capturing the strange thrill and beauty of spaces caught between what they were and what they might become.

The tale of an eccentric band of culinary ronin who guide the widow of a noodle-shop owner on her quest for the perfect recipe, this rapturous 'ramen western' by Japanese director Juzo Itami is an entertaining, genre-bending adventure underpinned by a deft satire of the way social conventions distort the most natural of human urges-our appetites. Interspersing the efforts of Tampopo (Nobuko Miyamoto) and friends to make her café a success with the erotic exploits of a gastronome gangster and glimpses of food culture both high and low, the sweet, sexy, and surreal Tampopo is a lavishly inclusive paean to the sensual joys of nourishment, and one of the most mouthwatering examples of food on film ever made.

This Valentine's Day, members are invited to join us for one for our team's most-beloved on-screen romances: Ghost. Tickets include a complimentary cocktail, which for this occasion will be a rose & lychee "Demi Moore-tini", and we'll be playing quintessential 80s and 90s romcom needle drops in the Atrium Bar before the screening.

In order to immersive yourself in the film - whilst saving our carpet from any pottery-induced stains - you'll have the opportunity to sit down with London-based witch Nyssa for a speed tarot reading. Time to find out what the universe has in store for you!

Tickets are £17.50 each, and are restricted to 2 per member, so you can bring along a (prospective) partner of your choosing. They include an alcoholic or non-alcoholic cocktail and access to the pre-screening event, as well as the film screening.

Event timings:

19:00  Drinks & tarot readings in the Atrium Bar

20:30  Screening of Ghost

22:45  Expected finish

About Nyssa:

Nyssa is a London-based witch, tarot reader, artist, and musician who believes that magick is the key to breaking the curse of modern malaise. As a tarot reader, Nyssa taps into the symbolic realm with ease, dispensing wisdom in a playful and encouraging manner. She uses tarot as a tool to excavate desire and destiny, aiding seekers in opening themselves up to and reaching a place of inspired self-trust. For Nyssa, a tarot reading is a joyful, collaborative, magic-making process designed to shake things loose and stir up positive change.

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London Breeze Film Festival is delighted to present the winner of its Best Feature Documentary award for 2025 at The Garden Cinema.

Here's what our jury member, Curtis Gallant of The Whickers awards, had to say about the film:

“The winning documentary highlights how the past can echo across generations. This highly personal story confronts concealed history on both sides of the Atlantic. It poignantly captures the power of both hate and love, and its title character fills the screen with his big-hearted personality.”

Terry Harrison MBE is on an emotional quest to trace his GI dad, whom he never knew, and learn about the lives of African American soldiers based in Britain during WW2. This epic journey takes him to South Carolina, Washington DC and the Northern Beaches of France. Former Royal Marines Commando, a keen gardener and proud Leicester City fan, Terry has been on a lifelong quest to find out more about his dad until his journey takes a very unexpected new turn.

The screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Jonathan Beamish; Terry Harrison MBE; writer and academic, Prof. Lucy Bland; and GI Trace’s Sally Vincent. The panel will be hosted by broadcaster and presenter, Simon London.

Our screening on Thursday 26 February will be introduced by Mark Player, author of Japanese Cinema and Punk, and will be followed by a post film discussion group in the Atrium Bar.   

A strange man known only as the 'metal fetishist', who seems to have an insane compulsion to stick scrap metal into his body, is hit and possibly killed by a Japanese salaryman, out for a drive with his girlfriend. The salaryman then notices that he is being slowly overtaken by some kind of disease that is turning his body into scrap metal, and that his nemesis is not in fact dead but is somehow masterminding and guiding his rage and frustration-fueled transformation.

Our screening on Thursday 22 January will be introduced by Alastair Phillips (University of Warwick), and followed by a post film discussion group in the Atrium Bar.  

Cinematic anthropologist extraordinaire Shohei Imamura won his first Palme d'Or at the 1983 Cannes Film Festival for The Ballad of Narayama, his transcendent adaptation of two classic stories by Shichiro  Fukazawa.

In a small village in a remote valley where the harshness of life dictates that survival overrules compassion, elderly widow Orin is approaching her 70th birthday - the age when village law says she must go up to the mythic Mount Narayama to die. But there are several loose ends within her own family to tie up first.

Creating a vividly realised inverse image of 'civilised' society with typical directness and black humour, Imamura presents a bracingly unsentimental rumination on mortality and an engrossing study of a community's struggles against the natural elements. Handled with a masterful control and simplicity, moving effortlessly between the comic and the horrific, The Ballad of Narayama is one of the legendary director's deepest, richest works, and ranks among the finest films of its decade.

The screening will be followed by a Q&A with conservationist Alan Watson Featherstone, Danny Strong (co-director, ecologist & wildlife cameraman) and Caroline Strong (co-director, writer and producer) and Dr Gabriel Strong (assistant producer and cameraman).

The Bough Breaks explores the work of visionary conservationist, Alan Watson Featherstone; his regeneration of Scotland's ancient Caledonian forest and rewilding as a successful model of restoration, to tackle the environmental crises we face today.

Alan Watson Featherstone is one of the major pioneers of Rewilding. His visionary approach to restoring habitats, has become a blueprint for many of the major conservation projects underway today, in the UK and beyond. His extraordinary commitment is coupled with a disarming humility and spirituality; captured in the reflective and meditative atmosphere of this moving film. Forty years ago, he realised that his generation were probably the last that could save Scotland's ancient Caledonian forest. He soon decided that despite no previous experience in conservation and no personal resources, he was the man who would have to make that happen.

Set within a modest clinic in the outskirts of Yangon, Myanmar, run by the married couple San San Oo and Aung Min – both doctors and artists –The Clinic (2023) opens with close observation of the space’s daily operations. Patients arrive at the crowded waiting room seeking relief from insomnia, auditory hallucinations, alcoholism and other conditions.

Ever dynamic, Midi Z’s camera then shifts to follow the husband Aung Min, a filmmaker, who is making a film exploring the lives of the Rohingya community in Myanmar. By documenting the process of filmmaking itself, Midi Z creates a nested structure in which the roles of patient, physician, and filmmaker are intertwined and personal ambitions, political realities, art and mental health coalesce in this delicate reflexive portrait.

Through these layers, the effects of living under chronic instability begin to emerge within the clinic. Decades of civil war, political violence and ethnic conflict in Myanmar have produced not only visible social fractures but also less tangible forms of psychological stress. Filmed across the years before and after the 2021 military coup, The Clinic attends to this quieter register of trauma – one that rarely presents itself as overtly political, yet is inseparable from political reality.

The Clinic was awarded the Grand Prize Visionary Award at Taiwan International Documentary Festival (TIDF) and was nominated for the Best Documentary Award at the Golden Horse Awards and has been shown at various international film festivals including IDFA.

Presented as part of Sine Screen’s Whose Homeland 25-26 film season, with the support of the BFI, awarding National Lottery funding.

Sine Screen is a London-based screening collective dedicated to showcasing independent cinema and moving-image works from across East and Southeast Asia. It aims to create space for critical dialogue around dominant representations of ESEA cultures and histories through diverse programming, and has received support from the British Film Institute and Arts Council England.

Our screening on Saturday 31 January will be introduced by Tom Cunliffe (UCL), and will be followed by a post film discussion group in the Atrium Bar.

The Kobayashi family finally are able to move out of their tiny, cramped Tokyo apartment to the suburban house of their dreams. But things are not as perfect as they seem: the house is infested by termites and the family starts going crazy. Son Masaki is studying so obsessively for his exams that he’s losing his mind; daughter Erika is oblivious of all but her forthcoming record company audition, grandfather Yasukuni starts getting World War II flashbacks and father Katsuhiko is so worried about his family’s 'sickness' that he thinks can only be cured by group suicide. As the Kobayashis’ house begins to crumble, so does the sanity of its inhabitants. Katsuhiko takes it upon himself to keep them from the asylum… at any cost.

Our screening on Thursday 5 February will be introduced by Irene González-López (Birkbeck), and will be followed by a post film discussion group in the Atrium Bar.

Conceived by Shohei Imamura, Kazuo Hara’s infamous and audacious documentary follows Kenzo Okuzaki, an ageing Japanese WW2 veteran, on a mission to uncover the truth about atrocities committed as the war in the Pacific reached its bloody end. Ultimately, Okuzaki blames Japan's Emperor Hirohito himself for these barbarities, and his obsessive pursuit of those he deems responsible soon escalates. Willing to confront the taboos of Japanese society in his fanatical quest for justice, Okuzaki is driven to unsettling acts of violence.

Harrowing and extraordinarily powerful, Hara’s film forces us to face the disturbing realities of war and, crucially, to question the complicity between filmmaker, subject and audience.

The Handmaiden was proposed by our members Cathy Lee and Sofia Canhoto.

No Other Choice director Park Chan-wook turns to the past for a sensual, florid adaptation of Sarah Waters’ Fingersmith.

1930s Korea is under the control of the Japanese empire. Young maid Sookee is hired by Hideko, a reclusive heiress who lives in a sprawling mansion under the watchful eye of her domineering Uncle Kouzuki. But Sookee harbours a secret: she has been recruited by Fujiwara, a scheming con artist posing as a Japanese Count, to trick Hideko into entrusting him with her fortune. However, when Sookee and Hideko develop unexpected feelings for each other, more double-crossing comes into play.

Please note, the screening on Monday 9 February is our free members' screening, and booking for this will open on Thursday 5 February. The one on Tuesday 17 February is a regular screening, which is open to the general public.

Like childhood, animation is full of wonder and simple pleasures. This carefully chosen programme for our littlest and most special audience contains 13 of the best, wonderful short animated films, full of joy, from all around the world. There’ll be talking animals, seriously fun adventures and wondrous tales to spark those little imaginations.

This delightful selection of films includes a curious lynx, a musical spider, a penguin who is desperate to run fast, a shy clam who doesn’t want to come out of her shell and several other charming creatures and stories.

For more information about the London International Animation Festival and our programmes please check out our website at https://liaf.org.uk/

Patchwork Penguin

Patchwork Penguin has a problem: he wants to run fast, but he doesn´t know how! Will the Patchwork Pals find a way to help him?

Germany 2019 Dir: Angela Steffen 4min

A lynx in the Town

A curious lynx leaves the forest behind to go to the city, much to the amazement of the inhabitants.

France, Switzerland 2019 Dir: Nina Bisyarina 7min

The Witch and the Baby

An aging witch needs a baby for a spell to make her young again. But when she brings home an infant princess things don't go to plan.

UK/Russia 2020 Dir: Evgenia Golubeva 5min

The Little Bird and the Bees

It is springtime and high up in its tree, the little bird looks after the first flowers on the maple tree.

Switzerland 2020 Dir: Lena von Döhren 4min

The Pit

A desolate cosmic landscape and a procession of strange, extraterrestrial creatures are excavating a pit.

Czech Republic 2019 Dir: Markéta Kubátová Smolíková 9min

Patchwork Spider

Patchwork Spider has a problem: he wants to play music on his net, but the music sounds bad! Will the Patchwork Pals find a way to help him?

Germany 2019 Dir: Angela Steffen 4min

The Bird and the Whale

A young whale is struggling to find his voice. After straying too far from his family he discovers a caged songbird. Together they struggle to survive lost at sea.

Ireland 2019 Dir: Carol Freeman 7min

Warm Star

A bird that keeps order in the sky accidentally drops a star during cleaning. And on the earth, children find her.

Russia 2020 Dir: Anna Kuzina 4min

Firmament

On a planet surrounded by clouds, two little robots dream about seeing the sky.

France 2019 Dir: Adrien Fraysse, Anthony Feuillet, Johanne Baron, Laura Lévêque, Philip Gouillon, Thomas Delariviere 6min

How much does the cloud weigh?

A scientist is so concerned with observing the clouds that he fails to notice their beauty.

Russia 2019 Dir: Nina Bisyarina 5min

Tobi and the Turbobus

You fly with no seat! That's the rule in the Turbobus. To get one is a hard job for a young wolf on his turbo-journey to find real friendship.

Germany 2019 Dir: Verena Fels 7min

Patchwork Clam

Patchwork Clam has a problem: she can´t play because she´s far too shy! Will the Patchwork Pals find a way to make her come out of her shell?

Germany 2019 Dir: Angela Steffen 4min

Truffles

Nothing else tastes like truffles – everything you make with them tastes like nothing you ever tried. You just have to find them first.

Czech Republic 2019 Dir: Katerina Karhankova, Alexandra Majova 7min

Our screening on Tuesday 13 January will be introduced by independent curator Yuriko Hamaguchi.

This lyrical adaptation of the beloved novel by Junichiro Tanizaki was a late-career triumph for director Kon Ichikawa. Structured around the changing of the seasons, The Makioka Sisters follows the lives of four siblings who have taken on their family’s kimono manufacturing business, in the years leading up to the Pacific War. The two oldest have been married for some time, but according to tradition, the rebellious youngest sister cannot wed until the third, conservative and terribly shy, finds a husband. This graceful study of a family at a turning point in history is a poignant evocation of changing times and fading customs, shot in rich, vivid colors.

A group of tiny blue creatures from a magical forest are accidentally transported to modern-day New York City, where they must find a way back home. With the help of a kind couple, they try to stay hidden while evading a determined wizard who wants to capture them. Their adventure becomes a light-hearted story about courage, teamwork, and friendship in an unfamiliar world.

The live action cast features well-recieved performances from Neil Patrick Harris, Hank Azaria and Sofía Vergara, while pop star Katy Perry takes on the voice of Smurfette.

On Sunday mornings our Family Screenings are followed by a free activity for Children.

The screening is Pay What You Can, which means you’re free to pay as much or as little as you can afford. By paying for a ticket, you will enable us to keep offering Pay What You Can screenings to families struggling with the cost of living. Thank you.

When Tigger declines to help Pooh and his friends build a home for Eeyore the donkey, they suggest he leave them to spend some time with other tiggers. Convinced he's the only tigger in the world, the ever-bouncing one goes in search of more like him, and what he finds gives him quite a few surprises.

Echoing the timeless message of The Wizard of Oz - there's really no place like home - this a fun and charming tale that will convince you there's actually plenty of wonderful things about tiggers.

On Sunday mornings our Family Screenings are followed by a free activity for Children.

The screening is Pay What You Can, which means you’re free to pay as much or as little as you can afford. By paying for a ticket, you will enable us to keep offering Pay What You Can screenings to families struggling with the cost of living. Thank you.

January 29, 2024. Red Crescent volunteers receive an emergency call. A 5-year old girl is trapped in a car under fire in Gaza, pleading for rescue. While trying to keep her on the line, they do everything they can to get an ambulance to her. Her name was Hind Rajab.

The Voice of Hind Rajab won the Grand Jury Prize in Venice and is shortlisted for Best International Feature Film at the 2026 Oscars.

The Garden Cinema View:

After the thrilling Four Daughters (2023), Tunisian filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania returns with another fierce docufiction.

During the ongoing war in Gaza, several documentaries have attempted to make sense of the horror. All filmmakers work under severe restrictions, barred from entering Gaza, yet none achieve this level of craft. Using an authentic recording of a five-year-old girl killed by the IDF in Gaza in 2024, Ben Hania recreates the child's heart-wrenching communication with two paramedics as she sat trapped in her uncle's car with six dead family members. Relying mostly on close-ups and filmed in a single room, the film generates enormous tension and suspense through exquisite shot selection and editing. Ben Hania knows how to tell a story, and given how chilling and utterly heartbreaking this one is, she does it justice.

There has been discussion about the ethics of Ben Hania's manipulative docufiction method. Our feeling is that all filmmaking is essentially manipulative, particularly supposedly realistic documentaries. And in a time when Western audiences have become desensitised to experiencing war through the comfort of our screens, The Voice of Hind Rajab's raw and, at times, ruthless approach is necessary to cut through this apathy.

After meeting in a twin bereavement support group, Roman (Dylan O'Brien) and Dennis (James Sweeney) develop an unlikely bromance as they both search for solace and an identity without their better halves. They soon become inseparable, but old wounds reopen that will have permanent

consequences for their friendship. Lauren Graham and Aisling Franciosi also star in this stirring, whip-smart, wholly original dark-comedy from breakout multi hyphenate director James Sweeney.

The Garden Cinema View:

Director-actor-writer James Sweeney announces himself as an exciting voice in American cinema with this sophomore feature. The high-concept setup initially feels like a broad comedic canvas, and a showcase for a quite revelatory double performance from former teenage star Dylan O’Brien. But Sweeney’s interests run darker, and he pushes this narrative into perverse and melodramatic depths that Pedro Almodóvar would approve of. The playful cinematography, disarming humour, and general sense of transgression make this a fun (rather than uncomfortable) ride for the audience. Ultimately, this is film about processing grief, no matter how twisted the means.

Our screening on 12 February will be introduced by Alexander Jacoby (Oxford Brookes), and will be followed by a film discussion group in the Atrium Bar.

Newly restored, Shinji Somai’s beloved cult film Typhoon Club is widely heralded as the director’s seminal feature and considered to be one of the greatest Japanese films ever made.

Offering a caustic immersion into the lives of disaffected junior high students on the cusp of adulthood, Typhoon Club features a lively cast of young talent including idol Youki Kudoh (The Crazy Family, Mystery Train) facing existential intrigues, budding sexuality, and rising social tensions in the days leading up to a typhoon’s arrival. Stranded in their schoolhouse as the storm settles in, the group undergoes an awakening as they dispel all insecurities, fear and desire under the swell of the tempest.

Content note: contains a scene of sexual assault

Two unemployed Chinese teenagers have trouble resisting the temptations of the Western world.

What happens when you’ve created the worst hit song ever – at least according to the music press? What comes after fleeting fame, and what does it mean to grow old still chasing a dream?

Kim Hopkins’ moving and funny follow up to her documentary A Bunch of Amateurs features former pop star Dene Michael as he clings to the remnants of fame he once had as a member of 1980s novelty pop group Black Lace. The band’s universally known hit Agadoo – both beloved and hated by many, and the high or low point of any party – is what Dene’s best known for. Now, performing for a dwindling, ageing audience in some of the UK’s most deprived seaside towns and cities, he’s eager to press on with his music career and get out from under the legacy of the Black Lace songbook. Still Pushing Pineapples follows Dene, his spirited 89-year-old mum Anne, and his sassy girlfriend Hayley across Britain and the Costa del Sol in this unmistakably British road movie. En route they navigate love, family duty, and the relentless pursuit of one last chart success. But who needs an ’80s throwback in a loud pineapple shirt and oversized red specs, singing a tired earworm? Apparently, many do (doo doo).

The screening will be followed by a Q&A with Kim Hopkins and Margareta Szabo

Kim Hopkins – Director & producer

Kim is an award-winning, working-class, queer British filmmaker, and one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary UK documentary. A highly skilled self shooting director, she brings an unparalleled visual world and deep intimacy to her films. She’s a graduate of the National Film and Television School and a co-founder of Labor of Love Films.

Margareta Szabo – Producer

Margareta is a BAFTA Elevate producer and co-founder of Labor of Love Films. Originally from Budapest and trained in film and theatre, Margareta began her career as an actor. An alum of Berlinale Talents, Sheffield DocFest’s Future Producer School, and Creative Enterprise’s Female Founders programme, Margareta is also a committed mentor and advocate for emerging talent. She is represented by Identity Agency Group.

Get into the chocolate-eating spirit with this iconic and scrumdiddlyumptious version of Roald Dahl's much-loved classic, 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory'.

The story of Charlie Bucket, a little boy with no money and a good heart, who dreams wistfully of being able to buy the candy that other children enjoy. Charlie enters into a magical world when he wins one of five Golden Tickets to visit the mysterious chocolate factory owned by the eccentric Willy Wonka and run by his capable crew of Oompa-Loompas. Once behind the gates, a cast of characters join Charlie and Grandpa Joe on a journey to discover that a kind heart is a far finer possession than a sweet tooth.

Into Film age recommendation: 5+

On Sunday mornings our Family Screenings are followed by a free activity for Children.

The screening is Pay What You Can, which means you’re free to pay as much or as little as you can afford. By paying for a ticket, you will enable us to keep offering Pay What You Can screenings to families struggling with the cost of living. Thank you.