When her husband Samuel is mysteriously found dead in the snow below their secluded chalet, Sandra becomes the main suspect when the police begin to question whether he fell

or was pushed. The trial soon becomes not just an investigation, but a gripping psychological journey into the depths of Sandra and Samuel's complicated marriage. With conflicting evidence and inconsistent testimony, words are wielded like weapons and shocking truths come to light in this thrilling Palme d’Or winner.

The Garden Cinema View:

Depending on which appendage of the French legal system we listen to in Anatomy of a Fall, trials are intended to establish the truth, or are not really anything to do with truth. At a certain point in Justine Triet’s Palme d’Or winning film, the narrative fulcrum switches from an objective search for facts to a subjective demand to authorise a version of events with which characters and viewers alike can believe in. As with Alice Diop’s recent Saint Omer, a cinema court hearing can be as much about finding a point of empathy with the accused as it is about justice. As Sandra’s (Hüller) young son sagely declares, ‘When we’ve looked everywhere but still don’t understand how the thing happened, I think we have to ask why it happened.’

Anatomy of a Fall is a game of mirrors, memory, and, in particular, language. The aggressive and performative legalise spouted by prosecution and defence butts against Sandra’s ability to manipulate (and her struggle with) the cracks between the three languages she speaks – to varying degrees of proficiency. Such verbal sparring is wrapped in layer on layer of audio recording, video reconstruction, excerpts from Sandra’s autofiction, and competing forensic and psychological analyses. Triet deftly manoeuvres her camera within both the claustrophobic courtroom and the idyllic Alps – so often a setting of transgression, crime, and disputed truth in contemporary French cinema (La Syndacaliste, The Five Devils, and The Night of the 12th being some examples from the past year). And whilst we might have awarded the Palme to the other great Sandra Hüller film of Cannes 2023 (Zone of Interest), Anatomy of a Fall is taut, gripping, and impressively elusive.      

How does Santa deliver so many presents in a single night? The answer's revealed in this CG-animated fantasy that gives an imaginative and hugely amusing twist to the magic of Christmas. Made by Aardman, the animators behind Wallace & Gromit, this colourful tale sees the dysfunctional Claus family and their army of elves working hard at the North Pole to keep their ultra-high-tech operation running smoothly. But when the Christmas Eve gift drop finally takes place, and one little girl is accidentally missed out, only Santa’s bumbling yet big-hearted youngest son, Arthur, seems bothered. So helped by his cantankerous granddad, Arthur borrows an old sleigh, and together the reluctant heroes embark on a mishap-filled race to set things right before morning.

On Saturdays our family screenings are followed by a free activity for children.

This is a 'Pay What You Can' Family Screening, 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

Our screening on Thursday 14th December will be introduced by Black the Future (BttF) Founder Irenosen Okojie and BttF Creative Director Sara Veal with a conversation on THE VISIONARY AND TRANSGRESSIVE AESTHETICS OF JANELLE MONAE. The incredible and inspiring untold true story about three women at NASA who were instrumental in one of the most ambitious operations in history - sending a man into space.

Three brilliant African-American women at NASA -- Katherine Johnson (Taraji P. Henson), Dorothy Vaughan (Octavia Spencer) and Mary Jackson (Janelle Monáe) -- serve as the brains behind the launch of astronaut John Glenn (Glen Powell) into orbit, a stunning achievement that restored the nation's confidence, turned around the Space Race and galvanized the world. To introduce the screening, the co-directors of Black to the Future Irenosen Okojie and Sara Veal will be in dialogue about the visionary and transgressive aesthetics of Janelle Monae. Since bursting onto the cultural landscape with her unique, high concept extended EP Metropolis: The Chase Suite I, Monae has made a lasting impact as a queer icon who continues to push the boundaries, transcending music, cinema and literature. Incorporating themes of technology, queerness and futurism, Monae’s centring of outsiderness makes her a singular artist.

Screening as part of BLACK to the FUTURE. An Afro-Futurist celebration of outstanding Black artists, a space for visionary imaginings to thrive.

This film was proposed by our member Aris Theodoridis, who writes: 'It’s the favourite film of my friend FC and he has always wanted to see it on a big screen!'

Returning home from a shopping trip to a nearby town, bored suburban housewife Laura Jesson (Celia Johnson) is thrown by happenstance into an acquaintance with virtuous doctor Alec Harvey (Trevor Howard). Their casual friendship soon develops during their weekly visits into something more emotionally fulfilling than either expected, and they must wrestle with the potential havoc their deepening relationship would have on their lives and the lives of those they love.

* Please note, the screening on Wednesday 6 December is our Free Members' Screening, and the screening on Wednesday 13 December, is a regular screening.

This film was proposed by our members Jessica Willden who writes: 'Just like Tár, it changed my life. A beautiful film which I would love to see at the cinema.'

Based on Patricia Highsmith’s novel, published under a nom de plume in 1952, this tale of two women discovering their mutual attraction, as well as the impossibility of that attraction in conformist mid-century America, stars Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara.

Carol is a wonderfully nuanced portrait of two women whose different lives see them navigate the treacherous waters of romantic love in very different ways. Very much Hayne’s cinematic vision (fans of Mildred Pierce and Far From Heaven will see more references to the photography of Saul Leiter and the paintings of Edward Hopper), it also shows him making quietly subversive points about the personal and public cost of mid-century Sapphic romance.

*Please note, the screening on Wednesday 20 December is our Free Members' Screening, and the screening on Thursday 28 December is a regular screening.

Booking for the Free Members' Screening will open one week before the screening, on Wednesday 13 December at 18:00.

* The screening on 16 December will be preceded by Professor Roger Luckhurst, author of The Shining (BFI Film Classics).

Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman star as a married couple entangled in an intricate web of jealousy and sexual obsession in Stanley Kubrick's final cinematic offering.

At a Christmas party hosted by wealthy, unconventional Victor Ziegler (Sydney Pollack), provocative advances and innocent flirtations arouse suspicion as high-society physician Dr. William Harford (Cruise) and his wife, Alice (Kidman) watch each other from a distance. Alone later, this seemingly perfect couple confront their intimate sexual fantasies--which don't include each other.

Caught between reality and illusion, jealousy and obsession, William struggles with his inner urges. Will he act on his erotic fantasies or keep them hidden deep inside? Sometimes a man can see more clearly with his Eyes Wide Shut.

Inspired by the novel Traumnovelle by Arthur Schnitzler.

Jules’ (Nathan Stewart-Jarrett) life and career as a drag queen is destroyed by a homophobic attack. But after a chance encounter with his attacker, the deeply closeted Preston (George Mackay), he is presented with the opportunity to exact revenge. Unrecognisable out of his wig and make up, Jules infiltrates Preston’s life and in doing so discovers the lines of seduction, revenge and power are blurred.

The Garden Cinema View:

If you expect a run of the mill, LGBTQI+ film, prepared to be taken aback. FEMME is a fascinating neo-noir thriller that takes some risks and explores murky moral territory.

Shifting identities and erotic power dynamics are at its centre: From the fierce drag queen on stage who becomes a target in the street, the dangerous thug who discovers he likes being submissive in bed,  the "femme" character who secretly pulls all the strings.

Is this a revenge tale or an unconventional love story?  This ambiguity - within an otherwise abusive relationship - is what makes FEMME uncomfortably exhilarating. This gripping storyline is accompanied by some serious character study, courtesy of the outstanding performances of Nathan Steward-Jarrett and George McKay.

Femme was nominated for 11 BIFA 2023 awards.

It also won best feature at the Iris Prize, the UK’s most prestigious LGBTQI+ movie award.

Award-winning filmmaker Aki Kaurismäki (Le Havre, The Other Side of Hope) makes a masterful return with Fallen Leaves, a timeless, hopeful and satisfying love story that won the Jury Prize at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival.

Set in modern day Helsinki, the film tells the story of Ansa (Alma Pöysti) and Holappa (Jussi Vatanen), two lonely souls whose chance meeting at a local karaoke bar is beset by numerous hurdles. From lost phone numbers to mistaken addresses, alcoholism and a charming stray dog, the pair’s path to happiness is as bittersweet as it is ultimately delightful.

Shot through with Kaurismäki’s typically playful, idiosyncratic style and deadpan sense of humor, this tender romantic tragicomedy is both a loving tribute to the filmmaker’s beloved contemporaries and a timely reminder of the potency of movie-going from one of cinema’s living legends.

The Garden Cinema View;

As its title suggests, Aki Kaurismäki’s latest (and last?) film is an Autumnal work. A gentle example of the great director’s deadpan humour and late-style turn towards profound empathy for his characters. With a clear-sighted depiction of precarious life and casualised labour, Kaurismäki conjures a melancholic romance. Fallen Leaves is a film for anyone who has ever felt hopeless, broken, or lonely; a paean to the redemptive power of personal connection amongst the dehumanising effects of contemporary society.  

Ingmar Bergman’s dreamlike chronicle of an extended family in early 20th-century Sweden.

One tumultuous year in the life of the Ekdahl family is viewed through the eyes of ten-year-old Alexander, whose imagination fuels the magical goings-on leading up to and following the death of his father. When his mother remarries a stern bishop, Alexander and his sister Fanny are banished to a gothic world.

Drawing heavily on Bergman’s own memories, it highlights the young protagonist’s fascination with storytelling, while also serving as a kind of confessional critique of his films and reworked themes, with trademark scenes of marital infighting, desperate grief, and searching existential enquiry.

Although Bergman is as attuned as ever to the anguish of life, there is also much that is fondly recalled, from toy theatres and magic lantern shows to family Christmases and favoured relatives.

In this live-action adaptation of the beloved children's tale by Dr. Seuss, the reclusive green Grinch (Jim Carrey) decides to ruin Christmas for the cheery citizens of Whoville. Reluctantly joined by his hapless dog, Max, the Grinch comes down from his mountaintop home and sneaks into town to swipe everything holiday-related from the Whos. However, the bitter grump finds a hitch in his plans when he encounters the endearing Cindy Lou Who (Taylor Momsen).

On Saturdays our family screenings are followed by a free activity for children.

This is a 'Pay What You Can' Family Screening, 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

Winner of the Un Certain Regard prize at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, How to Have Sex is a vibrant and authentic depiction of the agonies, ecstasies and ride-or-die glory of young female friendship, from rising British filmmaker Molly Manning Walker.

Set against the chaotic party scene of Malia, three British teenage girls – Tara (Mia McKenna-Bruce), Skye (Lara Peake), and Em (Enva Lewis) – go on a rites-of-passage holiday, drinking, clubbing and hooking up in what should be the best summer of their lives. As they dance their way through the hazy clubs, hectic pool parties and sun-drenched streets of the strip, they find themselves navigating the complexities of sex, consent, self-discovery and friendships old and new.

Captured with luminous visuals and a pitch-perfect soundtrack, Manning Walker’s directorial debut marks the arrival of a sensational new acting talent in Mia McKenna-Bruce, who delivers a stunning central performance. Compassionate and delicately-handled, this confronting take on the outrageous excesses of teenage holidays paints a painfully familiar portrait of young adulthood, and how first sexual experiences should – or shouldn’t – play out.

The Garden Cinema View:

How to Have Sex is authentic to a fault. Molly Manning Walker delivers, on debut, a laser focused exploration of brits abroad holiday culture which also raises urgent and universal questions surrounding consent and peer pressure. Walker’s control of tone, the performances of her cast, and the sense of place, lend the film an intense air of realism which configures the viewing experience into something quite stressful and deeply uncomfortable. The film is neither exploitative nor sadistic. Rather it is saddening and invites personal reflection.

This is impressive work, and is an important contribution to UK cinema that will start many necessary conversations. But due to the above reasons, viewers should be aware that the film is likely to be extremely triggering for some.  

Contains scenes of sexual assault.

The son of a hardworking Norwegian postmaster, Jesper is too lazy to follow in his father’s footsteps. Nevertheless, he is sent to a distant, frozen town in the Arctic circle, where he must prove himself as a postman or be cut off from the family’s fortune. The trouble is, no one sends letters in the unfriendly town of Smeerensburg. Desperate to deliver enough mail to be allowed home, Jesper persuades Klaus, a reclusive toymaker with a big white beard, to donate his old wooden toys to the town’s children. Word gets around and more children start sending letters to Mr. Klaus for presents, which they learn to share and play with together. But some of the grumpy adults don’t like this new friendly atmosphere in the town and plot to put an end to Mr. Klaus and Jesper’s mission. A fairy-tale Christmas origin story that teaches that one act of kindness leads to another.

On Saturdays our family screenings are followed by a free activity for children.

This is a 'Pay What You Can' Family Screening, 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 the London Australian Film Society for a white wine in the sun this Christmas.

In the Australian outback, Christmas is stinking - stinking hot mostly - but for one struggling farming family, it just plain stinks. Dad is gone, mum is losing the plot, and the bank is trying to take the farm.

It's looking unlikely that there'll be anything under the tree this year, until a strange looking Santa Claus turns up with a panel van full of toys. But this Father Christmas is not what he seems.... He's running from something and the kids suspect it isn't an angry elf or a hungry reindeer.

Daniel Henshall (Snowtown, The Royal Hotel) stars as Daryl, a Santa-clad criminal on the run, in this directorial debut feature by actor and comedian Christiaan Van Vuuren (Bondi Hipsters, Queen of Oz). Produced exclusively for the Australian streaming platform, Stan, join us for the UK premiere of this hilarious and very irreverent holiday flick.

Australian snacks and sweets will be on sale, and a raffle will be held before the screening.

With thanks to Stan and All3Media.

Embark on a thrilling journey through alternate realities, uncharted territories, and surreal dimensions. Brace yourself for a captivating collection of enigmatic, mind-bending films handpicked from the Oska Bright Film Festival. Prepare to be immersed in a diverse range of genres, including gripping dramas, mind-boggling sci-fi, audacious experimenta, and wickedly dark comedy. Witness the extraordinary unfold before your eyes as you delve into the perspectives of a young autistic girl, a frazzled radio producer, and a haunted scarecrow. Get ready for the unexpected, as these films offer a unique glimpse into a world that often defies explanation…

Who’s Voice is it Anyway, dir. Kate Caryer, UK 2022, 5mins

This is News Radio, dir. Andrew Kavanagh, Australia 2020, 7mins

Bad News, dir. Oli Mapp, UK 2020, 1min

Dead Susan, dir. Scar Ward, UK 2021, 9mins

X-Ray Eyes, dir. Christian Hebel, Germany 2021, 4mins

The Scarecrow, dir. Charlie Halldén, Sweden 2021, 2mins

Click Here, dir. Ka-miller Reid / Conor Powell, UK 2022, 5mins

Breathe, dir. Josh Merrit, UK 2019, 4mins

Galoot, dir. Deavon Lever, USA 2021, 8mins

In this third series of the Bonded programme, we dig deeper into excavating the meaning and significance of familial, parental bonds. The realities of the relationships between carers and those entrusted to their care is often more complicated and nuanced than traditional portrayals of family dynamics would have us believe. This programme offers up a spotlight to the beauty and bluntness of these differences - from the varying shades of care, parenthood, identity, and the passage of generations.

Homerton 2 Homerton, dir. Amber Akaunu, UK 2021, 20mins

They, dir. Louisa Rechenbach, UK 2020, 12mins

Memory Palace, dir. Dorothy Cheung, UK 2021, 17mins

Sharing, dir. Mykea Fairweather Perry, UK 2022, 10mins

The Heart Still Hums, dir. Savanah Leaf, USA 2020, 29mins

Take a deep dive into hard-to-confront histories, myths, traumas, and beliefs - but not without a dash of lightheartedness. Spanning from documentary to fiction, this programme brings together international perspectives that each sculpt a case of hauntology. Ghosts from the past invited; the dusty forgotten reactivated. Let us now open the floodgate of memories.

An essayistic documentary of the five-star National Hotel of Cuba; a portrait of the filmmaker’s mother that bursts open a visceral account of surviving the Ethiopian Red Terror; a whimsical, 16mm filmic composition that spans a family history riddled with mystics, political activism, and unsolved mysteries; a budded high-school romance that turns sour by the nuanced racial divide in the post-New Order Jakarta; an ageing Iranian man wishing for a peaceful death, blessed with a Talqueen ceremony.

Content warning: Images of genocide, description of torture

The National Hotel, dir. Alexandra von Schelling, Cuba 2023, 17mins

The Medallion, dir. Ruth Hunduma, UK 2023, 19mins

Family Fugue, dir. George Finlay Ramsay, UK 2022, 35mins

Sawo Matang, dir. Andrea Nirmala Widjajanto, Indonesia 2023, 20mins

Three Sisters, dir. Iman Behrouzi, Iran 2022, 12mins

London Film Week presents the European premiere of Grey Matter. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with Arabella Burfitt-Dons (director), Eloise Smyth (cast) and Stephanie beacham (cast).

Chloe has never really been close with her Nan, Peg. However, when Peg gets diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and moves into the family home, Chloe’s forced to become a stay-at-home teenager overnight…

One of the world’s most consistently provocative filmmakers for nearly 50 years, Catherine Breillat proves with her incendiary, compelling new drama that she is not through toying with viewers’ comfort levels.

In Last Summer, Léa Drucker stars as Anne, a lawyer who specialises in cases of sexual consent and parental custody. Seemingly happily married to kind-hearted businessman Pierre with adopted twin daughters, Anne inexplicably finds herself drawn to Pierre’s estranged 17-year-old son Théo (Samuel Kircher) after the boy returns home to live with them. Breillat’s incisive screenplay—cannily altered from the Danish erotic thriller Queen of Hearts on which it’s based—elegantly surveys the situation’s extreme power dynamics while giving the brilliant Drucker the chance to create a character who exists entirely within her own moral boundaries.

When her young son Minato starts to behave strangely, his mother feels that there is something wrong. Discovering that a teacher is responsible, she storms into the school demanding to know what’s going on. But as the story unfolds through the eyes of mother, teacher and child, the truth gradually emerges. Palme d’Or winner and internationally acclaimed director Kore-Eda Hirokazu returns with a delicate, powerfully moving story of love, duty, social conflict and secrets.

Winner Best Screenplay Cannes Film Festival 2023

Following Koffi’s return to his birthplace after he has been ostracised by his family, Omen explore the weight of beliefs on one’s destiny through four characters accused of being witches and sorcerers, all of them intertwined and guiding each other into the phantasmagoria of Africa.

Omen is a “cinematic symphony exploring the complexities of social norms and expectations. It delves into the sacred and the profane, encapsulating rebellion and reverence in a profoundly personal homage to confronting fear, honouring grief, and navigating one’s place in the urgency of the present moment.”

Winner: Camera d’Or, Festival de Cannes 2023

London Film Week, in partnership with Cine Brazil, present Out of Breath. The sceening will be followed by a Q&A with the film's director, Helena Petta.

Filmmaker Ana Petta and doctor Helena Petta follow public health workers in marginalized areas of Brazil as they fight to save lives during the pandemic. With a sensitive gaze, the directors spotlight women facing the greatest challenges of their careers. “Out of Breath” exposes the intersections of race, religion, and class through character-driven cinema vérité.

The harsh, almost dystopian life of workers in Chinese textile factories. Filmed by the greatest documentary filmmaker of his generation, Wang Bing.

"This is hell." Over the course of five years, Wang follows various groups of people, most of them in their twenties, as they labour over their clothes-making, interact in the cramped dormitories where they live after hours, bargain (often fruitlessly) for better wages, and create emotional bonds and relationships with one another.

As the title suggests, this film is specifically about the lives of the young, forcefully and humanely depicting—with its director’s customary patience and unassuming formal rigour—the consequences of the country’s rapid growth on the minds and bodies of a new generation of workers.

Cannes Film Festival 2023 - In Competition

Join us for a cinematic journey like no other! Experience the magic of storytelling in bite-sized brilliance with our Shorts Programme, featuring seven captivating short films that will leave you wanting more. From heartwarming tales to thrilling adventures, there's something for everyone in this diverse lineup. Immerse yourself in the world of cinema and discover the artistry of emerging filmmakers.

The screening will be followed by a Q&A with:

Unstoppable Beat - Luke Dye-Montefiore and Rufus Dye-Montefiore (directors) + Benjamin Worku-Dix (research)

Roses - Coral Knights (director) and Lily Ashton (Producer)

Life is a Stranger - Roman Rutten (director)

This is You - Marco De Luca (director)

From the outside, Gracie and Joe are the perfect suburban couple. That is, if you don’t take into account the fact that their relationship was a tabloid sensation 20 years ago. When Elizabeth, an actor, arrives at their home to research for a role in a film based on Gracie, it becomes clear that the couple’s relationship isn’t as strong as they’d like to believe. As the truth begins to unspool, and Elizabeth immerses herself in her role, it becomes clear that she’s not the only one acting. What is the truth to Gracie and Joe’s relationship? And is Elizabeth’s presence complicating things even further? With a trifecta of stunning performances from Natalie Portman, Julianne Moore and Charles Melton, Todd Haynes effortlessly combines classical melodrama with contemporary preoccupations of celebrity and scandal.

The Garden Cinema View:

An entertaining and captivating Almodovar-esque melodrama, not least due to Moore, Portman, and Melton's exceptional performances. May December explores some fascinating issues: morally grey areas, the erosion of boundaries, the process of grooming, and the stories we tell ourselves in order to survive.

Too inhibited to fully embrace its campiness, and a bit reluctant to fully explore the weighty themes, May December falls slightly short of greatness. Even so, it is still a very charming and enigmatic watch, and a thoroughly entertaining experience for our audience that will likely keep you thinking after the credits roll.

Led by our very own 'Queen of Collage', Marzia Castelli, this workshop will allow you to unleash your creativity and create your own Christmas cards, mini posters or other works of art.

You might not be familiar with Marzia's name, but you'll certainly have encountered her designs before: she designs 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!

Tickets are limited to 1 per member, and available for just £5, which includes a complimentary glass of mulled wine or oat hot chocolate during the event.

Are you the person in your friend group who everyone asks for fun festive film recommendations? Do you know your Gremlins from your Grinch, and your Prancer from your Dancer? These skills you've been honing might just keep you off of Santa’s naughty list, because on Tuesday 19 December we're hosting our extremely jolly Members' Christmas Film Quiz! Join us for an evening of wintery and festive themed trivia questions, as well as a review of 2023 in cinema.

There will be presents (prizes) up for grabs for the top 3 teams, including free tickets and various wares from our generous friends at the North Pole: The Teamakers of London & London Review of Books. There will also be a mulled bonus for the best team name.

We have space for 9 teams of max. 5 contestants each. Tickets are £5 and restricted to 1 per member, so please make sure to be logged in and book quickly once ticket sales open on Thursday 16 November at 13:00.

Important info before booking:

If you would like to be placed on a team with friends (who must also be members of the cinema), please purchase your tickets individually and fill out their names during the checkout process. If you're joining by yourself, you will be placed on a Garden Cinema All Stars team - a great opportunity to meet fellow members and, as proven by previous editions, greatly improves your chances of winning the quiz!

* Please note that any teams of 3 contestants or less may be merged together to allow as many members as possible to join.

Not since Judy met the boy next door in St. Louis has there been a heaping of tuneful, romantic Midwestern American life like this! Doris Day and Gordon MacRae team for spoonin', croonin' and swoonin' On Moonlight Bay, based on Booth Tarkington's Penrod stories.

'Try not to walk like a first baseman,' Mama (Rosemary DeCamp) tells tomboy Marjorie (Day) as she prepares to date college man Bill (MacRae). The advice takes. The lovebirds hear wedding bells ahead, just as soon as Bill gets his sheepskin. But World War I rages 'over there.' And Papa (Leon Ames) rages at home after a flap with his prospective son-in-law. Will harmony return to this Hoosier home? Surely Day and MacRae will make musical harmony. And On Moonlight Bay will have you sailing along.

An accident-prone bear from deepest Peru arrives in London searching for a home, but finds himself lost and lonely at Paddington station. However he quickly meets the Brown family, who take him in, having read the label around his neck – “Please look after this bear”. This heartwarming film is packed with an all-star British cast, with Nicole Kidman on hand to lend pantomime villainy as a wicked taxidermist. Showcasing the modern city at its diverse, multicultural best, there are thoughtful messages around being kind to strangers and helping everybody to fit in sprinkled in amongst the fun. .

On Saturdays our family screenings are followed by a free activity for children.

This is a 'Pay What You Can' Family Screening, 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 screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Jude Chehab.

An intimate portrayal of a quest for love and acceptance at any cost, Q depicts the influence of a secretive matriarchal religious order on filmmaker Jude Chehab’s family and the unspoken ties and consequences of loyalty that have bonded her mother, grandmother, and herself to the mysterious organization. A love story of a different kind, Q is a multigenerational tale of the eternal search for meaning.

The film won the Tribeca Festival's Albert Maysles Award and Best New Documentary Director Award.

It was won the Sheffield DocFest's Best International First Feature Award.

Gena, a queer artist from a small town in Russia, dresses in otherworldly costumes made from junk and tape, and protests the government on the streets of Moscow. Born and raised on the harsh streets of Magadan, a frigid outpost of the Soviet gulag, Gena is only 21. She stages radical performances in public that become a new form of art and activism. By doing that, she wants to change people’s perception of beauty and queerness and bring attention to the harassment of the LGBTQ+ community. The performances—often dark, strange, evocative, and queer at their core — are a manifestation of Gena’s unconscious. But they come at a price.

The Garden Cinema View:

Queendom is a powerful documentary which operates on multiple levels. At the film’s core is Gena, a brave, angry, talented LGBTQI+ activist living in a remote part of Russia. Following her life and work, we gain rare insight into the mounting struggles faced by the LGBTQI+ people in Russia, up to and including crackdowns on public protest during the early days of the invasion of Ukraine. 

Gena is also an exceptional visual artist, seamlessly blending activism and aesthetics with rare clarity of purpose.

The cinematography of Queendom is at times just as stunning as Gena's practice. This is especially evident when capturing the contrast between the frozen, impoverished setting of far Eastern Russia and Gena's extravagant costumes and choreography.

*The screening on January 6th will be followed by a Q&A with directors Jane Giles & Ali Catterall. Tickets are on sale from Dec 6th onwards.

...OR, THE INCREDIBLY STRANGE RISE AND FALL OF THE WORLD'S WILDEST CINEMA AND HOW IT INFLUENCED A MIXED-UP GENERATION OF WEIRDOS AND MISFITS  PHOTOS

During the politically tumultuous period known as Britain’s post-punk ‘Thatcher years,’ the Scala cinema, originally located in Fitzrovia before it moved to King’s Cross, served as a hugely significant cultural hub, drawing in over a million visitors from across the UK. And as SCALA!!! shows, though operating for just 15 years, from 1978 to 1993, this short-lived but iconic venue would leave an indelible mark on an entire generation.

With its daily changing double-feature screenings, and unforgettable All-Nighters, the Scala’s programming featured a diverse range of films, from high art to cult classics, sexploitation, horror, Kung-Fu and LGBTQIA+, everything shown in rare, well-worn 35mm and 16mm prints. The cinema’s line-up regularly showcased alternative auteurs such as Pier Paolo Pasolini, Walerian Borowczyk, Russ Meyer, John Waters, Derek Jarman, and David Lynch, among many others who challenged the boundaries of taste and convention.

In SCALA!!!, previously unseen archive footage, photography, film clips, and newly commissioned graphics and animation bring the Scala cinema back to life. And in revealing and frequently hilarious interviews, nearly 50 audience members and original Scala staff share their personal memories of the cinema and its profound significance on their lives and future careers, whether as actors, activists, artists, comedians, filmmakers, musicians or writers.

Among those interviewed are Barry Adamson, John Akomfrah, Ralph Brown, Adam Buxton, Caroline Catz, Mary Harron, Matt Johnson, Princess Julia, Isaac Julien, Nick Kent, Beeban Kidron, Stewart Lee, Mark Moore, Thurston Moore, James O’Brien, Paul Putner, JoAnne Sellar, Peter Strickland, Cathi Unsworth, Ben Wheatley, Jah Wobble, Stephen Woolley and John Waters. Barry Adamson has also composed the original soundtrack.

Transcending mere nostalgia, SCALA!!! serves as a universal testament to the power of cinemas in inspiring impressionable young minds and fostering a sense of community for outsiders—a place where everyone is welcomed.

SUPAKINO presents three episodes of cult TV show The Monkees, introduced by Ranjit S. Ruprai.

Episode 31: The Monkees at the Movies (1967) Dir. Russell Mayberry

The Monkees are cast in a beach-party drive-in movie in this self-aware episode about the exploitation of the American teenage market. Songs featured include: 'Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You' (Neil Diamond), 'Last Train To Clarksville' (Tommy Boyce/Bobby Hart) and an early version of 'Valleri' (Tommy Boyce/Bobby Hart). Teen idol Bobby Sherman appears as a spoof of Frankie Avalon performing surf-style song 'The New Girl In School' co-written by Brian Wilson. [Filmed in August 1966.]

Episode 54: The Monkees in Paris (1968) Dir. Bob Rafelson

The Monkees are fed up with the formulaic scripts to their TV show and go to Paris instead, where they are pursued by four ladies through a variety of French settings. Bob Rafelson writes and directs this experimental episode, featuring: 'Love Is Only Sleeping” (Barry Mann/Cynthia Weil), 'Don’t Call On Me' (Michael Nesmith/John London), 'Star Collector' (Gerry Goffin/Carole King) and 'Goin’ Down' (Micky Dolenz/Peter Tork/Diane Hildebrand/Michael Nesmith/David Jones). [Filmed in Paris in June 1967 and Hollywood in December 1967.]

Episode 47: The Christmas Show (1967) Dir. Jon C. Andersen

This episode was broadcast on Christmas Day, 1967. The Monkees try to earn money babysitting a rich, cynical but lonely kid played by Butch Patrick, better known as the werewolf child in The Munsters. The Monkees impart a lesson in the Christmas spirit and sing a beautiful a cappella rendition of the traditional 16th-century Spanish song 'Ríu Chíu'.

SUPAKINO:

Ranjit S. Ruprai is an independent programmer and supporter of indie cinemas, film festivals and film clubs in London. Since founding SUPAKINO, he has been presenting friendly film screenings around fun and unusual themes including Turbans Seen On Screen, Bombay Mix double-bills and Midnight Excess late-night shows. Ranjit also speaks at film conferences about repertory/archive film exhibition, guest lectures at the National Film & Television School, and was Chair of the historic Rio Cinema, Dalston. Learn more at: supakino.com

An artist and her elderly mother confront long-buried secrets when they return to a former family home, now a hotel haunted by its mysterious past. Featuring a towering, deeply moving performance by Tilda Swinton, acclaimed filmmaker Joanna Hogg's beguiling latest film is a brilliant and captivating exploration of parental relationships and the things we leave behind.

The Garden Cinema View:

Fans of Joanna Hogg’s Souvenir-verse were probably not expecting a full on Ghost Story for Christmas as the next instalment. But here we are with this perfect evocation of atmosphere and setting that is deeply embedded in the tradition of M. R. James (and his namesake Henry). While Hogg perfectly captures the setting and atmospherics of the English ghost story, viewers my be relieved/disappointed that The Eternal Daughter is voided of direct confrontations with horror. Rather, Hogg seeks out and mines the undercurrent of melancholia and longing for loved ones and lost places that scaffolds so many of the best haunted house narratives. What remains is a lean and masterfully controlled film with a sinister sense of humour and a deeply moving meditation on loss and grief.  

This screening is part of Ukranian Retrospective, an educational program dedicated to Ukrainian cinema history in partnership with the Ukrainian Institute London and Dovzhenko Center.

Young peasant Petro falls in love with the daughter of his master, but her father refuses to let his daughter marry a laborer. The greiving Peter meets the diabolical Basavruk in a pub. Basavruk offers Peter a strange proposal that would help the boy acquire a beautiful wife.

Based on a story of the Nikolai Gogol, director Yuri Illenko hides an allegorical history of Ukraine, from the Cossack and Tatar raids to Potemkin settlements and pilgrimages to Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, behind this Ukrainian Faust. However, The Eve of Ivan Kupalo was ultimately banned by soviet censorship, like Illenko's previous work – The Well for the Thirsty.

The Muppets perform the classic Dickens holiday tale, with Kermit the Frog playing Bob Cratchit, the put-upon clerk of stingy Ebenezer Scrooge (Michael Caine). Other Muppets -- Miss Piggy, Gonzo, Fozzie Bear and Sam the Eagle -- weave in and out of the story, while Scrooge receives visits from spirits of three Christmases -- past, present and future. They show him the error of his self-serving ways. Michael Caine makes a wonderful Scrooge, delightfully rediscovering the meaning of life alongisde fantastic creations from Jim Henson's Creature Shop (developed specially for this film).

Screenings on 23/24 December are 'Pay What You Can' Family Matinees, 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

On Saturdays our family screenings are followed by a free activity for children.

In Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger’s visually ravishing masterpiece, a young ballerina is torn between the demands of love and art. Like the heroine of Hans Christian Andersen’s source fairytale, whose magic shoes compel her to dance, Victoria Page – played by real-life ballerina Moira Shearer – finds herself driven to breaking point by obsessive Russian impresario Lermontov (Anton Walbrook) when she’s cast in his ballet The Red Shoes.

By night Alfred and Klara are pen pals who have never met but who are deeply devoted to each other. By day, Alfred and Klara are co-workers who, just as deeply, dislike each other. Their day/night hate/love relationship cannot continue, but will it be loving or loathing when Alfred and Klara discover the identity of their cherished confidant?

Not only one of Ernst Lubitsch's most enduringly charming films, but arguably the greatest Christmas romantic comedy ever to come out of Hollywood.

In modern-day Tokyo, three homeless people's lives are changed forever when they discover a baby girl at a garbage dump on Christmas Eve. As the New Year fast approaches these three forgotten members of society band together to solve the mystery of the abandoned child and the fate of her parents. Along the way, encounters with the seemingly unrelated events and people force them to confront their own haunted pasts, as they learn to face their future, together.

Heartbreaking, hilarious and highly original, Tokyo Godfathers is a humanist masterpiece from legendary director Satoshi Kon (Paprika, Perfect Blue) and a tale of hope and redemption in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds.

Video Bazaar is ecstatic to present a special festive screening of the legendary Australian cult film, Wake In Fright on the 20th of December at The Garden Cinema to get you in the mood for the Christmas period.

Not often recognised as part of the yuletide canon by audiences in part due to the setting of the scorching and desolate Australian Outback, Wake In Fright, is quite possibly the most terrifying fable of what can go wrong when trying to get home in time for the Christmas Holidays. Directed by Ted Kotcheff of Rambo: First Blood fame, Wake In Fright follows John Grant, a British school teacher who becomes stranded in the small outback town of Bundanyabba, referred to as The Yabba, while on his way to Sydney for Christmas vacation. Initially planning to spend just one night in the town, Grant gets drawn into the local gambling and drinking culture, leading to a series of unfortunate events. As he descends into a nightmarish spiral, he encounters eccentric and menacing characters that challenge his sense of morality and sanity.

Exploring themes of culture clash, alienation, and the impact of the harsh outback environment on the human psyche, the film delves into the dark underbelly of postcolonial Australia and Australian masculinity as well as the destructive nature of isolation, desperation, peer-pressure and conformity.

Forget about the jolly old man in the red suit this Christmas and explore the unknown and terrifying depths of Wake In Fright with Video Bazaar. Meet the true saviour of our Christmas tale, a mysterious figure who appears in the outback to guide John Grant through his darkest hour and brace yourself for an intense and disturbing cinematic experience that has left an indelible mark on cinema.

CONTENT WARNING - This film contains strong scenes of kangaroo hunting and slaughter

This screening is presented by the cult film collective, Video Bazaar, who are proud to show this rarely screened film and are dedicated to bringing the weird and the obscure to London audiences at The Garden Cinema. Please note this event will feature an intro and carefully curated pre-show material and trailers.

The screening on the 10th will be followed by a zoom Q&A with Sri M and the filmmakers.

The Garden Cinema is proud to host the UK premiere of Walking with M, winner of 'Best Documentary' at the Film Fest International (Berlin FFI 2023), and of the ‘Global Peace and Harmony Award’ at the International Film Festival The Hague (IFFH 2023). The film tells the story of the 7500km 'walk for hope' led by spiritual author and social reformer Sri M. Beginning in January 2015 in the south Indian city of Kanyakumari and concluding 16 months later in the northern region of Kasmir, the 'walk for hope' captured the imagination of a nation, with millions participating.

Amidst an atmosphere of political divisions, religious tensions and growing fear between communities, Sri M (Mumtaz Ali / Madhukarnath) and his co-walkers meet and discuss with people of all faiths and identities in an effort to re-kindle India's ancient values of compassion, acceptance and human understanding.

Seven years in the making, and produced using over 1800 hours of footage, Walking With M documents the walk and the stories of those that participated.  

50% of the proceeds from the screening at the Garden Cinema will be dedicated to supporting The Manav Ekta Mission.

Unable to attend these screenings? Register your interest in further screenings at The Sacred Grove Foundation.

Singers Bob Wallace (Bing Crosby) and Phil Davis (Danny Kaye) join sister act Betty (Rosemary Clooney) and Judy Haynes (Vera-Ellen) to perform a Christmas show in rural Vermont. There, they run into Gen. Waverly (Dean Jagger), the boys' commander in World War II, who, they learn, is having financial difficulties; his quaint country inn is failing. So what's the foursome to do but plan a yuletide miracle: a fun-filled musical extravaganza that's sure to put Waverly and his business in the black.