Films -2026/27 Season
11 September 2026
Central Station
Argentina 1998 113 minutes
Directed by Walter Salles
A retired teacher reluctantly finds herself helping a young boy find the father he never knew in this atmospheric Brazilian road movie. You could say that they’re both looking for Jesus (the errant father’s name), but director Salles is willing to let audiences ponder whether the name is just a coincidence.
25 September
Goodbye Julia
Sudan 2023 120 minutes
Directed by Mohamed Kordofani
Set amid the tensions during South Sudan’s secession, this Khartoum-based film explores themes of retribution and forgiveness. Mona, a former singer from the Muslim north and responsible for the death of a man from the Christian south, hires Julia, the dead man’s unsuspecting widow, as her maid.
9 October
Versus: The Life & Films of Ken Loach (plus AGM)
UK 2016 90 minutes
Directed by Louise Osmond
“Versus” is an apt word to describe Loach’s career. Osmond’s perceptive documentary charts the director’s battles through the decades, taking on government policy on homelessness, the censors and regular tirades from Britain’s right-wing press. Interviews with collaborators reveal some real surprises.
23 October
Promising Young Woman
USA 2020 115 minutes
Directed by Emerald Fennell
Carey Mulligan produces a bravura performance as fresh-faced Cassie, a one-woman vendetta set against the world of casual misogyny and date rape. Fennell directs this provocative tale with black humour, leaving it to audiences decide whether Cassie is a feminist activist or a femme fatale.
13 November
Truman
Spain 2014 109 minutes
Directed by Cesc Gay
Tomas returns to Madrid to visit his friend Julian, who’s taking leave of those closest to him – including his beloved mastiff Truman – after forgoing further medical intervention. The men’s time together is a testament to friendship…and parting.
27 November
La Strada
Italy 1994 108 minutes
Directed by Federico Fellini
Widely considered to be Fellini’s masterpiece, La Strada defies – or transcends – definition. Depending on the critic, or even the viewing, it can be seen as neo-realist or a response to neo-realism, perhaps a fable, or even a humane assertion that life goes on even in the most harrowing circumstances. Waif-like Gelsomina’s destitute mother sells her off to partner the brutish Zampano in his strongman act on the road. Glimpses of a happier life fade before the film’s intense conclusion.
11 December
The Marching Band (En Fanfare)
France 2024 102 minutes
Directed by Emmanual Courcol
A leukemia diagnosis prompts renowned orchestral conductor Thibaut to take a DNA test to probe family connections – only to learn that he was adopted. His curiosity leads him to a hitherto unknown biological brother, Jimmy, whose lowly job is miles away from Thibaut’s concert halls. But music does provide a bond when Thibaut learns that Jimmy plays trombone in a local marching band. The two ends of the musical scale meet in a heartfelt film brimming with fraternal harmony.
8 January 2027
Touch
Iceland 2024 120 minutes
Directed by Baltasar Kormakur
A grim health prognosis and the looming Covid pandemic prompt ageing widower Kristófer to follow his doctor’s advice and see to his affairs. But the affair that matters most is the passionate relationship he had with Miko, when they both lived in London in the Sixties – until she disappeared overnight. Kristófer sets off on a voyage of (re)discovery from his home in Iceland to London and ultimately Tokyo, where powerful revelations await him.
22 January
It Was Just an Accident
Iran 2025 104 minutes
Directed by Jafar Panahi
Never far from the heart of Middle East turmoil (spring 2026 was just the latest chapter), Iran is an ancient land full of long memories. A chance flat-tyre repair and a prosthetic leg with a distinctive squeak lead this story into Iran’s violent past, but recent enough for a succession of people to recount and re-live their experiences as torture victims. Intense resentment and a desire for revenge simmer throughout, but that nightmare might now be seen as a thing of the past – or can it?
5 February
Driving Mum
Iceland 2022 112 minutes
Directed by Hilmar Oddsson
What would a BFS season be without a droll Icelandic film that is unsettling and quirky in equal measure? Director Oddson certainly lives up to his surname with this feature that offers a new take on back-seat driving. Dour Jón fulfils his hectoring mother’s last wish by driving her across Iceland’s dramatic landscape to the place where she was born.
19 February
Santosh
India/UK 2024 120 minutes
Directed by Sandhya Suri
Writer-director Suri hits the ground running with this tense police procedural that touches on sexism, Islamophobia and caste bigotry. The body of a Dalit (formerly termed ‘Untouchable’) girl has been found at the bottom of a well. A hardened police inspector and rookie detective – both female –search for answers despite the media glare.
5 March
Rose
Denmark 2022 106 minutes
Directed by Niels Arden Oplev
Sofie Gråbøl is captivating as Inger, who announces herself as schizophrenic on a coach tour to Paris with her elegant, more ‘centred’ sister Ellen. Sibling relations are laid bare in the City of Light, but it’s Inger’s unfiltered exchanges with the more conservative group members that often sparkle with dry wit.
19 March
Paris Memories (Revoir Paris)
France 2023 105 minutes
Directed by Alice Winocour
Mia is recovering after a terrorist attack on a Paris restaurant – but PTSD has blocked her memory of the event. She sets out to address those demons by seeking out other survivors, leading her to find the meaning of compassion among the fellow victims while beginning to question her previous security.
2 April
Vermiglio
Italy 2024 92 minutes
Directed by Maura Delpero
It’s the closing months of the Second World War, and two Italian deserters have left their German posts to reach the eponymous Alpine village where one of them grew up. Before long his friend has fallen for the eldest daughter of the stern village teacher. So will the war’s end spell ‘happily ever after’?
