British and Irish Film Festival

24 October - 07 November 2024

The Len Lye Centre Cinema will again be hosting the British and Irish Film Festival in 2024, showcasing the best of British and Irish cinema in an incredible selection of films from festivals around the world, including New Zealand premieres.

Films:

Conclave
Thriller | Director: Edward Berger | M | 120 Mins

Based on the international best-seller by Robert Harris, Conclave centres on Cardinal Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes), tasked with running this covert process after the unexpected death of the beloved Pope.
Once the Catholic Church’s most powerful leaders have gathered from around the world and are locked together in the Vatican halls, Lawrence finds himself at the center of a conspiracy and discovers a secret that could shake the very foundation of The Church.

We Live in Time
Drama, Romance | Director: John Crowley | M | 108 Mins

Tobias (Garfield) and Almut’s (Pugh) relationship has never had a dull moment. 
Audiences will experience Tobias and Almut’s past, present and future collide in a story told across three distinct phases in the couple’s lives. As they embark on a path challenged by the limits of time, Tobias and Almut must learn to cherish each moment of the unconventional route their love story has taken.

The Return
Drama, Historical | Director: Uberto Pasolini | TBC | 116 Mins

Reunited for the first time since The English Patient, Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche star in this gritty retelling of Odysseus' return home from war. After 20 years away, Odysseus (Fiennes) washes up on the shores of Ithaca, haggard and unrecognisable. The King has finally returned home but much has changed in his kingdom since he left to fight in the Trojan war.

Bird
Drama | Director: Andrea Arnold | TBC | 119 Mins

Renowned English filmmaker Andrea Arnold (Wuthering Heights) marries fantasy and reality in this moving coming-of-age tale. Twelve-year-old Bailey lives with her single dad Bug (Barry Keoghan) and brother Hunter in a squat in North Kent. Tackling themes such as identity, sexism, loneliness, and class struggle, Bird is a compelling, ultimately joyous ode to the wondrous transition from childhood to adolescence.

Firebrand
Drama | Director: Karim Aïnouz | M | 121 Mins

In blood-soaked Tudor England, Katherine Parr (Oscar-winner Alicia Vikander), the sixth and last wife of King Henry VIII (Jude Law), is named Regent while tyrant Henry is fighting overseas. Katherine has done everything she can to push for a new future based on her radical Protestant beliefs. On Henry's return, she finds herself fighting for her own survival as conspiracy spreads through the palace.

Widow Clicquot
Drama | Director: Thomas Napper | M | 91 Mins

Based on the New York Times best-selling biography, Widow Clicquot is a visually impressive tale of resilience that leaves a pleasing aftertaste on the palette. The film tells the true story of the “Grande Dame of Champagne,” Barbe-Nicole Ponsardin (Haley Bennett, Cyrano) who, at the age of 20, became Madame Clicquot after marrying the scion of a winemaking family.

The Salt Path
Drama | Director: Marianne Elliott | TBC | 115 Mins

Based on the Sunday Times best-seller by Raynor Winn, The Salt Path is the profound true story of husband and wife, Raynor and Moth Winn’s 630mile trek along the beautiful but rugged English coast, from Dorset to Somerset. After losing their home and livelihood, Raynor and Moth make the desperate decision to keep walking in the hope that, in nature, they will find solace and a sense of acceptance.

Four Letters of Love
Drama | Director: Polly Steele | TBC | 125 Mins

Nicholas (Fionn O’Shea, Normal People) and Isabel (Ann Skelly, Vikings) are made for each other, but fate does not always choose the easiest path to true love. As destiny pulls them together, so do family, passion, and faith drive them apart.

Lies We Tell
Drama | Director: Lisa Mulcahy | R16 | 88 Mins

The daunting, rambling estate of Knowl is no home for a young woman on her own, and certainly not for Maud (Agnes O’Casey, The Miracle Club) - just 18 years old. Freshly burdened with the sudden death of her father, and granted inheritance to his entire estate when she comes of age at 21, Maud is alone, unschooled in the ways of society, and vulnerable. The wolves begin to circle…

American Star
Action, Mystery, Thriller | Director: Gonzalo López-Gallego | R16 | 107 Mins

Ian McShane brings his brooding star power and presence to this gritty, intelligent and entertaining action thriller. Wilson (McShane), an assassin on final assignment arrives in Fuerteventura, Canary Islands to kill a man he has never met.

Tarrac
Drama | Director: Declan Recks | M | 95 Mins

Aoife Ni Bhraoin returns home to help her father Brendan ‘The Bear’ O’Briain in his recovery from a heart attack. During this time, Aoife faces the grief of her mother’s death that she hasn’t dealt with until now. Aoife reacquaints with a group of rowers and this all-female team, who against the odds, take on a high stakes Naomhóg rowing competition.

Poison
Drama | Director:  Désirée Nosbusch | M | 88 Mins

Based on the acclaimed play by Lot Vekemans, Poison follows estranged couple Lucas and Edith who haven't seen each other in ten years. Prompted by a mysterious summons from Edith, the couple reunite at a tragic location from their past.

The Radleys
Comedy | Director: Euros Lyn | TBC | 115 Mins

Based on the best-selling novel by Matt Haig, and co-written by comedian Jo Brand, The Radleys is a scarily relatable black comedy with a bite. The Radleys are an ordinary family, or at least that’s what the neighbours think. No one would suspect that behind all of this, the Radleys hold a dark secret… they are vampires.

The Problem with People
Comedy | Director: Chris Cottam | M | 103 Mins

The Problem with People, set in beautifully lush Irish countryside, is a heartwarming comedy about family, world peace... and sheep. Honouring his father’s last wish to reunite with the American side of his family, Irishman Ciáran calls his cousin, Barry, out of the blue with the offer for him to visit his homeland.

Chuck Chuck Baby
Comedy | Director: Janis Pugh | R13 | 102 Mins

Chuck Chuck Baby is a film of love, loss and music set amongst the falling feathers of a chicken factory. Helen’s world takes an unexpected turn with the return of Joanne. They were the objects of the other’s unspoken teenage passions twenty years ago. One night, encouraged by Helen, Joanne starts a playful wooing game that re-awakens their youthful feelings.

Timestalker
Comedy, Drama | Director: Alice Lowe | TBC | 90 Mins

The hilariously inventive Timestalker is a romantic comedy about the eternal humiliation that is the search for love, spanning the most romantic epochs of history right into the future. Timestalker follows hapless heroine Agnes through time as she repeatedly falls for the wrong guy, dies a grim death, gets reincarnated a century later, before meeting him again and starting the cycle anew.

blur: To the End
Documentary | Director: Toby L. | M | 104 Mins

This revealing documentary follows the unique relationship of four friends - and bandmates of three decades - as they came together in early 2023 to record new songs ahead of their sold-out, first ever shows at London’s Wembley Stadium. Featuring performances of their most iconic songs, footage of the band in the studio and life on the road.

blur: Live at Wembley Stadium
Concert | Director: Toby L. | M | 128 Mins

Once you’ve seen the documentary, you can't miss the concert! blur: Live at Wembley Stadium is a cinematic two-hour concert film, immortalising their historic 2023 show. This unforgettable performance saw blur perform their iconic and much-loved songs for 150,000 fans in a transcendent, once-in-a-generation performance that delivered a sweep of ecstatic 5 star reviews.

High & Low - John Galliano
Documentary | Director: Kevin Macdonald | M | 117 Mins

Directed by Academy-Award winner Kevin Macdonald (The Last King of Scotland), High & Low - John Galliano delves into the captivating and complex life of the flamboyant and iconoclastic head designer at Dior, John Galliano, who soared to unimaginable heights before experiencing a public downfall that shattered his career.

Made in England: The Films of Powell and Pressburger
Documentary | Director: David Hinton | M | 133 Mins

Martin Scorsese first encountered the films of Powell and Pressburger when he was a child, sitting in front of the family TV. Now, in this documentary, he tells the story of his lifelong love-affair with their movies, including The Life and Death Of Colonel Blimp, Black Narcissus, The Red Shoes and The Tales of Hoffmann. 

Wilding
Documentary | Director: David Allen | PG | 75 Mins

Based on Isabella Tree’s best-selling memoir by the same name, the visually stunning documentary Wilding tells the story of a young couple that bets on nature for the future of their failing, 400-year-old estate.

Howards End
Drama, Period Drama | Director: James Ivory | PG | 140 Mins

Nominated for nine Oscars and winning three at the 1993 Academy Awards, this dazzling adaptation of E.M. Forster’s novel has cemented itself as a classic of the genre. Set in Edwardian England, class distinctions and troubled relations affect the relationships between two families and the ownership of a cherished British estate known as Howards End.

Merchant Ivory
Documentary | Director: Stephen Soucy | M | 112 Mins

Merchant Ivory is the first definitive feature documentary to lend new and compelling perspectives on the partnership, both professional and personal, of director James Ivory (Oscar-winning writer of Call Me By Your Name), and producer Ismail Merchant.

Hard Truths
Drama | Director: Mike Leigh | M | 97 Mins

Legendary filmmaker Mike Leigh returns to the contemporary world with a fierce, compassionate, and often darkly humorous study of family and the thorny ties that bind us. The astonishing Marianne Jean-Baptiste plays Pansy, a woman wracked by fear, tormented by afflictions, and prone to raging tirades against her husband, son, and anyone who looks her way.

Schedule:

Week 1:

Week 2:

Week 3:

The Remains of the Day
Drama, Period Drama | Director: James Ivory | G | 134 Mins

In 1993, Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson reunited with the acclaimed Merchant Ivory filmmaking team for this extraordinary and moving story of blind devotion and repressed love. Based on the best-selling novel by Novel Prize-winning author Kazuo Ishiguro, the film follows head butler Stevens (Hopkins), whose world of manners and decorum is tested by the arrival of housekeeper Miss Kenton (Thompson).

The Stones and Brian Jones
Documentary | Director: Nick Broomfield | M | 98 Mins

Nick Broomfield’s engrossing new documentary The Stones and Brian Jones uncovers the true story and legacy of Brian Jones, the founder and creative genius of The Rolling Stones. This documentary looks at the relationships and rivalries within The Rolling Stones in those formative years. It explores the iconoclastic freedom and exuberance of the 60s, a time of intergenerational conflict and sexual turmoil which reflects on where we are today.