'At A Glance'
Saturday 15th August
19:45 Free Open Air Screening of Oklahoma! at Chichester Cathedral Green:
Film at Dusk preceded by Chi Jazz band at 19.45.
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Thursday 20th August
19:00 Gala Opening: Food at 19.00 followed by film at 20.30
Broken Embraces (15)
Almodóvar once again partners up with his dainty alter-ego Penelope Cruz in his latest film which was unveiled in competition at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. Spain 2009 Pedro Almodóvar 129min
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Friday 21st August
11:00 Sophie’s Choice (15)
Streep's exceptional performance won her an Oscar, and effectively raised the standard for American actresses of her generation. Director Alan J. Pakula provides an intelligent path into the harrowing story of Sophie, whose concentration camp flashback memories form the backbone of the movie. USA/UK 1982 Alan J Pakula 150min
13:45 Morning Light (PG)
Fifteen young sailors… six months of intense training… one chance at the TRANSPAC brass ring. This exciting true-life documentary tells the inspiring story of a group of intrepid and determined young men and women, as they embark on their lives’ first great adventure, the most revered of open-ocean sailing competitions. USA 2009 Monroe / Disney 100min
14:30 In the Studio: Screen South Shorts: Prog. 1
A collection of Screen South & UK Film Council supported Shorts, including Oscar winner ‘Wasp’.
15:45 Broken Embraces (15)
(see Thu 20 Aug 19.00)
18:00 In the Studio: 4: Four Seasons, Four Continents, Four Musicians (PG)
Vivaldi's The Four Seasons and four outstanding violinists are the threads the filmmakers use to weave this exploration of how nature shapes who we are. A documentary full of fascinating characters, fine music and glorious images as it reflects on the global experience of the seasons. Australia 2007 Tim Slade 88min
18:15 The Calling plus Q&A with Jan Dunn
Following the world premiere at this year’s Edinburgh Film Festival, we are delighted to present the English premiere of Jan Dunn’s new film. Joanna (Emily Beecham) is about to graduate from University with her whole life set up for her, but she has decided to face up to a truth she has been avoiding her whole life. She has always had the desire to become a Nun and she is set on joining a closed order of Benedictines. UK 2009 Jan Dunn 105min
21:00 Séraphine (PG)
In 1914, a famous German art collector, rents an apartment just outside Paris, when one day, he notices a small painting by the cleaning lady… he is stunned to learn that the artist is none other than Séraphine de Senlis, who died in a mental institution in 1942, and who today has her paintings in many museums. An absolute gem! France/Belgium 2008 Martin Provost 126min
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Saturday 22nd August
11:00 Silkwood (15)
Streep gives yet another bravura performance as a wild child in Oklahoma forced to confront the harsh realities of her life, and the supporting cast, is first rate. This true story of the woman who disappeared under mysterious circumstances while trying to find the truth is a well-told, challenging, and emotionally complex tale. USA 1983 Mike Nicols 131min
13:30 The Calling
(See Fri 21 Aug 18.15)
14:00 In the Studio: Screen South Shorts: Prog. 2
A collection of Screen South & UK Film Council supported Shorts.
16:00 Baby Love (15)
A modern comedy shows how everyone can be overwhelmed in different ways by the profound experience of trying to have a baby. Behind the comic façade we learn about just what it means to be a lover, a friend or a family. France 2008 Vincent Garenq 98min
16:30 In the Studio: 4: Four Seasons, Four Continents, Four Musicians(PG)
(See Fri 21 Aug 18.00)
18:15 Séraphine (PG)
(See Fri 21 Aug 21.00)
18:30 In the Studio: The Crab, the Crocodile & Love in Cuba (PG)
If you love art (especially Gaudi & Picasso),
if you love music (especially the hip wiggling Salsa),
and if you are intrigued by the enigma that is Cuba,
then try out this new addition to the Festival Programme. The film, shot over several visits and finished in August 09, delivers an intimate picture of this exuberant Cuban community, its people and the extraordinary artist in their midst.
21:00 (500) Days of Summer (12A)
A delightful anti-romantic comedy, we see a relationship form between Tom & Summer, zipping back and forth through the chronology, with the aid of title cards to orientate. This is a paean to a relationship that can’t work, between two people who can’t connect no matter how much at least one of them wants them to. USA 2009 Marc Webb 95min
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Sunday 23rd August
10:30 O’ Fortuna: Carl Orff & Carmina Burana Plus Q&A with Tony Palmer.
Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana is one of the most popular pieces of music ever written. Drawing extensively on Orff’s personal reminiscences and correspondence, plus exclusive interviews with his surviving wives and his only daughter, an unbelievable tale emerges. Except that it is true. UK 2008 Tony Palmer 116min
13:45 (500) Days of Summer (12A)
(See Sat 22 Aug 21.00)
15:15 In the Studio: The Grapes of Wrath (PG)
We are pleased to welcome Jonathan Church, director of the current Chichester Festival Theatre production of The Grapes of Wrath to introduce the John Ford classic and discuss the different approaches of both adaptations of Steinbeck’s novel as film and play. USA 1940 John Ford 125min
16:00 Morning Light(PG)
(See Fri 21 Aug 13.45)
18:15 In the Studio: The Grapes of Wrath (PG)
John Ford's memorable screen version of John Steinbeck's epic novel of the Great Depression. USA 1940 John Ford 125min
18:15 Mesrine (Part 1): L’Instinct de Mort (15)
From the early sixties until his 1979 death, Jacques Mesrine committed a series of spectacular bank robberies, kidnappings, and implausible escapes from high security prisons. The film accounts for Mesrine's undeniably seductive combination of charm and threat. France / Italy / Canada 2008 Jean-Francois Richet 113min
20:30 Mesrine (Part 2): L’Ennemi Public No.1 (15)
Mesrine in his Scarface-like prime as he tips over into half-baked political motivations and continues his tightrope act between living life to the full and catapulting toward his inexorable fate. By this time t’s difficult to imagine anyone but Vincent Cassel as the many faces of Mesrine. France 2008 Jean-Francois Richet 132min
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Monday 24th August
11:00 Séraphine (PG)
(See Fri 21 Aug 21.00)
13:30 Mesrine (Part 1): L’Instinct de Mort (15)
(see Sun 23 Aug 18.15)
14:00 In the Studio: A Month In the Country (12A)
Colin Firth, Kenneth Branagh and Natasha Richardson star in this spiritually uplifting, quiet sensitive film, beautifully directed by Pat O’Connor. UK 1987 Pat O’Connor 96min
16:00 Mesrine (Part 2): L’Ennemi Public No.1 (15)
(see Sun 23 Aug 20.30)
16:00 & 18.30 In the Studio: England Made Me (12A)
Michael York stars in this lavish production based on Graham Greene’s novel. We are delighted to welcome the director and co-writer Peter Duffell to the 18.30 screening to introduce and discuss his film. UK/ Yugoslavia 1973 Peter Duffell 100min
18:45 Katalin Varga (15)
A woman-on-a-mission story with an intriguingly old-fashioned feel. The rural setting here could be 19th-century at times, with Katalin and her son travelling by horse-drawn cart and attending village hoedowns, with gypsy music played by firelight. The eerie electronic-choral score, plus inventive use of birdsong and other natural sounds, further thicken a distinctively ominous mood. Romania / UK / Hungary 2009 Peter Strickland 85 min
21:00 Dolls (15)
Poignant coming of age tale, about three best friends from high school embarking on their last summer together before going their separate ways. A richly layered and ultimately uplifting film. Czech Republic 2007 Karin Babinská 99mins
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Tuesday 25th August
11:00 Out of Africa (PG)
Sydney Pollack's 1985 multiple-Oscar winner is a sumptuous and emotionally satisfying epic film about the life of Danish writer Karen Blixen (Streep), who travels to Kenya to be with her German husband (Klaus Maria Brandauer) but falls for an English adventurer (Robert Redford). USA 1985 Sydney Pollack 150min
14:00 Katalin Varga (15)
(See Mon 24 Aug 18.45)
14:15 & 18.30 In the Studio: Suddenly Last Summer (15)
Millionaire matriarch Violet (Maggie Smith) invites a psychiatrist (Rob Lowe) to lobotomize her institutionalized niece Catherine (Natasha Richardson), who witnessed Violet’s son’s murder. All is not what it seems. UK/BBC 1993 Richard Eyre 95min
15:45 Dolls (15)
(See Mon 24 Aug 21.00)
16:15 In the Studio: A Month In the Country (12A)
(See Mon 24 Aug 14.00)
18:00 Special People (12A) plus Q&A and
The debut feature from award-winning director Justin Edgar, ‘Special People’ follows a group of street smart wheelchair-using teens who are asked to climb a mountain - literally - to realise the ambitions of a pretentious, under-achieving film-maker. UK 2007 Justin Edgar 78min
Plus the World Premiere of
Partners In Art: Telling A Story Introduced by Marc Steene
About the unique Partners in Art scheme housed at Pallant House Gallery which places people with support needs in a creative partnership with a trained volunteer artist. UK 2009 Justin Edgar 20min
21:00 Tricks (15)
Andrzej Jakimowski's second feature film is a real charmer, conjuring up sunny days and a world of provincial childhood that is both nostalgic and evocative. The film is that of a born filmmaker, for whom script and direction form a coherent whole, where the story and focus of individual scenes proceed with a seeming inevitability. Poland 2007 Andrzei Jakimowski 96min
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Wednesday 26th August
11:00 Plenty (15)
Meryl Streep plays a British woman who fought for the French Resistance during World War II. When she returns to normal life in post-war England and marries a diplomat, she becomes something of a terror - speaking her mind when, of course, diplomacy dictates otherwise. USA/UK 1985 Fred Schepisi 121min
13:30 Tricks (15)
(See Tue 25 Aug 21.00)
15:00 In the Studio: Partners In Art: Telling A Story
(See Tue 25 Aug 18.00)
15:45 Milarepa (PG)
The story of the formative years of Milarepa, an 11th century Tibetan poet and mystic, and his journey from seeking revenge to enlightenment. Set in the magnificent Spiti Valley close to the border between India and Tibet. Tibet 2007 Netin Chokling 94min
16:00 In the Studio: Meet Derek Malcolm
Distinguished British film critic Derek Malcolm visits all the major film festivals trekking around the world, and will no doubt offer his opinions on the role of the film critic, festivals, and the state of contemporary world cinema. This will also be your opportunity discuss aspects of cinema with our guest.
18:00 In the Studio: The Comfort of Strangers (15)
An English couple (Rupert Everett and Natasha Richardson) holiday in Venice to sort out their relationship when one evening a stranger (Christopher Walken) invites them to accompany him. Adapted by Harold Pinter who produces a sinister and eerie charm, with Venice as the perfect backdrop. UK/ Italy/ USA 1991 Paul Schrader 105min
18:15 The Kreutzer Sonata (18)
Aadapted from the Tolstoy novel of the same name which itself was inspired by Beethoven's sonata, and updated to a contemporary LA. UK director Bernard Rose’s other movies include his film on Beethoven (Immortal Beloved), and this is the film’s first screening in England, following last year’s Edinburgh world premiere. UK / USA 2008 Bernard Rose 99min. Followed by a Q&A by Bernard Rose & film critic Derek Malcolm.
21:00 I Am From Titov Veles (15)
Director Mitevska combines personal experience, memory and impressions with an artistic sensibility that makes allusions to mythology, poetry and painting to create a unique and deeply original work. The film demonstrates a true artistic sensibility, coming close to a masterpiece. Macedonia / Slovenia / France 2007 Teona Strugar Miteevska 102min
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Thursday 27th August
11:00 The Bridges of Madison County (12A)
Clint Eastwood was an unusual and (as it turned out) perceptive choice to direct and co star in this lush adaptation of Robert James Waller's phenomenally bestselling novel. Superbly acted with an emphasis on quiet, graceful moments of tender revelation, the film builds to a crescendo of powerful and conflicting emotions. USA 1995 Clint Eastwood 135min
13:30 & 18.15 In the Studio: In the Realms of the Unreal: The Mystery of Henry Darger (18)
Henry Darger, an elderly recluse, spent his childhood in an Illinois' asylum and when he died, his landlady discovered in his room 300 paintings, some over 10 feet long, and a 15,000-page illustrated novel. USA 2003 Jessica Yu 81min
Plus Outsider: The Art and Life of Judith Scott
Down’s syndrome and deafness condemned Judith Scott to a nightmare institutional world for thirty-five years but by the time she died, in 2005, she had achieved worldwide recognition for her colourful fibre sculptures. USA 2006 Betsy Bayha 26min (DVD)
13:45 The Kreutzer Sonata (18)
(See Wed 26 Aug 18.15)
15:45 I Am From Titov Veles (15)
(See Wed 26 Aug 21.00)
16:00 In the Studio: The Comfort of Strangers (15)
(See Wed 26 Aug 18.00)
18:00 Goodbye Solo (15)
One night, grumbling old-timer William gets into Solo’s cab, and offers him a job; in 2 weeks', he wants the driver to take him to Blowing Rock, an immense cliff that forms one of the region's most famous attractions. As with the previous Bahrani films, wonderfully drawn characters come alive on screen. USA 2008 Ramin Bahrani 91min
20:00 Born In ‘68 (15)
Set against the turmoil and excitement of the May '68 protests in Paris, Catherine and her friends move to the countryside in search of communal utopia. Their initial happiness at living and loving together fades into resentment as their hippy principals are slowly discarded. From May1968 to May 2007, Born in ’68 takes this famous month as its starting point to better understand the present. France 2009 Ducastel / Martineau 173min
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Friday 28th August
11:00 Dancing At Lughnasa (PG)
This affecting, bittersweet tale examines the emotional lives of the five unmarried Mundy sisters in 1936 rural Ireland. Meryl Streep is stern eldest sister Kate and Kathy Burke is lively Maggie. It's a quiet film, filled with ironic and haunting meaning supported by beautiful music and gorgeous cinematography of the Irish countryside. Ireland/UK/USA 1998 Pat O’Connor 95min
13:30 Goodbye Solo (15)
(See Thu 27 Aug 18.00)
16:00 Frozen River (15)
Eddy becomes engaged in smuggling illegal immigrants into the United States via a treacherous frozen river in this subtly staged character study with a tale that grows increasingly tense, so much so that Frozen River begins to play like a social-realist thriller. Original, sad, suspenseful and involving - an excellent example of independent cinema. Canada/US 2009 Courtney Hunt 97min
16:15 & 18.30 In the Studio: Junebug (15)
A dealer in Outsider Art threatens the equilibrium of her middle-class in-laws in North Carolina. A keenly observed slice of life, Junebug captures the little comedies and tragedies of everyday living from why the VCR won't record to where the screwdriver is. There is sadness and humour here, and all beautifully understated. USA 2006 Phil Morrison 105min
18:15 The Hide (15) Plus Q&A with Director Marek Losey
On the windswept Suffolk mudflats creaks a bird-hide, inside which hovers Roy Tunt, a mildly obsessive-compulsive birder with only one more sighting to have completely 'twitched' the entire British List. Suddenly the hide door blows open and a bedraggled stranger introduces himself as Dave John, a fugitive from the storm. Every time you think you've got The Hide pegged, it twists out of reach. It is dark, intense and surprisingly funny. UK 2009 Marek Losey 84min
21:00 Nightwatching (15)
Peter Greenaway is a modern master of image & storytelling,
and this new addition to the Festival Programme (replacing 'Broken Lines')
focuses on the great Master Rembrandt, and his work 'The Night Watch'.
Netherlands 2007 Peter Greenaway 134min
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Saturday 29th August
10:30 Spartacus (PG)
Four decades later in a lovingly restored version, Spartacus still plays like an extraordinary epic. Kubrick’s movie is about revolution, and clearly reflects the decadence of the parasitical upper classes and the superior moral fibre of the slaves. USA 1960 Stanley Kubrick 187min
14:00 & 18.30 In the Studio: Brassneck
Plus Face to Face with David Hare
This is the earliest surviving Hare television play, focusing on three generations within the same family, and spanning the post-war period from 1945 to 1975. Play for Today. BBC 1975. Mike Newell. 80min
14:15 Jour de Fete
Tati's first feature is a little masterpiece that deserves to be seen The story links a series of priceless set pieces that will have you crying with laughter. Tati beautifully captures a rural French postwar past that was fast disappearing even as he made the film. Much more than just funny – Hilarious! (Colour version) France 1949 J. Tati 87min
16:00 The Hide (15)
(See Fri 28 Aug 18.15)
16:30 In the Studio: Ghosted
Fresh from its world premiere at the Berlin Film Festival, this is a mysterious love story set in Hamburg and the beautifully depicted Taipei. A modern love story that questions and explores the differences between eastern and western cultures. Germany / Taiwan 2009 Monika Treut 90min
18:00 SPECIAL EVENT: She… Who Would Be Pope (12A)
Pre-film Wine Plus Q&A
Pope Joan is said to have reigned for some two and a half years during the 850’s and while most historians and religious scholars tend to regard her papacy as a fiction, historical evidence is too ambiguous for a positive conclusion either way. This rare event is the first UK screening of the fully restored new version that has hardly been seen since its 1972 theatrical release. UK/Romania 1972/2009 Michael Anderson 116min
21:00 Journeys Into the Outside with Jarvis Cocker
First broadcast on Channel 4 in 1999 as an acclaimed three-part series, we follow ex-Pulp frontman and Outsider Art enthusiast, Jarvis Cocker, on a mission to highlight the often extraordinary artwork produced by unsung and un-recognised individuals. Channel 4 UK 2000 Martin Wallace Eps 1& 2: 50min each.
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Sunday 30th August
11:00 She… Who Would Be Pope (12A)
(See Sat 29 Aug 18.00)
13:30 SPECIAL EVENT: Gothic (15) Introduced by Ken Russell as part of the Festival’s tribute to Natasha Richardson.
Ken Russell's Gothic is an intriguing, and uniquely inspiring piece of cinema. Natasha Richardson as Mary Shelley projects the bourgeois trying to break free from convention and finding the creative process. In her first film role her performance is raw and intense, and perfectly compliments Russell’s bizarre and nightmarish vision. UK 1986 Ken Russell 87min
14:00 & 16.15 In the Studio: Saigon: Year of the Cat
David Hare provides an intensely personal examination of a relationship set against the edgy atmosphere of the impending fall of Saigon. With Judi Dench. Thames 1983. Stephen Frears. 105min
16:30 Mon Oncle (U)
Another comic masterpiece from director-star Tati, this 1958 film reprises the carefree, oblivious Mr. Hulot. This time, the story finds Hulot, a self-involved twit on a constant collision with the physical world, grappling with 1950s-style progress. Unforgettable. France 1958 J. Tati 111min
18:30 In the Studio: Ghosted
(See Sat 29 Aug 16.30)
18:45 Milarepa (PG)
(See Wed 26 Aug 15.45)
21:00 Frozen River (15)
(See Fri 28 Aug 16.00)
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Monday 31st August
11:00 A Prairie Home Companion (12A)
A Prairie Home Companion, is a radio variety show performed live in front of an audience - A show from another era… it has been cancelled. This final film by Robert Altman is a very enjoyable feel-good movie, with an amusing country and western singing performance from Streep pre Mamma Mia! USA 2006 Robert Altman 105min
13:30 Monsieur Hulot’s Holiday (U)
Five years in the making, the film marks the debut of Tati's altar ego, Mr. Hulot, a gangly and awkward Frenchman, perpetually the centre and possible cause of a whirlwind of disasters, pratfalls, and mishaps. This is a work that ranks among all-time classic comedies. France 1952 J. Tati 84min
14:00 & 18.15 In the Studio: The Absence of War (U)
Part three of David Hare’s theatre trilogy looking at British institutions. Given additional resonance now as the Labour party once more struggles in the polls, the film examines the reasons for Labour’s fourth consecutive electoral defeat. BBC 1995. Richard Eyre. 90min
15:30 The Crimson Wing: Mystery of the Flamingos (U)
In the tradition of March of the Penguins, the extraordinary gathering of one and a half million flamingos on the shores of the isolated Lake Natron in northern Tanzania surpasses all the wonders of the natural world. USA 2009 Matthew Aeberhard / Leander Ward 75min
Children 14 and under FREE with accompanying adult.
16:00 In the Studio: 2 Tati Documentaries introduced by David Furnham
Sand Between Your Toes & Tales of St. Severe
Following the Bank Holiday Monday screening of M.Hulot’s Holiday, David Furnham, will introduce his two short documentaries(18 minutes each) on Jour De Fete and M. Hulot’s Holiday, which contain exclusive interviews with Sophie Tatitischeff, Tati’s daughter.
18:00 Heart of Fire (15)
1981: there is upheaval in Eritrea as forces fight a war of independence against Ethiopia. 10-year-old Awet, an orphan, is unexpectedly claimed by her father and passed into the clutches of the Eritrean Liberation Front. Emotionally charged drama dealing with modern war and how it deprives children of their innocence. Germany / Austria 2008 Luigi Falorni 92min
20:45 Fish Tank (15)
Fish Tank is an original and unique modern tale of our times. The heartbreaking tale of a teenage misfit has a grim inevitability to the plotting which is offset by Arnold’s talent for multi-layered characters and naturalistic dialogue and her eye for finding the poetic moments in even the bleakest of lives. UK 2009 Andrea Arnold 120min
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Tuesday 1st September
11:00 Playtime (U)
Tati's spectacular cinematic art reached its peak in the gargantuan achievement of this film. Marking the third appearance of the Mr. Magoo-like character, Mr. Hulot, Playtime takes as its subject modern technology and its sometimes disastrous and always hilarious effects on the people living within it. France 1967 J. Tati 125min
13:30 In the Studio: Paris By Night (15)
Tory politician Clara (Charlotte Rampling) has become relentlessly ambitious in her pursuit of power at the expense of her relationships with her husband (Michael Gambon). A psychological drama that criticizes the hypocrisy of politicians (ever topical!) while maintaining a suspenseful narrative. UK 1988 David Hare 103min
14:00 Traffic (U)
Mr. Hulot is a designer for a Paris auto company, and he has developed a camping vehicle like no other. Trafic is the story of the delivery of his camper from Paris to an international auto show in Amsterdam. It's a long journey filled with misunderstandings, accidents and crashes. This comedy has sequences of brilliant humour to be savoured and admired. France 1971 J. Tati 97min
15:45 Fish Tank(15)
(See Mon 31 Aug 20.45)
16:15 & 18.30 In the Studio: Nighthawks (15)
This pioneering film was the first British feature which dealt unapologetically with homosexuality. It is an important historical document of a moment in London life that offers a view of the potentially alienating effects of the gay scene but emphasizes the importance of coming out. UK 1978 Ron Peck / Paul Hallam 113min
18:15 The Other Man
The latest film from award-winning theatre and film director Richard Eyre is part love-story, part thriller. As Peter (Liam Neeson) begins to unravel his wife's (Laura Linney) secret, there begins a suspenseful cat and mouse relationship between the two men. A grown-up, sophisticated drama of discovery. UK 2008 Richard Eyre 90min
21:00 The September Issue (PG)
The September issue of Vogue is always the biggest and most important issue of the year (600+ pages), and for 8 months Anna Wintour (The ‘Ice Queen’ in Devil Wears Prada) gives an all-access pass to the behind-the-scenes stress and drama it takes to craft a magazine this size. USA 2009 R.J. Cutler 90min
21:15 Multiplex Screening: Martyrs (15)
This French film deserves to be seen on the big screen - it is one of the most extreme pictures ever made, but considered by some as one of the finest horror movies of the last decade. France 2009 Pascal Laugier 99 min
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Wednesday 2nd September
11:00 The Devil Wears Prada (12A)
There's no doubt The Devil Wears Prada belongs to Meryl Streep, who turns in an Oscar-worthy (seriously!) strut as the monster editor-in-chief of Runway, an elite fashion magazine full of size-0, impossibly well-dressed plebes. USA 2006 David Frankel 109min
13:30 The September Issue (PG)
(See Tue 1 Sep 21.00)
14:00 & 18.30 In the Studio: My Zinc Bed (15)
A quiet but tense piece, focusing on the study of characters, each in his/her own privately nightmarish situation. Essentially a three-hander between Pryce, Considine and Thurman, all of whom turn in excellent performances of a solid script with many well observed turns of phrase and personality. BBC/HBO 2008 Anthony Page 75min
15:30 The Other Man
(See Tue 1 Sep 18.15)
18.30 In the Studio: Tati - A Chance to Whistle (PG)
As part of our Tati Retrospective,
here is a documentary that will be introduced by director David Furnham,
who will also hold a Q&A afterwards to discuss Tati, his life, and his work. UK 2000 D. Furnham 50min
18:00 The Crimson Wing: Mystery of the Flamingos (U)
(See Mon 31 Aug 15.30)
21:00 Accident (15)
Dirk Bogarde and Stanley Baker, play close friends and deadly rivals whose relationship is brought to a critical point by an enigmatic Austrian princess, a British aristocrat and an accident. Joseph Losey reached the peak of his career with this masterpiece, the second of his collaborations with Harold Pinter exploring class and the British character. UK 1967 Joseph Losey 105min
21:15 Multiplex Screening: Vinyan (18)
When someone dies a horrible death, their spirit becomes confused and angry. They become "Vinyan". A couple leaves the civilized world behind and descends into a living nightmare in this chilling horror thriller. Thailand / France 2008 Fabrice Du Welz 96min
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Thursday 3rd September
11:00 The Hours (PG)
Delicate and hypnotic, The Hours interweaves three stories with remarkable skill. Small details reverberate from story to story as a powerhouse cast (including Meryl Streep, Toni Collette, Claire Danes, Jeff Daniels, and Miranda Richardson) gives subtle and beautifully modulated performances. With a haunting score by Philip Glass. USA/UK 2002 Stephen Daldry 114min
13:30 Nightwatching (15)
(See Fri 28 Aug 21.00)
14:00 & 16.15 In the Studio: Wetherby (15)
This is the compelling story of Jean (Vanessa Redgrave), a schoolteacher whose life changes completely when a young man breaks into her home, and then kills himself right in front of her for no apparent reason. UK 1985 David Hare 105min
16:00 Parade (U)
The semi-documentary presents a joyful look at the circus as well as the behind-the-scenes antics that go into its production. Jacques Tati's figurative roll as ringmaster of the innumerable gags, stunts, and jokes within his previous six feature films becomes literal as he leads hundreds of eager viewers and two especially excited small children through the delights of mimes, mimics, clowns, acrobats, and magicians. France 1974 J. Tati 85min
18:00 31 North, 62 East (15) with Director Tristan Loraine plus Q&A
The first UK Festival screening of this British independent film, appropriately made by a local film company from Horsham, with much of the film shot in West Sussex. This political thriller tells the story of a British Prime Minister who gives up the position of an SAS unit in Afghanistan to ensure a UK £80 billion arms deal goes through - thus assuring his re-election. UK 2009 Tristan Loraine100min
18:30 In the Studio: Paris By Night (15)
(See Tue 1 Sep 13.30)
21:00 Johnny Mad Dog (18)
15-year-old Johnny Mad Dog heads a platoon of soldiers who are younger than he is. They're armed to the teeth and sport a variety of bizarre outfits. Filmed in Liberia, impressively directed, this is a visually dazzling modern war film that presents thrilling, occasionally surreal action, while acknowledging the hellish plight of children involved in warfare with poignancy and pertinence. France / Liberia 2008 Jen-Stéphane Sauvaire 97min
21:15 Multiplex Screening: The Horseman (15)
An action-packed, multi-award winning Australian thriller, featuring a range of powerhouse performances in an unflinching study of grief and retribution. Australia 2009 Steven Kastrissos 100min
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Friday 4th September
11:00 Evening (12A)
A star-studded cast brings richness and texture to Evening, a lyrical tale of regret, unrequited love, and hope. Featuring Vanessa Redgrave, Glenn Close and Meryl Streep, this film neatly brings the Festival sections on Streep and Natasha Richardson together, movingly enhanced by the fictional mother-daughter characters being played by real life mother and daughter: Vanessa and Natasha. USA/Germany 2007 Lajos Koltai 117min
13:30 Johnny Mad Dog (18)
(See Thu 3 Sep 21.00)
14:00 & 16.00 In the Studio: David Hare’s Via Dolorosa
Directed for the Broadway stage by Stephen Daldry, this one-man show by playwright and screenwriter David Hare about his travels to Israel and Palestine generated great critical acclaim and controversy. UK 2000 Stephen Daldry 90 min
15:45 Heart of Fire (15)
(See Mon 31 Aug 18.00)
18:00 SPECIAL EVENT: Licking Hitler Plus Q&A with David Hare
Still one of Hare’s most critically acclaimed works in any medium, Licking Hitler brilliantly re-examined WW11 to show the morally destabilising and ambiguous effects of propaganda. David Hare will hold a Q&A after this screening. Play for Today. BBC 1978. David Hare. 75min
21:00 Adoration (15)
When Sabine asks her class to translate a news story about a terrorist who plants a bomb in the airline luggage of his pregnant girlfriend, this has a profound effect on one of the students, Simon. Adoration is unfailingly intelligent and unquestionably timely. Canada 2008 Atom Egoyan 100min
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Saturday 5th September
11:00 Doubt (12A)
Our final film for this retrospective sees another Oscar nominated role for Streep as Sister Aloysius Beauvier. Set in 1964 and loosely inspired by actual events, the film focuses on a Catholic school that has accepted its first African-American student, who serves as altar boy to the warm-hearted Father Flynn (Phillip Seymour Hoffman). USA 2008 John Patrick Shanley 104min
13:30 Rumba
Teachers in a rural school, happy couple Fiona Gordon and Dominique Abel have a common passion: Latin Dancing. This strange, clever and very funny Belgian film works as a series of isolated, ingenious (and largely dialogue-free) vignettes that suggest some combination of Kaurismaki, Tati and So You Think You Can Dance. The film is often hilarious, truly bizarre and a lot of fun. Belgium 2009 Abel/Gordon/Romy 78min
14:00 In the Studio: ‘Streepwise’ an Illustrated talk on Meryl Streep
Two Oscars, more Oscar nominations than any other actor, mistress of accents, constantly self-inventing chameleon, admired, feted, spoofed, feared, adored – who could doubt that Meryl Streep is one of the great actors of our time? In this talk Philip Kemp will discuss Streep’s career, and illustrate some of her finest – and in some cases, lesser-known – performances.
16:00 Adoration (15)
(See Fri 4 Sep 16.00)
16:15 In the Studio: Chevolution (12A)
(See Sun 6 Sep 14.00)
18:30 Away We Go (15)
Verona and Burt go on a road trip around the U.S. and Canada to find the perfect place to call home. Eschewing star names as in Sam Mendes’ previous films (American Beauty, Revolutionary Road), this is a beautifully understated “indie” road movie in the manner of Sideways, and was selected to open this year’s Edinburgh Film Festival. USA / UK 2009 Sam Mendes 98min
20:45 ‘Surprise Film’
A surprise film chosen by the Festival’s Artistic Director, Roger Gibson.
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Sunday 6th September
11:00 Dorian Gray (15)
(see tonight 19.00)
14.00 Chevolution (12A)
This documentary traces the paths of both Che Guevara and Korda, the photographer responsible for the iconic photograph of Che, in their lives leading up to that moment, and in the years after, finally analyzing the complex relationship between the image and its widespread use as a symbol of revolution to both true believers and to a youth culture more conscious of fashion than of the course of Latin American history. Mexico 2008 Luis Lopez / Trisha Ziff 87min
16:15 Rumba
(see Sat 5 Sep 13.30)
18:15 Pontypool (15)
With Orson Welles’ War of the Worlds as a model, this details the origins and effects of a virus that lies not in its victims’ blood but their words and minds. Following its UK premiere at Edinburgh in June and London’s Fright-Fest, this is one of the most original and unusual horror films in years. Canada 2009 Bruce McDonald 95min
19:30 CLOSING GALA: Dorian Gray (15) Food at 19.30 followed by film at 21.00
When a strikingly beautiful but naïve young Dorian (Ben Barnes) arrives in Victorian London he is swept into a social whirlwind by the charismatic Henry Wotton (Colin Firth) and society artist Basil Hallward (Ben Chaplin), who introduce Dorian to the hedonistic pleasures of the city.
UK 2009 Oliver Parker 105min
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