<img src='' title='Event Category: Film' alt='' id='templ_icon_' width='' height='' /> Event Category: Film

Free tickets are now available for our latest Escapes film The Queen of my Dreams!

Azra is worlds apart from her conservative Muslim mother. When her father suddenly dies on a trip home to Pakistan, Azra finds herself on a Bollywood-inspired journey through memories, both real and imagined; from her mother’s youth in Karachi to her own coming- of-age in rural Canada.

Tickets to The Queen of my Dreams are completely free and available now through the link 🔗

Escapes, supported by the BFI, awarding National Lottery funding, offers everyone the opportunity to enjoy the big screen experience and discover independent cinema. Whether someone that rarely prioritises a trip to the cinema, someone who treasures a visit but only as a special occasion, or someone who is keen to uncover new experiences, Escapes is on a mission to bring new audiences to the cinema with regular free tickets.

Returning to the mind of the newly teenage Riley just as headquarters is undergoing a sudden demolition to make room for something entirely unexpected: new Emotions! Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear and Disgust, who’ve long been running a successful operation by all accounts, aren’t sure how to feel when Anxiety shows up. And it looks like she’s not alone…

Telegraph ★★★★ Independent ★★★★ Empire ★★★★ Radio Times ★★★★

Directed by Kelsey Mann
Voiced by Maya Hawke, Amy Poehler
1hr 36mins // US 2024

Gru faces a new nemesis in Maxime Le Mal (Emmy winner Will Ferrell) and his femme fatale girlfriend Valentina (Emmy nominee Sofia Vergara), and the family is forced to go on the run.

Guardian ★★★

Directed by Chris Renaud & Patrick Delage
Voiced by Steve Carell, Kristen Wiig
1hr 34 mins // US 2024

The Critic is a deliciously dark and sharp-witted thriller set in 1930s London ‘theatreland’ featuring an all-star cast including Ian McKellen, Gemma Arterton, Mark Strong, Ben Barnes, Alfred Enoch, Romola Garai and Lesley Manville.

When the most feared and vicious theatre critic in town Jimmy Erskine (McKellen), finds himself suddenly in the crosshairs of the Daily Chronicle’s new owner David Brooke (Strong), he strikes a sinister Faustian pact with struggling actress Nina Land (Arterton) who is desperate to win his favour.

Guardian ★★★

Directed by Anand Tucker
With Ian McKellen, Gemma Arterton, Mark Strong
1hr 36mins // UK 2024

In blood-soaked Tudor England, twice married, accomplished, and educated Katherine Parr (Alicia Vikander), reluctantly agrees to become the sixth wife of the tyrannical King Henry VIII (Jude Law). Her consent to marry him carries great personal risk, given that her predecessors are either vanquished, beheaded, or dead. When Henry appoints her as Regent, the nation’s ruler during his absence when he departs to fight overseas, he lays a dangerous path for her. Henry’s courtiers, suspecting she’s sympathetic to radical Protestant beliefs that have taken root in the kingdom and are a threat to their power, scheme against her and cast doubts upon her fidelity to the increasingly ailing and paranoid King.

Once Henry returns to England, his courtiers convince him to turn his fury on the nation’s radicals, including Katherine’s childhood friend Anne Askew, who becomes one of the scores of people convicted of treason and burned at the stake. Horrified and privately grieving, Katherine finds herself under ever-increasing scrutiny and suspicion. Knowing that even a whisper of scandal might lead to her downfall, Katherine must unleash her own scheme to fight for survival.

“Jude Law is horribly good” Telegraph ★★★★

“Incendiary…Jude Law is scarily good… A vividly constructed drama, expertly played” Times ★★★★

Directed by Karim Aïnouz
With Alicia Vikander, Jude Law
2hrs // UK 2023

It Ends With Us, the first Colleen Hoover novel adapted for the big screen, tells the compelling story of Lily Bloom (Blake Lively), a woman who overcomes a traumatic childhood to embark on a new life in Boston and chase a lifelong dream of opening her own business. A chance meeting with charming neurosurgeon Ryle Kincaid (Justin Baldoni) sparks an intense connection, but as the two fall deeply in love, Lily begins to see sides of Ryle that remind her of her parents’ relationship. When Lily’s first love, Atlas Corrigan (Brandon Sklenar), suddenly re-enters her life, her relationship with Ryle is upended, and Lily realizes she must learn to rely on her own strength to make an impossible choice for her future.

“Colleen Hoover’s smash hit novel gets a winning and emotionally effective transfer to the big screen” Guardian ★★★

Directed by Justin Baldoni
With Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni
2hrs 10 mins // US 2024

Wild Water provides a glimpse into the world of cold water swimming at Gaddings Dam, the site of the highest beach in England. The film showcases the breathtaking landscape and the people drawn to the restorative power of cold water swimming. It explores how the community uses the icy waters to reconnect with their mental health, identity, nature, and each other. Viewers get an insight into the lives of the wild swimmers at Gaddings Dam and the positive and fun impact that cold water swimming can have on wellbeing.

Features the short film Tonic of the Sea prior to the screening

1hr 15 minutes, including the short film

Returning to the mind of the newly teenage Riley just as headquarters is undergoing a sudden demolition to make room for something entirely unexpected: new Emotions! Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear and Disgust, who’ve long been running a successful operation by all accounts, aren’t sure how to feel when Anxiety shows up. And it looks like she’s not alone…

Telegraph ★★★★ Independent ★★★★ Empire ★★★★ Radio Times ★★★★

Directed by Kelsey Mann
Voiced by Maya Hawke, Amy Poehler
1hr 36mins // US 2024

20th Century Studios’ Alien: Romulus takes the phenomenally successful Alien franchise back to its roots: set between the events of Alien and Aliens, a group of young space colonisers come face to face with the most terrifying life form in the universe while scavenging the deep ends of a derelict space station.

“Thrillingly gruesome new instalment gets a shot of young blood” Guardian ★★★★

Telegraph ★★★★ Empire ★★★★ BBC ★★★★

Directed by Fede Alvarez
With Cailee Spaeny
1hrs 59 mins | US 2024

Satsuki and Mei’s mother has taken ill. In order to be closer to her while she recovers in a rural convalescent hospital, their father moves the two sisters from their home in a city to the countryside. The house they move into is a ramshackle old place in the shadow of an ancient camphor tree, and Satsuki and Mei embark on adventures with the wondrous forest spirits who live nearby.

“As magical and moving as cinema gets” Telegraph ★★★★★

“Miyazaki’s supernatural masterpiece still enchants” Guardian ★★★★★

Directed by Hayao Miyazaki
Voiced by Dakota Fanning, Elle Fanning
1hrs 27 mins | JAP 1989