Palace Cinemas and Luna Palace Cinemas have brought back British Film Festival 2020, celebrating British filmmaking, acting talent and stories, set to run from Tuesday, November 10 through to Sunday, November 29. The full programme was also released with opening night receptions to be held at Palace Cinemas Raine Square, Luna Leederville, Luna on SX and Windsor Cinema.
Opening night, Tuesday, November 10 will feature the film Blithe Spirit (trailer below) starring Dan Stevens, Isla Fisher, Dame Judi Dench and Leslie Mann.
A strong focus on females both on and off-screen this Festival sees the following eight films leading the way:
A Bump Along the Way, directed by Shelly Love, follows a boozy 44-year-old single mother who falls pregnant from a one-night-stand, much to the shame of her buttoned-up teen daughter.
A Call To Spy follows a new British spy agency at the dawn of WWII, which is ordered by Churchill to recruit and train women as spies.
Amonite, from writer/director Francis Lee, is set in 1840s England and stars Kate Winslet and Saoirse Ronan as a palaeontology pioneer and a young woman, and the story of their forbidden love.
Fanny Lye Deliver’d is a potent brew of sex, violence and political radicalism, featuring a fierce lead performance from Maxine Peake.
Misbehaviour is a true story about feminist protesters who disrupted the 1970 Miss World beauty competition in London.
The Warrior Queen of Jhansi is the incredible true story of Lakshmibai, the historic Queen of Jhansi who fiercely led her army against the British East India Company in the infamous mutiny of 1857.
Six Minutes to Midnight is about a discovery at a school for the daughters of the Nazi elite leads to a series of deadly events in true story war drama.
Summerland is a romantic drama set in World War II and starring Gemma Arterton as an English woman who opens her heart to an evacuee in a touching story of love and friendship.
Featured musical documentaries include:
Rockfield: The Studio on the Farm will celebrate the legendary recording studio in the Welsh countryside where Ozzy Osbourne, Oasis, Queen and Coldplay took off – featuring interviews with the who’s who of the UK’s music scene.
White Riot is a lively documentary that explores how punk influenced politics in late-1970s Britain when a group of artists united to take on the National Front with the Rock Against Racism movement.
British dramas hold a prominent spot in the British Film Festival this year with films such as:
The Nest is a dramatic thriller featuring Jude Law and Carrie Coon, which sees life for the British entrepreneur and his American family begin to take a twisted turn after moving into an English country manor.
Starfish is based on a true story and starring Joanne Froggatt, an astonishing tale of survival and domestic struggle, that follows a couple whose love is pushed to its limit after their perfect life falls apart when one develops sepsis.
The Racer follows a seasoned support rider who experiences the most dramatic three days of his professional riding life during the 1998 Tour de France.
A Gift From Bob is about a stray ginger cat named Bob which provides friendship and strength to a homeless London street musician over Christmas, in a sequel to 2016 crowd-pleaser A Street Cat Named Bob.
The festival promises plenty of comedy films for lovers of laughs:
Days of the Bagnold Summer follows a teenage heavy metal fan who spends the summer trying to get along with his librarian mother in a charming directorial debut from The Inbetweeners star Simon Bird.
Kat and the Band features BAFTA nominee Ella Hunt who plays a teenage girl who tricks her way into managing a struggling band by pretending to be a manager in her twenties in this feel-good coming-of-age tale.
The More You Ignore Me is a poignant and darkly funny coming-of-age story of dysfunctional family life in 1980s rural England. Based on the acclaimed novel by Jo Brand and stars Brand alongside Mark Addy, Sheridan Smith and Sally Phillips.
Then You Came stars Kathie Lee Gifford as a lonely widow who plans a trip around the world with her husband’s ashes, to visit their favourite movie locations, but the first stop will change her life forever.
As for restored classics, this year the films are:
The Elephant Man is an unforgettable story of dignity and survival and is set to screen in stunning 4K restoration to celebrate its 40th anniversary.
Flash Gordon, a 1980s classic, which was adapted by Lorenzo Semple Jr and Michael Allin from the 1930s comic-strip serial, will play onscreen for audiences.
The Ladykillers is a classic comedy starring Sir Alec Guinness and Peter Sellers. The Ladykillers celebrates its 65th anniversary and will be presented in a 4K restoration with Technicolor.
British Film Festival 2020 is screening at Palace Cinemas Raine Square, Luna Leederville, Luna on SX and Windsor Cinema from Tuesday, November 10 through to Sunday, November 29. For more information and to buy tickets head to britishfilmfestival.com.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cz9C0efpyVc
