The Room Next Door (15)
2026-04-30 20:00 - 21:50 (Europe/London) | Ditchling Village Hall, 18 Lewes Road, Ditchling, Hassocks, East Sussex, BN6 8TT, United Kingdom
Ingrid and Martha became close friends while working together at the same magazine. After years of being out of touch, they meet again in an extreme but strangely sweet situation.

This is Almodovar’s first English language film. It is a powerful exploration of euthanasia, where Ingrid (Tilda Swinton) asks her old childhood friend, Martha (Julianne Moore), to stay with her until Ingrid decides she is ready to die. When she has made that decision, she will close her bedroom door which is next to her friend’s. The repercussions following Martha’s death resonate with the current debate in this country on assisted dying.

This film won the Golden Lion award at the Venice International Film Festival in 2024.

English. 107m. Directed by Pedro Almavodar.

The Marching Band (TBC)
2026-06-04 20:00 - 21:50
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Acclaimed conductor Thibaut has leukaemia and needs a bone marrow donor. Learning he was adopted, he finds an older brother, a musician and factory worker. Their reunion sparks a fraternal, musical journey amidst the town’s factory closure. It has echoes of Brassed Off with its exploration of the impact of unemployment on a whole community. This is a delightful, at times hilarious, other times poignant, exploration of who we are and where we come from.

French with English subtitles. 103m. Directed by Emmanuel Courcol

Santhosh (15)
2026-07-02 20:00 - 22:00
Young widow Santosh inherits her late husband’s position as a police officer in the rural badlands of India, becoming the centre of a gripping story of moral conflict from British-Indian director Sandhya Suri.

Taken under the mentorship of Sharma, a charismatic and authoritative senior female inspector, Santosh soon finds herself investigating the brutal murder of a low-caste girl. The case draws her deep into a harsh world of crime and corruption, forcing her to confront both the failures of the system and her own place within it—mirroring the uncomfortable reckoning the audience undergoes alongside her.

Already a BAFTA-nominated writer-director, Suri makes her feature debut with Santosh. Premiering in the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes 2024, the film earned critical acclaim and was developed with support from the Sundance Screenwriters and Directors Labs.

Hindi with English subtitles. 2h. Directed by Sandhya Suri

My Favourite Cake (15)
2026-09-03 20:00 - 21:40
70-year-old Mahin has been widowed for 30 years and her two children live abroad. She is living a lonely life in Tehran. But one day, she decides to join her friends for the afternoon tea and finds a new spark in her heart. She meets someone who makes her feel alive again, and the evening brings unpredictable surprises and memories. She bakes her favourite cake, believing that she may have found love at her late age.

The female directors were banned from leaving Iran to attend it’s premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival. They were held in Evin prison awaiting trial for propaganda against the regime.

Persian with English subtitles. 97m Directed by Maryam Moghaddam & Behtash Sanaeeha

A personal view by guest critic Beth Travers

Ah yes, My Favourite Cake – though I would have appreciated a slice or twoto comfort me after this film. It is a gut-wrenching portrayal of loneliness andisolation of two, single 70-year-olds living in the hustle of modern-day Tehran.This award-winning Iranian film follows seventy-year-old Mahin and herattempt to revitalise her life after the loss of her husband. From a hilariousdepiction of female friendships, to heroism in the face of the oppressiveIranian morality police, co-directors Maryam Moghadam and BehtashSanaeeha beautifully capture a revival of love and romance.

The question arises from the beginning of the film – is it possible to find loveonce again at such an age? Mahin proves quite easily that it is, even underthe constraints of the Islamic Republic regime. She determinedly sets herheart on rediscovering life with a partner, unabashedly inviting cab driver andmilitary veteran, Faramarz (played by Esmail Mehrabi ) into her home forsome of her “favourite cake”. Admittedly I felt dazzled by her boldness, LiliFarhadpour magically captured that universal excitement and enjoyment offemale pursuit typically associated with young, carefree (and predominantlywestern) women. She proved the desire to be seen and for physical touchnever dies as we grow older.

Esmail won my heart with his loveable, charming smile and dance moves thathad viewers (such as myself) crying on their sofas still with no cake insight…

Beth

Battleship Potemkin (PG)
2026-10-01 20:00 - 21:20
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Eisenstein’s 1925 film has earned immense critical acclaim and is consideredone of the greatest films ever made. About a 1905 naval mutiny it wasrevolutionary in both form and content. Battleship Potemkin is renowned forits dynamic composition and frame-perfect editing.

In this 2025 release the Pet Shop Boys score is performed with the DresdnerSinfoniker and orchestrated by Torsten Rasch. It blends electronic beats withorchestral grandeur in an encompassing score that makes a powerfulcinematic experience.

Director Sergei M. Eisenstein. 72 minutes. Silent. Originally screened in 1925. This version with new accompanying soundtrack by the Pet Shop Boys. 2025

The Ballad of Wallis Island (12A)
2026-11-05 20:00 - 21:40
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This humorous and melancholic films follows Charles (Tim Key) an eccentric lottery winner living alone on a remote island who dreams of getting his favourite folk duo back together for a gig with an audience of just one. Carey Mulligan stars as part of the once almost famous band and returns from west coast USA where she now makes chutney along with her bird watching husband who tows along for the reunion. Tim Basden plays the other part of the duo and wrote the music for the film.

A powerful and beautiful story of family , friendship and identity

English. 1h 40mins. Director James Griffiths.

The Tundra Within Me (12A)
2026-12-03 20:00 - 21:40
Oskai’s film shows narrative and characters richly steeped in Sami cultural and tradition. Artist Lena returns to her remote Sami homeland in order to work on a project about women herders after she herself rejected this role and headed for the city.

The stark and beautiful landscape shows the life of the herders including the women and Lena is torn between renewing this life for herself and her son whilst falling in love.

The director Oskai is also a herder and this enables her to understand the love and pain that goes into this way of life. A beautiful and enriching film.
