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MONSOON

MONSOON
2019 | Dir Hong Khaou | 85min | GB

Kit (Henry Golding), a young British Vietnamese man, returns to his birth country for the first time in over 30 years. He was just eight years old when he and his family escaped Saigon as ‘boat refugees’ during the Vietnam-American war. No longer familiar with this country and unable to speak his native language, Kit embarks on a personal journey from Saigon to Hanoi, in search of a place to scatter his parents’ ashes. Along the way he meets his estranged family and falls for Lewis (Parker Sawers), an American whose father had fought in the war.
During his travels, Kit finally starts to connect to the memories of his parents and his own roots. English and Vietnamese with English subtitles.

Watch at home now from £4.99 (DLC receives a share of ticket price, thanks for supporting us) – Vimeo registration required (free) or login with Vimeo account. Stream available for 72 hours after purchase.

Monsoon from Peccadillo Pictures on Vimeo.

AND THEN WE DANCED

AND THEN WE DANCED
2019 | Dir Levan Akin | 105min | Sweden

Passionate about dance, young Merab (Levan Gelbakhiani) has trained at the National Georgian Dance Ensemble since childhood. His sole aim in life; to join the Main Dance Ensemble, break free from the confines of Georgian society and travel the world. When a dancer in the main ensemble is disgraced and his place becomes available, Merab’s ambitions finally feel within reach.
When Irakli (Bachi Valishvili), a virile, talented male dancer unexpectedly joins his group, Merab fears the newcomer is the only thing standing between him and his dreams. Charismatic and carefree, Irakli, has an effect on Merab that he can’t quite explain. As they compete, Irakli becomes both Merab’s fiercest rival and strongest desire, a desire that, in conservative Georgian society, threatens to throw his dance career, livelihood and family into turmoil.
With a breath-taking central performance from breakout star Levan Gelbakhiani, Levan Akin’s luminous AND THEN WE DANCED explores forbidden desire, ambition and liberation set against the backdrop of traditionalist Tblisi. Georgian with English subtitles.

Watch at home now from £4.50 (DLC receives a share of ticket price, thanks for supporting us) – Vimeo registration required (free) or login with Vimeo account. Stream available for 72 hours after purchase.
Distributor: Peccadillo Pictures – Vimeo account required

And Then We Danced from Peccadillo Pictures on Vimeo.

AVA

Cert TBC – AVA (2017)

Dir Sadaf Foroughi | 103min | Iran

Ava (Mahour Jabbari) is a bright and diligent teenager from a comfortable Tehran home who, like her peers, is concerned with both her academic and social status. However, Ava becomes distracted by a bet she has taken with her friends to win a date with Nima (Houman Hoursan), her violin partner. Ava’s desire is to pursue a career in music but her controlling mother, Bahar (Bahar Noohian), who is a successful doctor, forbids this, whilst her father (Vahid Aghapoor), is willing to entertain the prospect. The divide between her parents manifests in contrasting parental styles and when Bahar learns of Ava’s relationship with Nima, she becomes mistrustful and forces Ava to be checked by a gynaecologist. The incident enrages Ava and sets in motion a series of rebellious acts that irreparably impact her well-being and reputation. Without the support of her mother, Ava grows closer to her gentler father, but she is ultimately alone in her struggles against the constraints of her society.

“Ava is made with superb technique and real style” – Peter Bradshaw in The Guardian.

Distributor: Modern Films – no account required

BODY OF WATER

BODY OF WATER (2020)

Dir Lucy Brydon | 95min | GB

Lucy Brydon’s powerful debut feature sensitively explores the impact of an eating disorder on a family.

Having just completed another round of treatment for chronic anorexia, acclaimed war photographer Stephanie is working hard to reconnect with her family. Her mother Susan is supportive but preoccupied by her forthcoming wedding to Annette. Meanwhile Stephanie’s teenage daughter, competitive swimmer Pearl, is angry and full of resentment, refusing to give her mother a second chance. Stephanie will need all her strength to keep her head above water.

“A sobering, difficult but intelligent drama” – Peter Bradshaw in The Guardian.

Distributor: Modern Films – no account required

Film run ends on 10 January 2021

BEYOND THE VISIBLE

BEYOND THE VISIBLE: HILMA AF KLINT

Dir Halina Dyrschka | 93 Min | Germany

Hilma af Klint was an abstract artist before the term existed, a visionary, trailblazing figure who, inspired by spiritualism, modern science, and the riches of the natural world around her, began in 1906 to reel out a series of huge, colorful, sensual, strange works without precedent in painting. The subject of a recent smash retrospective at the Guggenheim Museum, af Klint was for years an all-but-forgotten figure in art historical discourse, before her long-delayed rediscovery. Director Halina Dryschka’s dazzling, course correcting documentary describes not only the life and craft of af Klint, but also the process of her mischaracterization and erasure by both a patriarchal narrative of artistic progress and capitalistic determination of artistic value.

“This documentary convincingly argues that the Swedish painter deserves a place in the mostly male pantheon of artistic genius” – Cath Clarke in The Guardian.

Film run ends on 23 November 2020

A PERFECTLY NORMAL FAMILY

A PERFECTLY NORMAL FAMILY

2020 | Dir Malou Reymann | 97min | Denmark

When Emma’s father Thomas (Mikkel Boe Følsgaard) says he wants to live the rest of his life as a woman, Emma (Kaya Toft Loholt) is thrown off kilter. Thomas makes a rapid transition into Agnete: a woman in stylish dresses who suddenly has no more interest in football.

As first-time feature maker, Malou Reymann herself grew up with a father who transitioned, she knows first-hand how children can experience such a complex change. Danish with English subtitles.

“The directness and honesty of the storytelling is really affecting in places; and Loholt is so natural and touching as Emma. There’s a scene in which she sings a song at her sister’s confirmation that brought me to tears with its sheer loveliness” – Cath Clarke in The Guardian.

Film run ends on 22 November 2020

October Update

Sunday 25 October 2020

An update on David Lean screenings from the chairman of the Save the David Lean Cinema CIC, Philip Howard:

We know that many of you will have mixed feelings about cinema at present – you will miss the experience of seeing a movie on the big screen, often with friends and family, but you are concerned about the risks of an indoor shared space. Therefore, the David Lean Cinema committee has been working on a plan for reopening, when the Covid alert level falls to an acceptable level. This hasn’t been straightforward, as public access to the Croydon Clocktower will remain limited for months to come, but we’re continuing to work with the Council on getting back to the DLC when the time is right. We have spoken with the custodians of the Fairfield Halls, as cinema facilities exist there, but the barriers to using this large, complex building seem too high.
Therefore, we are exploring a new way of bringing a David Lean programme to you. While the global film giants are delaying their releases, many smaller distributors are in a situation that mirrors our own – they need to continue trading, yet the David Lean and dozens of other cinemas which are the natural home for their movies are closed. So, they are releasing these films online. We are now working with these distributors to create a programme of films that you can pay to watch, with the proceeds split between the distributors and the David Lean – we’re aiming to achieve the same cinematic quality as usual, except you’ll be watching from home.
Future bulletins in our newsletter and on our website will tell you about these films, and how to access them online. We’re likely to publicise a couple of new films each week, so that it’s similar to a DLC programme – you won’t have to watch them at 7.30 or 2.30 on a Tuesday or Thursday, although you’re welcome to do so!

On behalf of the whole DLC committee, our best wishes for a healthy and happy autumn, and thanks for your continued support.

Back to online listings.

Risk Assessments

Risk Assessments for our operation in a Covid secure way were submitted to the council during early September and can be viewed via the links below. If you do not know the password, please use the Contact Form to request access.

Risk Assessment for auditorium and other public areas – September 2021 (request password via the Contact Form)
Risk Assessment for the Projection Booth

Volunteers’ Week 2020

Although our volunteers are not able to take on their usual roles with us at the moment, we’d like to take this opportunity to thank them all for their contribution to date. The cinema could not function successfully without them. We look forward to working alongside them all again when the cinema reopens.

THANK YOU ALL!

OB Info

The OB Info Web Servers are currently offline while refurbishment takes place. For any urgent enquiries please contact Roger Dowling. If you do not know the normal contact numbers/email then please enquire via Richard Earle in the first instance.
Apologies for any inconvenience while this work is ongoing.