Films Archives - Page 2 of 14 - The David Lean Cinema

NAME ME LAWAND

NAME ME LAWAND
2022 | Dir Edward Lovelace | 82 mins | UK

With: Lawand Hamad Amin and Rawa Hamad Amin

Five-year-old Lawand is on a quest to find a world where there are people like him – people who will understand him. Since birth, Lawand has been profoundly Deaf and unable to communicate with those around him. He undertakes a treacherous journey with his family from Iraq to Derby, home of the Royal School for the Deaf. But this new life soon comes under threat when the family face deportation. Along with members of the Derby community, they begin a new quest – a fight to stay in the place they now call home. Employing a striking visual style that frames Lawand’s development, from being voiceless to a voice representing others in the D/deaf community, Edward Lovelace’s (The Possibilities Are Endless) documentary is an inspirational and touching coming-of-age story.

Edward Lovelace uses impressionistic techniques to capture the world of Lawand as he learns to communicate in this moving, inspirational tale (Wendy Ide in The Guardian)
This is Croydon – London Borough of Culture screening

Buy tickets for Thursday 24 August 2023 at 2.30pm – Box Office open at 1.45pm for walk-in sales
Buy tickets for Thursday 24 August 2023 at 7.45pm
There will be a BSL Meeter and Greeter present at the evening screening.
For the evening screening the Arts Bar and Box Office (next to the cinema entrance will be open from 6.45pm)
Online sales have ceased but tickets are still available for purchase at the Box Office in the Arts Bar near cinema entrance.
Both screenings are presented in Kurdish, English and BSL with English descriptive subtitles throughout.
Producer’s message and trailer below

Patron – Joanna Scanlan

Joanna Scanlan - David Lean Cinema Patron

The David Lean Cinema has proudly announced renowned British actress Joanna Scanlan as its new Patron. Joanna achieved critical acclaim and won a BAFTA Film Award and a British Independent Film Award for her powerful performance in the film “After Love”.

Expressing her excitement, Joanna stated, “How thrilling to be honoured with the post of Patron of the David Lean Cinema, the shining beacon for all cinema lovers in Croydon. As a young person, independent cinema changed the course of my life and continues to do so. Grassroots cinema clubs like David Lean provide a dynamic source of pleasure and enlightenment. The irrepressible force of the movie as delivered by DLC’s enthusiastic volunteers is the weekly highlight of entertainment and culture for so many. I intend to support and promote fundraising and the team’s world-class programming. Join me at a film or two this year!”

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GAMES PEOPLE PLAY

N/C15+ GAMES PEOPLE PLAY
2020 | Dir Jenni Toivoniemi | 117 mins | Finland

An old group of friends in their thirties gathers to celebrate Mitzi’s (Emmi Parviainen) surprise birthday party over a nostalgic weekend at an idyllic seaside villa – just like they used to do as teenagers. The party sets off on wrong tracks immediately, as the birthday girl is not so pleased about the surprise.
A tense situation is broken up, when Mitzi’s best friend Veronika (Laura Birn) brings along her new boyfriend Mikael (Christian Hillborg), a Swedish Hollywood star.
Familiar surroundings and the old rituals get to the core of the group and make them forget their adulthood. Revelations, not meant to harm the balance, make them reassess their past as well as their present. Finnish with English subtitles.

As a thank you for supporting us, you will get 25% off each ticket purchase. Just enter DLYS at checkout. You will also be supporting the David Lean Cinema as we get a share of every ticket sold using this promo code.
Stream available for 48 hours after play started.
Distributor: YourScreen – create account or login.
Film run ends on 31 October 2021.

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KEEPER

N/C 15+ KEEPER
2015 | Dir Guillaume Senez | 95 mins | France | Switzerland

Maxime and Mélanie are in love. Together, they explore, full of love and clumsiness, their sexuality until the day Mélanie realizes she’s pregnant. At first Maxime takes the news badly but then gets used to the idea of becoming a father. He convinces Mélanie to keep the baby. It’s been decided – Maxime and Mélanie, fifteen years old, are going to become parents.
Guillaume Senez reveals himself, in his debut feature, as a director of remarkable sensitivity and finely-balanced discrimination. He doesn’t moralise or judge, but keeps his fine actors (Kacey Mottet Klein as Max in particular) on a long lead at all times, allowing the characters and situations to develop organically and fully.

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NEVIA

N/C 15+ NEVIA
2019 | Dir Nunzia De Stefano | 86 mins | Italy

Nevia is 17 and lives in the suburbs of Naples with her beloved little sister Enza, their aunt Lucia and their grandmother Nanà.
She is a stubborn teenager, determined to get from life much more than fate has planned for her, but it’s hard to be a girl in a place where only men can make the rules and apparently there are no options but make ends meet with little illegal jobs.

Virginia Apicella, in the title role, is a hive of activity, disposing of trash for her neighbours for pocket money, and taking care of her little sister while the adults indulge in more lucrative, but far less purposeful, criminal activities. “Being born a girl here is really rubbish” says one friend – this doesn’t come as news. There’s something undeniably uplifting about the spirit and tenacity of Nevia, wise beyond her years and determined not to succumb to the fate being born female in a container park on the outskirts of Naples would generally guarantee. Italian with English subtitles.

As a thank you for supporting us, you will get 25% off each ticket purchase. Just enter DLYS at checkout. You will also be supporting the David Lean Cinema as we get a share of every ticket sold using this promo code. Stream available for 48 hours after play started.
Distributor: YourScreen – create account or login.
Film run ends on 31 October 2021.

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PARI

N/C 15+ PARI
2020 | Dir Siamak Etemadi | 101 mins | Greece | France

Babak, an Iranian student in Greece, doesn’t show up to welcome his visiting parents at the Athens airport. Pari and her older husband, both devout Muslims abroad for the first time, are ill-prepared to search for their son in an intimidating and alien environment. All their attempts to find a clue that might lead them to him prove to be in vain and they soon reach a dead end. But Pari can’t give up looking for him, even when returning to Iran seems like her only choice.
Following the steps of her rebellious son in the darkest corners of the city, she will exhaust her inner strength to achieve more than a mother’s search for her missing son.
Persian, English, Greek with English subtitles.

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THE REPORTS ON SARAH AND SALEEM

N/C 15+ THE REPORTS ON SARAH AND SALEEM
2018 | Dir Muayad Alayan | 127 mins | Palestine | Netherlands

Sarah is Israeli and runs a café in West Jerusalem. Saleem is Palestinian from East Jerusalem and works as a deliveryman. Despite being worlds apart, Sarah and Saleem risk everything as they embark on a illicit affair that could tear apart their unsuspecting respective families. When a risky late-night tryst goes awry and threatens to expose them, the two of them look on helplessly as their frantic efforts to salvage what’s left of their lives further escalate things. Caught up in the occupying machinery and socio-political pressure, Sarah and Saleem find themselves trapped in a web of deceit and not even the truth looks able to stop it.
Arabic, Hebrew, English with English subtitles.

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THE STORY OF LOOKING

THE STORY OF LOOKING
2021 | Dir Mark Cousins | 90 mins | UK | Ireland

On the day before an operation to save his eyesight, Mark explores what looking means to him, and the role our visual experience plays in our individual and collective lives. In a deeply personal meditation on the power of looking in his own life, he guides us through the riches of the visible world, through a kaleidoscope of imagery across cultures and eras, drawing on art history, biology, neuroscience, psychology, poetry and philosophy. As he goes under the surgeon’s knife, he suggests that we are in the midst of a looking revolution more powerful than any which has gone before, which has the potential to change the world – for better or for worse. At a time when we are more assailed by images than ever, when the value of looking is increasingly under question, he reveals how looking makes us who we are, lying at the heart of human experience, of empathy, discovery and thought. He shares the pleasures of seeing the world, in all its complexity and contradiction, with eyes wide open. And as the Covid-19 pandemic brings another dramatic shift of perspective, he reaches out to other lookers for their vision from lockdown. And in a startling final shift, he travels to the future to consider how his looking life will continue to develop until the very end.
Distributor: Modern Films – No account required.

The David Lean Cinema receives a share of the ticket price when booked via links on this page.
Available until Monday 29 November 2021

“A rich cinematic journey into the art of seeing and how it connects us with culture, ourselves and each other” Time Out
The virtual ticket includes an exclusive pre-recorded in conversation with Mark Cousins on The Story of Looking.

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WILDFIRE

WILDFIRE
2020 | Dir Cathy Brady | 85 mins | Ireland

Born within a year of each other, LAUREN (Nora-Jane Noone) and KELLY (Nika McGuigan) are ‘Irish twins’. You’d never see one without the other, but over the years the mystery of their mother’s death has tore them apart. Kelly, keen to escape their insular town, drifted away and disappeared a year ago. Lauren’s life has been on hold since reporting her sister missing.
Kelly’s unexpected return, sees a surge of every raw emotion between the sisters. Lauren doesn’t know whether to kiss her or hit her. But as they begin to relive memories of their mother, the sister’s become inseparable. Their bond stronger than ever and Kelly’s desire for the truth is dangerously reignited. As Kelly digs deeper, not everyone is ready. In this border town secrets are meant to stay buried and Lauren has been keeping the biggest one of all.
As the truth about their mother begins to surface, Kelly’s mood darkens. But Lauren is blinded, around Kelly she feels alive again, her marriage and job pale in comparison. The town is starting to notice, rumours about the girls strange behaviour spread like wildfire. Lauren must decide to confront their mother’s past with Kelly or risk losing her for good. Time is running out and no one can be trusted. The sisters must escape and face the truth or be consumed by the town and it’s lies.

The David Lean Cinema receives a share of the ticket price when booked via links on this page.
Available until Monday 29 November 2021

During post production of Wildfire, Nika McGuigan lost her brief but brave battle with cancer.
Wildfire was developed and written for Nika and her co star Nora-Jane Noone. We collaborated over many years becoming close friends. This was Nika’s first leading feature role and showcases her tremendous talent and undeniable screen presence.
It has been incredibly difficult to finish this film without Nika, but it was such a privilege to know her and be known by her. This film is dedicated to our beautiful Nika.
Cathy Brady, Director.

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THE TOLL

THE TOLL
2021 | Dir Ryan Andrew Hooper | 83 mins | UK

Pembrokeshire – where English people come to die.
A single toll booth on a road in the middle of nowhere. A lone wolf howls in the distance. Actually, it’s probably a stray dog.
Brendan, at the age of 56 works solo shifts in the toll booth, and has done since he arrived here twenty-nine years ago. He passes the time reading American academic novels (an underrated genre) and persisting with eating cheese despite a mild lactose intolerance setting in. What none of the handful of locals know about Brendan is that he moved down this way for a reason – a reason he’s managed to hide until today.
The unassuming, slightly unfriendly and somewhat belligerent man working in the loneliest toll booth in the remotest part of west Wales has been hiding from his criminal past in a place where no-one ever thought to look. Pembrokeshire.

The David Lean Cinema receives a share of the ticket price when booked via links on this page.

“Michael Smiley is the toll operator facing up to his murky past in this fusion of western and black comedy reminiscent of the Coen brothers’ finest work” Cath Clarke in The Guardian

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