Presented by Palace, the British Film Festival will end the cinematic year in style from 3 November in Sydney, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Canberra and Byron Bay with Melbourne commencing on 5 November. The British Film Festival celebrates the finest filmmakers and acting talent the British Isles has to offer and the 2021 programme promises not to disappoint with exquisite performances from favourites such as Jim Broadbent, Helen Mirren, Olivia Coleman, Colin Firth and Timothy Spall.
The line-up features some of the most anticipated films of the year – from powerful true stories and romantic dramas to documentaries and thrillers – with more to be announced.
The Opening Night film is the Australian Premiere of THE DUKE, a heart-warming tale based on a 1961 true story when 60-year-old taxi driver Kempton Bunton steals Goya’s portrait of the Duke of Wellington from the National Gallery in London. This delightful underdog tale features excellent performances from Jim Broadbent and Helen Mirren.
First Festival highlights include:
THE LAST BUS, a touching adventure across Britain starring Timothy Spall, it follows the journey of a pensioner who travels from Britain’s most Northerly to its most Southerly point, using only local buses.
Olivia Coleman and Colin Firth in MOTHERING SUNDAY, a romantic period drama that follows a maid living in post-World War I England who secretly plans to meet with the man she loves before he leaves to marry another woman.
FALLING FOR FIGARO from acclaimed director Ben Lewin, this romantic comedy starring Danielle Macdonald and Joanna Lumley, follows a young woman who quits her job and ends things with her long-term boyfriend to chase her lifelong dream of becoming an opera singer in the Scottish Highlands.
A powerful and emotional drama, TO OLIVIA tells the story of the tribulations behind best-selling novelist Roald Dahl’s marriage to Academy Award winning actress Patricia Neal, starring Hugh Bonneville and Keeley Hawes.
BENEDICTION A sumptuous portrait of 20th-century English poet and soldier Siegfried Sassoon, from revered filmmaker Terence Davies and starring Jack Lowden and Peter Capaldi.
British Film Festival Director Kim Petalas said ‘It’s been great to witness the rise in popularity of the British Film Festival in recent years. It has grown to become a significant showcase of cinema from the region and we’re looking forward to sharing a stellar 2021 line up with our audience.”
The full programme and tickets for the British Film Festival will go on sale at midday on 14 October.
The British Film Festival presented by Palace screens in the following locations:
Sydney: 3 Nov – 1 Dec, Palace Norton Street, Palace Verona, Chauvel Cinemas, Palace Central
Canberra: 3 Nov – 1 Dec, Palace Electric Cinemas
Melbourne: 5 Nov – 1 Dec, Palace Cinema Como, Palace Westgarth, Palace Balwyn, Palace Brighton Bay, Kino Cinemas and Pentridge Cinemas
Brisbane: 3 Nov – 1 Dec, Palace Barracks and Palace James Street
Adelaide: 3 Nov – 1 Dec, Palace Nova Eastend Cinemas, Palace Nova Prospect Cinemas
Perth: 3 Nov – 1 Dec, Palace Raine Square, Luna on SX, Leederville and Windsor
Byron Bay: 3 – 21 Nov, Palace Byron Bay
www.britishfilmfestival.com.au
