The 2024 Russell Hobbs British Film Festival returns to cinemas in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Canberra, Byron Bay and for the first time, Ballarat, this November with a star-studded line up. The specially curated program features tender dramas, action packed thrillers, comedy, documentaries and retrospectives, starring some of Britain’s most well-known faces including Saoirse Ronan, Andrew Garfield, Florence Pugh, Ralph Fiennes, Jude Law and Tim Roth.
Opening this year’s festival is the Australian Premiere of BLITZ, Steve McQueen’s visually stunning period drama depicting pivotal moments of World War II in London and starring Saoirse Ronan, Paul Weller and brilliant newcomer Elliot Heffernan. Closing the festival is another exciting exclusive, the premiere of the highly anticipated WE LIVE IN TIME. With beautifully nuanced performances from Oscar nominees Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield, this heart rendering romance delves into the profound question of how to make the most of the time we have in this world.
The 2024 Festival Centrepiece is Mike Leigh’s latest film HARD TRUTHS, which reunites him with the brilliant Marianne Jean-Baptiste in a darkly humorous and insightful exploration of family dynamics. The film examines a hypersensitive woman’s impact on her family, blending compassion with Leigh’s signature attention to detail.
Fresh from its UK release comes THE OUTRUN with Saoirse Ronan once again in the lead role. After a turbulent life in London, Rona returns to the untamed beauty of Scotland’s Orkney Islands, her childhood home, seeking to reconcile with her troubled past and find healing.
Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche star in THE RETURN, an adaptation of Homer’s Odyssey. Exuding the classical essence of the Greek epic with a distinctly British spin, The Return offers a meticulously measured classical work with an all-star cast. The film premieres in the festival ahead of the UK release.
British/French co-production WIDOW CLICQUOT tells a rousing true story offering an effervescent portrait of Barbe-Nicole Ponsardin, the “Grande Dame of Champagne,” otherwise known as Veuve Clicquot.
Another Australian Premiere is Aylin Tezel’s directorial debut FALLING INTO PLACE. This tender drama follows Kira (played by Tezel) and Ian, each fleeing their own personal struggles, who cross paths during a winter weekend on the Isle of Skye. Their connection is profound but when they return to London, they must confront their past. We are delighted to announce that Tezel will be joining audiences in person in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane for a series of Q&A events.
Plunging audiences into Tudor times is the historical drama FIREBRAND. Set during the final months of King Henry VIII’s reign, his sixth wife, Katherine Parr, faces the perilous challenges of the Tudor court. Alicia Vikander and Jude Law lead a gripping historical drama about power and survival.
In special screenings the adaptation of the best-selling novel of the same name, CONCLAVE, stars Ralph Fiennes as Cardinal Lawrence who is entrusted with the secretive task of selecting a new Pope, but in the Vatican’s sacred halls, uncovers secrets that could destabilize the Roman Catholic Church.
Pierce Brosnan and Helena Bonham Carter lead a commanding ensemble cast in FOUR LETTERS OF LOVE, Polly Steele’s tender story follows Nicholas and Isabel who are destined for each other, but their path to true love is anything but straightforward.
Other romantic dramas include THE SALT PATH starring Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs in career best performances as a couple who embark on a 630-mile coastal walk after losing their home and facing a terminal diagnosis. And THIS TIME NEXT YEAR about Minnie and Quinn who are born just one minute apart on the same day, yet their lives take completely different paths. Years later, a chance encounter offers the perfect moment to take a chance on love.
Andrea Arnold’s latest film BIRD follows 12-year-old Bailey, who seeks solace in nature as her distracted father remarries. Through a mysterious encounter, Bailey gains strength to confront her mother’s abusive partner, exploring themes of identity and resilience. The film stars Barry Keoghan.
In a special music themed sidebar ‘Brit Rock to Brit Pop’, renowned documentarian Nick Broomfield uncovers the true story of Brian Jones, the creative force and heartbreaker behind what would become the world’s greatest rock band The Rolling Stones in THE STONES AND BRIAN JONES; Iconic rock band Led Zeppelin’s electrifying 1973 Madison
Square Garden performances are captured in THE SONG REMAINS THE SAME, interwoven with surreal fantasy sequences reflecting the band members’ personas. Fast forward to the Brit Pop era with BLUR: LIVE AT WEMBLEY STADIUM, an epic two-hour concert film immortalising Blur’s historic 2023 show at Wembley Stadium which saw the band perform their iconic and much-loved songs for 150,000 adoring fans plus doco BLUR: TO THE END, depicting the most recent chapter in the band’s story, captured during the period in which they made a surprise – and emotional – return with their first record in 8 years, the critically acclaimed #1 album The Ballad of Darren.
Unconventional rom-com AND MRS tells the tale of a hesitant bride-to-be who loses her fiancé unexpectedly. She is determined to proceed with the wedding, pledging to defy public opinion, legal barriers, and the objections of her loved ones; offbeat comedy, THE RADLEYS, depicts the family of the same name who appear to be an ordinary family, but are hiding a dark secret: they’re vampires. And in CHUCK CHUCK BABY, Helen’s dull life takes an unexpected romantic twist when her charismatic childhood friend Joanne returns.
Moving, funny, and charming, this musical rom-com set in a Welsh chicken processing plant is delightfully unexpected.
Guaranteed to deliver a chuckle is THE PROBLEM WITH PEOPLE. Festival favourite Colm Meaney and US comedian Paul Reiser star as estranged cousins who, despite never having met, must resolve a generation’s worth of family disputes – before they start another one!
Time-bending dark comedy TIMESTALKER follows a woman’s obsession with the same bad boy spanning six centuries offering a razor-sharp commentary on obsession and desire; whilst in TUESDAY, starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus, a mother and daughter are forced to face Death when it appears in an unexpected form.
POISON is an intimate exploration of grief and healing, featuring powerful performances by Tim Roth and Trine Dyrholm. Focusing on Lucas and Edith, a once-married couple estranged for ten years who reunite under unexpected circumstances.
In EDGE OF SUMMER, two 11-year-olds, drawn together during a summer holiday, embark on an adventure to uncover the mystery of who or what is calling to them from the depths of an abandoned tin mine, inspired by an old folk tale; GREY MATTER is a drama based on true events following troubled teen Chloe Isles as she becomes her grandmother Peg’s carer and in LIES WE TELL, an orphaned heiress battles her sinister uncle’s schemes to claim her inheritance. As danger mounts, she defies Gothic conventions, seizing control of her fate in a feminist reimagining of Uncle Silas.
Marking its 25th anniversary and presented in a new 4K restoration is Lynne Ramsay’s stunning and confident debut feature RATCATCHER, a haunting portrayal of a troubled childhood.
In tribute to the late Dame Maggie Smith, James Ivory’s classic melodrama A ROOM WITH A VIEW will be screened in the festival. The film follows Lucy, a young Englishwoman on a tour of Florence (played by Helena Bonham Carter) who is chaperoned by her cousin (played by Smith), as a series of events challenge her societal expectations.
A newly released documentary MERCHANT IVORY focuses on the 44-film collaboration of Ismail Merchant and James Ivory who delivered decades of acclaimed dramas to audiences. Now, at 95, Ivory and key collaborators reflect on the production company’s lasting impact on arthouse cinema.
THE SHAMROCK SPITFIRE follows Brendan “Paddy” Finucane, an Irishman who rises from eager RAF recruit to legendary fighter ace and the youngest Wing Commander during WWII, leading his squadron to historic fame.
A retrospective entitled ‘History Restored’ features a selection of British classics that are all historic dramas. Presented in a new 4K restoration, iconic work A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS examines Sir Thomas More’s moral stand against King Henry VIII’s divorce, and won six Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Actor; based on the novel by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, James Ivory’s epic melodrama HEAT AND DUST explores two parallel stories of love and cultural clash in 1920’s India; Kenneth Branagh’s 1989 rendition of HENRY V is a gritty adaptation of Shakespeare’s play, acclaimed for his direction and performance; THE LION IN WINTER starring Peter O’Toole and Katharine Hepburn in a tale of King Henry II’s family power struggles and THE MUSIC LOVERS, a bold exploration of classical composer Tchaikovsky’s tumultuous life, with intense performances from Richard Chamberlain and Glenda Jackson.
The festival opens on Wednesday 6 November in Melbourne, Ballarat, Adelaide, Perth Byron Bay, Canberra and Brisbane and Thursday 7 November in Sydney, concluding on Sunday 8 December in all cities.
Tickets are now on sale!
The Russell Hobbs British Film Festival presented by Palace screens in the following locations:
Melbourne: 6 November – 8 December, The Astor Theatre, Palace Balwyn, Palace Brighton Bay, Palace Cinema Como, Palace Westgarth, Palace Penny Lane, The Kino, Pentridge Cinema
Ballarat: 6 November – 8 December, Palace Regent Ballarat
Canberra: 6 November – 8 December, Palace Electric Cinemas
Brisbane: 6 November – 8 December, Palace Barracks, Palace James Street
Adelaide: 6 November – 8 December, Palace Nova Eastend Cinemas, Palace Nova Prospect Cinemas
Perth: 6 November – 8 December, Palace Raine Square, Luna on SX, Leederville and Windsor
Byron Bay: 6 November – 8 December, Palace Byron Bay
Sydney: 7 November – 8 December, Palace Norton Street, Palace Moore Park, Chauvel Cinema, Palace Central
www.britishfilmfestival.com.au
