Stranger than Fiction
Stranger than Fiction features a wide selection of live action and animated films that contemplate questions of love, life and adventure, highlighting hopes, frustrations and dreams from everyday life.
Ghost World 2001 MA15+
Wed 11 Jan 6.00pm and Wed 3 Mar 8.00pm / Cinema A
35MM, COLOUR, DOLBY DIGITAL, 111 MINUTES, USA, ENGLISH / DIRECTOR: TERRY ZWIGOFF / BASED ON THE GRAPHIC NOVEL ‘GHOST WORLD’ (2001) BY DANIEL CLOWES / SCRIPT: DANIEL CLOWES, TERRY ZWIGOFF / CINEMATOGRAPHER: AFFONSO BEATO / EDITOR: CAROLE KRAVETZ AYKANIAN / CAST: THORA BIRCH, SCARLETT JOHANSSON, STEVE BUSCEMI / PRODUCTION CO: UNITED ARTISTS, GRANADA FILM PRODUCTIONS, JERSEY SHORE, MR MUDD, ADVANCED MEDIEN, CAPITOL FILMS / PRINT SOURCE/RIGHTS: PARAMOUNT PICTURES/ SCREENING FORMAT: DIGITAL CINEMA
Ghost World is an offbeat study of two adolescent misfits uncertain of their futures post-high school. Best friends Enid and Rebecca are sarcastic, pseudo-intellectuals who spend their days hanging out at the local convenience store. When Enid finds herself one class short of her diploma she heads off to summer school and meets fellow misfit Seymour, whose presence drives a wedge between the girls.
The Heir Apparent: Largo Winch 2008 Ages 15+
Sat 14 Jan 6.00pm / Cinema A
35MM, COLOUR, DOLBY DIGITAL, 108 MINUTES, FRANCE/BELGIUM, FRENCH/ENGLISH / DIRECTOR: JÉRÔME SALLE / BASED ON THE COMIC SERIES ‘LARGO WINCH’ BY PHILIPPE FRANCQ AND JEAN VAN HAMME / SCRIPT: JULIEN RAPPENEAU, JÉRÔME SALLE / CINEMATOGRAPHER: DENIS ROUDEN / EDITOR: RICHARD MARIZY / CAST: TOMER SISLEY, KRISTIN SCOTT THOMAS, MIKI MANOJLOVIC / PRODUCTION CO: PAN EUROPEENNE PRODUCTION, WILD BUNCH, TF1 FILMS, CASA PRODUCTIONS, ARANEO, SOFICA VALOR 7, SOFICA SGAM AL CINEMA 1, LE TAZ SHELTER DU GOVERNMENT FEDERAL DE BELGIQUE, PROCIREP, ANGOA-AGICOA, CANAL+, CINECINEMA / PRINT SOURCE/RIGHTS: WILD BUNCH
When billionaire Nerio Winch is murdered, his reluctant heir Largo must take over the reins of his late father's international corporation. He faces an onslaught of drug traffickers, assassins, militia fighters and double-dealing corporate-political traders to fulfill his destiny at the head of the table.
Mimi wo sumaseba (Whisper of the Heart) 1995 PG
Sun 22 Jan 1.00pm / Cinema A
35MM, COLOUR, DOLBY, 111 MINUTES, JAPAN, JAPANESE (ENGLISH SUBTITLES) / DIRECTOR: YOSHIFUMI KONDŌ / BASED ON THE ORIGINAL MANGA SERIES ‘MIMI O SUMASEBA’ (1989) BY AOI HIIRAGI / SCRIPT: HAYAO MIYAZAKI / CINEMATOGRAPHER: ATSUSHI OKUI / EDITOR: TAKESHI SEYAMA / CAST: YOKO HONNA, ISSEI TAKAHASHI, SHIGERU MUROI, TAKASHI TACHIBANA, KEIJU KOBAYASHI / PRODUCTION CO: STUDIO GHIBLI / PRINT SOURCE/RIGHTS: MADMAN ENTERTAINMENT
Created by the famed Studio Ghibi with screenplay by Hayao Miyazaki, Whisper of the Heart is an enchanting coming-of-age story that follows Suzuka in her final year of junior high. Directed by Yoshifumi Kondo, this guileless tale mixes dreamlike flights of fancy with dawning maturity as Suzuka realises her quiet dream of becoming a writer.
Kurenai no buta (Porco Rosso) 1992 PG
Sun 22 Jan 3.00pm / Cinema A
35MM, COLOUR, DOLBY, 94 MINUTES, JAPAN, JAPANESE (ENGLISH SUBTITLES) / DIRECTOR/SCRIPT: HAYAO MIYAZAKI / BASED ON THE MANGA ‘HIKŌTEI JIDAI’ (1989) BY HAYAO MIYAZAKI / CINEMATOGRAPHER: ATSUSHI OKUI / EDITOR: TAKESHI SEYAMA / CAST: SHUICHIRO MORIYAMA, TOKIKO KATO, SANSHI KATSURA / PRODUCTION CO: JAPAN AIRLINES, NIBARIKI, NIPPON TELEVISION NETWORK CORPORATION, STUDIO GHIBLI, TNNG, TOHO COMPANY, TOKUMA SHOTEN / PRINT SOURCE/RIGHTS: MADMAN ENTERTAINMENT
Hayao Miyazaki’s homage to Hollywood's wartime adventure films is a high-flying frolic following the escapades of a former World War One flying ace. Once a well-built young man, he was mysteriously transformed into a humanoid pig after a failed mission. Now a freelance bounty hunter chasing ‘air pirates’, Porco must face his biggest rival in the air — a gruelling test of endurance that culminates in a hilarious finale.
When the Wind Blows 1986 PG
Wed 25 Jan 8.00pm / Cinema A
35MM, COLOUR, DOLBY, 80 MINUTES, UK, ENGLISH / DIRECTOR: JIMMY MURAKAMI / BASED ON THE GRAPHIC NOVEL ‘WHEN THE WIND BLOWS’ (1982) BY RAYMOND BRIGGS / SCRIPT: RAYMOND BRIGGS / EDITOR: JOHN CARY / CAST: PEGGY ASHCROFT, JOHN MILLS, ROBIN HOUSTON / PRODUCTION CO: MELTDOWN PRODUCTIONS, BRITISH SCREEN PRODUCTIONS, FILM FOUR INTERNATIONAL, TVC LONDON, PENGUIN BOOKS / PRINT SOURCE/RIGHTS: PARK CIRCUS
While reminiscing about their World War Two experiences, a retired couple prepares their rural Sussex home for an impending nuclear attack with the help of a government-issued pamphlet. Mixing drawn and stop-motion animation, When the Wind Blows is a deeply poignant manifestation of the paranoia which gripped the world during the Cold War.
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World 2010 M
Fri 27 Jan 6.00pm (with Axe Cop) / Cinema A
35MM, COLOUR, DOLBY DIGITAL, 112 MINUTES, USA/UK, ENGLISH, DIRECTOR: EDGAR WRIGHT / BASED ON THE GRAPHIC NOVEL SERIES ‘SCOTT PILGRIM’ (2004-10) BY BYRAN LEE O’MALLEY / SCRIPT: EDGAR WRIGHT, MICHAEL BASCALL / CINEMATOGRAPHER: BILL POPE / EDITORS: JONATHAN AMOS, PAUL MACHLISS / CAST: MICHAEL CERA, MARY ELIZABETH WINSTEAD, KIERAN CULKIN / PRODUCTION CO: UNIVERSAL PICTURES, MARC PLATT PRODUCTIONS, BIG TALK PRODUCTIONS, CLOSED ON MONDAYS ENTERTAINMENT, DENTSU, RELATIVITY MEDIA, SCOTT PILGRIM PRODUCTIONS / PRINT SOURCE/RIGHTS: PARAMOUNT PICTURES
Tapping into the logic and aesthetics of video games, Scott Pilgrim redefines the modern romantic comedy through a triumph of dizzying cinematic style. Sex Bom-omb guitarist Scott has been drifting since he was dumped by his girlfriend. Now dating the intensely devoted Knives, his slacker existence seems endless until a girl he has dreamt about materialises in the real world in the form of uber-cool Ramona. Now Scott must find a way to breakup with Knives and romance the almost-perfect Ramona – not an easy task when he must first defeat her seven powerful ex-lovers in order to date her.
American Splendor 2003 M
Sat 28 Jan 4.00pm (with S.P.I.C.: The Storyboard of My Life) and Sat 3 Mar 6.00pm / Cinema A
35MM, COLOUR, DOLBY DIGITAL, 101 MINUTES, USA, ENGLISH, DIRECTORS: SHARI SPRINGER BERMAN, ROBERT PULCINI / BASED ON THE COMIC SERIES ‘AMERICAN SPLENDOR’ (1976-2008) BY HARVEY PEKAR / SCRIPT: SHARI SPRINGER BERMAN, ROBERT PULICINI / CINEMATOGRAPHER: TERRY STACEY / EDITOR: ROBERT PULCINI / CAST: PAUL GIAMATTI, HOPE DAVIS, JUDAH FRIEDLANDER / PRODUCTION CO: GOOD MACHINE / PRINT SOURCE RIGHTS: RIALTO DISTRIBUTION
Ordinary life is pretty complex stuff. Working-class everyman Harvey Pekar’s has continued to chronicle the worn tapestry of his life from workday miseries as a file clerk, his failed love affairs and numbing loneliness. Transposed to screen, American Splendor explores the comic writer through the prism of different depictions: the drawn, the acted and the real. Amidst the curmudgeonly tirades, optimism arrives in the form of Pekar’s third wife, whose presence brings a loving poignancy to this ongoing story.
Persepolis 2007 M
Sun 29 Jan 1.00pm / Cinema A
35MM, BLACK AND WHITE, DOLBY DIGITAL, 96 MINUTES, FRANCE/USA, FRRENCH/ENGLISH / DIRECTORS: MARJANE SATRAPI, VINCENT PARONNAUD / BASED ON THE ORIGINAL GRAPHIC NOVELS ‘PERSEPOLIS: THE STORY OF A CHILDHOOD’ (2000) AND ‘PERSEPOLIS 2: THE STORY OF A RETURN’ (2000) BY MARJANE SATRAPI / SCRIPT: MARJANE SATRAPI, VINCENT PARONNAUD / EDITOR: STEPHANE ROCHE / CAST: CHIARA MASTROIANNI, CATHERINE DENEUVE, DANIELLE DARRIEUX / PRODUCTION CO: 247 FILMS, FRANCE 3 CINEMA, THE KENNEDY/MARSHALL COMPANY, FRENCH CONNECTION ANIMATIONS, DIAPHANA FILMS, CELLULOID DREAMS, SONY PICTURES CLASSICS, SOFICINEMA, SOFICA EUROPACORP, CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA CINEMATOGRAPHIE, RAGION IIE-DE-FRANCE, FONDATION GAN PUR LE CINEMA, PROCIREP, SOCIETE DES PRODUCTEURS DE L’ANGOA / PRINT SOURCE/RIGHTS: ROADSHOW ENTERTAINMENT
Based on Marjane Satrapi’s affecting autobiographical graphic novel, Persépolis charts a young woman’s coming of age against the tumultuous framework of the Iranian Revolution. Beautifully realised in black-and-white the animation explored the issue surrounding culture, religion and social awareness.
Les Aventures extraordinaires d'Adèle Blanc-Sec (The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec) 2010 Ages 12+
Sun 5 Feb 1.00pm (with The Adventures of Tintin : Tintin in America) / Cinema A
35MM, COLOUR, DOLBY DIGITAL, 107 MINUTES, FRANCE, FRENCH (ENGLISH SUBTITLES) / DIRECTOR: LUC BESSON / BASED ON THE COMIC SERIES ‘LES AVENTURES EXTRAORDINAIRES D'ADÈLE BLANC-SEC’ (1976–2007) BY JACQUES TARDI / SCRIPT: LUC BESSON, JACQUES TARDI / CINEMATOGRAPHER: THIERRY ARBOGAST / EDITOR: JULIEN REY / CAST: LOUISE BOUGOIN, MATHIEU AMALRIC, GILLES LELLOUCHE / PRODUCTION CO: EUROPA CORP, APOPOULAI, TF1 FILMS PRODUCTION, CANAL+ SOFICA EUROPACORP, CONFINOVA 6 / PRINT SOURCE: THE FESTIVAL AGENCY / RIGHTS: ROADSHOW ENTERTAINMENT
Based on the most famous comic book heroine in France, The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec follows the intrepid investigative journalist as she treks across Egypt to retrieve a sarcophagus believed to hold the cure for her catatonic sister. During her journey she is forced to fend off her nemesis, archaeologist Dieuleveult, eliminate an ancient Pterodactyl loosed in the skies of Paris and battle villainous character trying to thwart her plans. This is the first of a projected trilogy of live-action feature films approved of by the comic creator.
Screens with The Adventures of Tintin: Tintin in America 1992 (30mins) based on the original comic books by Hergé.
Son Osmanlı Yandım Ali (The Last Ottoman: Knockout Ali) 2007 Ages 15+
Sun 26 Feb 12.30pm / Cinema A
35MM, COLOUR, DOLBY DIGITAL, 119 MINUTES, TURKEY, TURKISH/ENGLISH / DIRECTOR: MUSTAFA ŞEVKI DOĞAN / BASED ON THE COMIC ‘SON OSMANLI YANDIM ALI’ (2006) BY SUAT YALAZ / SCRIPT: BAYKUT BADEM, MEHMET SOYARSLAN, SUAT YALAZ / CINEMATOGRAPHER: ZEKERIYA KURTULUŞ / EDITOR: / MUSIC: AYTEKIN G. ATAS, HASAN SALTIK / CAST: KENAN IMIRZALIOGLU, CANSU DERE, EMIN BOZTEPE / PRODUCTION CO: OZEN FILM / PRINT SOURCE/RIGHTS: ÖZEN FILMS/ SCREENING FORMAT: DIGITAL CINEMA
Told in the vein of a Hollywood swashbuckler, The Last Ottoman tells of the legendary Yandim Ali, a disillusioned navy sergeant who returns from military service to find his former fiancée married another man. Set in the years after World War Two when Allied forces occupied the Ottoman capital of Istanbul, Ali meets the charismatic resistance leader Mustafa whose deep patriotism reignites his own passions to save his country.
Tamara Drewe 2010 M
Sun 26 Feb 2.45pm / Cinema A
35MM, COLOUR, DOLBY DIGITAL, 109 MINUTES, UK, ENGLISH / DIRECTOR: STEPHEN FREARS / BASED ON THE COMIC STRIP ‘TAMARA DREWE’ (2005-07) BY POSY SIMMONDS / SCRIPT: MOIRA BUFFINI / CINEMATOGRAPHER: BEN DAVIS / EDITOR: MICK AUDSLEY / CAST: GEMMA ARTERTON, DOMINIC COOPER / PRODUCTION CO: RUBY FILMS, BBC FILMS, NOTTING HILL FILMS, UK FILM COUNCIL, WESTEND FILMS / PRINT SOURCE/RIGHTS: ROADSHOW ENTERTAINMENT
When former ugly duckling-turned-swan Tamara Drewe returns to the quiet English village of Ewedown in order to finalise her deceased mothers estate, her arrive causes a stir amongst the male population. Romanced by local indie band drummer Ben, married womanizer and local celebrity Nicholas and former boyfriend Andy, Tamara must decide if leaving behind Ewedown once and for all is really what she wants.
