In the 1990s, an impassioned and articulate American Professor, Deborah Lipstadt (Academy Award-winner Rachel Weisz) publishes a book, Denying The Holocaust: The Growing Assault on Truth and Memory. Soon after, a prominent ‘denier’ referenced in Lipstadt’s work, David Irving (Timothy Spall), sues her for defamation. Suddenly, under the rule of the English legal system, Lipstadt must prove that the Holocaust occurred in order to discredit Irving and clear her name. She is matched with a brilliant but eccentric barrister, Richard Rampton and the exceptionally smart lawyer Anthony Julius, who ask Deborah to buy into a unique and daring strategy—remain silent. Neither Deborah nor a single Holocaust survivor is to take the stand during their defense, thereby avoiding any possibility of emotional bias.
From the screenwriter of The Reader and The Hours, DENIAL is a remarkable and thrilling procedural drama based on true events.
Directed by Cate Shortland (Lore, Somersault), BERLIN SYNDROME follows Clare (Teresa Palmer), an Aussie photographer who travels to Berlin and meets a charismatic local named Andi (Max Riemelt). Their attraction is instant, and after a day wandering the streets of Berlin together, a night of passion ensues. But what initially appears to be the start of a romance suddenly takes an unexpected and sinister turn when Clare wakes the following morning to discover Andi has left for work and locked her in his apartment. An easy mistake to make, of course, except Andi has no intention of letting her go again. Ever. BERLIN SYNDROME is based on the novel of the same name by Melanie Joosten. The film had its World Premiere at this year’s Sundance Film Festival.
Dennis Quaid, Peggy Lipton, Britt Robertson, K.J. Apa and Josh Gad
Based on the beloved, bestselling novel by W. Bruce Cameron and from director Lasse Hallström (The Cider House Rules & The 100-Foot Journey), A DOG’S PURPOSE shares the soulful and surprising story of one devoted dog (voiced by Josh Gad), who finds the meaning of his own existence through the lives of the humans he teaches to laugh and love.
Christian Bale, Oscar Isaac, Charlotte Le Bon and Shohreh Aghdashloo
A romantic rivalry plays out in the final days of the Ottoman Empire in THE PROMISE, a sweeping historical drama starring Golden Globe winner Oscar Isaac, Charlotte Le Bon and Academy Award winner Christian Bale. In 1914, Armenian medical student Michael (Isaac) travels to the grand city of Constantinople to train as a doctor. There, he falls in love with Ana (Le Bon), a French-educated Armenian artist who is already in a relationship with the fiery Chris (Bale), an American journalist reporting on the growing tensions between Turkey and Armenia. Drawn to each other regardless, Michael and Ana are torn apart when they find themselves on the run for their lives as war breaks out and the Empire turns against its own people.
Annette Bening, Greta Gerwig, Elle Fanning, Billy Crudup and Lucas Jade Zumann
With 20TH CENTURY WOMEN, acclaimed filmmaker Mike Mills (Beginners) brings us a richly multilayered, funny, heart-stirring celebration of the complexities of women, family, time, and the connections we search for our whole lives.
Set in Santa Barbara, the film follows Dorothea Fields (Annette Bening), a determined single mother in her mid-50s who is raising her adolescent son, Jamie (newcomer Lucas Jade Zumann, in a breakout performance) at a moment brimming with cultural change and rebellion. Dorothea enlists the help of two younger women in Jamie’s upbringing, via Abbie (Greta Gerwig), a free-spirited punk artist living as a boarder in the Fields’ home, and Julie (Elle Fanning), a savvy and provocative teenage neighbor.
A romantic comedy starring Diane Keaton and Brendan Gleeson, HAMPSTEAD is set in Hampstead Village, London, home to the beautiful Heath, a quiet piece of countryside in the middle of the metropolis. Living on the edge of the Heath is American widow Emily Walters (Keaton), who can’t quite focus on the things that need attention in her life, like her lovely old apartment, her finances or even her son. Everything changes when she meets the eccentric, unkempt Donald (Gleeson), who has lived harmoniously on the Heath for 17 years in a ramshackle hut. Now his lifestyle is under threat as property developers use heavy-handed tactics in an attempt to evict him. As Emily steps up to defend Donald in the escalating battle, she soon finds that, despite his gruff exterior, there is something gentle and alluring about Donald.
Cara Delevingne, Dane DeHaan, Clive Owen, Ethan Hawke and Rihanna
VALERIAN AND THE CITY OF A THOUSAND PLANETS is the visually spectacular new adventure film from Luc Besson, the legendary director of The Professional, The Fifth Element and Lucy, based on the ground-breaking comic book series which inspired a generation of artists, writers and filmmakers. In the 28th century, Valerian (Dane DeHaan) and Laureline (Cara Delevingne) are a team of special operatives charged with maintaining order throughout the human territories. Under assignment from the Minister of Defense, the two embark on a mission to the astonishing city of Alpha—an ever-expanding metropolis where species from all over the universe have converged over centuries to share knowledge, intelligence and cultures with each other. There is a mystery at the center of Alpha, a dark force which threatens the peaceful existence of the City of a Thousand Planets, and Valerian and Laureline must race to identify the marauding menace and safeguard not just Alpha, but the future of the universe.
Liam Neeson, Felicity Jones, Toby Kebbell, Lewis MacDougall and Sigourney Weaver
From acclaimed director Juan Antonio Bayona (The Impossible, The Orphanage), A MONSTER CALLS is a highly moving film based on the hugely popular book by Patrick Ness. A young boy’s vast imagination enables him to see wonder beyond his tough circumstances in this spectacularly visual drama with Lewis MacDougall in the lead role as 12-year-old Conor. The film also stars Sigourney Waver, Felicity Jones, Toby Kebbell, and the melodic and imposing voice of Liam Neeson.
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