Discoveries from United Kingdom World Cinema

A young boy's dream of finding his dead father comes true when his father visits him as an angel. But things turn sour when he discovers that his father was not the hero he imagined him to be.

Sicilian-born Maddalena has moved to a Devonshire village in England to escape volatile sexual tempers. She marries, but the lust she inspires in the villagers makes them drop dead.

A young California screenwriter and his composer girlfriend exchange their Echo Park home for a sprawling Tudor mansion near Glastonbury, England, in the hope of finding creative inspiration. Thinking they have the best of the bargain, they soon learn that the house comes with a stalker who seems able to enter through locked doors. Driven beyond endurance by the continual harassment, the screenwriter sets a trap to exact his revenge...

Ascendancy is a 1983 British film. It tells the story of a woman who is a member of the British landowning 'Ascendancy' in Ireland during World War I. Gradually, she learns about the Irish independence movement, and becomes involved with it.

A young woman trades her upper-class existence for a new life in an economically depressed suburb of London.

About to move away for work, a kind man tries to convince his friend, a young prostitute, to stop working and run away with him - but all may not be as it seems.

Orthodox tells the story of Benjamin, an Orthodox Jewish man who alienated himself from his community by becoming a boxer. When his life took a wrong turn he ended up in prison, losing his wife and children in the process. Now he is out and desperate to reintegrate, he finds that acceptance harder than he ever imagined. He turns back to his old boxing coach thinking there he has an ally, but a truth about the past emerges which leaves him even more isolated than he once thought. Benjamin must make a choice which will effect not just his own future but the life of a young Jewish boy whose life he can relate to. He is determined not to allow history to repeat itself.

Alec Graham is sentenced to death for the murder of his girlfriend Jennie, with whom he spent a weekend at the English country home of the parents of his friend Brian Stanford. Alec’s father, David Graham, a not-so-successful writer and alcoholic who has neglected his son in the past, flies in from Canada to visit his son on death row. David then goes on a quest to try and clear his son’s name while battling “the bottle.”

Andy works at the Hastings Telephone Exchange. All day, every day he copes with emergencies, from squashed seagulls to suicide attempts. Buton this particular day he takes a series of calls from someone who is threatening to murder him.

A trio of con-artists rip off some gangsters and lie low in a rented house. Christy tries to see the sting through whilst an unwanted guest, Phil, soon has Nick under his spell and Chloe firmly in his sights.

When a group of college kids get together for a weekend of partying, they find themselves mixed up in a murderous plot. Having planned on a weekend of hard-core debauchery, the English students and their visiting American friends do not notice when a series of mindless murders and acts of terrorism are carried out around them.

Two friends struggle to make a small time illicit deal in south east London.

Harriet Blossom is married to Robert Blossom, a businessman who'd rather spend the night at his bra factory than at home with her. One day, Harriet's sewing machine breaks, so Robert sends a repairman, Ambrose, to fix it. It's lust at first sight for Harriet, who convinces Ambrose to hide out in the attic for a tryst. When her new beau shows no desire to leave, the pair begin a years-long love affair right under Robert's nose.

An unflinching portrait of life in Gaza at the height of Israeli attacks. The filmmakers follow a British doctor of Palestinian origin who travels to volunteer in a local hospital. What emerges is an uncensored chronicle of war, the daily fight to sustain a collapsing medical system under relentless bombardment, and the immense emotional burden carried by victims and their families.

The pupils of the Dora Jackson School of Dancing compete in the 1960 Classical Dance Festival in Scarborough. Fifties rock 'n' roll meets classical ballet with the arrival of Dora's ex-boyfriend Clifford and a mysterious ghost.

In 1965 - the eve of decriminalization for acts of male homosexuality in the U.K. - Matthews, a young gay man at odds with the world, discovers love, sex, and a new family in the backstreets and underground bars of Soho.

Two retired bank robbers agree to one last job. A face from their past steals their proceeds and divides the cash into 7 Cases.... each one is left with someone they know. If they take a case, the victim dies... if they don't get there in time... the victim dies.... if they tamper with the traps...they all die... Their day goes from bad to worse as they encounter all the faces from their past and have to make some heartbreaking decisions.

A BAFTA award nominated documentary about Danilo Dolci's 1967 march across Sicily as an expression of his fight against poverty, corruption and violence, together with transcripts of an interview with Dolci.

A London man who loses his memory when he's struck by a falling object develops a way to reconstruct his past.

Musical short, filmed for the abandoned portmanteau film Red, White and Zero (1967).

Looks back at Andrew 'Freddie' Flintoff’s incredible life and cricketing career that saw him win two Ashes series with England and become a national sporting hero, whilst charting his life today and return to cricket following his life-altering car crash in 2022.

When the British army looks set to defeat Mussolini’s Italian forces, Hitler sends reinforcements; the Afrika Korps led by General Rommel. The Desert Fox is on winning form until Montgomery, the British commander, sets up a plan to crush his opponent. After the American landing in North Africa, the Axis armies have no choice but to surrender and put an end to the Desert War.

It took his whole life to live and three full years to film Chuck Leavell: The Tree Man. Filmed in four countries with more than 80 interviews from artists with a combined 58 Grammy Awards by the artist included, “Chuck Leavell: The Tree Man,” an Allen Farst film, is the cinematic documentary that shines a light on one of the greatest rock’n roll pianists and keyboardists over the last 40 years. Not just known for his musical influence, Leavell is also one of the biggest names in environmental forestry and was selected the National Tree Farmer of the Year in the United States. -His commitment to the planet and his strong family ties are refreshing reminders to be kind and treat your neighbor with respect. As Leavell puts it, “if you cut a tree down, plant two for the next guy.”

Derek, in chronological order, records the work and life that stands at the foot of Derek Jarman's humour and spirit of being an artist. The filmmaker and actress, Isaac Julien and Tilda Swinton respectively, have produced and narrated a film on his life whereby the use of language is perpetuated to give some type of palpable meaning to British audiences alone, and to their own personal relationship with him.

Set against the backdrop of 1980s Britain, four young men – Boy George, Roy Hay, Mikey Craig, and Jon Moss – formed a multi-racial, ethnically diverse, and sexually liberated band with a style and sound that challenged the status quo during the era of New Romantics and Margaret Thatcher’s Britain.

To celebrate her 80th birthday, the Queen is holding a children's party in the grounds of Buckingham Palace. She has invited many classic characters from British children's literature. But when the baddies, led by Cruella de Vil, discover that they have not been invited, they steal the Queen's handbag containing her spectacles and the text of her speech; without it, the Queen will not be able to make a speech at the party. Can the goodies find the handbag in time?

A fiery street boxer infiltrates London’s infamous Bedlam asylum to rescue his imprisoned sister, unleashing chaos in a brutal underworld of cage fights, corruption, and revenge.

A frustrated sorceress, a guy from the United Kingdom intimidated, a creative best friend.

The true story of airman Douglas Bader who overcame the loss of both legs in a 1931 flying accident to become a successful fighter pilot and wing leader during World War II.

Calvin Trask lives in a dead end Arctic town on the fringes of society, until mysterious stranger Lucas Wade arrives, turning his solitary life upside down. Calvin's curiosity gets the better of him and is quickly pulled into Lucas' dangerous world. As secrets slowly unravel, Calvin realises just what kind of jeopardy he's put himself in, a place where murder and betrayal are at the forefront, in this icy Nordic thriller.

A recently bereaved man takes up a caretaker position at an elite academy and soon uncovers dark secrets.

Gonzo the Great talks about the Muppets creator Jim Henson and what he did before the television show was made in 1976.

The suicide of an old woman from her apartment building sends a nurse on a strange journey back through time to try to rectify her past mistakes.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, a rowdy young prodigy, arrives in Vienna, the music capital of the world – and he’s determined to make a splash. Awestruck by his genius, court composer Antonio Salieri has the power to promote his talent or destroy his name. Seized by obsessive jealousy he begins a war with Mozart, with music, and ultimately, with God.

A veteran bank robber and his sidekicks plan a heist that goes awry.

After 25 years playing Hercule Poirot, British actor David Suchet explores the enduring appeal of his most legendary character.

In a dystopian future, where one ex-government scientist holds the key to ending the nation's famine, only a government investigator can stand in his way. His secret research is threatened when a neighbour reports his suspicious behaviour.

Ruthless killer for hire breaks the rules of his profession and falls for a beautiful young woman. Discovering the notorious gangland brothers had hired him to kill her father, his world breaks down and he must turn against his criminal employers and their gang to save the woman he loves.

A young transgender woman takes a hike through the English countryside in an attempt to resolve her spiritual crisis - but an ancient evil strives to ensure that she never completes her journey.

Alienated from the rest of the scientific Institute in which they live, a lonely housewife and her teenage son break the ultimate taboo, with only their submissive maid to bear witness.

Samantha and daughter Blake invite Chloe, a foreign exchange student from Britain, into their California home. The two girls become close friends but Samantha's uneasiness begins with the suspicious death of Blake's boyfriend. Samantha sets out to prove her daughter's innocence, discovering Chloe's ultimate plan is to "adopt" Samantha as her "mum".

When MP's wife Grace Goodwin is found naked on a London street, Harry Price is summoned to investigate claims that her house is haunted.

A wealthy, successful, East-Anglian tulip grower, Dad Savage is also something of a godfather in the local criminal fraternity but doesn't trust banks to take care of his money. On recommendation from his son, Sav, Dad hires two of Sav's unemployed school friends, Bob and Vic, to help with the business and the crime. After some careless talk from Harold, just known as 'H', about Dad's pension fund, Vic and Bob decide to steal the money from Dad if they can find it. The plans to liberate the money go awry and Sav is killed requiring Bob to call upon his sister Chris to rescue them. Dad intercepts their escape and forces a showdown to try to determine exactly the events of the night in order to identify his son's killer.

When Phil, an ordinary guy with a quiet life, runs into the film star of his dreams at the cheese counter he can’t believe his luck – or his nerves. What begins as a mutual love of cheese turns into an unexpected connection.

In a dreary North London flat, the site of perpetual psychological warfare, a philosophy professor visits his family after a nine-year absence and introduces the four men - father, uncle and two brothers - to his wife.

A naive young country girl moves to Dublin and finds herself drawn to a sophisticated author twice her age.

When Lucy Honeychurch and chaperon Charlotte Bartlett find themselves in Florence with rooms without views, fellow guests Mr Emerson and son George step in to remedy the situation. Meeting the Emersons could change Lucy's life forever but, once back in England, how will her experiences in Tuscany affect her marriage plans?

Bob Stevens awakens in a hospital with a gunshot wound to his head, and is told that he has been in Paris for ten days. However, this cannot be true because he insists that he crashed his plane and has no recollection of being anywhere for ten days. Bob decides to follow a note found in his jacket, to the woman who wrote it, "Miss D", and get to the bottom of the whole strange situation.

Slacker Schoolboy Tim is an expert in wasting time. So what happens when he discovers he has two hours left to live?

James is useless with women, but his luck changes under the tutelage of pick-up artist, Ampersand. As James learns the art of seduction he begins to wonder about Ampersand’s intentions and questions what would truly make him happy in life.

This is the story of the lovely Kate Swallow and the loves of her life. At the start she is with Alec Bolton, a noted author, who discourages her when she wants to write a novel. Later she is swept off her feet by Alecs publisher, Vanni Corso, and leaves Alec for Vanni. She writes another novel and Vanni tells her he doesn't think the book will sell. Both of their actions are an indication of their vanity and fear of losing her.

Annie Kirk's life is in chaos. She is broke, unemployed, can't pay her poll tax and has two boyfriends she wants to be shot of. She is determined to break out, but how can she get the cash? Annie dreams up an ingenious plan - having a baby. The plan has alarming consequences.

Teachers at a Cornish secondary school are playing catch up to the 21st Century as two teens are elected prom king and king.

Pete Postlethwaite stars as a man living alone in the devastated future world of 2055, looking at old footage from 2008 and asking: why didn’t we stop climate change when we had the chance?

Twice Round the Daffodils is a 1962 British comedy drama film directed by Gerald Thomas and starring Juliet Mills, Donald Sinden, Donald Houston, Kenneth Williams, Ronald Lewis, Andrew Ray, Joan Sims and Jill Ireland. A new group of patients arrive at a hospital to be treated for tuberculosis where they all take a fancy to one of the nurses. The film was adapted from the play Ring for Catty by Patrick Cargill and Jack Beale. Carry on Nurse from 1959 was based on the same play. The cast and production team of Twice Round the Daffodils create a noticeable similarity with the Carry On films, but the film is not an official member of the Carry On series.

1 Giant Leap is a concept band and media project consisting of the two principal artists, Jamie Catto and Duncan Bridgeman. This is the film part of their first project. The result is a flowing, loose-knit tapestry of imagery, interviews, and diverse performances. Gathering material from 25 countries and dozens of famous and not-so-famous musicians, authors, celebrities, spiritualists, philosophers, and unique individuals from nearly every cultural background, this enveloping DVD is best enjoyed as a soothing audiovisual odyssey (select "loop mode" for continuous play!). Assembling this cornucopia by theme (Time, Inspiration, Sex, God, Death, etc.), Bridgeman and Catto function as co-composers with an astonishing array of collaborators, giving 1 Giant Leap its richly international (and some might say inter-spiritual) identity. The result is a far-reaching glimpse of our world through the eyes of those who improve it by their musical presence. --Jeff Shannon

At an institute devoted to culinary and alimentary performance, a collective finds themselves embroiled in power struggles, artistic vendettas and gastrointestinal disorders.

Filmed on the road during his 2022 Greatest Hit Tour, director Chris Atkins followed James Blunt across Europe and delves into James Blunt's unique backstory. From witnessing the Kosovo War, recording the biggest selling album of the '00s, enduring the backlash that followed his success, and then tweeting his way back to becoming a national treasure, this is an intimate portrait of James Blunt as never seen before – a brutally honest story of a painfully self-aware, endlessly touring musician, for whom persistence eventually prevails.

Debbie, a working class single mother from Leeds, moves her family to Bradford, where they find themselves in an ethnic minority. Daughter Leah must adapt to being the only white girl at school.

In 1609, William Shakespeare published a collection of 154 sonnets, creating what is arguably the greatest lyric sequence in English literature - and at the center of this masterpiece lies a mystery that has endured for centuries. What are the identities of “the young man” and “the dark lady” to whom all but two of the sonnets allude? This moving performance brings to life the gritty reality of Shakespeare’s England, bits of the Bard’s plays and poems, and the consummate poet and dramatist himself as it exposes these personages unseen but so keenly felt in Shakespeare’s sonnets and in his life. Rupert Graves, Tom Sturridge, Indira Varma, Anna Chancellor, and Zoë Wanamaker star. Contains mature themes and explicit language. Some content may be objectionable. Produced by the Open University.