This year the Russell Hobbs British Film Festival returns, with films screening across Perth from November 5 to December 7.
The program this year will delight film buffs and casual fans alike, with recognisable names set to star in highly anticipated features making their Australian debut. Overwhelmingly, the program explores family, estrangement and all kinds of love after loss, making for a poignant list of films to explore as we approach the end of the year.
Check out our must-see picks for this year’s festival, or check out our films guide for the whole program, now including session times.
The Choral
The Choral is a standout wartime drama headed up by Oscar nominee Ralph Fiennes, in which a group of choralists discover the joys of singing, while the young male members grapple with their imminent conscription in the army.
The History of Sound
This year’s special presentation is a decade-spanning romance centred around the power of music. Lionel and David meet at the Boston Conservatory in 1917, and years later embark on a journey through Maine’s backwater to collect and preserve traditional songs. This gorgeous period drama is supported by the electric performances of Paul Mescal and Josh O’Connor, two of Hollywood’s most respected up-and-coming actors.
Anemone
Perhaps the most highly anticipated film of the program is Anemone, the directorial debut of Ronan Day-Lewis, and further, the return of the renowned Daniel Day-Lewis to the screen. The father and son are co-writers for this feature, in which a man takes a journey into the woods to reconnect with his estranged brother. Exploring the complex and profound ties of family is only made more compelling by the performances of Sean Bean and Samantha Morton who also star.
Hamnet
One of only three women to win an Academy Award for Best Director, Chloe Zhao has certainly earned the prestige to close out the festival. Hamnet is an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Maggie O’Farrell, in which the story of William Shakespeare is re-framed through the eyes of his wife, Agnes. After a tragedy strikes, their shared experience sets the stage for the creation of Shakespeare’s masterpiece Hamlet.
The film sensitively observes the complexities of love and the healing power of art and creativity, again supported by the compelling performance of Paul Mescal, and the depth of Jessie Buckley.
British Brilliance
Who doesn’t love nostalgia? This year’s British Film Festival is holding a special retrospective entitled British Brilliance.
Throughout Academy Award history, six British films have won Best Picture – Chariots of Fire, Ghandi, Shakespeare In Love, The Bridge on the River Kwai, The English Patient and The King’s Speech.
These iconic entries in the film canon will be screening throughout the festival, so why not see one on the big screen?
Other Highlights
Christmas Karma – From the director of Bend It Like Beckham, a Bollywood style modern-day musical adaptation of A Christmas Carol, starring Hugh Bonneville, Billy Porter, Eva Longoria and Boy George.
Dead of Winter – Emma Thompson stars as Barb, a woman travelling alone through snowbound Minnesota, who realises she is a young girl’s only hope after stumbling upon a crime in progress.
Glenrothan – Two estranged brothers (Alan Cumming and Brian Cox, the latter in his directorial debut) are drawn home by loss, where the pull of tradition ignites a transformative journey in the Scottish Highlands.
The Thing With Feathers – An acclaimed novella adapted to screen and led by Benedict Cumberbatch, a young father struggling to raise his sons after a sudden family loss.
& Sons – This family drama starring Bill Nighy, Johnny Flynn, George MacKay, Imelda Staunton and Dominic West tells the story of a world-renowned reclusive novelist who summons his estranged sons home, believing his death is approaching.
