Dir: Lawrence Kasdan, US, 1981, Thriller. William Hurt, Kathleen Turner, Richard Crenna. “Body Heat is an engrossing, mightily stylish noir thriller in which sex and crime walk hand in hand down the path to tragedy, just like in the old days... Lawrence Kasdan makes an impressively confident directorial debut. William Hurt is a spirited but struggling lawyer just getting by in a marginal Florida coast town whose persistent pursuit of sultry Kathleen Turner pays off in the way of a torrid affair, highly satisfying for both parties. She’s the young wife of loaded middle-aged businessman Richard Crenna, and it isn’t long before the passion can’t tolerate the limitations imposed. Just as in Double Indemnity it’s the dame who hatches the murder plot, with the guy finally falling into line and coming up with the ingenious way to pull it off. However familiar the elements, Kasdan has brought the drama alive by steeping it in humid, virtually oozing atmosphere. The heat of the title is palpably evident... Hurt successfully mixes both laconicism and innocence. In her film debut, Turner registers strongly as a hard gal with a past.” - Variety

Dir: Peter Weir, US, 1985, Thriller/Drama/Romance. Harrison Ford, Kelly McGillis, Lukas Haas, Jan Rubes. Academy Award nominee for Best Picture, Director, and Actor; Winner for Best Screenplay and Editing. “Witness begins like many thrillers, with a murder, this time at a city railway station. The killing is witnessed by a small boy who is a member of the Amish community… Pursued by the bad guys, the boy and his widowed mother are protected by a cop, who takes them back to their village and awaits the killers' arrival, just as Gary Cooper did in High Noon… Witness is partly a love story and partly a thriller, but mainly a study of cultural collision… This bucolic world is brilliantly evoked: there is a magical barn-raising scene, a beautiful sequence when an embarrassed yet lustful Ford discovers a half-naked McGillis in the middle of her ablutions, and a telling episode as the Amish endure the hostility of the tourists who gawp at them. The performances are immaculate, with Ford shining in his first serious dramatic role after his action escapades as Han Solo and Indiana Jones. McGillis is perfectly cast, the camera adoring her Nordic beauty beneath her bonnet… There are also fine turns by Alexander Godunov as McGillis's suitor, and Danny Glover as one of the heavies. Yet it's Weir's delicacy of touch that impresses the most.” - John Ferguson, Radio Times (UK)

One Night Only! Dir: Mohammadreza Eyni/Sara Khaki, Iran/Canada/USA, Documentary. In Farsi with English subtitles. Academy Award Nominee and Sundance Winner for Best Documentary. “This portrait of Sara Shahverdi, the first woman elected to the council of her village [in remote northwestern Iran], is propelled by her no-nonsense resourcefulness, whether she’s overseeing the construction of a playground or helping women to move beyond antiquated traditions. In the dusty outpost where Shahverdi lives, the general philosophy is that... ‘a woman should live with her husband or father.’ Shahverdi, a former midwife, does neither; she’s divorced and lives alone... She’s the only female motorcyclist in the region - until some of the teenagers who admire her start riding. Watching one girl’s first spin, Shahverdi is a vision of pride and delight... But her work is serious. She uses a campaign promise to install gas lines as a way of securing property ownership rights for women, and urges schoolgirls to continue their education… Sara Khaki and Mohammadreza Eyni have made a film that pulses with so much hopefulness that when Shahverdi’s story takes a shocking turn, it’s a punch to the solar plexus. But Shahverdi, facing the possibility of unspeakable consequences for her unconventional ways, doesn’t cave to despair. Her steeliness and strength are magnificent, but it’s her equanimity that delivers the film’s most powerful jolt.”- Sheri Linden, The New York Times

Dir: Nat Boltt, New Zealand/Canada, 2026, Comedy/Drama. Miriam Margolyes, Jacki Weaver, Judy Davis, Elijah Tamati. "Holy Days is a wildly charming, big-hearted adventure that sends three defiantly spirited nuns on the road in search of a miracle—only to discover they’re far better at raising a little hell. When the sisters of St. Suzanne’s convent face forced retirement, they stage a last-ditch escape to New Zealand’s breathtaking South Island, hoping an ex-nun-turned-lawyer can save their home. Their journey takes an unexpected turn when a young Māori boy joins them, carrying a secret mission of his own: reaching the summit of Mt. Cook to find his recently departed mother before she crosses into the spirit world. As a sudden snowstorm threatens their plans, this unlikely band of companions is pushed to the limits of faith, courage, and friendship. With echoes of Little Miss Sunshine, Wonder, and The Peanut Butter Falcon, the film blends humor, heartfelt emotion, and adventure into a story that celebrates love, loss, and the resilience that keeps us moving forward. Holy Days delivers stunning landscapes, unexpected connections, and an ensemble of unforgettable characters finding exactly what they need—just not in the way they expect. Uplifting, tender, and delightfully offbeat, it’s a crowd-pleasing odyssey destined to charm audiences of all ages." - The Victoria Film Festival

Dir: Kirk Jones, UK, 2025, Drama/Comedy/True Story. Robert Aramayo, Maxine Peake, Shirley Henderson, Peter Mullan. BAFTA Winner for Best Actor and Best Casting. “I Swear begins in irreverent form. As John Davidson lines up to receive his MBE from Queen Elizabeth II, his nerves get the better of him. ‘Fuck the Queen!’ he blurts out. It’s a deliciously iconoclastic moment, and one that serves both sides of this delightful film’s two wolves: the warm-and-fuzzy teatime template... and the involuntarily foul-mouthed subject that it tracks. Directed by Kirk Jones (Waking Ned Devine), I Swear tells the true story of a Scottish man living with Tourette syndrome, at a time when public awareness of the condition was virtually nonexistent. After that royal run-in, the story flashes back to 1983, where we meet John as a young boy. He is happy and popular... When involuntary tics start to creep into his voice and mannerisms, though, his life starts to unravel... By the time we meet John as an adult he is treated like a second-class citizen. It is only when he meets Dottie... a mental health nurse brimming with gentle warmth and kindness, that life becomes tolerable... Another of the film’s strengths: it is very, very funny. Without ever punching down, it recognises the inherent absurdity of John’s sweariest tics... This is a film which does justice to those living with Tourette’s, honouring without judging, celebrating without condescending... It’s sweet, funny, and unusually moving.” – John Nugent, Empire

(Maigret et le mort amoureux) Dir: Pascal Bonitzer, France, 2026, Mystery/Drama. Denis Podalydès, Anne Alvaro, Manuel Guillot, Irène Jacob. In French with English subtitles. Following the breakout success of 2025 hit The Stolen Painting, acclaimed writer/director Pascal Bonitzer brings his unique perspective and panache to Simenon’s cherished Parisian detective - a French counterpart to Poirot - as he attempts to solve the murder of a diplomat with a long-held secret. Inspector Maigret (four-time César nominee Denis Podalydès, in a tremendous performance) is urgently summoned to the Quai d’Orsay: a former ambassador has been found shot dead by his long-serving housekeeper. Forewarned that he will find a series of salacious letters - and cautioned to be discreet - Maigret heads to the victim’s opulent apartment. He finds no forensic evidence at the crime scene, but certainly, the letters prove startling - secret, decades-spanning correspondence between the ambassador and the Princess of Vuynes, whose own husband, by strange coincidence, has also just died… Bonitzer delivers an absorbing, wholly compelling mystery that also serves as a thoughtful examination of modern life’s key concerns: hierarchy, aging, and the very different worlds that money creates. Best of all, the twist ending is… a killer. - Alliance Francaise French Film Festival

Dir: Pamela Gallant, Canada, 2026, Drama. Polly Gallant-McLean, Kevin Kincaid, Allegra Fulton. Best Director Winner, Screen Nova Scotia Awards. Set in a conservative Catholic village in Nova Scotia in the early 1970s, this assured debut feature is the coming-of-age story of a precocious nine-year-old who stumbles across a clue to a murder on her paper route. "Pamela Gallant has been quietly making a mark on the Canadian film industry as an editor and director, and with Monica's News, Gallant makes her narrative feature-length debut... Her film follows a tenacious nine-year-old girl, Casey, who is hellbent on changing the world until tragedy strikes. Filmed with a warmth that betrays the challenges Casey confronts, Gallant boldly displays an artistry and gentle nuance for storytelling that finds similarities in tone with Rob Reiner's Stand by Me." - Exclaim! “Monica’s News is the sort of understated storytelling that sneaks up on you. It’s an unexpectedly powerful depiction of childhood and the way children move through the world, observing everything, even though they don’t always fully understand what they see... As Casey, Polly Gallant-Mclean is completely believable as a ‘70s kid, all deference in the company of adults but otherwise free-spirited and still very much a child at age nine... Her impressive performance anchors the storytelling. Monica’s News is an affecting drama that meticulously recreates the era.” - Liz Braun, Original Cin

Dir: Sean Cisterna, Canada, 2026, Documentary. Audience Award Winner, Toronto After Dark Film Festival. "There’s no shortage of documentaries about the struggles of independent filmmaking, but few are as unexpectedly joyful (or as charming) as Silver Screamers. What begins as an unusual experiment in senior citizen engagement quickly blossoms into something much richer: a celebration of creativity, community, and the irrepressible spirit of people who refuse to be sidelined by age. This is a feel-great documentary that will leave you with a smile on your face... Frustrated by endless grant rejections, Cisterna stumbles upon a government program designed to keep seniors active and decides to recruit an entire crew from local retirement homes to make a horror short called The Rug. This leads to a motley crew of 70 to 96-year-olds who are an absolute hoot... These seniors are magnetic, hilarious, and brimming with personality... What could have been a throwaway 'cute' concept becomes something deeply humanizing... Even more endearing is the film’s tone. It never talks down to its subjects and instead celebrates their resilience, curiosity, and humor. The seniors tackle special effects gags with the enthusiasm of teenagers, debate story choices like seasoned pros, and radiate camaraderie throughout the process... Carrying the message that you’re never too old to try something new, Silver Screamers is delightful in every way." - Louisa Moore, Screen Zealots

Dir: Steven Soderbergh, UK/US, 2026, Comedy/Drama. Ian McKellen, Michaela Coel, James Corden, Jessica Gunning. “Steven Soderbergh has reminded us that, yes, old-school artistry is still valued and viable. On its surface, this movie is about a famously difficult painter, Julian Sklar, and the young restorer, Lori Butler, attempting to exploit his dotage. But this is a Soderbergh film... So clearly, there’s more to the story than the initial set-up, in which Julian is eking out his final years in resentful boredom until Lori shows up as his inspiring new assistant. She’s actually a forger secretly hired by his children... to finish a series of paintings inspired by a long-ago lover. Julian has hidden his half-done ‘Christopher’ canvases in the attic, so if Lori can sneak up there between tea-fetching and brush-cleaning, everyone stands to make a fortune when he dies. Well, everyone but Julian, who’s delighted to discover one last opportunity to beat others at their own game... Go see The Christophers.” - Elizabeth Weitzman

Presented by Roving Shows and Island Jazz. Dir: Curtis Bernhardt, Germany, 1929, Drama. Marlene Dietrich, Fritz Kortner. Silent with Live Improvised Musical Accompaniment by Natalie Williams Calhoun. On a train journey through Europe, a newly married man becomes captivated by a mysterious woman whose presence unsettles his carefully ordered life. With its atmospheric visuals and Dietrich’s mesmerizing screen presence, the film offers a rare glimpse of the future star just before her international breakthrough. “Meet Marlene Dietrich, before Josef von Sternberg and The Blue Angel: much of her mystique is already present. This sophisticated German silent observes a precarious, dangerous love triangle. Two men are entranced by the same woman: one deserts his bride on their wedding night and the other may have killed to possess her. Neither seems to get what he wants, yet Dietrich’s ‘woman one longs for’ is not a scheming femme fatale... maybe. The fluid, very modern direction of Curtis Bernhardt will be a revelation - this obscure Marlene Dietrich starrer is a superior piece of filmcraft.” - cinesavant.com