You Will Die at Twenty12A

Directed by Amjad Abu Alala | Sudan | 2019 | 1h 42m | Arabic w/ English subtitles | Starring Mustafa Shehata, Islam Mubarak, Bonna Khalid

A young man growing up in a small Sudanese village is haunted by a holy man’s prediction that he will die when he turns twenty. Dubbed ‘the son of death’ and bullied by local children, he finds himself torn between a desire to live and accepting his fate. Amjad Abu Alala’s striking coming-of-age debut’s won the Lion of the Future Award at 2019’s Venice Film Festival and is Sudan’s first-ever submission to the Oscars.

Reviews

‘The film is a parable about the dangers of blind faith in religion and authority, but it’s also warmly compassionate and accepting of human nature.’
★★★★
Cath Clarke, The Guardian

‘Spirited and philosophical…Its quiet profundity strikes you hours, days after viewing.’
★★★★
David Jenkins, Little White Lies

Sorry - you missed it!

We showed You Will Die at Twenty between December 11, 2021 and December 19, 2021.

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What else is on?

Today (Thursday 8th October)

13:30

De Gaulle: Résistance 15
2h 38m | French w/ English subtitles
June 1940: France has fallen. Army general Charles de Gaulle refuses to accept defeat, fleeing to London to rally resistance. Simon Russell Beale plays Churchill in this internationally cast first chapter of Antonin Baudry's two-part historical epic. x§

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18:30

Bad Apples 15
1h 41m
A teacher at a struggling school kidnaps her most disruptive pupil and locks him in her basement, then watches the rest of the class flourish. Saoirse Ronan stars in this satirical black comedy about how doing the wrong thing sometimes gives the right result.

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21:00

MISSNOMA Women’s DJ Collective N/A
The Oxford-based women’s DJ collective MISSNOMA, is joining forces with the UPP cinema to hold a unique listening-room session featuring DJs Zahra Haji Fath Ali Tehrani, Lily London, and Martha, powered by Oxford-based FLOW soundsystem.

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Tomorrow (Friday 9th October)

14:00

De Gaulle: Liberté 15
2h 39m | French w/ English subtitles
June 1940: France has fallen and signed an armistice with Germany. With no army, no backing and little hope, General de Gaulle gambles everything to convince the world France's fight isn't over. Part two of Antonin Baudry's historical epic.

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17:30

Sense and Sensibility U
2h 12m
Mrs Dashwood and her daughters lose their Sussex home to her stepson and move to a Devon cottage, finding love and heartbreak. Georgia Oakley (Blue Jean) directs Jane Austen's story, starring Daisy Edgar-Jones, Fiona Shaw and George MacKay.

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20:30

Babystar 12A
1h 38m | German w/ English subtitles
Luca has been an influencer since birth, and her parents live off her income. As they consider having another child, performing for strangers starts to break her. Maja Bons gives a breakout performance in Joscha Bongard's unsettling debut.

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Plan your visit

Our beautiful art deco inspired auditorium can be found just off East Oxford's Cowley Road.We are open 7 days a week. We open the cinema and box office 30 minutes before the scheduled start time of each film, and the Box Office then closes 10 minutes after the film starts. We only show a few adverts – less than most cinemas – and we only play a couple of trailers, so please don’t be late as the film itself starts very close to the advertised time!