UPP Film of the Year: The Zone Of Interest12A

Directed by Jonathan Glazer | Poland/UK/USA | 2023 | 1h 45m | German, Polish & Yiddish w/ English subtitles | Starring Sandra Hüller, Christian Friedel, Freya Kreutzkam, Ralph Herforth, Max Beck

In occupied Poland, German SS Officer Rudolf Höss and his family reside within the perimeter of Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz. While Höss carries out his duties as the camp commandant, his wife and children lead relatively normal lives, with the horrors of the Holocaust just beyond their garden walls. Acclaimed director Jonathan Glazer (Under the Skin) returns with this stunningly shot and chilling examination of the banality of evil, adapted from Martin Amis’ novel. Winner of 3 BAFTA Awards and 2 Academy Awards, including Best International Feature Film and Best Sound.

Voted UPP Film Of Year by our staff and volunteers. Click here to see our official Top Ten.

Reviews

‘As a piece of observational cinema that borrows from the very visual grammar of nonfiction films, The Zone Of Interest is an instant classic, a masterpiece whose every gorgeously framed shot aims to stun you into silence.’
★★★★★
Manuel Bentancourt, The AV Club

‘As well as being an important contribution to the cinema of the Holocaust, though, it also touches more widely upon themes of privilege, complacency and compartmentalising…a masterpiece.’
★★★★★
Nicholas Barber, BBC

Sorry - you missed it!

We showed UPP Film of the Year: The Zone Of Interest between February 23, 2024 and January 12, 2025.

Join our mailing list and we'll make sure you always know what's on and when.

What else is on?

Today (Saturday 10th May)

15:00

April 15
2h 14m | Georgian w/ English subtitles
A Georgian obstetrician’s life unravels when she’s accused of malpractice. Dea Kulumbegashvili’s gripping drama examines autonomy, gender, and power in an isolated community, delivering a poignant exploration of one woman’s fight for justice.

Book here

18:00

Faust PG
+ Live Score
1h 56m
Visually stunning silent film about an aging alchemist who makes a deal with the devil to save his village, only to face a tragic downfall. Screening plus a live viola score by Hugo Max, blending 1920s European music with Faust-inspired compositions.

Book here

20:45

Sinners 15
2h 18m
Twin brothers seek a fresh start in their 1930s Southern hometown but uncover an evil lurking beneath the surface. Ryan Coogler and Michael B. Jordan reunite for this chilling supernatural thriller set against the backdrop of the Jim Crow-era South.

Book here


Tomorrow (Sunday 11th May)

14:30

The Cremator 15
+ Intro
1h 40m | Czech w/ English subtitles
A Prague crematorium manager’s obsession with death leads him down a path of fascist horror. Juraj Herz’s surrealist nightmare blends political allegory and psychological terror in one of the most chilling films of the Czechoslovak New Wave.

Book here

17:00

April 15
2h 14m | Georgian w/ English subtitles
A Georgian obstetrician’s life unravels when she’s accused of malpractice. Dea Kulumbegashvili’s gripping drama examines autonomy, gender, and power in an isolated community, delivering a poignant exploration of one woman’s fight for justice.

Book here

20:00

The Penguin Lessons 12A
1h 52m
A weary Englishman (Steve Coogan) takes an unexpected journey when he rescues a penguin in 1970s Argentina. Based on an incredible true story, this heartfelt drama blends humour and warmth against a backdrop of political turmoil.

Book here


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 don’t show adverts, just a couple of trailers, so don't be late as the film itself starts very close to the advertised time!