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.

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What else is on?

Today (Wednesday 28th October)

15:00

Shaun the Sheep: The Beast Of Mo U
1h 20m
Just before Halloween, the clumsy Farmer ruins the pumpkin patch. Shaun's science experiments to fix it go wrong when a wild beast appears in the woods. Shaun the Sheep returns in a monstrously fun family adventure as Aardman turns 50.

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17:15

The Lost Children of Tuam 12A
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1h 24m
Amateur historian Catherine Corless investigates a former home for unmarried mothers and their children in rural Ireland, and won't stop, even when it pits her against Church, State and town. Monica Dolan stars in this gripping true story.

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20:30

Possession 18
2h 7m
Anna (Isabelle Adjani) leaves her family without explanation. Her husband (Sam Neill) hunts for the truth, uncovering something far stranger than an affair. Andrzej Żuławski's psychological horror won Adjani the best actress award at Cannes and became a cult classic.

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Tomorrow (Thursday 29th October)

11:45

Digger 15
Parent + Baby Screening
2h 9m
The most powerful man in the world is in a frantic race to prove he's humanity's saviour before the disaster he unleashed destroys everything. Tom Cruise heads up an all-star cast in Oscar-winner Alejandro González Iñárritu's sharp comic satire.

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15:15

Extra Geography 15
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1h 34m
In their final year at an early-2000s boarding school, two best friends set themselves a mission: to fall in love with their geography teacher. Molly Manners' freewheeling comedy drama is a funny, warm-hearted portrait of female friendship.

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17:30

Digger 15
2h 9m
The most powerful man in the world is in a frantic race to prove he's humanity's saviour before the disaster he unleashed destroys everything. Tom Cruise heads up an all-star cast in Oscar-winner Alejandro González Iñárritu's sharp comic satire.

Book here

20:30

Florence Park Talks: Robyn Cowen N/A
BBC football commentator Robyn Cowen gives a talk and audience Q&A at the UPP. Proceeds support #SaveTheUPP and Oxford United in the Community, a local mental health charity. Includes a short film on football and community. Tickets £10.

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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!