Kokuho15

Directed by Lee Sang-il | Japan | 2025 | 2h 55m | Japanese w/ English subtitles | Starring Ryô Yoshizawa, Ryûsei Yokohama, Mitsuki Takahata, Shinobu Terajima, Nana Mori

In Nagasaki in 1964, 15-year-old Kikuo loses his yakuza father and is taken in by a celebrated kabuki actor. Raised alongside the actor’s son, Shunsuke, Kikuo devotes himself to the demanding world of traditional Japanese theatre. Over the years, the two boys grow into fierce friends, rivals, and performers shaped by the same stage, but only one can emerge as kabuki’s greatest master. A major cultural phenomenon in Japan and the country’s highest-grossing live-action film of all time, Sang-il Lee’s sweeping epic is both an intimate character drama and a grand tribute to the performers who sacrifice everything in pursuit of artistic perfection.

Reviews

‘Lee Sang-il’s historical drama about the making of a kabuki legend is nothing short of intoxicating.’
★★★★
Juan Barquin, Little White Lies

‘It’s a wonderful demystification of a mysterious art form.’
★★★★
David Hughes, Time Out

Book tickets

Sunday 24 May

 7.15pmBook tickets
Monday 25 May

 1.45pmBook tickets

What else is on?

Today (Friday 15th May)
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15:00

The North 15
2h 13m | Dutch w/ English subtitles
Reuniting after a decade, friends Chris and Lluis undertake a 600km hike across the Scottish Highlands. Shot in sequence, their journey along remote trails becomes a powerful study of friendship and the emotional terrain between reconciliation and self-discovery.

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18:00

Colours of Time 15
2h 6m | French w/ English subtitles
When cousins inherit a Normandy house, they uncover a hidden lineage linking them to ancestor Adèle Munier. As they retrace her journey to Paris amid Impressionism’s rise, past and present intertwine, revealing new identities and unexpected connections across generations.

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20:45

Rose of Nevada 15
1h 54m
When a long-lost fishing boat returns to a Cornish village, hope rises for renewal. Nick and newcomer Liam join a voyage, but return transformed and caught in a haunting time loop. Shot on grainy 16mm, Mark Jenkin (Bait) delivers a haunting, mind-bending folktale.

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Tomorrow (Saturday 16th May)
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15:15

Rose of Nevada 15
1h 54m
When a long-lost fishing boat returns to a Cornish village, hope rises for renewal. Nick and newcomer Liam join a voyage, but return transformed and caught in a haunting time loop. Shot on grainy 16mm, Mark Jenkin (Bait) delivers a haunting, mind-bending folktale.

Book here

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18:00

The Duke of Burgundy 18
+ Director Q&A
1h 44m
Director's Cuts: Peter Strickland
Lovers Cynthia and Evelyn sustain a ritualised relationship shaped by control and desire. As tensions surface, a hypnotic drama explores shifting power and intimacy through striking visuals and a haunting atmosphere. Plus a post-screening Q&A with director Peter Strickland.

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21:00

Pillion 18
1h 47m
Director's Cuts: Peter Strickland
A quiet traffic warden life radically shifts when a domineering biker draws him into an unexpected BDSM relationship. Harry Lighton’s fearless BAFTA-nominated debut blends comedy, kink, and tenderness, starring Harry Melling and Alexander Skarsgård.

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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!

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