Ali & Ava15

Directed by Clio Barnard | UK | 2021 | 1h 34m | Starring Claire Rushbrook, Adeel Akhtar, Ellora Torchia, Shaun Thomas

In modern day Bradford, a friendship sparks up between a good-humoured part-time DJ and a widowed mother of three. Their relationship grows stronger as the two bond over their shared love of music, but tensions soon begin to rise amongst their respective families. An honest and heartfelt contemporary love story written and directed by award-winning director Clio Barnard (The Selfish Giant).

Reviews

‘Barnard once again proves herself the bard of the British working class. In Ali & Ava, she abandons her occasionally bleak realism for a kind of stubborn hopefulness, letting the delight of unexpected connection break through the storm clouds.’
★★★★★
Jude Dry, IndieWire

‘Ali & Ava marks an organic evolution in Barnard’s film-making, striking a celebratory tone that feels like a revelation’
★★★★
Mark Kermode, The Observer

Sorry - you missed it!

We showed Ali & Ava between March 18, 2022 and March 25, 2022.

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

What else is on?

Today (Friday 23rd May)
Find out more

15:45

Riefenstahl 15
1h 55m | German w/ English subtitles
A complex portrait of pioneering filmmaker and Nazi propagandist, Leni Riefenstahl. This critical documentary interrogates her legacy, exploring the enduring tension between artistry, denial, and complicity in the darkest chapter of cinema history.

Book here

Find out more

18:15

The Wedding Banquet 15
1h 43m
A green-card marriage plan goes off the rails when a gay man's grandmother unexpectedly arrives in America expecting a traditional Korean wedding. This vibrant remake of Ang Lee’s classic celebrates queer love, family chaos, and cultural identity.

Book here

Find out more

20:45

The Surfer 15
1h 40m
A father-son surfing trip spirals into paranoia and humiliation when a local conflict escalates dangerously. Nicolas Cage stars in this sun-scorched, hallucinatory thriller blending psychological tension with the anarchic spirit of Ozploitation classics.

Book here


Tomorrow (Saturday 24th May)
Find out more

15:45

Two to One 12A
1h 55m | German w/ English subtitles
A hilarious race against time begins when a family finds old East German cash just as it’s losing value. Sandra Hüller stars in this warm-hearted comedy about capitalism, community, and socialist values colliding with newfound consumerist freedom.

Book here

Find out more

18:15

The Surfer 15
1h 40m
A father-son surfing trip spirals into paranoia and humiliation when a local conflict escalates dangerously. Nicolas Cage stars in this sun-scorched, hallucinatory thriller blending psychological tension with the anarchic spirit of Ozploitation classics.

Book here

Find out more

20:30

The Wedding Banquet 15
1h 43m
A green-card marriage plan goes off the rails when a gay man's grandmother unexpectedly arrives in America expecting a traditional Korean wedding. This vibrant remake of Ang Lee’s classic celebrates queer love, family chaos, and cultural identity.

Book here


See all upcoming films

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!

Find out more