Burning An Illusion15

Directed by Menelik Shabazz | UK | 1981 | 1h 46m | Starring Cassie McFarlane, Beverley Martin, Angela Wynter, Chris Tummings

A young black woman in England becomes increasingly frustrated with her life with her lazy, demanding boyfriend. With the help of her friends, she seeks something better, and goes on a journey of emotional and political awakening. Menelik Shabazz’s pioneering first feature, shot around the communities of Notting Hill and Ladbroke Grove, marked a coming of age for black British cinema and was the first British film to give a central voice to a black woman.

Reviews

‘The film is lively, accurate and thought-provoking, burning illusions without substituting too many of its own. A highly promising debut.’
Derek Malcolm, The Guardian

Sorry - you missed it!

We showed Burning An Illusion between October 23, 2022 and October 26, 2022.

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What else is on?

Today (Friday 18th July)

15:15

From Hilde, with Love 15
2h 5m | German w/ English subtitles
In Nazi-era Berlin, resistance fighter Hilde risks everything for love and liberty. Arrested while pregnant, she faces a harrowing fate with quiet defiance. This stirring true story is a moving tribute to resilience, sacrifice, and courage under impossible circumstances.

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18:00

The Shrouds 15
1h 59m
When futuristic tech lets the living watch the dead, one grieving man’s obsession turns sinister after his wife’s grave is desecrated. David Cronenberg returns with a chilling, cerebral thriller about grief, surveillance, and the eerie intersection of life and death.

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20:30

Pavements 15
2h 8m
1990s indie rock icons Pavement reunite for a sold-out 2022 tour just as bizarre tributes emerge, from a musical to a museum to a biopic. Alex Ross Perry directs a playful, surreal docu-satire blending fact, fiction, and fandom.

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Tomorrow (Saturday 19th July)

15:15

The Piano Teacher 18
2h 11m | French & German w/ English subtitles
Behind Erika’s icy control lies a world of suppressed longing. When a student awakens her darkest desires, obsession erupts. Isabelle Huppert stuns in Michael Haneke’s disturbing tale of power, repression, and unraveling identity. A bracing psychological masterpiece.

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18:00

Le Samouraï 12A
1h 45m | French w/ English subtitles
Jef Costello is a hitman of few words and exacting precision, until a botched job puts him in everyone’s crosshairs. Jean-Pierre Melville’s stylish noir is a minimalist masterpiece of cool detachment, silent tension, and existential menace.

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20:45

The Shrouds 15
1h 59m
When futuristic tech lets the living watch the dead, one grieving man’s obsession turns sinister after his wife’s grave is desecrated. David Cronenberg returns with a chilling, cerebral thriller about grief, surveillance, and the eerie intersection of life and death.

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!