Coco Before Chanel12A

Directed by Anne Fontaine | France | 2009 | 1h 50m | French w/ English subtitles | Starring Audrey Tautou, Benoît Poelvoorde, Alessandro Nivola, Marie Gillain, Emmanuelle Devos

Young Coco Chanel works as a seamstress by day and a cabaret entertainer by night, then she meets a wealthy heir and becomes his lover and fashion consultant. Tired of the flowery hats, tight corsets and yards of lace that define women’s fashion, Coco uses her lover’s clothing as a starting point to distill an elegant and sophisticated line of women’s clothing that propels her to the top of Parisian haute couture.

The Oxford International Women’s Festival will host a post-screening discussion on Monday 13th March.

Reviews

‘Fontaine’s film is gorgeous, but its beauty is practical, almost textile, like a Chanel tweed.’
★★★★
Nina Caplan, Time Out

‘An epic story that gradually develops into a beautiful and beguiling homage to the first lady of fashion.’
Monisha Rajesh, Little White Lies

Sorry - you missed it!

We showed Coco Before Chanel between March 12, 2023 and March 13, 2023.

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What else is on?

Today (Tuesday 13th May)

18:00

The Ugly Stepsister 18
£6 for Members
1h 45m | Norwegian w/ English subtitles
In a fairy-tale kingdom, Elvira’s jealousy drives her to horrifying extremes. This bold Cinderella reimagining fuses dark folklore with unsettling body horror, exposing the ruthless pressures of beauty in a grotesque, feminist fairytale.

Book here

20:30

April 15
£6 for Members
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


Tomorrow (Wednesday 14th 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

Bogancloch Cert-TBC
1h 26m
Set in the Scottish Highlands, Bogancloch is a poetic 16mm portrait of hermit Jake Williams. A dreamlike meditation on solitude, nature, and music followed by an exclusive Q&A with director Ben Rivers at this special preview screening.

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


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!