Empire of Light15

Directed by Sam Mendes | UK | 2022 | 1h 55m | Starring Olivia Colman, Micheal Ward, Colin Firth, Toby Jones, Tanya Moodie

In a British seaside town during the early 1980s, a once popular cinema struggles to attract audiences. Cinema manager Hilary also faces her own personal struggles. However, the offer of a special premiere as well as the arrival of new member of staff sparks the cinema – and Hilary – into life. Olivia Colman gives a beautifully moving performance in this stirring ode to cinema, written and directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Sam Mendes (American Beauty, 1917).

Join us on Friday 10th February for a special Q&A screening with the film’s producer and Chair of BAFTA, Dame Pippa Harris. Click here to book tickets. 

Reviews

‘An engrossing, poignantly observed and beautifully acted drama about love, life and the fragile art of moviegoing…’
★★★★
Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian

‘It’s a heartwarming reminder of the joy, comfort and necessity of the big screen experience.’
★★★★
Luke Hearfield, London Evening Standard

Sorry - you missed it!

We showed Empire of Light between February 3, 2023 and February 16, 2023.

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What else is on?

Today (Tuesday 21st July)
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17:45

Everybody to Kenmure Street 12A
+ Q&A / £6 for Members
1h 39m
Oxford Stand Up to Racism presents a special Q&A screening of Felipe Bustos Sierra immersive and rousing documentary film about residents of Pollokshields in Scotland rising up against UK Home Office enforcement officers to stop the deportation of their neighbours.

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20:30

Toy Story 5 PG
£6 for Members
1h 42m
Bonnie has a new tablet — and suddenly, Buzz, Woody, Jessie and the gang are facing their greatest challenge yet: a kid who'd rather swipe a screen than pick up a toy. Disney and Pixar's long-awaited fifth instalment pits beloved characters against the digital age.

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Tomorrow (Wednesday 22nd July)
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15:15

Toy Story 5 PG
Descriptive Subtitles
1h 42m
Bonnie has a new tablet — and suddenly, Buzz, Woody, Jessie and the gang are facing their greatest challenge yet: a kid who'd rather swipe a screen than pick up a toy. Disney and Pixar's long-awaited fifth instalment pits beloved characters against the digital age.

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17:45

The Last Viking 15
1h 56m | Danish w/ English subtitles
Fresh from prison, Anker needs his brother Manfred to reveal where they buried their heist money. There's one problem: Manfred now believes he is John Lennon. Mads Mikkelsen throws himself into the chaos of Anders Thomas Jensen's latest gleefully unhinged Danish black comedy.

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20:30

Nirvanna the Band...the Movie 15
1h 40m
Two hopeless Toronto musicians accidentally travel back to 2008, where their only route home is tracking down a discontinued soft drink. Matt Johnson and Jay McCarrol bring their cult guerrilla TV series to the big screen with anarchic, wildly inventive results.

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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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