Fairyland15

Directed by Andrew Durham | USA | 2025 | 1h 56m | Starring Emilia Jones, Scoot McNairy, Nessa Dougherty, Geena Davis, Maria Bakalova

Set against the vibrant cultural landscape of San Francisco in the 1970s and 1980s, this moving drama traces the evolving relationship between a father and daughter through years shaped by bohemian excess and profound social change. As the optimism of the era gives way to the devastating impact of the AIDS crisis, their bond is tested by loss and the realities of growing up within an unconventional family. Adapted from Fairyland: A Memoir of My Father by Alysia Abbott, the film is a tender and deeply personal coming-of-age story about love and resilience.

Reviews

‘This is an honest, real movie about people living big lives during tumultuous times, and coming through it damaged but wiser.’
★★★★
Matt Zoller Seitz, RogerEbert.com

‘This moving film’s sense of hometown pride is subtle but apt.’
Glenn Kelly, The New York Times

Book tickets

Friday 12 June

 8.15pmBook tickets
Tuesday 16 June

£6 for Members

 5.45pmBook tickets

What else is on?

Today (Thursday 11th June)
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17:30

Gattaca 15
1h 46m
Special Events
Vincent is an all-too-human man who dares to defy a system obsessed with genetic perfection. He is an “In-Valid” who assumes the identity of a member of the genetic elite to pursue his goal of traveling into space with the Gattaca Aerospace Corporation.

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20:30

The Christophers 15
1h 40m
A reclusive London artist (Ian McKellen) becomes the target of a scheme by his estranged children, who recruit a young painter (Michaela Coel) to infiltrate his home and uncover hidden works. Steven Soderbergh’s darkly comic chamber piece explores deception, legacy and artistic value.

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Tomorrow (Friday 12th June)
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15:15

The Christophers 15
1h 40m
A reclusive London artist (Ian McKellen) becomes the target of a scheme by his estranged children, who recruit a young painter (Michaela Coel) to infiltrate his home and uncover hidden works. Steven Soderbergh’s darkly comic chamber piece explores deception, legacy and artistic value.

Book here

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17:45

Backrooms 15
1h 45m
When a patient vanishes through a strange basement doorway of a furniture showroom, his therapist follows him into a disorienting dimension. Expanding Kane Parsons’ cult online series, this feature-length adaptation stars Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renate Reinsve and bringing “liminal horror” to the big screen.

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20:15

Fairyland 15
1h 56m
Set in San Francisco from the 1970s to 1980s, this drama follows a father and daughter navigating bohemian life and social change as their bond is tested by the AIDS crisis. Adapted from Alysia Abbott’s memoir, it’s a tender coming-of-age story of love and resilience.

Book here

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23:00

Army of Darkness 15
1h 21m
To celebrate 10 amazing and chaotic years of Oxford’s underground, gonzo movie night, Cinema Under the Stairs, the gang bring Sam Raimi’s Army of Darkness to the UPP for a special evening of midnight movie mania. Book now to avoid disappointment. GROOVY!

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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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