SamsaraU

Directed by Lois Patiño | Spain | 2023 | 1h 54m | Lao & Swahili w/ English subtitles | Starring Amid Keomany, Toumor Xiong, Simone Milavanh, Mariam Vuaa Mtego, Juwairiya Idrisa Uwesu

Amidst the Buddhist temples of Laos, a young man reads a sacred text to a dying woman. This text serves as a guide for finding one’s way through the afterlife. When the woman passes away, her spirit moves toward reincarnation in its next body. Experimental filmmaker Lois Patiño takes us on an immersive and sensory journey across continents via the cosmos in this meditative and transcendent examination of life after death.

Winner of the Special Jury Prize at the 2023 Berlin Film Festival.

Warning: this film contains flickering or flashing lights that may affect those with photosensitive epilepsy.

Reviews

‘Transcendent and transformative…its feels like new cinematic ground is being broken before our eyes, and the impact is exponentially increased if experienced with people in the dark of the cinema’
★★★★★
David Jenkins, Little White Lies

Sorry - you missed it!

We showed Samsara between February 16, 2024 and February 22, 2024.

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What else is on?

Today (Monday 19th May)

18:00

Picnic at Hanging Rock 12A
1h 48m
Peter Weir’s haunting mystery set in 1900s Australia. When schoolgirls vanish during a field trip, the line between natural beauty and supernatural threat blurs. Lyrical and unsettling, this iconic film helped shape the golden age of Australian cinema.

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20:45

Holy Cow 15
1h 32m | French w/ English subtitles
An 18-year-old, struggling to save his family farm, bets everything on a cheese-making competition. This touching, award-winning coming-of-ager charms with its authenticity and remarkable performances from its non-professional cast.

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Tomorrow (Tuesday 20th May)

18:00

Julie Keeps Quiet 12A
£6 for Members
1h 40m | Dutch & French w/ English subtitles
Top tennis player Julie’s world is shaken when her coach faces serious allegations. While others speak out, she stays silent. A tense psychological drama about power, trauma, and the cost of complicity from debut director Leonardo van Dijl.

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20:15

We Are Fugazi from Washington 12A
£6 for Members
1h 36m
Marking 20 years since Fugazi's last show and featuring fan-recorded performances and rare footage, We Are Fugazi From Washington D.C. honours the band's live legacy. Proceeds benefit Oxford Mutual Aid.

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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 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!