Translate presents: The People’s Joker15

Directed by Vera Drew | USA | 2022 | 1h 32m | Starring Vera Drew, Lynn Downey, Tim Heidecker, Bob Odenkirk, David Liebe Hart, Phil Braun

In a dystopian Gotham City where comedy is outlawed, Joker the Harlequin, a painfully unfunny aspiring clown, struggles with her gender identity while chasing a spot on a government-approved late-night sketch show. As mainstream success remains out of reach, she bands together with a group of comedy outcasts, setting her on a collision course with the city’s fascist caped crusader. Subjected to studio pressure both before and after its 2022 premiere, including canceled screenings over trademark disputes, Vera Drew’s absurdist, autobiographical comedy is poised to become a defiant queer cult classic.

Reviews

‘A true original – Vera Drew is a superstar in the making. Takes on many targets, and nails each and every god damn one of them. You have to see it to believe it’
★★★★★
Violet Lucca, Little White Lies

‘Unlike many comedies — alternative and mainstream — The People’s Joker is not so in love with its own satire to rob it of any emotional truth. Underneath the satirical madness lies a genuinely moving story of self-acceptance.’
★★★★
Jude Dry, IndieWire

Translate is a monthly evening social for the Trans, Non-binary, and Queer communities in Oxford, where people can come together, make new friends, relax and have fun! Translate takes place at the Jolly Farmers every 4th Thursday of the month.

Sorry - you missed it!

We showed Translate presents: The People’s Joker between March 26, 2025 and March 26, 2025.

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What else is on?

Today (Saturday 5th September)

15:15

Tony 15
1h 46m
In a chaotic restaurant kitchen during the summer of 1975, Tony stumbles into a job that will shape his life. Dominic Sessa (The Holdovers) stars as chef Anthony Bourdain in this biographical drama, directed by Matt Johnson (Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie).

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17:45

Sunset Boulevard 12A
1h 50m
A struggling writer is drawn into the decaying world of a faded silent-film star convinced she's due for a comeback. Starring Gloria Swanson, Billy Wilder's acid-tongued Hollywood satire is widely regarded as one of the greatest films ever made about the industry itself.

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20:30

Friday the 13th 15
1h 35m
Decades after a tragic drowning, a group of counsellors reopening Camp Crystal Lake are stalked and killed one by one. This low-budget slasher became a horror sensation, launching one of the genre's longest-running franchises and introducing the iconic killer Jason.

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Tomorrow (Sunday 6th September)

12:30

The Fox and the Hound U
Kino Kids Cinema Club
1h 23m
A fox and lovable hunting dog form an unlikely friendship in the countryside. As they grow older, outside pressures and natural instincts threaten to pull them apart. This heartfelt Disney classic explores loyalty and friendship with humour and emotional storytelling.

Book here

14:45

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2h
A reclusive novelist, convinced he's dying, summons his estranged sons and reveals a secret that draws his ex-wife back into the fold. Academy Award nominees Bill Nighy and Imelda Staunton lead this darkly comedic drama, alongside George MacKay and Dominic West.

Book here

17:30

The End of Oak Street 12A
1h 40m
After a cosmic event tears Oak Street from suburbia, the Platt family must stick together to survive a landscape now inhabited by dinosaurs. David Robert Mitchell (It Follows) swaps psychological horror for sci-fi thrills, starring Anne Hathaway and Ewan McGregor.

Book here

20:00

Tony 15
1h 46m
In a chaotic restaurant kitchen during the summer of 1975, Tony stumbles into a job that will shape his life. Dominic Sessa (The Holdovers) stars as chef Anthony Bourdain in this biographical drama, directed by Matt Johnson (Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie).

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 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!