Béla Tarr Retrospective

This retrospective celebrates the work of Béla Tarr, the renowned Hungarian filmmaker often described as a “hopeful cynic” and a “scatological mystic.”

Tarr is known for creating dystopian fables about the fall of Communism. However, Tarr’s political critiques of a corrupt regime transcend a specific historical context. For modern viewers, his films take on a metaphysical quality, commenting on the inevitable uncertainty of all systems—biological, psychological, and social.

This season includes brand new 4K restorations of Werckmeister Harmonies and Damnation, and – of course – Tarr’s towering 7hr+ masterpiece Sátántangó.

Werckmeister Harmonies
Sun 11 Aug 3pm
Mon 12 Aug 6pm
Tue 13 Aug 8.30pm

Damnation
Sun 18 Aug 1.30pm
Tue 20 Aug 8.30pm

Sátántangó
Sun 25 Aug 10am

The Man From London
Mon 26 Aug 4pm
Tue 27 Aug 8.30pm

The Turin Horse
Sun 1 Sept 3pm
Tue 3 Sept 8.30pm

Use the film links below to purchase tickets and find out more information.,

Werckmeister Harmonies

Werckmeister Harmonies

In a small Hungarian town, the arrival of a mysterious circus – with an enormous stuffed whale – whips the locals into a deranged frenzy. Béla Tarr’s apocalyptically transcendent portrait of disorder has been restored in 4K.

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Damnation

Damnation

A listless loner falls in love with a beautiful cabaret singer at his local bar in Bela Tarr’s brooding, black and white meditation on inner conflict and existential angst. Restored in 4K.

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Sátántangó

Sátántangó

Voted one of the 100 greatest films of all time in the recent BFI Sight & Sound poll, Béla Tarr’s legendary seven-and-a-half-hour masterpiece is a mesmerising exploration of social decay in post-Communist Europe.

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The Man From London

The Man From London

A railway switchman witnesses a crime and finds a briefcase full of money in Béla Tarr’s gripping crime-noir starring Tilda Swinton and based on a novel by Georges Simenon.

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The Turin Horse

The Turin Horse

Inspired by an anecdote involving philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, Béla Tarr’s award-winning parable follows a frail farmer and his young daughter struggling to eke out a living amidst harsh conditions in the Hungarian countryside.

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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!