Tākaka Programme

Wicker

- OFFICIAL SELECTION: Sundance Film Festival -

Celebrate the opening of the 2026 Festival with the hilarious, profound, and highly-anticipated Wicker!

An audacious comedic fable about sex, marriage, and the absurdities of social convention, Wicker tells the wholly original love story of an ostracized fisherwoman (Olivia Colman) who commissions a husband to be made by the local basketmaker (Peter Dinklage).

When her wicker husband (Alexander Skarsgård) proves more spectacular than she ever imagined, his soulful spirit and unique prowess awaken something inside her, setting off a wave of jealousy, fascination, and upheaval that threatens the very fabric of village life.

Wicker generated a massive amount of buzz upon its debut at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, earning a standing ovation and quickly becoming one of the most talked-about titles of the line-up.

Colman and Skarsgård have earned praise for their brilliant performances, and stunning craftsmanship from the wizards at Wētā Workshop has put Wicker on the radar for awards season consideration. Do not miss it!

STARRING: Olivia Colman, Alexander Skarsgård, Elizabeth Debicki, Peter Dinklage

DIRECTED BY: Alex Huston Fischer & Eleanor Wilson

Ink

- OFFICIAL SELECTION: Venice Film Festival -
- OFFICIAL SELECTION: Telluride Film Festival -
- OFFICIAL SELECTION: Toronto International Film Festival -

The latest film from British cinema royalty Danny Boyle (Trainspotting, Slumdog Millionaire), Ink charts the rise of Rupert Murdoch’s notorious newspaper The Sun, and the creation of the UK’s tabloid culture.

Guy Pearce (The Brutalist) stars as Murdoch, alongside Jack O’Connell (Sinners) as newspaper editor Larry Lamb, newly assigned to oversee the fledgling daily paper. Tasked with attracting new readers in the competitive British media market, Lamb devises a new tactic - throw anything onto the page that will turn heads, no matter the veracity.

The Sun sees a massive spike in readership, and this new broad scope allows Jules Davies (Claire Foy) to break through the male-dominated hierarchy. But as the paper circulation grows, so too does the number of its critics.

Already generating awards season buzz, the fast-paced and gripping Ink features riveting performances from its star cast, in a thrilling exploration of this controversial newsroom legacy.

STARRING: Jack O’Connell, Guy Pearce, Claire Foy

DIRECTED BY: Danny Boyle

A Talent for Murder

- OFFICIAL SELECTION: Toronto International Film Festival - 

British national treasure Helen Mirren plays The Talented Mr. Ripley author Patricia Highsmith in this deeply intriguing thriller.

A Talent for Murder takes place in 1995, with Highsmith now in her seventies - and in poor health. Retired to her secluded house in the Swiss Alps, the author keeps to her study, immersed in her books, accompanied by her cats, and surrounded by a collection of antique weapons.

Highsmith’s solitude is interrupted by the arrival of Edward Ridgeway (recent Tony-winner Alden Ehrenreich), a mysterious messenger from a New York publisher, sent to persuade the author to write one final instalment of the Ripley anthology. Aggravated by the unexpected visit from this youthful, overly eager envoy, Patricia declines the offer. That is, unless Ridgeway can help her in conjuring up the perfect murder story.

Mirren embodies the wickedly manipulative author with gusto, while Ehrenreich imbues Ridgeway with enough guile to keep us guessing at his motives.

From director Anton Corbijn (Control), A Talent for Murder is replete with brilliant twists, biting dialogue, and delicious entanglements. Direct from its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, don’t miss this highly anticipated thriller!

STARRING: Helen Mirren, Alden Ehrenreich, Olivia Cooke, Juliet Stevenson

DIRECTED BY: Anton Corbijn

My Duchess

Screen legends Joan Collins and Isabella Rossellini are bringing old Hollywood class to this year’s Festival with My Duchess, from British cinema stalwart Mike Newell (Four Weddings and a Funeral).

Collins plays American socialite Wallis Simpson, whose life changed when she met the future King Edward VIII. Their love affair led to his eventual abdication and made her the most talked-about woman in the world.

My Duchess picks up after the death of Edward, now Duke of Windsor, in 1972. Wallis, the Duchess of Windsor, lives a secluded life in her Paris chateau, surrounded by loyal companions—Jean-Claude (Laurent Lafitte), her colourful confidant, and Louis (Buom Tihngang), her devoted butler.

Enter Maître Suzanne Blum (Isabella Rossellini), her trusted lawyer turned predator. What begins as protection becomes obsession, as Blum isolates, manipulates, and controls her client.

Wallis and her allies must fight back in a dangerous game of deceit and power.

Featuring a career-best and fearless performance from Collins in the title role, My Duchess plays out like a gothic thriller exploring fame, aging and dark manipulation behind closed doors.

STARRING: Joan Collins, Isabella Rossellini, Miranda Richardson, Charles Dance

DIRECTED BY: Mike Newell

500 Miles

- OFFICIAL SELECTION: Dublin International Film Festival - 

The always-brilliant Bill Nighy stars in 500 Miles, a life-affirming celebration of the human spirit that follows a broken family who are forced to come together when their two young boys run away from home.

After hearing their parents fight, Finn (Roman Griffin Davis, Jojo Rabbit) and Charlie (Dexter Sol Ansell, breakout star of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms) sneak out of their house in Doncaster.

So unfolds an epic road trip from Yorkshire, over land and sea, to the wild West Coast of Ireland. Their destination? The small seaside town of Dingle, County Kerry, where they will reunite with their beloved Grandfather, John (Nighy).

It’s a long, treacherous journey - 500 miles where a lot could go wrong... And while Dingle holds happy memories for the boys, Grandpa John has remained estranged from Finn and Charlie’s parents after fateful events the previous summer. 

With knockout performances from all involved, 500 Miles will make you laugh, cry, and hug the people you love.

STARRING: Bill Nighy, Roman Griffin Davis, Dexter Sol Ansell, Clare Dunne

DIRECTED BY: Morgan Matthews

Elsinore

- OFFICIAL SELECTION: Telluride Film Festival -
- OFFICIAL SELECTION: Toronto International Film Festival - 

Andrew Scott is astonishing in this powerful, deeply moving, and inspiring story of the actor Ian Charleson, who faced incredible odds while preparing to play Hamlet at the National Theatre.

Scott plays Ian Charleson in 1989, discontented with his career stagnation despite early success in the Best Picture winners Chariots of Fire (1981) and Gandhi (1982).

The chance of a lifetime soon comes along, when Daniel Day-Lewis unexpectedly departs the role of Hamlet at London’s National Theatre. But dream collides with nightmare, as Charleson faces a devastating AIDS diagnosis. Determined to seize his last opportunity for meaning, Charleson delivers a courageous performance that becomes a source of healing and inspiration for those around him.

Alongside a career-best turn from Scott, Olivia Colman delivers a masterclass performance as a doctor treating Charleson and fellow gay men during the HIV epidemic.

Elsinore is generating Oscar buzz after it received a massive standing ovation at its recent Toronto International Film Festival screening. Don’t miss this stirring and transcendent film.

STARRING: Andrew Scott, Olivia Colman, Billie Piper, Johnny Flynn

DIRECTED BY: Simon Stone

Tender Loving Care

- WINNER: San Sebastian International Film Festival - Best Film, Best Director, Best Leading Performance -
- OFFICIAL SELECTION: Telluride Film Festival -
- OFFICIAL SELECTION: Toronto International Film Festival - 

Seven-time Oscar-nominee Mike Leigh returns with Tender Loving Care, an uplifting story of family that the legendary writer/director says will be his final film.

The film follows a week in the life of Amy (Kate O’Flynn, Widow’s Bay), a dedicated social worker who gives everything she has to support those in need. Amy’s personal life is upended when her beloved father begins facing serious health issues, forcing her and her mother to accept a painful new reality.

Amy shares laughter, tears, and vital perspective with her lifelong best friend Rosie (Alice Bailey Johnson), whom she has recently moved back in with. Rosie’s wit and warmth serve as an essential anchor for both women as they navigate the uncertain waters of approaching middle age.

O’Flynn and Bailey Johnson deliver compellingly authentic performances in this poignant, uplifting celebration of resilience and compassion from one of the great masters of film. Don’t miss this opportunity to see Mike Leigh’s swan song on the big screen.

STARRING: Kate O’Flynn, Marion Bailey, Paul Jesson, Alice Bailey Johnson

DIRECTED BY: Mike Leigh

Mother's Pride

From the creators of Fisherman’s Friends, Mother’s Pride is a heartfelt comedy about a failing pub, a divided community, and a family desperately trying to hold itself together.

The film follows Cal Harley (Jonno Davies, Better Man), a washed-up musician haunted by his past success. Returning to his hometown, he faces a family still grieving his mother’s death, and their beloved pub on the brink of closure.

To make matters worse, Cal’s old rival, Edward Pritchard (Luke Treadaway, A Street Cat Named Bob) runs a bustling pub across the street, and is in a relationship with Cal’s first love, Abi (Gabriella Wilde).

Determined to right his wrongs, Cal rediscovers the long-forgotten family ritual of brewing beer, alongside his brother Jake (James Buckley, The Inbetweeners), gradually regaining his confidence - and his voice.

Cal sets out to challenge Pritchard in the prestigious CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale) awards, all while trying to win back Abi with his heartfelt songs written just for her. As melodies mingle with hops, can Cal mend his broken family ties, reclaim his lost love, and rediscover himself?

With Martin Clunes and Mark Addy filling out the cast, Mother’s Pride is a quintessentially British underdog story that’s warm, funny and full of heart.

STARRING: Jonno Davies, James Buckley, Martin Clunes, Mark Addy

DIRECTED BY: Nick Moorcroft

The Three Urns

- OFFICIAL SELECTION: Dublin International Film Festival - 

Take in the beauty of Ireland’s striking landscapes with The Three Urns, a delightful follow-up to the crowd-pleasing The Man in the Hat, starring Oscar-nominee Ciarán Hinds.

Hinds plays Mr O’Connor, who, after years of living in France, sets out on a pilgrimage to his former home in Ireland to scatter his late wife’s ashes. When his car breaks down, O’Connor acquires a solar-panelled milk float, and an offbeat road trip along the scenic northwest coast of Donegal begins.

Mr O’Connor’s journey is full of serendipitous encounters with a cohort of colourful characters, including a Lithuanian painter, an itinerant priest, horse traders and horse whisperers, a Choctaw native commemorating the great famine, and a group of mystic women worshipping at the ancient Beltany Stone Circle.

Featuring a special appearance from Stephen Fry (after he lauded the first film), The Three Urns is a charming, joyful tale with a touch of whimsy. Book your tickets now for this funny and often moving look at reconnection and exploration.

STARRING: Ciarán Hinds Stephen Dillane, Olga Kurylenko, Stephen Fry

DIRECTED BY: John-Paul Davidson & Stephen Warbeck 

Derek vs Derek

- OFFICIAL SELECTION: Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival - 

What happens when your neighbour goes completely wild? Derek vs Derek is a funny, insightful and heartwarming documentary that charts the turbulent relationship between two farmers.

On a country road in Devon live two ideologically opposed neighbouring farmers - both called Derek. Derek Banbury believes in the intensive farming of his land, while Derek Gow is focused on creating a “rewilding” oasis for nature and wildlife on his land.

Shot over three years, Derek vs Derek wonderfully juxtaposes the two wholly opposing approaches to farming, as tempers fray, wild animals run amok, and the land is radically transformed.

The two Dereks’ story will at turns amuse, entertain and provoke thought about environmental issues and the future of farming.

Award-winning director James Dawson celebrates the potential for understanding in this wonderful film about land use and farming, told by farmers. Packed to the brim with English humour, Derek vs Derek is essential viewing.

DIRECTED BY: James Dawson

The Incomer

- WINNER: NEXT Innovator Award, Sundance Film Festival - 

Domhnall Gleeson (About Time) stars in this delightfully dotty comedy that took home the NEXT Innovator Award at this year’s Sundance Film Festival.

The Incomer follows siblings Isla (Gayle Rankin, House of the Dragon) and Sandy (Grant O’Rourke, Outlander), who have lived alone on a remote, windswept Scottish island for 30
years since their parents disappeared.

The siblings live a totally normal life, hunting seabirds, chatting to mythic creatures, and defending their isle from dreaded incomers. But their world is upended with the arrival of Daniel (Gleeson), an awkward and socially inept council worker, come to uproot them to the mainland.

Daniel brings with him the strange mainland customs of paperwork, veganism, and wi-fi, while Isla and Sandy attempt to teach this outsider their eccentric “ways of the gull.” As long-held beliefs begin to crumble, each of them must confront the truth, embrace change, and dare to imagine a life beyond the island.

The Incomer is a winningly weird and refreshingly upbeat must-see.

STARRING: Domhnall Gleeson, Gayle Rankin, Grant O’Rourke

DIRECTED BY: Louis Paxton

California Schemin'

- OFFICIAL SELECTION: Toronto International Film Festival - 

James McAvoy makes his anticipated directorial debut with this wild true story of two Scottish men pretending to be Americans to achieve their dreams of hip-hop stardom.

Inspired by the real-life tale of Scottish rap duo “Silibil N’ Brains”, California Schemin’ follows lifelong friends Gavin Bain and Billy Boyd. Chasing their dream of becoming successful rappers, Gavin and Billy are faced with one problem - no one will take their aspirations seriously with their thick regional accents.

Humiliated at an audition in London, the pair return home and devise an absurd scheme: they’ll reinvent themselves as hard-partying Californian MCs, complete with elaborate backstories and convincing (enough) American accents.

Miraculously, the gambit pays off, and Sibil N’ Brains’ rise to stardom is set in motion. But as the stakes get raised, the pressure begins to fracture both their success - and their friendship.

With California Schemin’, McAvoy delivers a fast-paced, funny and poignant debut with a killer soundtrack.

STARRING: Samuel Bottomley, Séamus McLean Ross, James McAvoy

DIRECTED BY: James McAvoy

Bad Apples

- OFFICIAL SELECTION: Toronto International Film Festival - 

Oscar-nominee Saoirse Ronan delivers one of her most daring and memorable roles in the satirical thriller Bad Apples, a bold and timely film that challenges how deeply we hold our core beliefs.

Ronan plays Maria, a primary school teacher whose classroom is thrown into chaos by Danny, an exceptionally disruptive and foul-mouthed student.

Maria reaches her breaking point after Danny has a violent run-in with another student, and taking a drastic course of action, traps him in her home.

In Danny’s absence, the classroom begins to thrive; the children flourish academically, and both parents and school staff celebrate the incredible turnaround. But with everyone else convinced the school’s biggest problem has finally been solved, Maria now finds herself trapped in an increasingly preposterous moral dilemma.

Swedish-born director Jonatan Etzler injects scathing Scandi humour into this daring psychological comedy, which is sure to become one of the year’s most talked-about films.

STARRING: Saoirse Ronan, Eddie Waller, Nia Brown, Jacob Anderson, Rakie Ayola

DIRECTED BY: Jonatan Etzler

The Uprising

Andrew Garfield stars as the leader of a ferocious rebellion in this captivating historical drama from the acclaimed director Paul Greengrass (The Bourne Ultimatum, Captain Phillips).

Set in 1381, in the aftermath of the devastating Black Plague, The Uprising centres on an England under the tyranny of the young King Richard II.

In the lead role, Garfield plays an unnamed ploughman, grieving the loss of his wife and children to the plague. When harsh new taxes are enforced by corrupt officials in his town, local tensions reach a boiling point.

Joined by the radical priest John Ball (Jamie Bell, All of Us Strangers), and military veteran Wat Tyler (Cosmo Jarvis, Shōgun) the ploughman transforms from a humble farmer to an outlaw leader, forming an army of the people to march on London and face the King’s might in a fight for justice.

BAFTA-winning director Paul Greengrass brings his trademark gritty, verité style to this action-packed epic, the first film adaptation of the 14th century Peasants’ Revolt.

Led by an excellent performance from Andrew Garfield, The Uprising is rounded out by a star cast including New Zealand’s own Thomasin McKenzie. Powerful, heartbreaking and captivating, make sure you see The Uprising on the big screen.

STARRING: Andrew Garfield, Jamie Bell, Stephen Dillane, Tom Hollander

DIRECTED BY: Paul Greengrass

Virginia Woolf's Night & Day

- OFFICIAL SELECTION: South by Southwest London - 

Love and astronomy don’t mix in this refreshing take on the romantic comedy, based on Virginia Woolf’s novel and featuring an all-star cast.

Haley Bennett (Widow Clicquot) plays Katharine Hilbery, an aspiring astronomer who is passionate about two things, and two things only: the stars and Cambridge University.

Katharine’s controlling father (Timothy Spall) attempts to push her away from learning and into a marriage with a family friend, the pompous and clueless William (Jack Whitehall).  With her independence under threat, Katharine turns to the suffragette movement, spearheaded by the straight-talking Mary (Lily Allen).

However, Katharine’s life opens up further when she crosses paths with Ralph Denham, a working-class writer hired by her mother to help edit a sprawling family biography. As intellectual and romantic loyalties shift, Katharine is forced to re-evaluate her beliefs about love, ambition, and claiming her place in the world.

Fun and contemporary in tone, this is an inventive adaptation of Woolf’s story that is as relevant today as it ever was.

STARRING: Haley Bennett, Jack Whitehall, Jennifer Saunders, Timothy Spall

DIRECTED BY: Tina Gharavi