Based on fact, this film tells the incredible and emotional story of Sir Nicholas Winton, a young London broker, who visits Prague in 1938. There he persuades the British Committee for Refugees in Czechoslovakia to rescue hundreds of mostly Jewish children before Nazi occupation closes the borders. Fifty years later, he is still haunted by the fate of the children he was unable to bring to safety. It’s not until the BBC show “That’s Life!” re-introduces him to some of those rescued that he finally begins to come to terms with the guilt and grief he carried for all those years.

An epic journey of friendship and self-discovery set in the Italian Alps. As a cinematic experience, it is as intimate as it is monumental. When middle-class Pietro’s family escape Turin by coming to the (fictional) Alpine village of Grana for the summer, Pietro befriends local lad Bruno. The 12-year-old boys roam far afield in this magical place and their friendship blossoms but over time, circumstances conspire to drive them apart. Years later, the estranged friends reunite, in order to realize his dream of rebuilding a ruined cabin on a mountain slope.

The mystery of what the heart wants, and what it might give in return, is the theme of this humane, sympathetic film, set in Paris. Lea Seydoux plays a single mother whose elderly father needs her attention as his health is deteriorating. Her life is further complicated as she falls in love with a married man. The delicate balance of her strength and vulnerability is expertly captured. The film has a lovely happysad sweetness, and the sublime is revealed in the in-between spaces of ordinary existence. A sensitive, beautiful, emotionally rich film.

This film follows a pompous, rigid and disliked teacher at a New England prep school. He has to remain on campus during the Christmas holidays in 1970, to babysit the handful of students with nowhere to go. Eventually, only one student remains, a trouble-making 18 year-old, a good scholar whose bad behaviour threatens to get him expelled. Joining them is the school’s head cook, a woman whose son was recently lost in Vietnam. These three very different people form an unlikely Christmas family sharing comic misadventures. The real story is how they help one another understand that they are not beholden to their past but can choose their own futures.

Hiramaya works as a toilet cleaner in Tokyo, and is content with his simple, solitary life. His days usual follow a predictable pattern, with small rituals helping him to feel safe. However, sometimes the past comes back to us when we least expect it – so as a late night encounter disrupts the balance of Hiramaya’s life he needs to confront what he has worked so hard to hide. We learn that when we are caught up in life’s daily grind, it is easy to overlook the simple joys around us, and the moments that give life meaning.

The latest film from Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli is an enthralling, magical adventure that further demonstrates why he is the world’s favourite living animation director. Young Mahito lives with his parents in 1940s Tokyo. When tragedy strikes, he travels with his father to the countryside, where he struggles to fit in. He’s also pestered by a strange heron. The revelation that the bird has the ability to speak sets Mahito off on an adventure, travelling to a magical world – a place that allows him to confront his emotions. Miyazaki’s return to feature filmmaking is a vibrant, colourful and moving masterpiece.

For the past year, Sandra, her husband Samuel, and their eleven-year-old son Daniel have lived a secluded life in a remote town in the French Alps. Although Samuel’s mystery death prompts a police investigation and court case to determine if he jumped, fell to his death, or was pushed, the film crucially explores the question of why he died. Huller gives a wonderfully nuanced study as the widow, and we glean increasing insights into her marriage as we experience her version of events.

A gradually revealing and thought-provoking film.

When Edith and fellow residents begin to receive wicked letters full of hilarious profanities, foul-mouthed Rose is charged with the crime. However, as the town’s women investigate the crime themselves, they suspect that something is amiss, and that Rose may not be the culprit after all. This hilarious film is made even more incredible as it’s based on a true story.

Warning: Contains a LOT of swearing.

Nora and Hae Sung, two deeply connected childhood friends, are wrest apart after Nora’s family emigrates from South Korea. Decades later, they are reunited for one fateful week as they confront destiny, love and the choices that make a life. This is a romantic and delicate movie that will restore your hope in relationships.

An anarchic and ultimately heartbreaking documentary telling the riotous inside story of London’s legendary Scala cinema. Its diverse film offering spanned high art, cult classics, sexploitation, horror, Kung-Fu and LGBTQIA+. The historic London venue was a punk and queer mecca offering a community refuge for film lovers, creatives, as well as rockers, misfits and activists and inspired generations of film-makers, artists and musicians. Co-directed by the cinema’s former programmer Jane Giles, it’s a wealth of unseen interviews, archive and film clips revelling in the communal and subversive power of film going during Britain’s post-punk Thatcher years.

Warning: Contains strong real sex.