Film Countries Archives: U.K.

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Midwinter Break

  Polly Findlay

  U.K., Netherlands    

Synopsis

In Midwinter Break, retired long-time couple Stella and Gerry (Academy Award® nominees Lesley Manville and Ciarán Hinds) travel from their home in Glasgow to Amsterdam for an impromptu holiday. Traversing the beautiful European city, they find themselves freed from the staid routines that have come to define their lives. But as the hours pass, Stella and Gerry realize that after decades together, their relationship has reached a crossroads. After so much time and so many memories, long-held promises and deeply concealed wounds threaten to come to light and force them to confront their future.

Based on the acclaimed novel by Bernard MacLaverty, first-time feature director Polly Findlay crafts a powerful debut that poses important questions about the nature of faith and commitment, and the enduring power of love.

Midwinter Break arrives in theaters February 20, 2026.

 English 

Screenings & Events

There are currently no upcoming screenings of this film.

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Media

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The Testament of Ann Lee

  Mona Fastvold

  U.K.     135 minutes

Synopsis

From award winning writer-director Mona Fastvold (The World to Come, The Brutalist) comes a speculative retelling of the extraordinary story of Ann Lee, founder of the religious sect known as the Shakers. Academy Award-nominee Amanda Seyfried stars as the Shakers’ irrepressible leader — who espoused gender and social equality while believing herself to be the female incarnation of Christ. The Testament of Ann Lee thrillingly imagines the ecstasy and agony of Ann Lee and her followers’ conviction and commitment to her own vision of utopia. More than a dozen original Shaker hymns are transformed into ecstatic “movements,” featuring choreography from Celia Rowlson-Hall (Vox Lux) and music by Academy Award-winning composer Daniel Blumberg (The Brutalist). Screening in 35mm

 English 

Screenings & Events

There are currently no upcoming screenings of this film.

Media

Film Credits

  •   Andrew Morrison, Joshua Horsfield, Viktória Petrányi, Mona Fastvold, Brady Corbet, Gregory Jankilevitsch, Klaudia Śmieja-Rostworowska, Lillian LaSalle, Mark Lampert
  •   Mona Fastvold, Brady Corbet
  •   Sofia Subercaseaux
  •   Will Rexer
  •   Amanda Seyfried, Thomasin McKenzie, Lewis Pullman, Tim Blake Nelson, Christopher Abbott
  •   Daniel Blumberg
  •   Megan Ellison, Patrick Chu, Christopher Renteria, Tom Ogden, Diana Chen, Brantley Gong, Jesse Ozeri, Vincent Peone, Kyle Stroud, Zach Verdin, Dave Guenette, Scott Aharoni, Alihan Yalcindag, Sinan Eczacibasi, Saskia Duff, David Kaplan, Oleg Nodelman, Marcin Czernik, Claude Amadeo, Randal Sandler, Michael D’Alto, Chris Triana, Adam Paulsen, Michael Fowler, Zelene Fowler
  •   Kaplan Morrison, Intake Films

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A man and a woman closely stand face to face in a deeply wooded area.

Hamnet

  Chloé Zhao

  U.K.     125 minutes

Synopsis

From Oscar winner Chloé Zhao, Hamnet tells the powerful story of love and loss that inspired the creation of Shakespeare’s masterpiece, Hamlet.

 English 

Screenings & Events

There are currently no upcoming screenings of this film.

Media

Film Credits

  •   Liza Marshall, Pippa Harris, Nic Gonda, Sam Mendes, Steven Spielberg
  •   Chloé Zhao, Maggie O’Farrell
  •   Chloé Zhao, Affonso Gonçalves
  •   Łukasz Żal
  •   Jessie Buckley, Paul Mescal, Emily Watson, Joe Alwyn
  •   Max Richter
  •   Kristie Macosko Krieger, Laurie Borg, Chloé Zhao
  •   Hera Pictures, Neal Street Productions, Amblin Entertainment, Book of Shadows

Sponsors

Film Patron

Frank and Kathy Ballantine

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A middle aged man holds his mother's hand as they both sit in a room, in front of a window.

Visiting Hours

  Carol Salter

  U.K.     15 minutes

Synopsis

During his daily visits to his ailing mother Rose, Tony helps her remember the past in this quietly beautiful portrait of aging, loss, and shared tenderness between mother and son.

This film screens as part of Shorts Program 7: Documentary.

  

 English 

Film Credits

  •   Carol Salter
  •   Cinzia Baldessari
  •   Carol Salter
  •   Tony Stafford, Rosie Stafford
  •   Lucy Draper
  •   Rocksalt Films

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Shorts 7: Documentary

  Various

  Colombia, Mexico, Netherlands, U.K., U.S.     88 minutes

Synopsis

These films showcase the richness of the documentary form. Through observation, testimony, and poetic reimagining, six different complex corners of the world come into view.

In Dooni, preacher Walter Hawkins delivers the moving eulogy for legendary singer Sylvester, who died of AIDS in 1988. In Visiting Hours, Tony pays daily visits to his mother at a care facility, helping her ailing memory. Koki, Ciao is a humorous autobiography of a parrot named Koki, who rubbed shoulders with some of the most famous people of the 20th century. In Lanawaru, a community grapples with the disappearance of one of their own, as a young boy receives spiritual guidance from his grandfather. Through audio recordings created by a couple over the course of a season, Hold Me Close portrays and celebrates the love shared between two women. Hoops, Hopes, & Dreams is an investigation into how basketball has played a crucial role in the political lives of two of the defining figures of American history, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Barack Obama.

 Croatian, English, Spanish 

Content Considerations

Screenings & Events

There are currently no upcoming screenings of this film.

Sponsors

Program Partner

Logo: WTTW (2019)

Program Patron

Cynthia Stone Raskin

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