Hull Independent Cinema: The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent

Hull Independent Cinema: The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent

Nicolas Cage stars as a fictionalised Nicolas Cage in this disorientingly self-referential black action-comedy. Creatively unfulfilled and facing financial ruin, the fictionalised version of Cage must accept a $1 million offer to attend the birthday of a dangerous superfan, a billionaire drugs kingpin. Things take a wildly unexpected turn when Cage is recruited by a CIA operative and forced to live up to his own legend, channelling his most iconic and beloved on-screen characters in order to save himself and his loved ones. With a career destined for this very moment, the seminal award-winning actor must take on the role of a lifetime: Nick Cage.

Starring
Nicolas Cage, Pedro Pascal, Tiffany Haddish, Neil Patrick Harris

Hull Independent Cinema: Compartment No.6

Hull Independent Cinema present: Compartment No.6

A young Finnish woman escapes an enigmatic love affair in Moscow by boarding a train to the arctic port of Murmansk. Forced to share the long ride and a tiny sleeping car with a larger than life Russian miner, the unexpected encounter leads the occupants of Compartment No. 6 to face the truth about their own yearning for human connection.

Starring
Yuriy Borisov, Seidi Haarla, Yuliya Aug

Hull Independent Cinema: The Worst Person In The World

Hull Independent Cinema present: The Worst Person In The World

The chronicle of four years in the life of Julie, a young woman who navigates the troubled waters of her love life and struggles to find her career path, forcing her finally to take a realistic look at who she really is. The concluding part of Joachim Trier’s Oslo Trilogy is a spiky, intricately observed romantic comedy that delights in subverting the genre’s well-worn tropes.

Starring
Renate Reinsve, Anders Danielsen Lie, Maria Grazia Di Meo

Hull Independent Cinema: Hive

Hull Independent Cinema present: Hive

HIVE is a searing drama based on the true story of Fahrije, who, like many of the other women in her patriarchal village, has lived with fading hope and burgeoning grief since her husband went missing during the war in Kosovo. In order to provide for her struggling family, she pulls together the other widows in her community to launch a business selling a local food product. Finding healing and solace in considering a future without their husbands–but their will to begin living independently is met with hostility. The men in the village condemn Fahrije’s efforts to empower herself and the women around her, starting a feud that threatens their newfound sovereignty–and the financial future of Fahrije’s family. Against the backdrop of Eastern Europe’s civil unrest and lingering misogyny, Fahrije and the women of her village join in a struggle to find hope in the face of an uncertain future. HIVE is a pithy, devastating portrait of loss and our uphill journeys to freedom.

Starring Yllka Gashi, Çun Lajçi, Aurita Agushi

Hull Independent Cinema: Freakscene – The Story of Dinosaur Jr.

Hull Independent Cinema & DNR present: Freakscene – The Story of Dinosaur Jr.

The venue is open from 5pm, so why not come along early to grab a drink or a delicious pizza from Costanzas? The programme run time includes an allowance for introductions. While we will endeavour to accommodate latecomers, this may not always be possible. Please note that we reserve the right to refuse entry, without a refund, to anyone arriving after the advertised start time.

Starring
Dinosaur Jr, Henry Rollins, Kim Gordon

Hull Independent Cinema: Great Freedom

In Germany after WWII, liberation did not always mean freedom. Under the German penal code known as Paragraph 175, homosexuality is illegal. Over several decades Hans is spied on and jailed solely for his sexuality. Jailed repeatedly, Hans develops an ever-closer relationship with Viktor, a convicted murderer serving a life sentence. Their charged rapport blossoms into something more tender, in a film that explores love, lost time, and the tenacity of the human spirit.

Starring

Franz Rogowski, Georg Friedrich, Anton von Lucke

Hostile: Hull Independent Cinema

Hostile is a feature-length documentary focusing on the UK’s complicated relationship with its migrant communities. Told through the stories of four participants from Black and Asian backgrounds, the film reveals the impact of the evolving ‘hostile environment’ – a term used by the UK government in 2012 to illustrate the atmosphere they wanted to create for migrants, with the intention of provoking them to leave of their own accord.

The film explores how the lives of international students, members of the Windrush generation and ‘Highly-Skilled Migrants’ have been affected. After decades of hostile immigration policies, Britain has reached a crisis point. With Brexit, the Points Based Immigration System and the Nationality Bill and Borders taking effect, the film asks: once the ‘hostile environment’ has targeted all migrants, who will it extend to next?

HIC are delighted to host writer-director Sonita Gale for a live Q&A after the screening.

Flee – Hull Independent Cinema

Hull Independent Cinema presents: Flee

A powerful and innovative animated documentary, Flee explores the refugee experience from the inside, offering unprecedented insight into one man’s struggle for freedom. Director Jonas Poher Rasmussen tells the story of an Afghan man Amin (not his real name), on the verge of a marriage that forces him to confront his sexuality and make the heartwrenching decision to escape persecution by the Mujahideen. Brimming with compassion and heart, Flee gracefully humanises the plight of refugees

Love Actually In Concert

Love Actually, the star-studded rom-com that has become a Christmas classic, will tour the UK in winter 2022 with a full orchestra performing its soundtrack live to screen.

Love Actually In Concert is becoming an annual festive tradition for many, having garnered sold out audiences in previous years, with the Bournemouth Echo commenting ‘… the whole performance was simply spectacular, enhancing the magic of this classic Christmas movie tenfold’, and the York Press stating in its 5-star review ‘The live orchestra works to enhance this experience – and what a joyful one it is.’

Directed by Richard Curtis and originally released in cinemas in 2003, Love Actually tells ten separate, yet interweaving stories of love around Christmas time.

The film features an all-star ensemble cast, including Hugh Grant, Liam Neeson, Colin Firth, Laura Linney, Bill Nighy, Martine McCutcheon, Alan Rickman, Emma Thompson, Keira Knightley Rowan Atkinson, Martin Freeman, and many more.

A full, live orchestra will perform Craig Armstrong’s evocative score at these shows, with the film being projected onto a huge screen. Armstrong is one of the UK’s most recognised film composers, with his work being awarded a BAFTA for his Achievement in Film Music.

Reel Life

At the edge of a remote riverbank, two unlikely strangers meet. Jo, a children’s writer, is teaching herself to fish. Mark, a dryly eccentric recluse, has come to practice his daily Tai Chi. In a different time and space, a lone stranger addresses a partner from a once happy relationship.

Performed and filmed live on location in Wiltshire, exclusively for a digital theatre audience, Reel Life grapples with themes of recovery, re-connection and loss – and what really lies beneath the surface.

Reel Life contains themes of mortality and illness which may be triggering for some viewers.

National Theatre Live: Straight Line Crazy

Ralph Fiennes (Antony & Cleopatra) leads the cast in David Hare’s (Skylight) blazing account of the most powerful man in New York, a master manipulator whose legacy changed the city forever.

For forty uninterrupted years, Robert Moses exploited those in office through a mix of charm and intimidation. Motivated at first by a determination to improve the lives of New York City’s workers, he created parks, bridges and 627 miles of expressway to connect the people to the great outdoors.

Faced with resistance by protest groups campaigning for a very different idea of what the city should become, will the weakness of democracy be exposed in the face of his charismatic conviction?
Broadcast live from the Bridge Theatre in London, Nicholas Hytner directs this exhilarating new play.

Katie Spencer Band – Album Launch

Katie Spencer launches her highly anticipated second album ‘The Edge of the Land’ with her band, at Wrecking Ball Arts Centre, Hull.

Featuring Katie Spencer (guitars, vocals), Tom Mason (double bass) and Miles Pillinger (drums), plus support from Nick Jonah Davis.

Raised in the East Yorkshire flatlands on the fringes of Hull, Katie Spencer’s landscape has always been that of open skies and widening rivers. Industry still shapes the city here. The people, as with the land, are moulded by tides and stark horizons. Stand in the same place for long enough and you can watch the sun rise over the North Sea and then sink into crop fields, glowing auburn in late-summer sun. It is this sense of space and movement that flows through Katie Spencer’s music.

The songwriting, and most notably her guitar playing stems from a time when the steel-stringed instrument was truly finding its voice. Artists like Joni Mitchell, James Taylor and perhaps most evidently Michael Chapman, flow into her sound, carrying with them the warmth and idealism of the early 70’s folk and songwriter movements.

Katie Spencer’s highly anticipated new album, The Edge of the Land (2022), follows her debut release, Weather Beaten (2019) which was praised for its unique song-craft, spell-binding musicianship and crystal sonic clarity, as she brought together fans of music from all backgrounds and walks of life. Delicate and un-rushed, the ten songs on The Edge of the Land drift by like ships on the horizon, yet intimacy and introspection still remain.

The inclusivity found in her recorded works is most apparent when on stage, with a personal connection and humour that allows the listener time to appreciate the emotion of the music. Her historical gig list is extensive, taking in the world-renowned Celtic Connections and Cambridge Folk Festival, whilst performances with Danny Thompson and Alan Thomson have left audiences in awe of her confidence and craftsmanship.

As live music returns to our world, we can expect to see Katie Spencer where she belongs once more, eyes closed, in the moment, performing.

This event is taking place at Wrecking Ball Press on May 6

Film Club: Full Moon in Paris

Louise, a young woman, who recently finished her studies in arts, is working as a interior decorator trainee. Playing the game of seduction, her life becomes more and more complicated.

Director: Éric Rohmer
Certification: 15
Cast: Pascale Ogier, Tchéky Karyo, Fabrice Luchini
Production Year: 1984
Running Time: 1hr 41m

Wrecking Ball Arts Centre.

Film Club: Moulin Rouge

A poor Bohemian poet in 1890s Paris falls for a beautiful courtesan and nightclub star whom a jealous duke covets.

Director: Baz Luhrmann
Certification: 12
Cast: Nicole Kidman, Ewan McGregor, John Leguizamo
Production Year: 2001
Running Time: 2hr 7m

Wrecking Ball Arts Centre.