The 2024 Russell Hobbs British Film Festival returns to Australian cinemas this November with a star-studded line-up. The festival will screen at Palace Cinemas in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Canberra, Byron Bay and for the first time, Ballarat. The curated program features tender dramas, action packed thrillers, comedy, documentaries and retrospectives. And it features some of Britain’s most well-known faces including Saoirse Ronan, Andrew Garfield, Florence Pugh, Ralph Fiennes, Jude Law and Tim Roth.
Opening this year’s festival is the Australian Premiere of BLITZ, Steve McQueen’s visually stunning period drama depicting pivotal moments of World War II in London The film stars Saoirse Ronan, with Paul Weller and brilliant newcomer Elliot Heffernan. Closing night features the premiere of the highly anticipated WE LIVE IN TIME. With beautifully nuanced performances from Oscar nominees Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield, this heart rendering romance delves into the profound question of how to make the most of the time we have in this world. And the 2024 Festival Centrepiece is Mike Leigh’s latest film HARD TRUTHS, which reunites him with the brilliant Marianne Jean-Baptiste in a darkly humorous and insightful exploration of family dynamics.
Also featuring Saoirse Ronan and fresh from its UK release comes THE OUTRUN. After a turbulent life in London, Rona returns to the untamed beauty of Scotland’s Orkney Islands, her childhood home, seeking to reconcile with her troubled past and find healing. Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche star in THE RETURN, an adaptation of Homer’s Odyssey. Exuding the classical essence of the Greek epic with a distinctly British spin, The Return offers a meticulously measured classical work with an all-star cast. The film premieres in the festival ahead of the UK release.
Another Australian premiere is Aylin Tezel’s directorial debut FALLING INTO PLACE. This tender drama follows Kira (played by Tezel) and Ian, each fleeing their own personal struggles, who cross paths during a winter weekend on the Isle of Skye. Their connection is profound but when they return to London, they must confront their past. Tezel will be joining audiences in person in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane for a series of Q&A events.
Plunging audiences into Tudor times is the historical drama FIREBRAND. Set during the final months of King Henry VIII’s reign, his sixth wife, Katherine Parr, faces the perilous challenges of the Tudor court. Alicia Vikander and Jude Law lead a gripping historical drama about power and survival. Also in the historical category comes British/French co-production WIDOW CLICQUOT tells a rousing true story offering an effervescent portrait of Barbe-Nicole Ponsardin, the “Grande Dame of Champagne”, otherwise known as Veuve Clicquot.
In special screenings the adaptation of the best-selling novel of the same name, CONCLAVE, stars Ralph Fiennes as Cardinal Lawrence who is entrusted with the secretive task of selecting a new Pope, but in the Vatican’s sacred halls, uncovers secrets that could destabilize the Roman Catholic Church. Pierce Brosnan and Helena Bonham Carter lead a commanding ensemble cast in FOUR LETTERS OF LOVE. Polly Steele’s tender story follows Nicholas and Isabel who are destined for each other, but their path to true love is anything but straightforward.
In a special music-themed sidebar ‘Brit Rock to Brit Pop’, renowned documentarian Nick Broomfield uncovers the true story of Brian Jones, the creative force and heartbreaker behind what would become the world’s greatest rock band The Rolling Stones in THE STONES AND BRIAN JONES. Iconic rock band Led Zeppelin’s electrifying 1973 Madison Square Garden performances are captured in THE SONG REMAINS THE SAME, interwoven with surreal fantasy sequences reflecting the band members’ personas. Fast forward to the Brit Pop era with BLUR: LIVE AT WEMBLEY STADIUM, an epic two-hour concert film immortalising Blur’s historic 2023 show at Wembley Stadium which saw the band perform their iconic and much-loved songs for 150,000 adoring fans. And BLUR: TO THE END, depicts the most recent chapter in the band’s story, captured during the period in which they made a surprise – and emotional – return with their first record in eight years, the critically acclaimed #1 album The Ballad of Darren.
Guaranteed to deliver a chuckle is THE PROBLEM WITH PEOPLE. Festival favourite Colm Meaney and US comedian Paul Reiser star as estranged cousins who, despite never having met, must resolve a generation’s worth of family disputes – before they start another one! Time-bending dark comedy TIMESTALKER follows a woman’s obsession with the same bad boy spanning six centuries offering a razor-sharp commentary on obsession and desire; whilst in TUESDAY, starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus, a mother and daughter are forced to face Death when it appears in an unexpected form.
In tribute to the late Dame Maggie Smith, James Ivory’s classic melodrama A ROOM WITH A VIEW will be screened in the festival. The film follows Lucy (played by Helena Bonham Carter), a young Englishwoman on a tour of Florence who is chaperoned by her cousin (played by Smith), as a series of events challenge her societal expectations. The new documentary MERCHANT IVORY focuses on the 44-film collaboration of Ismail Merchant and James Ivory who delivered decades of acclaimed dramas to audiences. Now, at 95, Ivory and key collaborators reflect on the production company’s lasting impact on arthouse cinema.
Another retrospective titled ‘History Restored’ features a selection of classic British historic dramas. They include a new 4K restoration of A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS; James Ivory’s epic melodrama HEAT AND DUST; Kenneth Branagh’s 1989 rendition of HENRY V; and THE LION IN WINTER starring Peter O’Toole and Katharine Hepburn
The festival opens on Wednesday 6 November in Melbourne, Ballarat, Adelaide, Perth Byron Bay, Canberra and Brisbane and Thursday 7 November in Sydney; concluding on Sunday 8 December in all cities.
Other reviews you might enjoy:
- British Film Festival 2022 – a preview
- British Film Festival 2021
- British Film Festival 2020 – movie feature
David Edwards is the editor of The Blurb and a contributor on film and television
