Our selection of unmissable screenings in our event programme, including milestone anniversaries, exciting collaborations, special events and other Festival highlights.
THE DARK FAIRYTALE MASTERPIECE MAKES ITS DEBUT VINTAGE SCREENINGS APPEARANCE FOR ITS 20TH ANNIVERSARY
2026 marks the 20th anniversary of firm Festival favourite Pan’s Labyrinth. Guillermo del Toro’s Oscar-winning masterpiece is both hauntingly beautiful and brutally ugly, in its seamless blending of its surreal and sinister mythical realm with the harsh realities of the Spanish Civil War’s immediate aftermath. We’ve screened it many times over the past decade at a range of venues, and now for the first time we present it as a Vintage Screening, accompanied by a flight of Spanish wines in tribute to the film’s setting. This promises to be a spellbinding evening - book now to avoid disappointment.
A KNIGHT WITHOUT A CAUSE. A DRAGON WITHOUT A FRIEND. TOGETHER THEY’LL CHANGE THE WORLD
We’re heating things up at the Planetarium in April with a crossover fantasy double bill celebrating dragons on the big screen! First up is a 30th anniversary screening of Dragonheart. Sean Connery voices the last of the dragons in this heartwarming tale of misadventure, unlikely friendship and duty - it’s a loving homage to some of the swords-and-sorcery classics as well as buddy comedies from Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid onwards, with Oscar-nominated special effects utilising full CGI characters that helped pave the way for the likes of Gollum in The Lord Of The Rings. One for the whole family, especially the millennial inner child…!
DIAMONDS ARE A MAN’S WORST ENEMY IN THIS UNFLINCHING TALE OF GREED AND GOOD
Back for 2026, it’s “Epics @ Everyman”, our quarterly partnership with Everyman Bristol screening classic films from across the decades, particularly those with longer run times, that you can enjoy from the comfort of their sofa seats. May’s selection is a 20th anniversary screening of the gripping political thriller Blood Diamond. Starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Djimon Hounsou in Oscar-nominated performances, it tells the story of a fisherman, a smuggler and a journalist whose lives intersect during the Sierra Leone Civil War in the pursuit of a rare diamond. Mixing explosive action with a deeper message, it’s a moving story of survival, redemption, and the human cost behind a luxury industry. Your ticket includes a complimentary drink, collected as you enter the cinema (alcoholic and non-alcoholic options available).
THEY CLAIM TO COME IN PEACE, BUT THEY’RE LEAVING HUMAN SOCIETY IN PIECES…
This May, we’ll be celebrating two very different alien invasion films that both happen to be turning 30 in 2026… First up it’s Tim Burton’s Mars Attacks!. We’ve long been fans of Mr Burton’s filmography, but this is our first ever time screening his deliciously dark satire, which feels like a giddy mix of 50s B-movies and Dr Strangelove. Full of famous faces and plenty of laser beam-induced chaos, it’s a campy cult classic that will leave you in shock, awe - and going “Hey, what’s Tom Jones doing here…?”
This film will make you hungry. Luckily, we have just the solution
After sold out screenings last year, we’re going to be celebrating the 30th anniversary of Big Night, Stanley Tucci’s tragicomedy chronicling the misadventures of two Italian brothers gambling their struggling restaurant’s future on an epic meal for a special guest. Expect an Italian wine tasting alongside the film, as well as a meal during the interval courtesy of Toff’s Pasta, to accompany one of the greatest films about food and friendship ever made!
THE BLOCKBUSTER HIT FEATURING BLOCK-BUSTING ALIENS
This May, we’ll be celebrating two very different alien invasion films that both happen to be turning 30 in 2026… Second up is Roland Emmerich’s Oscar-winning blockbuster Independence Day. It’s the perfect blend of everything we love about 90s cinema: an epic scale, an eclectic all-star ensemble cast, Jeff Goldblum playing a roguish nerd, and high-octane action sequences served up with a healthy dose of Hollywoods cheese!
DAVID ATTENBOROUGH DELIVERS HIS GREATEST MESSAGE OF HOPE IN THIS SPECTACULAR FILM
We’re thrilled to announce our screening of the stunning documentary, Ocean With David Attenborough, which explores the wonders of our oceans as well as the challenges that they face, and how they can be protected for future generations. The film was created by award-winning Bristol-based production companies Silverback Films and Open Planet Studios, who have worked with David Attenborough for more than 40 years. Featuring some introductory words from some of the team behind the film, and screened in the same month as Attenborough’s 100th birthday, this is an astonishing and vital piece of filmmaking. One year on from its release, we’ll also be asking what has changed since this bold vision for preserving the oceans’ future was put forward. Join us for this very special screening of one of the most important documentaries of the century so far - it’s not to be missed!
SACRE BLEU - HAS THE WORLD’S WORST DETECTIVE’S LUCK FINALLY RUN OUT…?
We’re bringing another instalment of one of our favourite series to Averys in time for its 50th anniversary: it’s The Pink Panther Strikes Again! Peter Sellers and Herbert Lom are the perfect double act in another madcap chapter in the life of the world’s worst detective and his long-suffering boss, who’s finally driven over the brink… In honour of Inspector Clouseau we’ll be pairing the film with a flight of French wines to enjoy between the laughter - Santé!
THE DARK FAIRYTALE MASTERPIECE MAKES ITS DEBUT VINTAGE SCREENINGS APPEARANCE FOR ITS 20TH ANNIVERSARY
2026 marks the 20th anniversary of firm Festival favourite Pan’s Labyrinth. Guillermo del Toro’s Oscar-winning masterpiece is both hauntingly beautiful and brutally ugly, in its seamless blending of its surreal and sinister mythical realm with the harsh realities of the Spanish Civil War’s immediate aftermath. We’ve screened it many times over the past decade at a range of venues, and now for the first time we present it as a Vintage Screening, accompanied by a flight of Spanish wines in tribute to the film’s setting. This promises to be a spellbinding evening - book now to avoid disappointment.
THERE’S NO ESCAPING THE HEAT - OR THE TRUTH - IN THIS FIERY ADAPTATION OF THE CLASSIC PLAY
In honour of its 75th anniversary, we’re delighted to present our first ever screening of Elia Kazan’s astonishing adaptation of A Streetcar Named Desire. Featuring an Oscar-nominated Marlon Brandon and Vivien Leigh in her second Oscar-winning role, this Southern Gothic masterpiece is a powerful and poignant realisation of Tennessee Williams’ incendiary play. To pair with this sweat-drenched film, we’ll be bringing you wines from some of the hottest winemaking regions in the world, as the heat rises in New Orleans’ French Quarter…
PARADISE COMES WITH A HEAVY PRICE IN THIS TRAILBLAZING 70s SCI-FI CULT FAVOURITE
This June we’re marking the 50th anniversary of two classic sci-fi films, starting with the utopian/dystopian Logan’s Run. Based on the cult novel by William F. Nolan and George Clayton Johnson, it’s a dazzling slice of 70s science fiction that pairs glossy blockbuster spectacle with surprisingly subversive ideas about youth, freedom, and control. Famous for its chilling “Carrousel” [sic] sequences, and Oscar-winning visual effects, it’s a bold product of the pre-digital era and a time-capsule of futuristic imagination.
DAVID BOWIE’S FROM SPACE IN THIS CEREBRAL AND SURREAL 70s SCI-FI MASTERPIECE
This June we’re marking the 50th anniversary of two classic sci-fi films, finishing with Nicholas Roeg’s sci-fi masterpiece The Man Who Fell To Earth. Starring David Bowie as the eponymous space traveller trying to navigate our planet in search of extraterrestrial salvation, it’s a true cult classic and a surreal must-watch of the sci-fi genre that has influenced everything in its wake from Watchmen to Iron Maiden - and there are few better cast characters than the Starman himself as this otherworldly protagonist!
This film will make you hungry. Luckily, we have just the solution
After sold out screenings last year, we’re going to be celebrating the 30th anniversary of Big Night, Stanley Tucci’s tragicomedy chronicling the misadventures of two Italian brothers gambling their struggling restaurant’s future on an epic meal for a special guest. Expect an Italian wine tasting alongside the film, as well as a meal during the interval courtesy of Toff’s Pasta, to accompany one of the greatest films about food and friendship ever made!
100 YEARS OF GOOD VERSUS EVIL IN THIS MASTERPIECE FROM THE MIND BEHIND NOSFERATU
We’re returning to the beautiful Gothic surroundings of St Mary Redcliffe in October as part of our Halloween season, for a special centenary screening of Faust. This visually stunning adaptation of the legendary tale was directed by F.W. Murnau, the genius behind Nosferatu, and Faust offers a similarly chilling exploration of morality, good versus evil, and the battle for one man’s soul. It’s a must-see for any film fan and a masterpiece of Expressionist cinema that still has the power to move and shock 100 years since its release. This remarkable film will be accompanied by a live, entirely improvised organ recital by the award-winning composer Dr. David Bednall, blending silent cinema with live music to create a unique performance that promises to add another dimension to the experience; combined with the truly atmospheric setting of one of Bristol’s most iconic landmarks, it promises to be a night to remember.
