Spotlight Events
Our selection of unmissable screenings in our event programme, including milestone anniversaries, exciting collaborations, special events and other Festival highlights.
Our selection of unmissable screenings in our event programme, including milestone anniversaries, exciting collaborations, special events and other Festival highlights.
This November we’re presented a trio of Hitchcockian Vintage Screenings to mark some major anniversaries of some of his finest films. Our first screening is the haunting adaptation of Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca, which turns 85 this year. This was Hitchcock’s only film to win Best Picture at the Oscars, and it’s a glorious Gothic psychological thriller. We’ll be pairing it with some suitably Gothic wines inspired by the film’s character and characters…
This November we’re presented a trio of Hitchcockian Vintage Screenings to mark some major anniversaries of some of his finest films. Our second screening is Spellbound, which turns 80 this year; this brooding psychological thriller sees Ingrid Bergman face off against Gregory Peck, a man who isn’t who he seems and can’t be sure of who he’s supposed to be… We’ll be pairing it with wines that each have a Hitchcockian twist to them that make them unusual in their respective categories… Intrigued? We hope so!
Our trio of Hitchcock Vintage Screenings in November concludes with a 90th anniversary screening of the espionage thriller The 39 Steps. Showing just in time for St Andrew's Day, you can choose either a wine tasting or opt for a Scotch whisky tasting flight in honour of both the seminal film's setting and patron saint. Slainté!
With kind permission from Hammer Films, we’re thrilled to bring a 70th anniversary screening of The Quatermass Xperiment to the Planetarium this November. Based on the BBC serial, this chilling story of extraterrestrial threat and body horror was a major influence on cult director John Carpenter, and this digitally restored print will be a treat on the big screen once more for all fans of sci-fi and vintage horror!
We’re celebrating another milestone of dystopian sci-fi this November with a 30th anniversary screening of Terry Gilliam’s 12 Monkeys. It’s a mind-bending time-travel misadventure featuring Bruce Willis as the convict trying to save humanity from its own fate, plus Brad Pitt in an Oscar-nominated, memorable turn as a psychiatric inmate.
As part of a double bill of dystopian international cinema, Battle Royale is coming to the Planetarium for a 25th anniversary screening. This controversial Japanese film about schoolkids forced to fight to the death by a totalitarian regime has influenced Tarantino, The Hunger Games, Squid Game and much, much more - it’s still a shocking and exhilarating watch, with satire, action, pathos et al for those who can stomach it!
ROUND UP THE USUAL SUSPECTS FOR THIS SLICK AND TWISTING CRIME THRILLER
Due to demand, we’ve added an additional 30th anniversary screening of The Usual Suspects to our Q4 programming. This compelling crime thriller is packed with twists and turns that will keep you guessing until the very last minute - and to honour that, we’ll be doing the same with another blind tasting evening, giving you subtle clues to help you pick the odd wine out before the evening is up…!
We’re delighted to present our first ever screening of the musical sensation, The Sound Of Music, this December, to coincide with its 60th anniversary! Join us to celebrate the Oscar-winning classic, following Maria, the Von Trapp family and their remarkable story through a songbook of timeless classics. The film will be introduced by Festival Director Owen Franklin, and there will also be a very special live medley performed by our friends at BLOC Productions, Bristol’s premiere musical theatre club. Whether you’re discovering it for the first time or rewatching it for the fiftieth time, experiencing this heartwarming favourite on the big screen is a magical way to start the festive season.
As we move into December, we’re presenting a 20th anniversary screening of War Of The Worlds. Steven Spielberg masterfully adapts the seminal H.G. Wells novel for the 21st Century, bringing the scale of the alien invasion to life without losing sight of the existential dread of the source material. Harrowing and haunting, it’s another example of Spielberg’s proficiency in producing PG-13 horror (or 12-rated for us Brits!).
Our final night at the Planetarium in 2025 begins with a 20th anniversary screening of Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge Of The Sith. The final film of the prequel trilogy details Anakin Skywalker’s tragic turn to the Dark Side of the Force, and the origins of one of cinema’s all-time greatest villains… It’s a space opera spectacle for the ages!
Do you feel the need? The need for speed? We hear you… Or maybe you’ve lost that lovin’ feeling? Then we can be your wingman any time, because we’ve got your date night plans/entire month of February sorted with a 40th anniversary screening of Top Gun underneath Concorde at the magnificent Aerospace Bristol! Join us for a high-octane screening of Maverick’s original outing in all its 80s glory - it’s guaranteed to take your breath away.
We’ve got a trio of romantic Vintage Screenings in the run-up to Valentine’s Day 2026, starting with the tragic tale of Romeo + Juliet. Baz Luhrmann’s contemporary take on Shakespeare’s most beloved play turns 30 this spring; Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes shine as the star-crossed lovers, in a high-octane adaptation that transfers the warring families to the Californian city of Verona Beach. We’ll be pairing it with an Italian and Californian wine tasting to complement the timeless tear-jerker.
Our trio of romantic Vintage Screenings in the run-up to Valentine’s Day 2026 continuing with the giddily funny Moonstruck. Starring Cher in an Oscar-winning role and a young Nicolas Cage as her unlikely love interest, it’s an endearingly heartwarming slice of Italian-American romcom perfection, served up alongside a flight of wines from across Italy for an extra dash of authenticity!
Our trio of romantic Vintage Screenings in the run-up to Valentine’s Day 2026 concludes with the ultimate Valentine’s/Galentine’s movie, Bridget Jones’s Diary. With the film turning 25 and the original novel turning 30, it’s a double milestone to celebrate as we navigate a tumultuous life in the year of Bridget, in this hilarious feel-good romcom (and loving Jane Austen pastiche!), paired with some wines inspired by the film (including a Chardonnay, naturally…).
Regulars will know that we have a fond spot for Ealing Comedies, and so we’re delighted to announce this 75th anniversary screening of The Lavender Hill Mob. Alec Guinness is on top form as a mild-mannered bank clerk who dreams up an audacious gold bullion heist with a scheme so outrageously simple, it’s surely the perfect crime - or is it? This gleeful sendup of the crime genre went on to inspire Alfred Hitchcock and remains ranked among the funniest British films ever made - and we’ll be pairing it with some wines inspired by the characters and settings!
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!
