Mostly British Film Festival

Schedule Of Events

Saturday February 8, 2025

10:30 am - Memoir of a Snail

From Academy Award-winning director Adam Elliot (“Harvie Krumpef”) comes this artfully crafted stop-motion animation that explores themes of memory, love and the passage of time. In his signature quirky style, Elliot brings to life the whimsical and poignant journey of a snail named Norman, who embarks on a slow-paced but deeply emotional adventure. With striking visual storytelling and heartfelt humor, this charming tale invites audiences to reflect on the beauty of the small moments that shape a lifetime. Voiced by a Who’s Who of Australian actors including “Succession’s” Sarah Snook, Oscar nominee Jacki Weaver and Eric Bana. Winner Best Animated Film at the Catalonian International Film Festival. Not advised for children.

Australia 2024 (90 min)

12:15 pm - Never Look Away

It’s impossible to take your eyes off Margaret Moth, the outrageous, enigmatic video journalist and the subject of this fascinating documentary, directed by first-time filmmaker Lucy Lawless (best known for her role as Xena in the TV series “Xena: Warrior Princess”). An unabashed hedonist, freely indulging in booze, controlled substances and casual sex, the spiky-haired Moth (think Joan Jett) attained near-legendary status with her willingness to get as close as she could to the reality of war. Even after being severely injured in Sarajevo, she returned to work there, her addiction to adrenaline undiminished. Winner Best Documentary Feature at the Calgary Underground Film Festival. Festival programmer Barbara Lane conducts Zoom interview with Lawless.

New Zealand 2023 (85 minutes)

2:00 pm - Cottontail

In this moving, poignant film, a widower and his estranged son travel from Japan to England to fulfill his late wife’s wish of scattering her ashes at a place she loved as a child. Lost and weary, the widower stumbles onto an English farmer’s doorstep, resulting in a heartwarming cross-cultural encounter. Set amidst the contrasting landscapes of Japan and the UK, the film weaves a compelling story about family, death and the memories that bind us. An examination of loss, which captures not just the differences in cultural approaches to death and dying, but the universal nature of grief and our helplessness in grappling with it. Winner Best Debut Feature at the Rome Film Festival

UK 2023 (94 minutes)

4:00 pm - The Red Shoes

Widely considered to be the best movie ever made about the ballet world, “The Red Shoes” has a preternatural glow and looks to have scarcely aged since its release 57 years ago. Enhanced by a digital restoration, this brightness was baked in by being shot in color, a rarity at the time. Director Michael Powell’s most striking innovation is integrating dance into his story of a young ballerina (an exquisite Moira Shearer in her film debut) torn between a struggling composer who loves her and an autocratic ballet impresario who seeks only to control her. A dark glorious homage to dance. Oscars for score and art direction.

UK 1948 (135 minutes)

7:00 pm - AN EVENING WITH HUGH BONNEVILLE

From Downton to darkest Peru, we are thrilled to welcome actor Hugh Bonneville to our home at the Vogue. In what promises to be a highlight of this year’s festival, Hugh joins artistic director Ruthe Stein to discuss his long and varied career, illustrated by clips from films including “Notting Hill,” “Iris,” “The Viceroy’s House” and “Paddington,” the latest installment of which, “Paddington in Peru,” will be sneak previewed on the festival’s closing night in Hugh’s honor. His extensive television credits include the BAFTA-winning “Twenty Twelve” and “WIA” (BBC) and six seasons (and three movies) of the global hit “Downton Abbey” (ITV/PBS). Hugh’s latest appearances include Apple TV’s, “The Completely Made Up Adventures of Dick Turpin” and “The Agency” on Paramount +.

The evening will conclude with a screening of “From Time to Time,” a family drama from “Downton Abbey” creator Julian Fellowes, featuring Bonneville and co-staring the late, great Maggie Smith.

UK 2009 (97 minutes)

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Date: February 6-13, 2025