Revivals and resonance – this festival has it all
New British dramas, documentaries, and comedies, plus old favourities, will be featured on big screens across Australia.
The Jewish International Film Festival is also being held at various venues around Australia in November and December.
Highlights include the dark comedy, Bad Shabbos, which won the audience award at Tribeca Film Festival; the Australian premiere of Scarlett Johansson’s heartwarming directorial debut, Eleanor the Great; and the French box office hit, Once Upon My Mother.
Details are here.
From John Cleese to Ralph Fiennes, Twiggy to Emma Thompson, the 2025 British Film Festival, features well-known stars telling stories that will appeal to many older Australians.
The festival, at Palace cinemas in major cities from 5 November to 7 December, includes a dazzling lineup of films that celebrate the richness of British storytelling.
This year’s program features a compelling mix of premieres, documentaries, and retrospectives— many of which will appeal strongly to senior Australians through themes of nostalgia, resilience, and life experience.
Opening the festival is The Choral, a sweeping wartime drama starring Ralph Fiennes, Roger Allam, and Mark Addy.
Set in a small community facing the threat of conscription, the film explores the healing power of music and the bonds formed in uncertain times.
Closing the festival is Hamnet, a beautifully crafted adaptation of Maggie O’Farrell’s novel, starring Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal as Agnes and William Shakespeare. The film’s exploration of grief and creativity offers a poignant meditation on love and legacy.
Among the most anticipated titles is Anemone, marking the return of Daniel Day-Lewis in a film co-written with his son Ronan Day-Lewis. Featuring Sean Bean and Samantha Morton, this family drama delves into the emotional ties between fathers and sons — an enduring theme for many older viewers.
The festival’s documentaries offer a nostalgic journey through British cultural history. John Cleese Packs It In provides a candid look at the comedy legend’s final European tour, while Borrowed Time – Lennon’s Last Decade charts John Lennon’s post-Beatles years of activism and reinvention.
Twiggy celebrates the 1960s fashion icon’s meteoric rise, complemented by a screening of her debut film The Boy Friend (1971), a tap-dancing tribute to 1920s musicals.
Classic film lovers will delight in the British Brilliance retrospective, featuring six Academy Award-winning masterpieces: Chariots of Fire, Gandhi, Shakespeare in Love, The Bridge on the River Kwai, The English Patient, and The King’s Speech. These timeless films offer both historical insight and emotional depth, making them ideal for audiences who appreciate cinematic heritage.
Hitchcock fans will be treated to a rare retrospective of his early works in Hitchcock: The Beginning, alongside the documentary Becoming Hitchcock and a screening of Blackmail (1929), a landmark in the transition from silent films to talkies.
One of the festival’s most gripping thrillers is Dead of Winter, starring British icon Emma Thompson. Set in snowbound Minnesota, Thompson plays Barb, a woman travelling alone who interrupts a kidnapping and becomes the only hope for a teenage girl.
With no phone service and miles from help, the film is a tense, character-driven survival story that showcases Thompson’s commanding presence and emotional depth – qualities that have long endeared her to audiences of all ages.
Several contemporary films also explore themes relevant to older Australians. The North follows two old friends on a 600km hike through the Scottish Highlands, seeking reconnection and healing.
Dragonfly, starring Brenda Blethyn, tells the story of a neglected pensioner who finds unexpected friendship with a younger neighbour. & Sons, featuring Bill Nighy, Imelda Staunton, and Dominic West, explores family estrangement and reconciliation with emotional nuance.
Other highlights include Glenrothan, starring Alan Cumming and Brian Cox, which examines family bonds and tradition; and Four Mothers, a riotous comedy about four eccentric women who disrupt a young man’s life while attending a Pride festival. These films offer humour, heart, and insight into the lives of older characters.
With its blend of star-studded premieres, cultural retrospectives, and emotionally resonant storytelling, the Russell Hobbs British Film Festival 2025 is a cinematic celebration that honours the past while engaging with the present.
Senior Australians will find much to enjoy—from familiar faces and historical narratives to films that speak to their experiences and values.
Tickets are now available at www.britishfilmfestival.com.au.
For your chance to win tickets, click here.
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