Our films are hosted at Chester Picturehouse in their 218-seat Screen 1 and are shown in the original language with English subtitles where necessary.
Film Society membership costs only £10 for the season, and member tickets for each film must be bought in person, either in advance or on the night, for £5 on the production of your 2025/26 Chester Film Society membership card (either digital or printed).
18th September 2025
I’m Still Here
Cert 15 | 2h 17m | Original title: Ainda Estou Aqui
Country: Brazil, 2024
Director: Walter Salles
Stars: Fernanda Torres, Valentina Herszage, Selton Mello
Language: Portuguese (with English subtitles)
Please note that this film be will be shown in Screen 3
Brazil 1971: a country in the grip of a military dictatorship. A mother is forced to reinvent herself when her family’s life is shattered by an act of arbitrary violence. Based on Marcelo Rubens Paiva’s best-selling memoir. “Carried along by Fernanda Torres’ superb performance, I’m Still Here poignantly explores a nation’s upheaval through one family’s search for answers.” (Rotten Tomatoes)
In Portuguese | Cert 15
More on IMDB | Watch the trailer on Youtube | Film notes for I’m Still Here (pdf)
Audience Score: 8.63
Comments:
Excellent; Beautiful film; Powerful; Well acted; Soundtrack good; Sad; Incredible
Good and Great choice
A beautiful film well portrayed by the amazing characters and well acted
A story to be known by all; Emotional but an incredible film
9th October 2025
Misericordia
Cert 15 | 1h 42m | Original title: Miséricorde
Country: France, 2024
Director: Alain Guiraudie
Stars: Félix Kysyl, Catherine Frot
Language: French (with English subtitles)
A man visits his childhood village for the funeral of a family friend and upends the lives of the local eccentrics in the French director’s weird and earthy return to form. “Navigating a diabolical story with fleet-footed tonal mastery, Misericorida is another superb foray into the dangers of desire” (Rotten Tomatoes)
More on IMDB | Watch the trailer on Youtube | Film notes for Misericordia (pdf)
Audience Score: 6.8
Comments:
Didn’t like the violence, but an intruguing film with unexpected turn to the plot.
Well cast. Good camera work.
The fungi did it!
Could only be a French film!
Very weird, but very French!
Enjoyable
Truly bizarre!!
30th October 2025
The Girl with the Needle
Cert 15 |2h 3m | Original title: Pigen med nålen
Country: Denmark, 2024
Director: Magnus von Horn
Stars: Vic Carmen Sonne, Trine Dyrholm, Besir Zeciri
Langauge: Danish (English subtitles)
Copenhagen 1919. A young woman worker finds herself unemployed and pregnant. She meets Dagmar, who runs an underground adoption agency. A strong connection grows, but her world shatters when she stumbles on the truth behind her work. “Threading its grim tale through sumptuous black-and-white photography, The Girl with the Needle is a haunting parable made with superb craft.” (Rotten Tomatoes)
More on IMDB | Watch the trailer on Youtube | Film notes for The Girl With The Needle (pdf)
Audience Score:
Comments:
20th November 2025
Santosh
Cert 15 | 2h 8m |
Country: India, 2025
Director: Sandhya Suri
Stars: Shahana Goswami, Sunita Rajwar, Nawal Shukla
Language: Hindi (English subtitles)
Newly widowed Santosh inherits her husband’s job as a police constable in the rural badlands of Northern India. When a girl’s body is found, she’s pulled into the investigation under the wing of charismatic feminist inspector Sharma. “Shahana Goswami bristles with unforgettable intensity in Santosh, a nervy procedural that asks the hard questions about a culture’s social hierarchy.” (Rotten Tomatoes)
More on IMDB | Watch the trailer on Youtube | Film notes for Santosh (pdf)
Audience Score:
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11th December 2025
The Marching Band
Cert 15 | 1h 43m | Original title: En fanfare
Country: France, 2025
Director: Emmanuel Courcol
Stars: Benjamin Lavernhe, Pierre Lottin, Sarah Suco
Language: French (English subtitles)
Two long-lost brothers, an orchestra conductor and a worker at a struggling factory, find common ground in their talent and love for music in this French comedy-drama. “This film may not surprise, but it’s a sincere and uplifting tale that is in tune with the spirit of underdog crowd-pleasers Brassed Off and The Full Monty.” (Linda Marric)
More on IMDB | Watch the trailer on Youtube | Film notes for The Marching Band (pdf)
Audience Score:
Comments:
Part Two of the 2025-26 Season will be announced in early December