SEASON FOUR
MAR - JUL 2025
Welcome to Season 4
“An artist’s duty, as far as I’m concerned, is to reflect the times. I think that is true of painters, sculptors, poets, musicians. As far as I’m concerned, it’s their choice, but I choose to reflect the times and situations in which I find myself. That, to me, is my duty. And at this crucial time in our lives, when everything is so desperate, when every day is a matter of survival, I don’t think you can help but be involved. Young people, black and white, know this. That’s why they’re so involved in politics. We will shape and mould this country, or it will not be moulded and shaped at all anymore. So, I don’t think you have a choice. How can you be an artist and NOT reflect the times? That to me is the definition of an artist.” – the late, great, Nina Simone (who features in both Summer of Soul and Soundtrack to a Coup D’etat as part of this Season’s Sound & Vision programme).
As we launch our fourth season of curated events, we continue to build on our community roots and solidify our standing as a multi-disciplinary arts venue that’s ‘more than just a cinema’. One of the things I am most excited about expanding on this year, is our desire to bring opportunities to our community that help create an audience who are active participants in the arts themselves. I firmly believe in the power of the arts to promote empathy, spark productive and thoughtful conversation, and support better mental, and therefore, physical health. So, the opportunity to provide spaces on free, or hugely subsidised, workshops that sit alongside the film and events programme, thanks to The National Lottery Community Fund, should be a big win for us all and I can’t wait to see the outcomes – both short and long-term.
There are two postcards overlooking my workspace at the Curzon that serve as a reminder of what we are doing and why: one is by Bob & Roberta Smith, bought on a trip to the Tate, and reads ‘Art Makes People Powerful’. The other is from a series of postcards we gave out to promote the hard-hitting drama, on the reality of life for asylum seekers in Europe, Green Border, and it simply states, ‘Cinema Is Not Powerless’. Whatever your background or position, the world holds many worries right now, and here in this ‘more than just a’ cinema, we can draw together to work through them, build better and grow, with bits of joyful escapism thrown in for good measure.
Petra Mansour Head of Programme
Feature Films
Yes! We still screen Feature Films!
Sign up to the newsletter, check the website and follow us on socials as we add new films to the programme every week. The films listed below give you a taste of some of the blockbusters that might be making their way to the big screen this Spring / Summer...
MINECRAFT
MISSION IMPOSSIBLE 8
THE LAST SHOWGIRL
MICKEY 17
THE PENGUIN LESSONS
OPENING TIMES
THE SALT PATH F1
SUPERMAN
MOTHER’S PRIDE FLOW
A BIG BOLD BEAUTIFUL JOURNEY
ELIO 28 YEARS LATER
All the times advertised in this programme are the time that doors open, if you are unsure please email us at info@curzon.org.uk to ask for advice. You can find further info on each event via the website, just hop over to www.curzon.org.uk
Information in this brochure is correct at the time of print, but subject to change.
OUTDOOR ADVENTURES
Kendal Mountain Film Fest
A cinematic journey through the world’s most breathtaking landscapes with a selection of award-winning films that showcase the year’s most daring feats of courage and tales of human resilience. Ignite your sense of adventure with a renewed appreciation for the planet we call home as we bring you the best from the most beloved adventure film festival.
Chasing The Sun +Q&A
“Inspiring and joyful, a love letter to the humble bicycle and all who ride one.” Cyclist Magazine. In 1973 a professor set out to discover the most energy efficient creature on earth: turns out, it’s a human being on a bicycle! The experiment is now legendary and more relevant than ever. We explore extraordinary personal stories of ordinary cyclists chasing the sun, revealing the power of the humble bicycle to transform lives and help save the planet.
Wind Tide & Oar
Delving into the experiences of those who travel by harnessing the natural elements alone, this is a compelling exploration of engineless sailing. Journeying through rivers, coastlines, and open seas; creating a contemplative space, addressing themes of ecology, heritage, traditional skills, and maritime history. Using a 1960s hand-wound camera, we are offered a poetic and intimate perspective on a millennia-old craft.
The Big Sea +Q&A
Winner of Best Film at London Surf Film Festival, lauded with praise by surfers, journalists and activists: if you love the outdoors, cold-water swimming, or surfing, this is a must-see. An award-winning documentary exposing surfing’s hidden links to ‘Cancer Alley’ and the devastating impact of our toxic addiction to Neoprene – a synthetic material born out of a carcinogenic chemical process so toxic that the California requires wetsuits to carry health warnings.
John Higgs: Exterminate/Regenerate
The Story of Doctor Who
John Higgs, one of the most well-respect cultural critics at work in the UK today, joins us to talk about his new book; the first biography of the infamous Time Lord.
On screen, Doctor Who is a story of monsters, imagination and mind-expanding adventure. But the off-screen story is equally extraordinary - a tale of failed monks, war heroes, 1960s polyamory and self-sabotaging broadcasting executives. From the politics of fandom to the inner-struggles of the BBC, thousands of people have given part of themselves - and sometimes, too much of themselves - to bring this unlikeliest of folk heroes to life.
Harry Baker: Wonderful 2.0
“Harry Baker’s intricate, quick-fire rhymes have always been on the impressive side of mind-blowing” – The Scotsman
World Poetry Slam Champion Harry Baker is back and more full of wonder than ever. Celebrating wellies, postcodes, funerals and fertility journeys, his combination of playfulness, vulnerability and irrepressible hope has reached millions online and now he is back for more. Building on last years 40-date sellout run, Wonderful 2.0 hopes to make you cry with laughter, laugh through tears, or dream scenario both. The show will contain old faves as well as brand new work, celebrating what a thing it is to live a life. Fri 25 Apr 7pm
Thu 10 Jul 7pm
EVENT CINEMA
Showcasing the best in theatre, opera, ballet and orchestral performance: giving you a front row seat to internationally renowned shows from the comfort of the Curzon. Thu 27 Feb 6.45pm TBC
Royal Ballet & Opera: Swan Lake
Classical ballet’s most powerful tale of love, treachery and forgiveness. Bringing together Tchaikovsky’s sensational score with the incredible imagination of choreographer Liam Scarlett and designer John Macfarlane, Swan Lake on the big screen will be an exceptional way to experience this ultimate ballet classic.
Romeo & Juliet Ballet to Broadway: Wheeldon Works
The greatest love story ever told – through ballet. The Capulets and Montagues are in an ancient family feud, casting a long shadow over the town of Verona. In this hothouse of tension, brawls are quick to break out and both sides get caught in the crossfire.
Sensuous contemporary ballet meets the energy of musical theatre in four distinctive short works. Fool’s Paradise, The Two of Us, An American in Paris: four works showing the remarkable choreographic range of The Royal Ballet’s Artistic Associate, Christopher Wheeldon.
Thu 20 Mar 6.45pm Thu 22 May 6.45pm
Dr. Strangelove
‘Steve Coogan is stellar’ Independent Seven time BAFTA award winner Steve Coogan plays four roles in the world premiere stage adaptation of Stanley Kubrick’s comedy masterpiece Dr. Strangelove. A rogue U.S General triggers a nuclear attack, a surreal race takes place, seeing the Government and one eccentric scientist scramble to avert global destruction.
CURZON COMEDY LIVE
Sat 03 May 7pm 15
Shaparak Khorsandi
Having reassessed her life through the prism of an ADHD diagnosis in last year’s funny and moving memoir, one of Britain’s most beloved and most scatterbrained stand-ups lets you back into her mind (warning: it’s cluttered in there). Among other things, this show will be a love-letter to letter-writing, a trip back through her early years as a comic and woman-abouttown, and a whirlwind tour of a chaotic, hilarious brain.
Sat 17 May 7pm 15
Jonny & The Baptists
Two shows in one night, from cult multiaward winning musical-comedians Jonny & The Baptists. First, an hour of songs and stories about why we are (or are not) happy; followed by a work-in-progress of their next show. What will it be? Well, a charming double act with a penchant for political humor and musical comedy of course, what else do you need to know?
Mark Watson’s production company, Impatient, is bringing two of the most hotly anticipated Edinburgh Fringe acts to Clevedon this Summer! Hand-picked by the gangly ‘Taskmaster’ star, this double-bill promises to satisfy your comedy appetite.
Headlined by the one and only Suzi Ruffell, who has appeared on Live at the Apollo, Mock the Week, The Jonathan Ross Show, Dating No Filter, Alan Davies: As Yet Untitled, The Last Leg, and There’s Something About Movies.
Headlined by two rising, award-winning and critically acclaimed, hilarious heavyweights; Elliot Steel and Daniel Foxx. This is Curzon LIVE comedy, souped-up, don’t miss seeing these two before they’re too big for the Curzon stage!
Soundtrack To A Coup D’Etat
+ Chris Cobbson’s African Jazz Quartet
Setting the night off with live music led by one of the UK’s foremost Jazz and World music guitarists who has worked with Courtney Pine, Ronnie Scott, Omar, Maceo Parker, Pee Wee Eliis, Osibisa; expect his quartet’s set to be filled with infectious music, great percussion breaks and dance rhythms.
Coupled with one of the must-see films of the Season: a documentary for anyone interested in music, history, current affairs, and social justice issues. Set during the final months of Patrice Lumumba’s life, Grimonprez’s film forensically investigates the incendiary politics of the nascent Democratic Republic of Congo in 1960. In doing so, the filmmaker draws fascinating connections between post-war jazz (Simone, Armstrong, Ellington, Gillespie!), US imperialism and the Pan-African decolonisation movement. Staccato beats and syncopation are the guide for this hypnotic film essay.
Sat 29 Mar 7pm 12A
Run Lola Run + Thuump Records
It’s time for another cult classic, with the 4K restoration of the electrifying ‘90s art-house classic, with a soundtrack to match, Run Lola Run. Time is running out for Lola. When Lola’s hapless boyfriend leaves 100,000 deutsche marks on the subway, she has 20 mins to find and deliver the amount to his mobster boss. Told three times, rewinding the story to show the butterfly effect of minor incidents and their consequences, with a the pace and style that leave audiences breathless.
DJ and producer Jules Fyson will be spinning a set inspired by the iconic soundtrack of the film, blending House, Techno, Deep House, and Eclectic vibes. Thu 03 Apr 7pm 15
SOUND & VISION
Fri 09 May 7pm
Wes Banderson LIVE
Wes Banderson: The Music of Wes Anderson is a celebration of the original score music and deep cut needle-drops from the films of cinematic genius, Wes Anderson.
Performing in Team Zissou livery, the five piece ensemble effortlessly switch between instruments as they move between the soundtracks of Rushmore, The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Royal Tenenbaums, The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou, Moonrise Kingdom, The Darjeeling Limited, Fantastic Mr. Fox and beyond.
Come dressed in your best Wes-inspired threads to enjoy the live Banderson experience in the most fitting setting.
Summer of Soul + DJ Ngaio
To celebrate this Clevedon LitFest’s Motown Records poetry competition, we are bringing back one of the greatest music festival docs of all time. Questlove presents a powerful and transformative film that shines a light on the importance of history to our spiritual well-being and stands as a testament to the healing power of music during times of unrest, both past and present. The feature includes concert performances by Stevie Wonder, Nina Simone, Sly & the Family Stone, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Mahalia Jackson, B.B. King, The 5th Dimension and more.
Sat 07 Jun 7pm 12
Sun 22 Jun 7pm
The Fantasy Orchestra: Tropicalia
The FO are bringing the sunshine this June with a set of bright Brazilian Tropicalia from the late 60s - early ‘70s. Tropicalia was an artistic movement that fused traditional Brazilian music and rhythms with Western rock, pop and psychedelia, producing results that sound as fresh and exciting now as they did in the late ‘60s.
FEB–MARCH
CONNECTIONS
Sat 22 Mar TBCpm 15
Homegrown Shorts
The gert-est, most lush-est, short film-iest, festival ever, is back and ready to nurture fresh new fledglings alongside those intrepid elders of the short film circuit. From its home here in the coastal gateway to the South West. Featuring more than we’ve ever thrown at it, this is a short film fest with a difference. Come for the variation and stay for the connective, filmmaking discussions and chats.
Green Shift Festival
A full day featuring engaging discussions, music and short films, on the topics of climate change and nature loss - the greatest challenges of our times, in collaboration with Sustainable Clevedon.
Sun 23 Mar 1.30pm
Starting with a lively, intergenerational, key note, ‘In conversation’ with Jonathon Porritt and Mya-Rose Craig (aka the Bird Girl) . Expert panels will go on to discuss how to bring about societal change and be an effective activist, including Green Futures, Good Law Project, Greenpeace, and Transition Network. With the option of purchasing food from our favourite ethical tastemakers, Houria, we will culminate with the inspirational musical beauty of Touki who infuse East and West African styles and traditions with Appalachian banjo, folk motifs, and orchestral arrangements.
London Recruits + Q&A
(partner with Bristol Radical History Group)
Our next collaboration with Bristol Radical History Group is a searing, part drama, part documentary and part thriller. The activist movement against Apartheid in South Africa was one of the largest international social movements in the late 20th century. This documentary tells the story of a group of young white British workers and students who were recruited to work undercover in apartheid South Africa in the early 1970s, at the request of the then-banned and heavily supressed African National Congress. We will be joined after the film for a Q&A with BRHG and one of the recruits involved in the operation.
Four Voices: Finding Home
Join us for a culturally engaging evening of life stories, live music and glorious food as we celebrate World Refugee Day at a time when it feels more needed than ever (food available as an add-on).
Inspired by Somerset Storyfest’s One TreeMany Branches Schools’ Refugee Project, tonight will offer a personal insight into the lives of four people who have settled in the UK after being forced to leave their homelands of Sudan, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Turkey/ Kurdistan for very different reasons. With Ozcan Ates, Tahmina Kousar, Ali Elmubarak, Suhela Aktar and director of Somerset Storyfest, Michael Loader.
Thu 01 May 7pm 15 Fri 20 Jun 6.30pm 12
CLASSIC & CUPPA
Season 4’s Classic + Cuppa This Season’s Classic & Cuppa celebrates the quintessential Anglo-Indian film partnership, Merchant Ivory, with a selection of the best in their classic titles. Take a Tuesday morning off and enjoy the rare treat of these classics seen as they should be, on a big screen with cuppa in hand (and biscuit, obviously).
Howards End
A four-part adaptation of E. M. Forster’s novel follows two unconventional sisters and the men in their lives. Set in early 20th-century England, class distinctions and personal conflicts affect the relationship between two families and the fate of the cherished British estate, Howards End.
Tue 18 Mar 10am 15
Shakespeare Wallah
Tue 04 Mar 10am 15
The Bostonians
Merchant Ivory presents a thoughtful adaptation of Henry James’s novel. A lawyer and a suffragette compete for the affection of a charismatic young woman. The film delicately portrays the era’s societal constraints while subtly addressing taboo themes, balancing 19th-century sensibilities with a modern perspective on liberation and identity.
Merchant Ivory’s second feature depicts a family of British actors struggling in India’s booming Bollywood era. Their theatrical troupe faces dwindling audiences in this sensitively written, bittersweet tale. Shot in black and white with music by Satyajit Ray, it captures the fading charm of traditional theater against cinematic dominance.
Tue 01 Apr 10am 15
Heat And Dust
Tue 29 Apr 10am 15
This Merchant Ivory classic explores imperial and sexual politics through a story of forbidden love. Anne investigates the scandalous life of her great-aunt Olivia, tracing back to the 1920s when Olivia married Douglas and lived in India.
“A triumph of charm, complexity, and hidden depths” The Guardian
Maurice
This romantic drama explores love defying societal norms alongside a poignant account of loneliness and self-discovery. Directed by James Ivory and based on E. M. Forster’s novel, it stars James Wilby, Hugh Grant, and Rupert Graves. Maurice, a young stockbroker, struggles with identity and love in a rigid Edwardian society.
Tue 13 May 10am 15
The Remains Of The Day
Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson star in this adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel. Stevens, a dutiful butler at Lord Darlington’s estate, confronts his employer’s Nazi ties and his unacknowledged feelings for housekeeper Miss Kenton. This poignant tale reflects on duty, loyalty, and the cost of emotional restraint.
Tue 03 June 10am U
COLOUR & LIGHT
I Am Martin Parr + Q&A with Martin Parr
We’re thrilled to be kicking off this Season’s visual arts strand with a live, in-person, Q&A with one of the UK’s most famous photographers, Martin Parr. Since the 1970s, English photographer Martin Parr has held up a sometimes tender, sometimes critical and always mischievous mirror to our times, forcing us to
take a hard look at how consumer society has shaped our lives. Discover the maverick behind some of the most iconic images of the past century on an intimate and exclusive road trip across England with the uncompromising Parr, whose subjects, frames and colours have revolutionised contemporary photography.
EOS: Dawn Of Impressionism + Q&A with Director Ali Ray
Tue 25 Mar 7pm TBC
The Impressionists are the most popular group in art history –millions flock every year to marvel at their masterpieces. But, to begin with, they were scorned, penniless outsiders. 1874 was the year that changed everything; the first Impressionists, “hungry for independence”, broke the mould by holding their own exhibition outside official channels.
Paper Cinema: Rock Charmer & Night Flyer
Impressionism was born and the art world was changed forever. The spectacular Musée d’Orsay exhibition brings fresh eyes to this extraordinary tale of passion and rebellion. The story is told not by historians and curators but in the words of those who witnessed the dawn of Impressionism: the artists, press and people of Paris, 1874.
“Any production by this small British company is bound to be something special” - The Times
Fascinating and imaginative storytellers, The Paper Cinema, create extraordinary, magical worlds with vivid pen and ink drawings, intricate paper puppetry, and a treasure trove of acoustic and electronic sounds. This show features the dream-like Night Flyer and the enchanting Rock Charmer, which is set
against the backdrop of Dorset’s rugged Jurassic coastline and delves into the legends inspired by the area’s rich geological history. Performed by two puppeteers and a multi-instrumentalist, The Paper Cinema invite you to step into a mesmerising realm where storytelling and visual artistry intertwine.
A Sudden Glimpse Into Deeper Things
One day in 1949, a young Scottish painter climbed a Swiss glacier. The experience rewired her brain and transformed her art. Wilhemina Barns-Graham was synaesthetic – associating letters, names and people with particular colours – and Cousins explores how her neurodiversity and her encounter with the glacier shaped her vision of the world. BarnsGraham was a member of the St
Tue 20 May 7pm PG
Workshops
Ives group of post-war, modernist artists. Through a cinematic immersion into her art and life, the film explores themes of gender, neurodiversity, climate change, and the nature of creativity from youth to old age.
Featuring Tilda Swinton as the voice of Wilhelmina, this feature documentary from Mark Cousins tells the story of a remarkable artist and a magnificent obsession.
Sun 04 May 7pm PG
EOS: Michaelangelo: Love and Death
The spectacular sculptures and paintings of Michelangelo seem so familiar to us, but what do we really know about this Renaissance giant? Michelangelo’s genius is evident in everything he touched. Beautiful and diverse works such as the towering statue of David, the moving Pietà in the Papal Basilica of St. Peter and his tour-de-force, the Sistine Chapel ceiling, still leave us breathless today.
From printmaking and paper silhouette playfulness to photography and more: this Season we are thrilled to be able to bring a series of workshops that will sit alongside our visual arts strand, ‘Colour & Light’, and is designed to provide subsidised opportunities to our community enabling our programme to leap off the screen and into reality. With huge thanks to The National Lottery Community Fund for providing funding support. Please check the website, newsletters and social media channels for information on how to book spaces as they become available.
Spanning his 88 years, Michelangelo: Love and Death takes a cinematic journey through the print and drawing rooms of Europe through the great chapels and museums of Florence, Rome and the Vatican to seek out a deeper understanding of this legendary figure’s tempestuous life, his relationship with his contemporaries and his incredible legacy.
IMMERSIVE
Dust off your disco threads, squeeze into your white suit, and join the glitterati for one night of hot, Bee Gee-fuelled, disco.
The vintage Queen herself, Able Mabel, will be on hand to give your bonnets some extra ‘70s flickage, so arrive early to get styled (for freeee) while DJ Donlife will be bringing the party tunes for all your dance-off needs. When life is bleak, hope and glory reign on the sweatsoaked floors of the Disco. The 1977 film that launched the career of a young John Travolta and produced one of the best-selling movie soundtracks of all time, lands at the Curzon with full glitterball action.
Sat 05 Jul 7pm
About Curzon Cinema and Arts
The Curzon is an independent, Grade-II listed cinema and concert hall that was built in 1912, making us one of the oldest cinemas in the country. The cinema was saved by the community in 1996 and we have been operating as a registered charity ever since. In addition to showing the latest blockbusters, we offer a diverse programme of live events exploring all art-forms whilst living our motto of being: “Independent, Unique, and Yours”.
Accessibility
The auditorium is accessible for wheelchair users, or anyone requiring step-free access and we offer a range of options for seats with space for your wheelchair or extra legroom. Just ask a member of staff at the Box Office and we’ll be happy to open the access doors for you.
We regularly have subtitled screenings for people with impaired hearing and relaxed screenings for those on the autism/sensory spectrum, people living with dementia and anyone who would benefit from a relaxed cinema experience. For more information, please see full listings on our website.
Food and Drink
We’re always fully stocked with all the usual sweet and savoury cinema treats (kids Treat Trays being the most popular) plus hot and cold drinks and ice cream. Alcoholic drinks are also available from the Box Office, which can be taken into the auditorium, or you can arrive early for a relaxing drink in the Oak Room Bar before screenings.
Thank You
We would like to thank all the individuals, trusts, foundations, companies, and public funders who have given towards our impactful charitable work. If you would like to support us by making a one-off donation, leaving a legacy, or sponsoring our work, please visit our website for more information.
A special thank you to the National Lottery Community Fund for supporting the events in this programme and The Hawthorns Clevedon retirement village for their generous sponsorship of the cinema.
Curzon Cinema and Arts
46 Old Church Road, Clevedon, BS21 6NN
www.curzon.org.uk
@curzonclevedon
Enquiries: info@curzon.org.uk
All of the times advertised reflect the doors opening time
Travelling By Bus
Regular buses run between Clevedon and most surrounding areas. Visit travelwest. info/bus for the latest information.
The new WESTlink Service operates on demand and details can be found at: travelwest.info/westlink
Parking
There are two Council car parks off Great Western Road which are a few minutes’ walk from the cinema.
Booking
We recommend that you book tickets in advance online to guarantee a seat! Each online booking includes a £1 per order fee which helps pay for our ticketing costs and 100% of this is kept by the charity. Tickets are also available before most screenings in person subject to availability.
Membership
Earn 10% back on each main film programme ticket you purchase as a member, then spend your accrued swag on your next tickets!: curzon.org.uk/membership
Newsletter
Keep up to date with everything chez Curzon and what we have coming up! Sign up via our website.