Presenting the best new cinema from the Nordic region set to warm the hearts and minds of cinemagoers this winter!

Everyone deserves a happy ending... Marvel's best frenemies are back on screen together - Ryan Reynolds' R-rated Merc with a Mouth is teaming up with Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine in a new adventure set within the MCU multiverse. Shawn Levy directs “Deadpool & Wolverine,” which stars Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin, Morena Baccarin, Rob Delaney, Leslie Uggams, Karan Soni, and Matthew Macfadyen.

From director Osgood "Oz" Perkins comes a horrific masterpiece starring an almost unrecognisable Nicolas Cage in a spine-tingling performance alongside a stellar Maika Monroe. The acclaimed horror centres around FBI Agent Lee Harker (Monroe), who is tasked with solving an unsolved serial killer case. As Harker delves deeper into the investigation, she uncovers unsettling occult evidence and realizes she has a personal connection to the ruthless killer. The stakes are high as she must act quickly to prevent another family murder. In typical Oz Perkins fashion, LONGLEGS has mesmerizingly nightmarish visuals that will creep under you skin and linger there for days.

Inspired by extraordinary true events, Patricia Font’s superb new drama follows a charismatic teacher whose progressive outlook transforms the lives of a group of young students on the eve of the Spanish Civil War, but places him in the crossfire of local authorities. 1935. Idealistic Catalonian educator Antoni Benaiges (a stellar Enric Auquer, Too Many Chefs) is appointed as the new schoolmaster of a small, isolated village in the province of Burgos. With an innovative approach, he soon wins over his reluctant pupils, a group between the ages of six and twelve who are used to being taught by the strict local priest. Inspiring his young charges to hope and to broaden their horizons, Antoni even promises to show them the ocean for the first time… Meanwhile, 75 years later, Ariadna (Laia Costa, Lullaby, Victoria) is attempting to uncover what happened to her great grandfather - a man who disappeared during the war - leading her to discover the emotional story behind Antoni’s promise. A major sleeper hit at the Spanish box office in early 2024, Font’s film is an eloquent and deeply moving tale of the power of education and the importance of never letting the lessons of history be forgotten.

Starring Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum, FLY ME TO THE MOON is a sharp, stylish comedy-drama set against the high-stakes backdrop of NASA’s historic Apollo 11 moon landing. Brought in to fix NASA’s public image, sparks fly in all directions as marketing maven Kelly Jones (Johansson) wreaks havoc on launch director Cole Davis’s (Tatum) already difficult task. When the White House deems the mission too important to fail, Jones is directed to stage a fake moon landing as back-up and the countdown truly begins…

The epic studio disaster movie returns with an adrenaline-pumping, seat- gripping, big-screen thrill ride that puts you in direct contact with one of nature’s most wondrous—and destructive—forces. From the producers of the Jurassic, Bourne and Indiana Jones series comes Twisters, a current-day chapter of the 1996 blockbuster, Twister. Directed by Lee Isaac Chung, the Oscar-nominated writer-director of Minari, Twisters stars Golden Globe nominee Daisy Edgar-Jones (Where the Crawdads Sing, Normal People) and Glen Powell (Anyone But You, Top Gun: Maverick) as opposing forces who come together to try to predict, and possibly tame, the immense power of tornadoes. Edgar-Jones stars as Kate Cooper, a former storm chaser haunted by a devastating encounter with a tornado during her college years who now studies storm patterns on screens safely in New York City. She is lured back to the open plains by her friend, Javi to test a groundbreaking new tracking system. There, she crosses paths with Tyler Owens (Powell), the charming and reckless social-media superstar who thrives on posting his storm-chasing adventures with his raucous crew, the more dangerous the better. As storm season intensifies, terrifying phenomena never seen before are unleashed, and Kate, Tyler and their competing teams find themselves squarely in the paths of multiple storm systems converging over central Oklahoma in the fight of their lives. Twisters also stars Golden Globe nominee Anthony Ramos (In the Heights) as Javi, alongside David Corenswet (upcoming Superman: Legacy), and features an exciting new cast, including Nope’s Brandon Perea, Sasha Lane (American Honey), Daryl McCormack (Peaky Blinders), Kiernan Shipka (Chilling Adventures of Sabrina), Nik Dodani (Atypical) and Golden Globe winner Maura Tierney (Beautiful Boy).

Inventive, gorgeously animated, and profoundly moving, Inside Out 2 is poised to be a remarkable addition to Pixar's collection of modern animated masterpieces. Disney and Pixar’s “Inside Out 2” returns to the mind of newly minted teenager Riley just as headquarters is undergoing a sudden demolition to make room for something entirely unexpected: new Emotions! Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear and Disgust, who’ve long been running a successful operation by all accounts, aren’t sure how to feel when Anxiety shows up. And it looks like she’s not alone. Maya Hawke lends her voice to Anxiety, alongside Amy Poehler as Joy, Phyllis Smith as Sadness, Lewis Black as Anger, Tony Hale as Fear, and Liza Lapira as Disgust. Directed by Kelsey Mann and produced by Mark Nielsen, “Inside Out 2” releases in Australian cinemas June 13.

After taking this past awards season by storm with critical and box office success POOR THINGS, visionary director Yorgos Lanthimos re-teams with Emma Stone for their third film collaboration in the new Cannes Competition contender anthology story KINDS OF KINDNESS. KINDS OF KINDNESS is a triptych fable, following a man without choice who tries to take control of his own life; a policeman who is alarmed that his wife who was missing-at-sea has returned and seems a different person; and a woman determined to find a specific someone with a special ability, who is destined to become a prodigious spiritual leader. Lanthimos delves into three transgressive and bizarre scenarios, each filled with surreal twists and turns that are sure to leave audiences feeling strangely exhilarated. We are beyond excited to be able to screen Yorgos Lanthimos' highly-anticipated new feature KINDS OF KINDNESS in the brilliant 35mm format at The Astor Theatre.

The final installment of Ti West & A24's beloved slasher 'X' triloogy, following on from 2022 films 'X' and 'Pearl'. In 1980s Hollywood, adult film star and aspiring actress Maxine Minx, who was the only survivor of the bloody incidents of X, finally gets her big break. But as a mysterious killer stalks the starlets of Hollywood, a trail of blood threatens to reveal her sinister past. Mia Goth reprises her role as Maxine (and also serves as producer), alongside Elizabeth Debicki, Moses Sumney, Michelle Monaghan, Bobby Cannavale, Lily Collins, Halsey, Giancarlo Esposito, and Kevin Bacon.

In the first Despicable Me movie in seven years, Gru, the world’s favourite supervillain-turned-Anti-Villain League-agent, returns for an exciting, bold new era of Minions mayhem in Illumination’s Despicable Me 4. Following the 2022 blockbuster phenomenon of Illumination’s Minions: The Rise of Gru, the biggest global animated franchise in history now begins a new chapter as Gru (Oscar® nominee Steve Carell) and Lucy (Oscar® nominee Kristen Wiig) and their girls —Margo (Miranda Cosgrove), Edith (Dana Gaier) and Agnes (Madison Polan)—welcome a new member to the Gru family, Gru Jr., who is intent on tormenting his dad. Gru faces a new nemesis in Maxime Le Mal (Emmy winner Will Ferrell) and his femme fatale girlfriend Valentina (Emmy nominee Sofia Vergara), and the family is forced to go on the run. The film features fresh new characters voiced by Joey King (Bullet Train), Emmy winner Stephen Colbert (The Late Show with Stephen Colbert) and Chloe Fineman (Saturday Night Live). Pierre Coffin returns as the iconic voice of the Minions and Oscar® nominee Steve Coogan returns as Silas Ramsbottom.

After a terrifying storm destroys their home, a speedy sloth named Laura and her kooky family are forced to move to the big city with nothing but their prized family recipe book - and a rusted old food truck. The family's delicious food soon catches the eye of a quick witted cheetah named Dotti (voiced by Ghostbusters' Leslie Jones) who will stop at nothing to revive her failing fast food business, Zoom Fuel. Featuring great Aussie voice talent including Dan Brumm (Uncle Stripe in Bluey) and Remy Hii (Spider-Man: Far From Home).

Following the fall of the Iron Curtain and the dissolution of Soviet control of Poland in the early 1990s, New York-based music journalist Ruth (Lena Dunham, GIRLS) and her Polish father Edek (Stephen Fry, QI), a charmingly stubborn Holocaust survivor, set out on a tour of his homeland. Visiting Edek’s childhood haunts, Ruth hopes to make sense of her family’s traumatic past. The journey takes them from Warsaw to Łódź, her father’s hometown, to Krakow and the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp. Having left Poland and the past behind, Edek is reluctant to engage with Ruth’s quest and his own trauma. So, he follows his own amusing agenda, undermining their trip with his unpredictable and eccentric demeanor, until the two visit the family’s former home and meet the current occupants. Directed and co-written by Julia von Heinz, loosely based on Australian Lily Brett’s award-winning novel TOO MANY MEN, this touching and resonant drama is the third part of von Heinz’s Aftermath trilogy which deals with the repercussions of the Holocaust in Germany and around the world.

From writer-director Jeff Nichols (“Loving,” “Midnight Special,” “Mud”), “The Bikeriders” is a furious drama following the rise of a fictional 1960s Midwestern motorcycle club through the lives of its members. Inspired by Danny Lyon’s iconic book of photography, “The Bikeriders” immerses you in the look, feel, and sounds of the bare-knuckled, grease-covered subculture of ’60s motorcycle riders. Kathy (Jodie Comer), a strong-willed member of the Vandals who’s married to a wild, reckless bikerider named Benny (Austin Butler), recounts the Vandals’ evolution over the course of a decade, beginning as a local club of outsiders united by good times, rumbling bikes, and respect for their strong, steady leader Johnny (Tom Hardy). Over the years, Kathy tries her best to navigate her husband’s untamed nature and his allegiance to Johnny, with whom she feels she must compete for Benny’s attention. As life in the Vandals gets more dangerous, and the club threatens to become a more sinister gang, Kathy, Benny and Johnny are forced to make choices about their loyalty to the club and to each other. The cast, most of whom did their own riding on an array of period-correct bikes, also includes Michael Shannon (“Bullet Train”), Mike Faist (“West Side Story”), Boyd Holbrook (“Logan”) and Norman Reedus (“The Walking Dead”).

Straight from the pages of Gilles Legardinier’s international hit novel, Complètement Cramé!, comes a highly anticipated romantic comedy-drama featuring the dynamic duo of John Malkovich and Fanny Ardant (The Colours of Fire), reuniting them on screen for the first time since Casanova Variations in 2015. Malkovich's brilliant underrated comedic style is on full display as he takes on the role of the charming British businessman, Andrew Blake. In a twist of fate, Blake becomes the butler of the Domaine de Beauvillier estate, owned by the graceful and aloof Madame de Beauvillier (Ardant). A once-distinguished manor house, the estate is now a shadow of itself, with rooms, staff, and residents all longing for better days. MR BLAKE AT YOUR SERVICE is Gilles Legardinier's debut, with him directing and adapting the film from his own novel. Co-starring Cannes best actress winner Émilie Dequenne (Rosetta), this very sweet and humorous film explores culture clashes, unexpected friendships, and second chances at happiness.

Winner of the Audience award at Sydney Film Festival, this psychological thriller from an Australian directing duo follows a soon-to-be-married couple that invites their closest friends to a country property for a night of pre-wedding shenanigans. The bitter groomsmen launch a campaign to reclaim the night for the boys and the evening starts to take a feral turn when alarming details of their relationship are exposed.

Experience the day the world went quiet... Academy Award winner Lupita Nyong'o (Black Panther, Us, 12 Years a Slave) and Strangers Things star Joseph Quinn lead the highly anticipated prequel to John Krasinski's critically acclaimed clever horror, A Quiet Place.

The remarkable Emmanuelle Devos and Daniel Auteuil - two of France’s finest and most-awarded actors – are at the very top of their game in the gripping and provocative new drama from acclaimed writer/director Joachim Lafosse, of a married couple and their adopted son who grapple with the fallout when a long-held family secret is exposed. Cocooned in a life of privilege, 50-something Astrid Schaar (Devos) is the wife of the suave François (Auteuil), a prominent and media-savvy lawyer approaching a crucial point in his years-long, high profile case, in which he represents the parents of a number of abducted children. Day and night, reporters wait outside their gated home, hoping to snap a photo and secure François’ latest remarks. But the uneasy equilibrium of the household erodes when a figure from the family’s past returns, initiating their own search for justice… Sharply scripted and observed, and dominated by performances of complexity from Devos and Auteuil, A SILENCE - inspired by true events that shocked France and Belgium - is a disquieting exploration of family duty, complicity and coercive control; as the screws tighten and the characters steel themselves for the repercussions of their actions, it’s impossible to look away.

Contrary. Passionate. Outspoken. Over 45 years Midnight Oil helped shape modern Australia. This is their trailblazing story for the first time on film. Midnight Oil: The Hardest Line is the authorised documentary of seminal Australian rock group tracing their origins from the politically charged atmosphere of the 1970s to their rise as global icons. Legendary music and activism are front and centre in this exciting documentary, created with unfettered access to seminal Australian rock band Midnight Oil, who emerged from politically charged 1970s Sydney to become global icons. Across a 45-year career 'The Oils' helped shape modern Australia with anthems like "US Forces", "Beds Are Burning" and "Redneck Wonderland". Featuring unseen footage and interviews with every band member, alongside signature moments including the outback tour with Warumpi Band, their Exxon protest gig in New York and those famous "Sorry" suits at the Sydney Olympics, Midnight Oil: The Hardest Line traces the journey of Australia's quintessential rock band. Please note MIDNIGHT OIL: THE HARDEST LINE features live concert footage and contains flashing light sequences that may affect photosensitive viewers.

Academy Award®-winning visionary filmmaker Kevin Costner returns to direct and star in a multi-faceted chronicle, spanning 15 years of pre-and post-Civil War expansion and settlement of the American West. Experienced through the eyes of many, the epic journey is fraught with peril and intrigue and explores the lure of the Old West and how it was won—and lost—through blood, sweat and tears. A story of America too big for one film, this true cinematic event has an impressive ensemble cast joining Costner, including Sienna Miller, Sam Worthington, Giovanni Ribisi, Jena Malone, Abbey Lee, Danny Huston, Luke Wilson, Will Patton, Tatanka Means and Jamie Campbell Bower.

This year, the world's favourite Bad Boys are back with their iconic mix of edge-of-your seat action and outrageous comedy but this time with a twist: Miami's finest are now on the run. Starring Will Smith, Martin Lawrence, Vanessa Hudgens, Alexander Ludwig, Paola Nuñez, Eric Dane, Ioan Gruffudd, Jacob Scipio, Melanie Liburd, Tasha Smith with Tiffany Haddish and Joe Pantoliano.

Anya Taylor-Joy and Chris Hemsworth star in Academy Award-winning mastermind George Miller’s "Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga", the much-anticipated return to the iconic dystopian world he created more than 30 years ago with the seminal "Mad Max" films. Miller now turns the page again with an all-new original, standalone action adventure that will reveal the origins of the powerhouse character from the multiple Oscar-winning global smash "Mad Max: Fury Road." As the world fell, young Furiosa is snatched from the Green Place of Many Mothers and falls into the hands of a great Biker Horde led by the Warlord Dementus. Sweeping through the Wasteland, they come across the Citadel presided over by The Immortan Joe. While the two Tyrants war for dominance, Furiosa must survive many trials as she puts together the means to find her way home. Taylor-Joy stars in the title role, and along with Hemsworth, the film also stars Alyla Browne and Tom Burke.

Following the events of D’ARTAGNAN, a secret from the past shatters old alliances in THE THREE MUSKETEERS: MILADY, the spectacular second chapter to Martin Bourboulon’s lavish, all-star adaptation of Alexandre Dumas’ classic adventure, the first French cinematic treatment in over 30 years. Strap in for the unforgettable conclusion.

Classical symphonic music is everything for 17-year-old Zahia Ziouani and her twin sister, Fettouma. Nevertheless, living in underprivileged Parisian suburbs in 1995 with their Algerian background, they struggle arduously to approach their dreams – becoming an orchestra conductor and a cellist. Driven by determination, passion, and courage, they create their own orchestra, Divertimento. It will be a game-changer. DIVERTIMENTO is inspired by the life of Zahia Ziouani, one of the few worldwide renowned female conductors.

THE WAY, MY WAY is the charming and captivating true story of a stubborn, self-centred Australian man who decides to walk the 800-kilometre-long Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route through Spain. He doesn’t know why he’s doing it… but one step at a time, it will change him and his outlook on life forever. Based on Bill Bennett’s best-selling memoir of the same name.

Garfield (voiced by Chris Pratt), the world-famous, Monday-hating, lasagna-loving indoor cat, is about to have a wild outdoor adventure! After an unexpected reunion with his long-lost father – scruffy street cat Vic (voiced by Samuel L. Jackson) – Garfield and his canine friend Odie are forced from their perfectly pampered life into joining Vic in a hilarious, high-stakes heist.

Since premiering at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, The Taste of Things has whetted appetites and tugged at heart strings all over the world. This deliciously sensual adaptation of Marcel Rouff’s classic 1924 novel The Life and Passion of Dodin-Bouffant, Gourmet, blends cooking with romantic love, and won director Tran Anh Hung (The Scent of Green Papaya) the Best Director prize at Cannes. The year is 1885 and Academy Award winner Juliette Binoche (The English Patient) plays Eugénie, a renowned cook with no equal. Previous Cannes Film Festival Best Actor winner Benoît Magimel (The Piano Teacher) is Dodin, a brilliant epicure whose ideas for recipes when combined with Eugénie’s talents, create culinary magic. The talented duo form a partnership that extends beyond the kitchen, establishing a friendship that occasionally evolves into something more. Can Dodin’s outstanding culinary instincts and desire for a deeper connection persuade Eugénie to marry him? Both instructive and lovingly-captured throughout, this film reminds us that traditional French cuisine has earned its prestigious place on the world stage, thanks to the dedication, care, time and love it demands. Don’t miss this cinematic masterpiece, and make sure you have secured a booking at your favourite French Restaurant post-screening!

A 1920s English seaside town bears witness to a farcical and occasionally sinister scandal in this riotous mystery comedy. Based on a stranger than fiction true story, WICKED LITTLE LETTERS follows two neighbours: deeply conservative local Edith Swan (Olivia Colman) and rowdy Irish migrant Rose Gooding (Jessie Buckley). When Edith and fellow residents begin to receive wicked letters full of unintentionally hilarious profanities, foul-mouthed Rose is charged with the crime. The anonymous letters prompt a national uproar, and a trial ensues. However, as the town’s women - led by Police Officer Gladys Moss (Anjana Vasan) - begin to investigate the crime themselves, they suspect that something is amiss, and Rose may not be the culprit after all.

On the eve of the Second World War, two of the greatest minds of the 20th century, father of psychoanalysis Sigmund Freud (Anthony Hopkins) and children’s author C.S. Lewis (Matthew Goode) converge for their own personal battle over the existence of God, the future of mankind and the complex relationships that shaped them. Adapted by Mark St. Germain from his off-Broadway smash, FREUD’S LAST SESSION interweaves the lives of Freud and Lewis - past, present, and through fantasy. Director Matthew Brown’s cinematic adaptation bursts through the walls of Freud’s study, taking the two characters out on a dynamic journey across London. Academy Award winner Anthony Hopkins (The Father) and Emmy nominee Matthew Goode (The Crown, Downton Abbey) deliver "sterling performances" (Deadline) as these two titans of the 20th century. The film also stars Liv Lisa Fries (Babylon Berlin), Jodi Balfour (For All Mankind), Stephen Campbell Moore (The History Boys), Jeremy Northam (The Crown) and Orla Brady (Star Trek: Picard).

Alexandre Dumas’s thrilling and beloved classic novel The Three Musketeers has spawned multiple adaptations since its publication in 1844, but none have approached the scope and spectacle of this wildly entertaining, blockbuster two-film production from director Martin Bourboulon, who assembles an all-star cast for the first French cinematic treatment in over 30 years. Set in the early 17th century kingdom of France, the opening instalment D’ARTAGNAN follows a spirited young swordsman, Charles D’Artagnan (François Civil), on his journey from Gascony to Paris to join the King’s elite Musketeers of the Guard. Along the way, he narrowly escapes death whilst heroically saving a woman from being kidnapped. In his efforts to enlist, D’Artagnan manages to offend the sensibilities of three of the most formidable Musketeers in the ranks, Athos (Vincent Cassel), Porthos (Pio Marmaï) and Aramis (Romain Duris)… But D'Artagnan soon wins them over, and his dedication to help his newfound friends and serve King Louis XIII (Louis Garrel) will lead him not only into the path of the mysterious Milady de Winter (Eva Green) and the Queen's consort Constance (Lyna Khoudri), but the heart of a conspiracy where the future of the nation itself is at stake… France’s biggest box-office success of 2023, Bourboulon’s magnificent production - lavishly produced with a budget of over €70 million - is both respectful of its source but enriched with contemporary touches; the film is chock-full of humour, romance, palace intrigue and pulse-pounding action. THE THREE MUSKETEERS: D’ARTAGNAN unquestionably delivers as a smart and hugely-involving big-screen experience for all ages. Audiences are assured of lining up for the thrilling conclusion, MILADY, within moments of the end credits.

From writer and director John Krasinski, IF is about a girl who discovers that she can see everyone’s imaginary friends — and what she does with that superpower — as she embarks on a magical adventure to reconnect forgotten IFs with their kids. IF stars Cailey Fleming, Ryan Reynolds, John Krasinski, Fiona Shaw, and the voices of Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Louis Gossett Jr. and Steve Carell alongside many more as the wonderfully unique characters that reflect the incredible power of a child’s imagination.

Éric Besnard, the creative force behind the French Film Festival smash hit Delicious, whips up another tantalising blend of culinary delights and human bonds in this unexpected bromance. Vincent (Lambert Wilson, Happy 50) a hyperactive and successful businessman, is the founder of the largest European dating site. Meanwhile, Pierre (Grégory Gadebois, Maria into Life) lives in seclusion like a true hermit in the mountains, accompanied by his dog and distanced from the modern world he has long renounced. When these two polar-opposites unexpectedly cross paths, their encounter disrupts their lives and prompts questions about their radically different lifestyles. Are they genuinely content? Set against a stunning alpine backdrop, this buddy comedy reveals a delightful odd-couple dynamic. Through fiery arguments, abundant grimaces, suppressed emotions and shared omelettes, the two men discover that friendship can actually thrive through differences.

From the award-winning director of SOUND OF FREEDOM, comes the powerful epic of Francesca Cabrini - an Italian immigrant who arrives in New York City in 1889 and is greeted by disease, crime, and impoverished children. Cabrini sets on a daring mission to convince the hostile mayor to secure housing and healthcare for society’s most vulnerable. With broken English and poor health, Cabrini uses her entrepreneurial mind to build an empire of hope unlike anything the world has ever seen.