The month-long Russell Hobbs British Film Festival in Sydney has opened with a new historical drama, The Choral, starring Ralph Fiennes set during World War I. The film will show across four Sydney Palace cinemas and in most capital cities around Australia.
The best of British and Irish actors dominate this festival mix of new movies, documentaries, retrospectives and anniversaries of film classics which will screen until December 7. Three-time Oscar winner Daniel Day-Lewis has emerged from his eight-year retirement to star in Anemone, a film he wrote with his son, Ronan, who also directs the film. Day-Lewis plays a recluse with a traumatic past living in a cabin living in the Irish woods when his brother (Sean Bean) comes to visit.
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Paul Mescal stars in two festival films, in the highly rated Hamnet, the name of William Shakespeare’s son in the powerful novel by Maggie O’Farrell that was adapted for the film. Directed by Chloe Zhao of Nomadland fame, the film is based around Shakespeare’s free-spirited wife, Agnes (not Anne Hathaway) played by the glorious Jessie Buckley. Mescal plays William Shakespeare who is away from the family setting up his theatrical career when tragedy strikes.
Mescal also appears alongside Josh O’Connor in an aching romance called The History of Sound. The two music students connect through their love of folk music and a plan to record it. Their lives are disrupted by the onset of World War I as Josh O’Connor’s character David goes to the front line.
Other stars to light up the screen include Emma Thompson in the icy thriller, Dead of Winter, while Dev Patel stars in horror film, Rabbit Trap. Benedict Cumberbatch plays a young father exploring grief in The Thing With Feathers, a film based on the short sensational novel, Grief Is the Thing with Feathers, by Max Porter and follows the Belvoir Theatre’s hit production starring Toby Schmitz in August.
Don’t miss documentaries such as The Golden Spurtle, a heartfelt film about the world porridge championship in the small Scottish highland town of Carrbridge. The drama of the competition, the passion of contestants and the sincerity of the retiring chieftain, Charlie Miller, are expertly realised by the energetic Australian director Constantine Costi who directs operas, film and theatre.
The last ten years of John Lennon’s life, after he leaves The Beatles, is captured in the documentary, Borrowed Time: Lennon’s Last Decade. Rare archival footage features John’s revelations about his life and being an activist who believed in giving peace a chance. Another documentary, Twiggy, recounts the meteoric rise of the 1960s style icon and showcases her fashion, fame and fearless individuality,
Anniversary screenings of classic British films are also woven into the program. Dance enthusiasts can’t go past the joyful Billy Elliot, whose life changes when the 11-year-old stumbles into a ballet class. Academy Award winners, Chariots of Fire, Ghandi, The Bridge on the River Kwai, The Kings Speech and The English Patient are also included in the line-up.
The British Film Festival is playing around the country in most capital cities as well as in Byron Bay and Ballarat.
One of the sponsors, Scottish distiller The Glendronach, is holding three whisky and film nights from 12 – 14 November at the Palace Cinema Como in South Yarra, Melbourne. A $50 per ticket fee buys cinema patrons an in-seat whisky butler service, caviar-topped popcorn, Spanish charcuterie, and a guided tasting of the distillery’s most popular expressions - including a recent release valued at over $2000 a bottle. It is curated by film critic Zak Hepburn. Tickets for this event can be purchased here.
- What: Russell Hobbs British Film Festival
- When: 5 November - 7 December 2025
- View the full program here.