Tickets go sale for the best of British cinema

Get ready for the "British Film Masters Retrospective," presented by the Shanghai Art Film Federation, with ticket sales from 12pm on Monday, August 12.

Event dates: August 16-25

Ticket prices:

“Brazil” and “The Shining” will be 80 yuan each, while all other films are 70 yuan (prices exclude online fees).

How to buy tickets:

• Online: Purchase through the Taopiaopiao or Maoyan apps. Open the app, search for the cinema, find the film you want, and book your tickets.
• Offline: Tickets can be bought at the cinema's box office.

The “British Film Masters Retrospective” features classic films from legendary and contemporary British or British-based directors.

It includes two classic works from fantasy film maker Terry Gilliam, a Stanley Kubrick masterpiece, and a new release from director Jonathan Glazer. Explore a diverse range of cinematic classics and immerse yourself in a visually stunning experience.

1. The Lavender Hill Mob (1951)

A classic crime comedy full of laughs.

Directed by Charles Crichton, the film features a bank clerk dealing with gold shipments who, fed up with his mundane job, plans to smuggle a million-pound shipment of gold to France. But things don’t go as smoothly as he hoped. The film won the Best Screenplay Award at the Venice International Film Festival and the Best British Film Award at the British Academy Film Awards.

2. The Innocents (1961)

Directed by Jack Clayton and based on Henry James’ novel The Turn of the Screw, the film tells the story of a governess arriving at an estate to care for two children who soon begins seeing strange apparitions and believes the children are possessed. She decides to confront the supernatural forces. The film was nominated for the main competition at the Cannes International Film Festival.

3. The Shining (1980)

A timeless horror masterpiece.

Directed by Stanley Kubrick, the film follows a writer who moves to a remote hotel with his family to act as its caretaker, hoping to use the solitude to write. However, the atmosphere becomes increasingly eerie, and the writer’s son starts seeing mysterious figures. The film was nominated for the Saturn Award for Best Horror Film and the David di Donatello Award for Best Foreign Production.

4. Brazil (1985)

One of the greatest sci-fi black comedies in film history.

Directed by Terry Gilliam, the film is set in a dystopian future Britain where information is tightly controlled. An office worker discovers an error in a case and, reluctantly, meets with the victim’s family. During this process, he encounters a woman he saw in his dreams and pursues her, hoping to speak with her one day. The film won Best Production Design and Best Visual Effects Awards at the British Academy Film Awards.

5. The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988)

Directed by Terry Gilliam and based on Rudolph Erich Raspe’s The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, this film is about a theater troupe performing the story of Baron Munchausen in an English town besieged by Turkish forces. Unexpectedly, the real baron appears and sets out to protect the town by seeking four magical helpers. The film won Best Costume Design and Best Production Design awards at the British Academy Film Awards.

6. My Left Foot (1989)

Daniel Day-Lewis delivers an extraordinary performance in Jim Sheridan's first film, based on the autobiography of Christy Brown, a genius writer and artist born with cerebral palsy. With only his left foot fully functional, Brown uses it to write and paint, eventually being discovered for his talent. With the help and guidance of a doctor, his condition improves, and he falls in love with her. Daniel Day-Lewis won the Best Actor Oscar for his performance.

7. Billy Elliot (2000)

A young boy’s dream of ballet.

Directed by Stephen Daldry, this debut film tells the story of Billy, a boy from a working-class mining family in England. His father and brother expect him to take up boxing. However, Billy discovers ballet by chance, and it becomes his passion. He secretly trains with a demanding ballet teacher. The film received 13 nominations at the British Academy Film Awards and won Best British Film, among others.

8. The Zone of Interest (2023)

Directed by Jonathan Glazer, the movie portrays the life of an Auschwitz concentration camp commandant and his wife living in a house next to the camp. They enjoy a comfortable, worry-free life despite the constant low hum of the camp nearby. When the commandant is set to be reassigned, his wife is saddened but adjusts to the change. The film won the Oscar for Best International Feature Film and Best Sound Award, and the Jury Prize at the Cannes International Film Festival.