The latest releases
THE SWIMMER (18, 84 mins)
Showing now in UK & Ireland selected cinemas and available on digital platforms from May 16
BASED on the experiences of director Adam Kalderon, The Swimmer dives into a world of fierce competition and peak physical fitness through the eyes of an Olympic hopeful.
Erez (Omer Perelman Striks) is a gifted Israeli swimmer with a single goal: to represent his country at the biggest sporting competition in the world. To earn his place at the next Summer Olympic Games, Erez travels to a remote training camp ahead of a competition that will determine the members of the Israeli team.
Faced with the homophobia and prejudice of peers and a dictatorial coach, Erez strives hard to maintain focus on the glittering prize but he is distracted by beautiful fellow swimmer Nevo (Asaf Jonas).
Their rivalry sparks subconscious desire and Erez faces a choice between his pursuit of gold medals and something deeper.
ELEVEN DAYS IN MAY
(18, 85 mins)
Showing now in UK & Ireland selected cinemas
IN MAY 2021, tensions between Israel and Palestine escalated as part of the ongoing conflict, resulting in Israeli air strikes on the Gaza strip.
Over the course of 11 days, more than 60 children were killed in the territory. Narrated by Kate Winslet and enriched with music composed by Max Richter, this documentary codirected by Mohammed Sawwaf and Michael Winterbottom chronicles the events of that period and tells the stories of each boy or girl who died.
Released to coincide with the first anniversary of the bombing, the film combines archive footage and the personal testimonies of families, who pay tribute to lost sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, and the young dreams that will never be realised.
WILD MEN (15, 102 mins)
Showing now in UK & Ireland selected cinemas
A MID-LIFE crisis propels one disillusioned father to the brink of self-destruction in a Danish black comedy directed by Thomas Daneskov, who co-wrote the script with Morten Pape.
Family man Martin (Rasmus Bjerg) feels ill-equipped to provide for his wife Anne (Sofie Grabol) and two daughters. Under the auspices of attending a conference, he leaves home, dons the furs of Viking ancestors and heads deep into a forest to live off the land and prove his worth as a hunter-gatherer.
Alas, Martin is poorly equipped to source food or fend for himself against the elements so a local shop becomes a lifeline for provisions.
During one of his sorties through the forest, Martin stumbles upon a badly injured man called Musa (Zaki Youssef).
This stranger turns out to be a drug smuggler on the run from the law and shady associates.
Martin nurses Musa back to health and they embark on a madcap quest to find a self-sustaining community of rugged menfolk in the mountains.
WAKE UP PUNK (15, 83 mins) Showing now in UK & Ireland selected cinemas
IN NOVEMBER 2016, activist and businessman Joe Corre, who cofounded British lingerie firm Agent Provocateur, and his mother Vivienne Westwood staged a protest against the commodification of punk on a barge moored on the river Thames in London.
Next to Chelsea Embankment, they set fire to punk memorabilia worth an estimated £5 million as — literally — an incendiary act of defiance.
The stunt was designed to draw attention to the climate crisis and the imminent need to pursue sustainable energy.
In this documentary directed by Nigel Askew, Corre and his brother Ben talk at length with their mother about the punk era and their relationship with their trailblazing father, Malcolm McLaren.
Westwood shares personal anecdotes about the music, politics and fashion of the era and draws comparisons between the vibrancy of the punk revolution and the climate activism of younger generations.
In the face of voter apathy and environmental disaster, Wake Up Punk is a passionate call to arms to affect lasting social change through decisive, direct action.