It is always a delight choosing things to screen in Forest Row. Among our selection of great films from around the world, we like to have a balance of the recent, the classic, the obscure, and the unexpected, while at the same time to try out something new.

Perhaps unusually for us, this year’s programme has a prominent strand of films exploring many different sides of masculinity. These range from The Eight Mountains, set in the Italian Alps, and the very moving and sad Close, about two boys in rural Belgium, through to Flee and The Blue Caftan. It is a theme running through many of the films this season.

Though we are still just doing one regular screening a month, in this season we have three special events on Saturdays in the dark winter months. The last of these, in March, is the remarkably humane Red Beard by the great Japanese director Akira Kurosawa, which contrasts with our special February offering, a double bill of quirky classic American independent films: Jim Jarmusch’s Down By Law (1986), and the Coens’ O Brother Where Art Thou? (2000). Our special events start in December, and we are delighted to welcome back Olivier award-winning composer, Terry Davies, for a screening of The Golem (1920), with live music.

The season opens with what we imagine will be a popular choice for Forest Row, Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom, and also includes the fabulous Alcarràs, by Spanish director Carla Simón, whose previous film Summer 1993 we had in our last pre-Covid season. We hope there is something for everyone, and we look forward to seeing you.