The British and Irish Film Festival: The films to see

The 2024 leg of the British and Irish Film Festival gets underway nationwide from October 23, spanning some 30 cinemas across 20 cities and towns.

With a hefty programme and a retrospective of Merchant Ivory films, there's plenty to see and cinematically gorge on.

Here are some of the films worth checking out.

Conclave:

Ralph Fiennes stars in a religious thriller that looks at the secretive world of how a new Pope's selected. It's the opening night film in Auckland and reportedly is "packed with twists, turns and revelations." Fiennes also stars in The Return, a tale of Odysseus' return home from war, a film that sees him reteam with Juliette Binoche for the first time since The English Patient.

We Live In Time

Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh's latest film has already become a viral meme sensation thanks to a screaming carousel horse on the poster. 

But the film looks at a relationship between Tobias (Garfield) and Almut (Pugh), which never has dull moment and is told across three distinct phases of their lives.

The Radleys

Based on Matt Haig's novel and co-written by Jo Brand, Damian Lewis stars in this "black comedy with a bite" about a seemingly ordinary family who are not what they appear. Things go awry for the family when a relative shows up - and chaos ensues.

Timestalker

Sightseers Alice Lowe stars in a romantic comedy about "the eternal humiliation that is the search for love" as she repeatedly falls for the wrong guy and dies a grim death - only to be reincarnated years later.

Blur - To The End

The iconic Britpop group are in a reflective mood in this doco that sees them look back on their creative partnership, warts and all ahead of their 2023 reunion Wembley concert. The festival's also screening that very concert too, making this a seminal experience for anyone into the band - and even casual observers.

For more details of dates and times where the films are playing, head to Britishandirishfilmfestival.co.nz