We are delighted to welcome Maxïmo Park official frontman and solo artist Paul Smith to the Forum Cinema for an evening of film, photos & discussion in aid of the Save Side campaign.

We will be screening the short film, ‘Found on Film’, documenting the early days of Maxïmo Park, followed by an in person discussion with Paul about how photography plays an important part of his everyday life.

Paul Smith is best known as the singer for the alternative rock group Maxïmo Park, who released their debut album on Warp Records in 2005. Smith continues to perform and record with the band, who released their seventh album, Nature Always Wins, in 2021, reaching #2 in the UK Album Charts.

He released his debut solo album, 'Margins', in 2010, alongside 'Thinking In Pictures', a book of Polaroid photographs, and has gone on to release three more albums under his own name.

He's also collaborated with Field Music's Peter Brewis (on the 2014 album, 'Frozen By Sight'), poet Lavinia Greenlaw, and trip-hop pioneer Tricky, on his Lonely Guest album.

His latest collaboration, a modern folk album with Rachel Unthank called 'Nowhere And Everywhere', came out on his own label, Billingham Records, in February this year. He has also hosted the Penguin Books podcast.

Paul is an active photographer sharing his photographic musings on his Instagram page. ‘Thinkinginpictures’

For over 45 years, Side Gallery in Newcastle has been a dedicated home to documentary film and photography. Side’s mission is to be an agent for change through the commission, exhibition, and preservation of world-class visual stories that highlight social concerns and celebrate diverse lives & landscapes across the North East, UK, and the globe.

After recent funding changes, Side has had to close its doors & is under threat of not reopening.

We, at the Forum Cinema, recognise the local, national & international importance of Side Gallery & our sister cinema, Side Cinema. We are proud to be doing what we can to help save this crucial resource.

Profits from this evening will be donated to the Save Side campaign.

When her family move from the city to the suburbs, 11 year old Margaret, raised by a Christian mother and a Jewish father, navigates new friends, feelings, faith, and the beginning of adolescence.

Based on the ground-breaking coming of age novel by Judy Blume which has connected with audiences for over 50 years with its thoughtful and candid exploration of youth.

Zubin Mehta and Yefim Bronfman have been artistic companions for many years – Mehta was on the podium when Bronfman made his debut with the Berliner Philharmoniker in 1983. During this programme, we will hear the two musicians in Béla Bartók’s highly virtuosic Piano Concerto No. 2, which alternates between percussive force and refinement – an ideal work for Yefim Bronfman’s vigorous, soulful playing. Zubin Mehta also conducts Peter Tchaikovsky’s dramatic Fourth Symphony, which reveals the composer’s suffering to the world but also celebrates the joys of life at the close.

Please note this performance is broadcast live and will start promptly at 18:30.

Four best friends take their book club to Italy for the fun girls' trip they never had. When things go off the rails and secrets are revealed, their relaxing vacation turns into a once-in-a-lifetime cross-country adventure.

This fun and sunny sequel reunites the star's of the 2018 comedy hit for their wildest chapter yet.

PRODIGY. REVOLUTIONARY. LEGEND.

The illegitimate son of an African slave and a French plantation owner, Bologne rises to improbable heights in French society as a celebrated violinist-composer and fencer, complete with an ill-fated love affair and a falling out with Marie Antoinette and her court. Inspired by the incredible true story of composer Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges.

A thrilling encounter with one of the world’s great art capitals.

Based on a major exhibition at the Ashmolean in Oxford, Tokyo Stories spans 400 years of incredibly dynamic art – ranging from the delicate woodblock prints of Hokusai and Hiroshige, to Pop Art posters, contemporary photography, Manga, film, and brand-new artworks that were created on the streets.

The exhibition was a smash-hit five-star success and brought a younger and more diverse audience to the museum. The film uses the exhibition as a launchpad to travel to Tokyo itself, and explore the art and artists of the city more fully.

A beautifully illustrated and richly detailed film, looking at a city which has undergone constant destruction and renewal over its 400-year history, resulting in one of the most vibrant and interesting cities on the planet.

Over many missions and against impossible odds, Dom Toretto and his family have outsmarted, out-nerved and outdriven every foe in their path. Now, they confront the most lethal opponent they've ever faced: A terrifying threat emerging from the shadows of the past who's fueled by blood revenge, and who is determined to shatter this family and destroy everything—and everyone—that Dom loves, forever.

Inside the core of the climate movement, concerned citizens in Germany put their bodies on the line to save the ancient Hambach Forest from one of Europe’s biggest coal mines.

Robin, Indigo and Clumsy are part of a secretive community of dedicated activists who have spent years living in self-built treehouses to halt the chainsaws.

The activists form an unlikely alliance with a frustrated but tight-knit community in rural northeast England who have spent 30 years fighting plans for a new coal mine next to their

homes. Julia, June and their neighbours have exhausted all legal avenues to protect the beautiful valley where their children grew up.

Finite is a cinematic, timely insider’s view of the world of direct action and climate activism; a raw, shocking, intimate and emotional insight into the David and Goliath battle between

ordinary people and fossil fuel corporations. A localised chapter of the story that will define humanity.

The Forum Film Club is a monthly film screening followed by a post-film discussion in our café/bar with guest speakers and hosts.

The Forum Film Club is open to all and you do not need to sign up. Just book a ticket and come experience the best that cinema has to offer with other like-minded film lovers!

Julie (Laure Calamy, Call My Agent) can’t catch a break. For a single mother raising two children in the suburbs of Paris but working in the city, the commuter train is a lifeline–and it’s suddenly been severed during the latest transit strike. Without the train, Julie can’t get to her job as the head maid at a five-star hotel–or to the interview for a better job she has lined up.

Anchored by Calamy’s powerful performance, who won the Venice film festival Best Actress prize, alongside the films win for Best Director. Full Time is an impossible race against time and a kinetic thriller assembled from the everyday obstacles faced by working parents everywhere.

Five best friends have the night of their lives seeing their favourite boy band in concert. Twenty-five years later, their lives have changed in many different ways as they reunite for one more epic show by their beloved band, to relight their friendship and discover that maybe their greatest days are ahead of them.

This feel good summer story of love and friendship is the big screen adaptation of the smash hit Broadway Musical, featuring the hit songs of Brit boy band, Take That.

In Marvel Studios Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 our beloved band of misfits are looking a bit different these days.

Peter Quill, still reeling from the loss of Gamora, must rally his team around him to defend the universe along with protecting one of their own. A mission that, if not completed successfully, could quite possibly lead to the end of the Guardians as we know them.

Narvel Roth is a meticulous horticulturist who is devoted to tending the grounds of a beautiful estate and pandering to his employer, the wealthy dowager Mrs. Haverhill. When she demands that he take on her wayward and troubled great niece, it unlocks dark secrets from a buried violent past.

“Master Gardener” is the third instalment in Paul Schrader's thematic trilogy that began with his 2018 drama “First Reformed,” and continued with “The Card Counter.” These films, as so many of Schrader's works, all explore solitary men in search of grace and redemption in an often brutal world.

Schrader's impressive career has involved long collaborations with Martin Scorsese, writing the screenplay for both Taxi Driver and Raging Bull, among others.

Matthew Bourne's Sleeping Beauty is coming to the big screen as part of its 10th anniversary celebrations.

Now established as a firm favourite in the New Adventures repertoire, this ‘utterly brilliant’ (★★★★★ Sunday Mirror) award-winning production has enchanted audiences throughout the UK and across the globe. Enter a wondrous world of magical fairies and vampires, where the timeless tale of good vs evil is turned upside-down, creating a supernatural love story that even the

passage of time itself cannot hinder. Will Princess Aurora ever find her true love again?

With an unforgettable score, sumptuous sets and costumes, evocative lighting and masterly storytelling, the beloved fairy tale is brought to life by the uniquely talented New Adventures company.

Get ready to be transported in time from the halcyon days of the late Edwardian era through to the modern day

in this ‘dazzling’ (★★★★★ Sunday Express) gothic romance.

Following a box-office record-breaking run in cinemas in 2019, the one-woman show returns to cinemas to the big screen this summer.

Written and performed by Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Fleabag, Killing Eve) and directed by Vicky Jones, Fleabag is a rip-roaring look at some sort of woman living her sort of life.

Fleabag may seem oversexed, emotionally unfiltered and self-obsessed, but that's just the tip of the iceberg. With family and friendships under strain and a guinea pig café struggling to keep afloat, Fleabag suddenly finds herself with nothing to lose.

The hilarious, award-winning play that inspired the BBC’s hit TV series Fleabag, was filmed live on stage in London’s West End in 2019.

Presented by DryWrite, Soho Theatre and Annapurna Theatre.

★★★★★

'Witty, filthy and supreme.' Guardian

David Tennant makes a much-anticipated return to the West End in a blistering reimagining of one of Britain’s most powerful, political plays.

As the world faces its Second World War, John Halder, a good, intelligent German professor, finds himself pulled into a movement with unthinkable consequences.

Olivier Award-winner Dominic Cooke (Follies) directs C.P. Taylor’s timely tale, with a cast that also features Elliot Levey (Coriolanus) and Sharon Small (The Bay). Filmed live from the Harold Pinter Theatre in London.

After two hugely popular screenings we have added one final encore for June 20th, don't miss out.

In the deep south during the 1930s, three escaped convicts search for hidden treasure while a relentless lawman pursues them. On their journey they come across many comical characters and incredible situations. Based upon Homer's 'Odyssey'.

Bluegrass in Hexham is holding a free Bluegrass music festival in Hexham on July 28th – 30th. Get in the mood at the Forum Film Club screening of the Coen Brothers classic, O’ Brother Where Art Thou? featuring the Soggy Bottom Boys who are now and forever part of Bluegrass and film history.

This film brought Bluegrass into the mainstream and no doubt you will know the songs even if you haven’t already seen the film.

The Bluegrass Festival, at the end of July, will include performances, workshops and sessions for all ages in the Sele Park and in free venues around the town.  For more information go to bluegrassinhexham.uk

The Forum Film Club is a monthly film screening followed by a post-film discussion in our café/bar with guest speakers and hosts.

The Forum Film Club is open to all and you do not need to sign up. Just book a ticket and come experience the best that cinema has to offer with other like-minded film lovers!

On June 3, 2017, 25-year-old Reality Winner returns from running errands to find two FBI agents at her home in Augusta, Georgia. An Air Force veteran and yoga instructor, Winner spends the next two hours being questioned about her work as an intelligence contractor — specifically, whether she leaked a classified document about Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. elections.

Starring Sydney Sweeney (Euphoria, The White Lotus), Reality was one of the most talked about films to premiere at this year’s Berlinale. Built entirely from the unedited transcripts from FBI audio recordings, the verbatim dialogue surreally captures the tense 90 minutes of the FBI’s interrogation of Winner at her home.

On an impulse to reconnect with her origins, Freddie, 25, returns to South Korea for the first time, where she was born, before being adopted and raised in France. The headstrong young woman starts looking for her biological parents in a country she knows so little about, taking her life in new and unexpected directions.

An authentic character study with an electrifying lead performance (debut from Ji-Min Park). Return to Seoul is a complex and unforgettable search for belonging.

Passions run high as Manrico and the Count di Luna compete for the affections of Leonora. Little do they know, Manrico’s mother Azucena has been keeping a terrible secret for decades. Soon a curse from the past will rise up from the ashes with devastating implications for them all.

Starring Ludovic Tézier and Jamie Barton, Adele Thomas’s energetic staging sets Verdi’s tale in a Hieronymus Bosch-inspired universe of medieval superstition. Antonio Pappano conducts Verdi’s dramatic score, which featuresthe famous ‘Anvil’ chorus.

After reuniting with Gwen Stacy, Miles Morales — Brooklyn's full-time, friendly neighborhood Spider-Man — is catapulted across the Multiverse, where he encounters a team of Spider-People charged with protecting its very existence. But when the heroes clash on how to handle a new threat, Miles finds himself pitted against the other Spiders and must redefine what it means to be a hero so he can save the people he loves most.

Spend Father's Day with the Tenenbaums with free tickets for our Friends of the Forum members.

Royal Tenenbaum has fathered three children, all extraordinary, all geniuses. They reach great success as children but are experiencing failure in adulthood, which is generally considered to be their father’s fault. The Royal Tenenbaum’s is the story of the oddball family’s sudden and unexpected reunion.

This hilariously off-beat comedy from Wes Anderson is a heartfelt story of family reconciliation. Gene Hackman delivers one of his all-time great performances and is supported by a terrific ensemble cast.

Wes Anderson’s upcoming ASTEROID CITY is screening at The Forum from July 7th.

Harold Fry lives a quiet life in South Devon with his wife Maureen (Penelope Wilton). When he receives news that his old friend Queenie (Linda Bassett) is moving to a hospice in Berwick-upon-Tweed, Harold vows to walk the length of the country to meet her again.

Surprising himself as much as his wife, Harold embarks on a walk of hope. Determined to travel the length of England to save his friend, inspiring countless people along his long path to Northumberland.

Starring Academy Award winner Jim Broadbent and adapted from the beloved novel by Rachel Joyce, this crowd-pleasing, uplifting tale of self-discovery, redemption and learning to seize the moment is British cinema at its finest.

Celebrate the 50th anniversary of THE WICKER MAN on the Summer Solstice, with this newly restored 4K version of the Final Cut. This special event will also be supported by newly recorded anniversary footage, hosted by Edith Bowman.

In the 50 years since its original release, THE WICKER MAN has achieved true cult status as one of the most revered horror films in cinema history, despite a difficult production and heavily cut original theatrical release.

The search for the fabled missing scenes has only added to the myth surrounding a film that still inspires filmmakers to this day.

Telling the chilling story of a puritan Police Sergeant who arrives on a remote Scottish Island in search of a missing girl only to find the Pagan locals claiming she never existed, THE WICKER MAN is also much celebrated for its soundtrack, featuring haunting reworkings of traditional British folk songs.

In the spring of 2023, the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam will open its doors to the largest Vermeer exhibition in history.

With loans from across the world, this major retrospective will bring together Vermeer’s most famous masterpieces including Girl with a Pearl Earring, The Geographer, The Milkmaid, The Little Street, Lady Writing a Letter with her Maid, and Woman Holding a Balance.

This new Exhibition on Screen film invites audiences to a private view of the exhibition, accompanied by the director of the Rijksmuseum and the curators of the show. A truly once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! As well as bringing Vermeer’s works together, both the Rijksmuseum and the Mauritshuis in the Hague have conducted research into Vermeer’s artistry, his artistic choices and motivations for his compositions, as well as the creative process behind his paintings.

Exclusive access to THE world’s biggest exhibition of 2023.

Includes the first time the newly restored Girl Reading a Letter at the Open Window will be displayed.

“Even Vermeer probably never saw this many of his paintings together”

Pieter Roelofs, head of paintings and sculpture for

Rijksmuseum

“This is more than an exhibition. It’s a miracle.”

The Guardian

A promising young drummer enrolls at a cut-throat music conservatory where his dreams of greatness are mentored by an instructor who will stop at nothing to realize a student's potential.

This searing debut from Damien Chazelle (La La Land) will be supported by a short film by Louis Byrom;

A silent short film about a cat burglar trying to steal a valuable item from their high school, while a security guard attempts to stop them. There will be a live drummer playing along.

July 3, 1973 - David Bowie retired Ziggy Stardust, his most celebrated alter-ego, in front of 5000 disbelieving fans onstage at London’s Hammersmith Odeon. 50 years to that day, Ziggy will return to that same stage for one night only...

July 3, 2023 - The Eventim Apollo Hammersmith (formerly the Odeon) will host the global premiere of the newly restored version of ‘Ziggy Stardust and The Spiders From Mars: The Motion Picture’ with the film also being shown in 1000+ cinemas worldwide during the month of July.

The Eventim Apollo Hammersmith will host a red-carpet premiere, including an exclusive on-stage conversation with Bowie collaborators and contemporary musicians that will precede the film screening. They will address the original show’s legacy and Ziggy’s pan-generational resonance.

The band’s performance on July 3, 1973, was captured on film by award-winning director DA Pennebaker (famed for Dylan’s classic ’67 doc, Don’t Look Back) and released under the title of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars: The Motion Picture.

This is the closest audiences will come to being there on that fateful night 50 years ago.