What's new at Odeon's this week : Thursday 26th March 2026

The 29th annual Sanoma International Film Festival (SIFF) kicked off on Wednesday 25th March and runs across five days up to and including Sunday 29th March. Since its inception in 1997, the festival has grown from a small gathering of passionate filmmakers and cinephiles to a vibrant event showcasing groundbreaking cinema from around the globe. SIFF takes place every March in the United States’ renowned Wine Country, just 45 minutes north of San Francisco, in Northern California. SIFF is noted for its participation of film and media industry jurists and panelists and continues to grow its reputation in finding and cultivating new talent from around the world, creating a significant platform for networking and distribution opportunities. SIFF programmes full-length features and documentaries, as well as short films in the Live Action, Documentary and Animated categories. SIFF also showcases Culinary, Food and Wine films across all categories and presents comedies from around the world in addition to dramas and other genres. The five-day festival supports filmmakers with generous cash award prizes and an accommodation programme providing the opportunity to interact with industry professionals, community members, and our astute film audience in one of the most intimate, engaging and inspiring settings on the festival circuit . . . so reads the official website.

This years Opening Night feature film presentation is 'Poetic License' from the USA and Directed by Maude Aaptow in her feature debut. Liz Cassidy (Leslie Mann), untethered in a new town, impulsively audits a poetry class at her husband’s university and strikes up a friendship with two adoring students, Sam Soloman (Andrew Barth Feldman) and Ari Zimmer (Cooper Hoffman). What begins as flattery spirals into a hilariously awkward tangle of longing, boundaries, and self-discovery. The Closing Night film is 'Under the Lights' from the USA, Written and Directed by first time feature film maker Miles Levin and filmed in Sonoma County. This is a heartwarming coming-of-age drama about Sam (Pearce Joza), a teen with epilepsy who risks everything to attend prom, knowing full well that the flashing lights could trigger a seizure. Also starring Randall Park, Nick Offerman and Mark Duplass. 

The Centrepiece Film is 'The Christophers' from the UK and Directed by Steven Soderbergh, in which the estranged children - Barnaby Sklar (James Corden) and Sallie Sklar (Jessica Gunning) of a well-known artist Julian Sklar (Ian McKellen) employ a forger Lori Butler (Michaela Coel) to finish his incomplete paintings in order to sell them, so that they might claim an inheritance after he dies.

The Grand Jury Prize Awards, selected by a panel of industry professionals, will recognise excellence in multiple categories, including Best Narrative Feature, Best Documentary Feature, Best Live Action Short, Best Animated Short, and Best Documentary Short. With its commitment to championing bold and original storytelling, SIFF’s Awards Program offers filmmakers a prestigious platform to gain recognition and elevate their work on the global stage.

In the Narrative Feature Competition there are eight films vying for the top prize. Theses are as given below :-

* 'Ky Nam Inn' - from Vietnam and Directed by Leon Le. The film follows a young translator (Lien Binh Phat) assigned to adapt 'The Little Prince' and a reserved, older widow (Do Thi Hai Yen) who survives by cooking and keeping her distance. In Saigon, a city still shadowed by history, their unlikely connection deepens into something quietly transformative.

* 'Maspalomas' - from Spain and Directed by Jose Mari Goenaga and Aitor Arregi. After a stroke leaves 76-year-old Vicente (Jose Ramon Soroiz) displaced in a conservative nursing home, the openly gay man who once fought for his freedom finds himself slipping back into the closet. As memories of his liberated life in Gran Canaria resurface, so does his determination to reclaim it.

* 'My Tennis Maestro' - from Italy and Co-Written and Directed by Andrea Di Stefano. A fiercely driven 13-year-old tennis player Felice (Tiziano Menichelli) is paired with a washed-up former champion Raul Gatti (Pierfrancesco Favino), and their cross-country tournament tour becomes a hilarious clash of discipline and decadence. As losses mount and egos bruise, the unlikely duo form a bond that shifts from frustration to fierce loyalty.

* 'Orphan' - from Hungary, France, Germany and the UK, and Co-Written and Directed by Laszlo Nemes. Set in 1957 amid Soviet repression and lingering wartime trauma, a young Jewish boy Andor (Bojtorjan Barabas) searches for the truth about his missing father, clinging to hope in Budapest, a city scarred by violence and suspicion.

* 'Silent Rebellion' - from Switzerland, Belgium and France and Co-Written and Directed by Marie-Elsa Sgualdo in her feature film debut. This WWII-era drama is set in rural Switzerland at a time of rigid social codes and male domination. When a young housemaid, Emma (Lila Gueneau) finds herself at odds with her puritanical village, she must summon extraordinary courage to chart her own future.

* 'Sundays' - from Spain and France and is Written and Directed by Alauda Ruiz de Azua. A seventeen year old woman Ainara (Blanca Soroa) - brilliant, idealistic, and on the cusp of university - announces she wants to become a cloistered nun, deepening family rifts featuring her aloof father Inaki (Miguel Garces) and her more involving aunt Matie (Patricia Lopez Arnaiz). What follows is an emotionally charged reckoning as love, belief, and personal freedom collide.

* 'The Soundman' - from Belgium and Written and Directed by Frank Van Passel. In 1940 Brussels, a spirited young actress and a gifted introverted sound technician fall in love at the Flagey Radio Station. As war looms and the Nazi threat looms ever closer, their passion for radio drama and each other becomes a beacon of hope amid darkening times, fuelled by urgency, innovation, and the fragile magic of live radio.

* 'Vanilla' - from Mexico and Written and Directed by Mayra Hermosillo. When an eviction notice threatens their home, eight-year-old Roberta (Aurora Davila) and her lively, multi-generational household of seven women band together to fight foreclosure. What unfolds is a portrait of resilience powered by fierce love, sharp humour, and unbreakable bonds. As tempers flare and loyalties are tested, the women rediscover their shared strength and the meaning of belonging.

For the details of the other competitive film strands being showcased, and the complete line-up of the 110 films being screened over the five days of the festival, plus a whole lot of other good stuff, you can visit the official website at : https://www.sanomafilmfest.org

Looking ahead to this weeks five latest release new films coming to your local big screen Odeon, we kick off with a family musical fantasy adventure offering in which a modern family move to the English countryside and discover a magical tree inhabited by creatures like Silky and Moonface, transporting them to fantastical lands. This is followed by a horror action comedy where a woman takes a job as a housekeeper in a NYC high-rise, unaware of the building's history of disappearances, and where she soon realises the community of residents is shrouded in mystery. Then we turn to a British biographical drama telling of the real life story of John Davidson, a Scottish campaigner living with severe Tourette syndrome. Next up we have comedy horror film in which three young female retail employees run a secret cult out of the basement of their shopping mall store, but when a new employee joins the team this has the potential to ruin their tight little group with dire consequences for them all. And closing out the week there is an animated Sci-Fi comedy film that has an animal lover seizing an opportunity to use technology that places her consciousness into a robotic beaver, uncovering mysteries within the animal world. 

Whatever your taste in big screen film entertainment is this week - be it any of the five latest release new films as Previewed below, or those doing the rounds currently on general release or as Reviewed and Previewed in previous Blog Posts here at Odeon Online, you are most welcome to share your movie going thoughts, opinions and observations by leaving your relevant, succinct and appropriate views in the Comments section below this or any other Post. We'd love to hear from you, and in the meantime, enjoy your big screen Odeon outing during the coming week.

'THE MAGIC FARAWAY TREE' (Rated G) - this UK and US Co-Produced musical fantasy adventure film is Directed by Ben Gregor who made his feature film Directorial debut with 2013's 'All Stars' and which he would follow up with the music doco 'Fatherhood' in 2018, plus multiple episodes of TV series over the years including 'Doc Martin', 'Britannia', 'Bloods', 'Black Ops' and most recently 'Brassic'. This film is based on the Enid Blyton book series of the same name. 

When siblings Beth (Delilah Bennett-Cardy), Joe (Phoenix Laroche) and Fran Thompson (Billie Gadsdon) are forced to move to the remote English countryside with their parents Polly and Tim (Claire Foy and Andrew Garfield respectively), they discover a towering magical tree hidden deep within the forest, home to eccentric residents including Moonface (Nonso Anozie), Dame Washalot (Jessica Gunning) and the ever-curious Saucepan Man (Dustin Demri-Burns). At the very top, a gateway leads to ever-changing lands filled with surprises, mischief and adventure. As each new world unfolds, the children are swept into playful journeys that bring their family closer together. Also starring Nicola Coughlan, Lenny Henry, Michael Palin, Jennifer Saunders, Simon Russell Beale and Rebecca Ferguson. 

'THEY WILL KILL YOU' (Rated MA15+) - is an American horror action comedy film that is Co-Written and Directed by Kirill Sokolov who made his feature film Directorial debut with 'Why Don't You Just Die!' in 2018 and which he would follow up with 'No Looking Back' in 2021. Here then, a young woman - Asia Reaves (Zazie Beetz) answers a help-wanted ad to be a housekeeper in a mysterious New York City up market high-rise apartment block, called the Virgil. What she doesn't realise is that she is entering a community that has seen a number of disappearances over the years. Asia must fight for her life to survive the night at the hands of a demonic cult's mysterious and twisted death-trap of a lair, before becoming their next offering. Also starring Myha'la, Tom Felton, Heather Graham and Patricia Arquette. The film Premiered at SXSW last week, and is released Stateside this week too. 

'I SWEAR' (Rated MA15+) - this British biographical drama film is Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Kirk Jones whose prior feature film Directing output take in his debut in 1998 with 'Waking Ned Devine' and which he would follow up with 'Nanny McPhee' in 2005, 'Everybody's Fine' in 2009, 'What to Expect When You're Expecting' in 2012 and 'My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2' in 2016. Based on the true life story of Scottish man John Davidson (Robert Aramayo) who was the subject of the 1989 television documentary 'John's Not Mad'. Diagnosed with Tourette's Syndrome at fifteen years of age for which there is no cure, and targeted as 'insane' by his peers, he struggled with a condition few had witnessed. Campaigning for better understanding and acceptance of the condition of Tourette's as an adult, he finds his life's purpose and accepted his MBE from the Queen in 2019. Also starring Maxine Peake, Shirley Henderson and Peter Mullan. The film Premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in early September last year, was released in the UK in mid-October, has so far grossed US$8.3M and has generated largely favourable critical reviews. 

'FORBIDDEN FRUITS' (Rated CTC) - is an American comedy horror film that is Co-Written for the screen and Directed by Meredith Alloway in her feature film making debut. She co-wrote the screenplay with Lily Houghton, and is based on Houghton's 2019 stage play 'Of the woman came the beginning of sin, and through her we all die'. Free Eden employee Apple (Lili Reinhart) secretly runs a witchy femme cult in the basement of the mall store after hours – with fellow 'fruits' Cherry (Victoria Pedretti) and Fig (Alexandra Shipp). But when new hire Pumpkin (Lola Tung) challenges their performative sisterhood, the women are forced to face their own poisons or succumb to a bloody fate. The film had its Premiere screening at the SXSW Film and TV Festival earlier this month, and is released Stateside this week too.

'HOPPERS' (Rated PG) - this American animated Sci-Fi comedy film is Produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures, and is Directed by Daniel Chong in his feature film making debut. The film is based on a story Co-Written by Daniel Chong also. Here, the story follows Mabel Tanaka (Piper Curda), a nineteen-year old animal loving American-Japanese college student. After Scientists discover how to 'hop' human consciousness into lifelike robotic animals, allowing people to communicate with animals as animals, Mabel transfers her mind into a lifelike robotic beaver to save their habitat from human destruction, inadvertently starting an uprising in doing so, whilst uncovering mysteries within the animal world that are beyond anything she could have imagined. Also starring the voice talents of Bobby Moynihan, Jon Hamm, Dave Franco, Isiah Whitlock Jnr., and Meryl Streep. The film Premiered in LA toward the end of February, was released Stateside earlier this month, has garnered generally positive critical reviews and has so far grossed US$244M off the back of a US$150M production budget.

With five new release movie offerings this week to tempt you out to your local Odeon, remember to share your movie going thoughts with your other like minded cinephile friends afterwards here at Odeon Online. In the meantime, I'll see you sometime somewhere at your local Odeon in the week ahead.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-