Paid for contentSeptember cinema highlights with Jenny Leask

Barbie.

With the September film schedule getting underway, Shetland Arts’ cinema programmer Jenny Leask shares her thoughts on what’s coming up this month.

“September is a busy month – we’ve managed to pack seven films into every week,” she says.

Barbenheimer returns to Mareel this month – the smash hit of the summer, Barbie is back on our screens by popular demand, as is the highly acclaimed Oppenheimer.

From cars, to superheroes, to retired assassins, there’s plenty of action to be seen. Gran Turismo is the story of a team of unlikely underdogs who prove that nothing is impossible when you’re fuelled from within. Blue Beetle is an entertaining and refreshingly family-focused superhero movie with plenty of humour and heart, following a recent college graduate who unexpectedly finds himself in possession of an ancient relic of alien biotechnology known as ‘the Scarab’. Denzel Washington returns as Robert McCall in Equalizer 3, where the ex-assassin must take on the mafia to protect his friends.

Theater Camp.

There’s plenty of comedy too – Strays is a hilarious, adults-only animated comedy with foul-mouthed talking dogs voiced by Will Ferrell, Jamie Foxx and Isla Fisher. The Blackening is a laugh-out-loud horror comedy that skewers genre tropes and poses the sardonic question: if the entire cast of a horror movie is Black, who dies first? Warm-hearted mockumentary Theater Camp is due to be one of the funniest films of the year, following staff and students who band together in an attempt to stage a masterpiece and keep their beloved summer camp afloat.

We’re celebrating 100 years of Disney by bringing a number of their classic animations from over the years back to the big screen, including One Hundred and One Dalmatians, The Jungle Book, Beauty and the Beast and Toy Story.

We have two special screenings of filmed live theatre productions – choreographer Matthew Bourne’s groundbreaking 2019 production of Swan Lake stars Will Bozier as The Swan/The Stranger, Liam Mower as The Prince and Nicole Kabera as The Queen, while James Norton (Happy Valley, Grantchester) stars in the utterly compelling theatrical event of 2023, as visionary director Ivo van Hove stages the English language premiere of A Little Life, adapted from Hanya Yanagihara’s bestselling novel.

Apocalypse Clown.

Jim Caviezel stars in powerful drama Sound of Freedom, based on a true story. After rescuing a young boy from ruthless child traffickers, a federal agent learns the boy’s sister is still captive and decides to embark on a dangerous mission to save her. With time running out, he quits his job and journeys deep into the Colombian jungle, putting his life on the line to free her from a fate worse than death.

Finally, we have our usual variety of independent films from around the world. Apocalypse Clown is a quirky comedy from Ireland that proves that the end of the world can be a funny business – especially when a group of washed up clowns are forced to traverse the country for one last shot at their dreams. Three French films are in the line-up: Paris Memories tells the story of Mia, struggling to move on after being involved in a terrorist incident, and dwells on grief, healing, and the importance of connections forged in tragedy; Lie With Me is a moving and beautifully acted meditation on the intoxicating force of first love; and The Innocent is an entertaining mix of romcom and heist thriller, directed by and starring Louis Garrel. In German drama Afire, a group of friends spend time in a holiday home by the Baltic Sea, where emotions run high as the parched forest around them catches fire.

Explore September’s films and book tickets on the Shetland Arts website, pop into Mareel or give the box office a call on 01595 745500.

Cheap day tickets (£5.50) are available for all films on a Tuesday, during the day on Wednesday/Thursday and on Saturday/Sunday mornings, under 16s tickets are £5.50 all week. For all ticket prices (£5.50 – £10) see the Shetland Arts website.