April

An animal lover seizes an opportunity to use technology that places her consciousness into a robotic beaver, uncovering mysteries within the animal world that are beyond anything she could've imagined.

Bart Schrijver’s acclaimed drama follows former best friends and roommates Chris (Bart Harder) and Lluis (Carles Pulido), who meet up after a decade to hike Scotland’s West Highland Way and Cape Wrath Trail.

Shot entirely on the route of the walk, and in chronological order, The North is a beautiful ode to friendship and the healing power of nature.  It’s not only a poignant and powerful drama, but also perhaps the definitive hiking film, allowing us to take in the stunning majesty of the Highlands shoulder-to-shoulder with Lluis and Chris as they reconnect with each other and with nature.

From the team behind 'Finding Your Feet' and 'Fisherman's Friends' comes Mother's Pride, a story about the Harley family who after losing their matriarch, must come together to save their pub and village through the art of beer-brewing.

In May 2021, a UK Home Office dawn raid triggers one of the most spontaneous and successful acts of civil resistance in recent memory. In Pollokshields, Scotland’s most diverse neighbourhood, hundreds of residents rush to the streets to stop the deportation of their neighbours.

When a family moves to the countryside, the children are reluctant to embrace their new lives until they discover an enchanted wood full of eccentric characters in this fantasy adventure film. Based on the book by Enid Blyton.

Gandalf and Aragorn lead the World of Men against Sauron's army to draw his gaze from Frodo and Sam as they approach Mount Doom with the One Ring.

Experience Peter Jackson's epic adaptations of author J.R.R. Tolkien's fantasy adventures on the big screen over successive weekends, the very first time the extended versions have been shown at the Robert Burns Centre.

You can see the extended version of LOTR: The Two Towers on Saturday 28 March.

Disowned at birth by his obscenely wealthy family, blue-collar Becket Redfellow (Glen Powell) will stop at nothing to reclaim his inheritance, no matter how many relatives stand in his way. How To Make A Killing is a dark comedy & a modern reimagining of the beloved Kind Hearts & Coronets (1949). 

Science teacher Ryland Grace (Ryan Gosling) wakes up on a spaceship light years from home with no recollection of who he is or how he got there. As his memory returns, he begins to uncover his mission: solve the riddle of the mysterious substance causing the sun to die out. He must call on his scientific knowledge and unorthodox ideas to save everything on Earth from extinction... but an unexpected friendship means he may not have to do it alone.

The extraordinary story of true legend of Ann Lee, founder of the devotional sect known as the Shakers. Academy Award nominee Amanda Seyfried delivers a career-best performance as Ann Lee, founder of the devotional sect known as the Shakers, who preached gender and social equality and was revered by her followers.

The Testament of Ann Lee captures the ecstasy and agony of her quest to build a utopia, featuring more than a dozen traditional Shaker hymns reimagined as rapturous movements with choreography by Celia Rowlson-Hall (Vox Lux, Aftersun) and original songs & score by Academy Award winner Daniel Blumberg (The Brutalist).

Waking up alone on a spaceship with no memory, a science teacher (Ryan Gosling) must recall his mission to save Earth from a catastrophic threat, in this sci-fi adventure.

An exploration of two great sangsters, Hamish Henderson and Robert Burns, both of whom redefined Scottish culture. They provided, against all odds, a national and international vision of the country - bringing together all the vital Scots, Gaelic and Norse cultural strands and rejecting all the empty arguments of those who insisted that Scotland was, at best, a mere fragmented nation lacking social and cultural wholeness.  Both artists recreated the nation - especially through their song-writing.

A multimedia presentation drawing upon Professor Freeman’s recordings and graphic illustrations that highlight the central points of his thesis. 

Freeman is currently Visiting Professor at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. He is the producer of the internationally acclaimed The Complete Songs of Robert Burns (12 vols, Linn Records); two Tribute albums on Hamish Henderson (Greentrax Recordings); the author of extensive chapters on Hamish Henderson and Burns in a new book, Hamish Henderson : A Conversation Piece; one of the central figures featured in the new documentary on Hamish we showing this evening.

There will be tea and coffee refreshments after the talk between 7 – 7.30pm.

What drove Charles Nasmyth to paint a portrait of a man he never met, and had barely heard of?

The Fife-based artist became inspired by the life and work of Hamish Henderson, after meeting Katzel, his widow. He spent a year learning from Hamish’s former friends and colleagues about his achievements.

Well known for his folk song collecting and support for Scottish self-determination, Charles discovered that there was much more to admire in Hamish’s life story.  In particular, his own poetry and song-writing, his remarkable war-service in the British Army and his inspirational teaching at Edinburgh University.

Henderson’s folk-song collecting, Charles discovered, was motivated not just by his Perthshire roots, but the influence of Italian philosopher, Antonio Gramsci, whose respect for the ‘culture of the people’ he deeply admired.

And he was determined that the ‘carrying stream’ of Scottish culture, expressed in the songs, ballads and stories he collected, should not be swamped by outside influences. Especially that the Scots language should thrive as a living expression of Scotland’s identity and culture. 

In this film, Charles revisits the people who taught him Hamish’s life-story. And explains why he was inspired to paint his portrait.

We are delighted to welcome director Michael Lloyd,  and presenter and artist Charles Nasmyth for a post film discussion, as well as Professor Fred Freeman, now at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, who studied under Hamish at the School of Scottish Studies and was a close friend.

After prison, a woman attempts to reconnect with her young daughter but faces resistance from everyone except a bar owner with ties to her child. As they grow closer, she must confront her past mistakes to build a hopeful future.

The literary phenomenon from #1 New York Times bestselling author Colleen Hoover becomes a transformative feature film about motherhood, forgiveness and the power of love to overcome even the worst mistake

This April Amélie returns to cinemas, celebrating 25 years of pure cinematic spectacle; the film that broke the barrier between arthouse and mainstream. The re-release of this magical picture is ripe for discovery by younger audiences and indeed rediscovery by those of us that were there the first time in 2001...

Despite being caught in her imaginative world, young waitress Amelie decides to help people find happiness. Her quest to spread joy leads her on a journey during which she finds true love. In French with English subtitles.