Fatherland

Fatherland, Paweł Pawlikowski's new film, is screening at Towner Cinema in Eastbourne, with the first showing on Friday 6 November at 2:30 pm. It's a German-language production with English subtitles, running 1 hour 22 minutes, and rated 12a.

Set at the height of the Cold War, the story follows the celebrated writer Thomas Mann and his daughter Erika—an actress, writer and rally driver—on a road trip across a divided and ruined Germany. They travel from Allied-occupied Frankfurt to Soviet-controlled Weimar, and the film describes itself as a story of exile and betrayal. It's another of Pawlikowski's studies of post-war Europe and the weight of history on individual lives, in the same vein as Ida (2013) and Cold War (2018). The whole thing is shot in black and white by cinematographer Łukasz Żal, and stars Hanns Zischler and Sandra Hüller.

If the first date doesn't work, there are plenty of other screenings to choose from. It's back on Sunday 8 November at 4:30 pm, Wednesday 11 November at 4:30 pm, Thursday 12 November at 7:00 pm, Friday 27 November at 2:00 pm, and Thursday 3 December at 4:30 pm. That's six screenings across five weeks, so you've got a good run to fit it in.

Tickets are £10.50 standard, with Towner Members paying £9.45 and under-25s £7.50. There's a £8 babes-in-arms ticket, a £5 relaxed screening, and Friday Film Night is £8.50. The Towner Cinema opened in 2017 with support from Arts Council England and Eastbourne Arts Circle, and it's an independent venue with a 4k HD projector and Dolby surround sound. It programmes alongside Eastbourne Film Society, the University of Sussex's School of Media, Film and Music, Eastbourne Rainbow, and Eastbourne Cult Film Club.