New films for Christmas and the New Year at the Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough

A feast of festive films is on offer at Scarborough’s Stephen Joseph Theatre over Christmas and the New Year, including the modern classic Elf, a Polish seasonal romance, and the new Paddington movie.

The month opens with The Death of Stalin, Armando Iannucci’s satire about the Soviet power struggles in the aftermath of Joseph Stalin’s death in 1953. Steve Buscemi, Simon Russell Beale, Paddy Considine, Rupert Friend, Jason Isaacs, Michael Palin, Andrea Riseborough and Jeffrey Tambor star.

Listy do M.3 (Polish with English subtitles) is the third in a series of Polish romantic comedies paying tribute to Love Actually. The title translates as Letters to Santa 3.

I Am Not A Witch is the first film from Zambian-born Welsh director Rungano Nyoni, and was described by The Guardian as ‘a pulsingly odd and strikingly original debut’. The film tells the story of Shula, a young Zambian orphan accused of witchcraft.

Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool sees Jamie Bell and Annette Bening in the true story of the unlikely love affair between a young Liverpudlian actor and Hollywood femme fatale Gloria Grahame.

A modern-day Christmas classic, Elf, starring Wilf Ferrell, James Caan and Zooey Deschanel, will receive a one-off screening just before the Christmas weekend.

Paddington 2 is the follow-up to the much-loved 2014 live action/CGI animation based on Michael Bond’s popular books. Ben Whishaw once again voices the bear from darkest Peru, and Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins, Brendan Gleeson, Julie Walters, Jim Broadbent, Peter Capaldi and Hugh Grant all take live action roles.

In celebration of the theatre’s main Christmas production, A (Scarborough) Christmas Carol, the venue is screening The Man Who Invented Christmas, telling the story of the six weeks in which Charles Dickens created the story which has come to define the festive season. Dan Stevens plays Dickens, and Christopher Plummer is Ebenezer Scrooge.

An ensemble cast including Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Gal Gadot and Jeremy Irons star in Justice League, the latest DC Comics movie which sees Batman and Wonder Woman lead a team of superheroes to save the planet.

Emma Stone and Steve Carell star as tennis players Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs in Battle of the Sexes, the true story of the 1973 tennis match that became the most watched televised sports event of all time.

There’s also a one-off Sunday screening of Delicatessen, the French post-apocalyptic black comedy starring Dominique Pinon and Karin Viard, in association with the WEA, and open to the public.

There are also two streamings in the cinema in December: ROH Live’s classic ballet The Nutcracker, and NT Live’s Young Marx, from Richard Bean, who wrote the hit One Man Two Guvnors, and Clive Coleman.

Dates and times (OC = open captioned; BF = baby-friendly screening):

The Death of Stalin: Friday 1 December at 2.45pm and 7.45pm; Saturday 2 December at 2pm, 5pm (OC) and 8pm; Monday 4 and Wednesday 6 December at 7.45pm; Thursday 7 December at 1.45pm.

ROH Live: The Nutcracker: Tuesday 5 December at 7.15pm.

NT Live: Young Marx: Thursday 7 December at 7pm.

Listy do M.3 (Polish with English subtitles): Friday 8 December at 2.45pm and 7.45pm; Saturday 9 December at 2pm and 5pm.

I Am Not A Witch: Thursday 14 December at 1.45pm and 7.15pm.

Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool: Friday 15 December at 2.45pm and 7.45pm; Saturday 16 December at 2pm, 5pm (OC) and 8pm; Monday 18, Tuesday 19 and Wednesday 20 December at 7.45pm; Thursday 21 December at 1.45pm.

Elf: Thursday 21 December at 7.15pm

Paddington 2: Friday 22 December at 2.45pm (BF); Saturday 23 December at 2pm; Sunday 24 December at 3.30pm; Wednesday 27 December at 2.45pm; Thursday 28 December at 6.45pm; Friday 29 December at 2.45pm; Saturday 30 December at 2pm; Sunday 31 December at 2.45pm; Tuesday 2 January at 6.45pm; Wednesday 3 January 2.45pm; Thursday 4 January at 6.45pm.

The Man Who Invented Christmas: Friday 22 December at 7.45pm; Saturday 23 December at 5pm and 8pm; Sunday 24 December at 1pm; Wednesday 27 December at 6.45pm; Thursday 28 December at 1.45pm (BF).

Justice League: Friday 29 December at 6.45pm; Saturday 30 December at 5pm (OC) and 8pm; Tuesday 2 at 2.45pm (BF); Wednesday 3 January at 6.45pm; Thursday 4 January at 1.45pm.

Battle of the Sexes: Friday 5 January at 2.45pm (BF) and 7.45pm; Saturday 6 January at 2pm, 5pm (OC) and 8pm.

Delicatessen: Sunday 7 January at 2.45pm.

Cinema tickets at the SJT are £7 (concessions £5). Tickets for live streamings are £17 (no concessions).

To book, please call the Box Office on 01723 370541 or visit the website: www.sjt.uk.com

https://www.sjt.uk.com/whatson#film