The 2025 Russell Hobbs British Film Festival will bring a glittering parade of UK cinema to screens nationwide this November, with Palace Cinemas unveiling a compelling blend of world premieres, lauded documentaries and nostalgic retrospectives for its annual celebration of British film. This year, the long-awaited centrepiece is Anemone, marking the directorial debut of Ronan Day-Lewis and heralding Daniel Day-Lewis’ onscreen return in a taut family drama co-written with his son.
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Festival audiences will be treated to the highly anticipated ANEMONE – a gripping meditation on intergenerational trauma starring Daniel Day-Lewis, his first new role in eight years, alongside Sean Bean and Samantha Morton. “This is a drama that doesn’t flinch from the big questions,” said festival organisers, describing the story of a reclusive former soldier forced to face old wounds. Ronan Day-Lewis’ command in the director’s chair, matched with his father’s intense performance, cements Anemone as an unmissable premiere.
The three-time Oscar winner, who last appeared in Paul Thomas Anderson’s Phantom Thread (2017), takes on a brooding new role that already has awards pundits buzzing about a potential comeback in the thick of awards season.
Co-written by father and son, the film is described as an exploration of the complicated bonds between brothers, fathers, and sons. True to its enigmatic nature, the story’s full scope remains tightly guarded, though the moody first trailer paints a portrait of guilt, isolation, and unresolved trauma.
Day-Lewis plays Ray Stoker, a man confronting the ghosts of his past in an isolated woodland setting drenched in rain and shadows. Much of the trailer is built around Ray’s exchanges with Sean Bean’s character, a figure who alternates between confidant and accuser. Their terse dialogue hints at buried secrets, a military past, and a family reckoning that teeters between redemption and damnation.
The ensemble also includes Samuel Bottomley, Safia Oakley-Green, and Samantha Morton, with Brad Pitt’s Plan B producing. Anemone will launch in a limited theatrical release on October 3 before expanding nationwide on October 10.
For Day-Lewis, the film deepens the complexity of his self-proclaimed “retirement.” Back in 2017, he made headlines when he declared he would no longer act, calling the announcement “a grandiose bit of gibberish,” though he admitted to feeling “hollowed out” by the intensity of his work. Still, his return in this father-son collaboration suggests Anemone may be less a footnote to his career than the start of an unexpected new chapter.
Fans of riveting suspense won’t want to miss THE DEAD OF WINTER, starring Emma Thompson as a lone traveller whose holiday derails when she intervenes in a kidnapping in wintry Minnesota. Meanwhile, MOSS & FREUD dives into the complex artistic relationship between supermodel Kate Moss and renowned painter Lucian Freud, brought to life by Ellie Bamber and Derek Jacobi. The film traces Moss’s self-discovery journey as Freud paints her while pregnant, exploring “bold questions of art, identity, and motherhood.”
Comedic legend John Cleese also takes the spotlight in JOHN CLEESE PACKS IT IN, a bittersweet road documentary following the eighty-five-year-old icon through five countries on what may be his final tour – a testament to the enduring force of British humour. Rounding out the early highlights is the scenic drama THE NORTH, an ode to friendship and the wild Scottish Highlands, where two old friends reunite on a 600-kilometre trek.
Sydney and Nationwide Screenings
The festival will screen across major centres from Wednesday 5 November through Sunday 7 December. Sydney cinephiles can catch the program at Palace Norton Street, Palace Moore Park, Chauvel Cinema, and Palace Central. Melbourne audiences will have showings at iconic locations including The Astor Theatre, Cinema Como, and Palace Westgarth, while events are also confirmed for Ballarat, Canberra, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Byron Bay and Ballina.
Festival dates:
• All cities: 5 November – 7 December
• Tickets and full program: On sale mid-October
Screenings will showcase both anticipated new releases and cherished classics, with organisers promising a full release of titles and session times next month. “We can’t wait to welcome lovers of British film – new and old – back into our cinemas this November,” a spokesperson said.
For updates and festival details, cinephiles are encouraged to visit the official festival program at britishfilmfestival.com.au.
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