A long time ago Ed Saxberger wrote a book of poetry that no one ever cared about. When a group of young artists rediscover his work, he must reassess his genius. The wild card in the group is Gloria, a talented and mercurial theatre actress who toys with affections and who is all set to be admired by Saxberger.
Rated NC16 for Some Drug References.
Vignettes of a romance straddling both sides of the Iron Curtain, musical director Wiktor and singer Zuzanna find themselves tangled in a star-crossed affair that begins in the ruins of post-war Poland and blitzes through the jazz clubs of Paris. Beautifully rendered in black and white with a score by jazz pianist Marcin Masecki, Paweł Pawlikowski’s award-winning drama is a fatal romance that yearns like a heartbreaking jazz ballad.
In Polish with English subtitles
Rated M18 for Some Sexual Scenes.
In partnership with the Embassy of Poland in Singapore as part of Filmhouse's Jazz in Film
After the successful assasination of his boss, the husband to his mistress Florence, Julien finds himself trapped in the elevator leaving his beloved waiting. Meanwhile, another pair of young lovers steal Julien’s car and in the course of one restless night set themselves off in a parallel trajectory.
Featuring an improvisational soundtrack by the legendary jazz musician Miles Davis, this atmospheric French classic by Louis Malle is a groundbreaking masterclass in image and music.
In French with English Subtitles.
Rated PG.
Director Bruce Weber stitches together the life of charming jazz musician Chet Baker through archival footage, interviews, and his time filming with Chet himself a year before his death. Tracing Baker’s early days as a charismatic young trumpeter, his post-accident comeback, and a series of turbulent relationships, this Oscar-nominated documentary is at once a tender act of remembering and a deconstruction of the romanticised myth of Chet.
Ratings TBA.
Fictional jazz trumpeter Bleek Gilliam is at his prime; a talented leader of his own quintet, headliner at a sold-out club, and lover to two different women. Self-centered and obsessive however, a series of bad decisions cause him to lose everything: his band, his lovers, and even his music.
With music by bassist Bill Lee, Spike Lee’s father, and featuring riveting performances by the Branford Marsalis Quartet and Terence Blanchard, Spike Lee’s incredibly sexy tale about obsession and friendship is a love letter to jazz and all its chaos.
Rated M18 for Sexual Scenes and Coarse Language.
When retired yakuza gunman Tetsuya “Phoenix Tetsu” Hondo refuses rival leader Otsuka’s offer to join him and abandon his old boss Kurata, plans to make their business respectable go awry and Tetsu finds himself in the crosshairs of Otsuka. Resolving to protect both Kurata and his lover Chiharu, Tetsu flees Tokyo, drifting across Japan with hired killers on his tail until whispers of betrayal begin to call for his return.
Across mesmerising avant-garde sets and the snowy landscapes of Japan, this stylish yakuza film is a 4K restoration of a cult classic by Seijun Suzuki with a jazzy score by Hajime Kaburagi.
In Japanese with English subtitles.
Rated PG.
