The Cultural Programme at Oxford University present, in partnership with the Ultimate Picture Palace and in collaboration with Dr C.W. Winter
Film in Focus: Honouring Jean-Luc Godard
Screenings: Trailer of the Film that Will Never Exist: ‘Phony Wars’, Scénarios & Exposé du Film annonce du film “Scénario”, followed by Q&A with Fabrice Aragno
The Ultimate Picture Palace, Jeune Street, Oxford, OX4 1BN
Tickets
£17.50 adult / £15 concessions with a £2 discount for Ultimate Picture Palace (UPP) Annual Membership holders
Accessibility
Wheelchair Access
Age Rating
18+
Performances
Doors open 5.45
6.00pm – 7.15pm Film screening
7.15pm – 8.30pm Talk + Q&A with Fabrice Aragno
Welcome to Film in Focus, a new series that celebrates the power and artistry of cinema. For our inaugural programme, we pay tribute to the legendary French-Swiss filmmaker Jean-Luc Godard, whose groundbreaking work reshaped the language of film.
Join us for a special screening of Godard’s three final films, a poignant and significant farewell from one of cinema’s greatest innovators. These bold, thought-provoking, and visually arresting works not only showcase the enduring brilliance of a filmmaker who never stopped challenging convention, but also mark a significant chapter in the history of cinema.
All three films are in French with English subtitles.
Trailer of the Film that Will Never Exist: ‘Phony Wars’ (2023, 20 min) (French:Film Annonce du Film qui n’existera Jamais: “Drôles de Guerres”) Drôles de Guerres serves as a conceptual “trailer” for an unrealised feature adaptation of Belgian surrealist Charles Plisnier’s 1937 novel Faux Passeports. A collage of paintings, pictures and written notes, this film captures Godard’s meditations on war and cinema, showcasing his signature experimental style.
Scénarios (2024, 18 min) An extraordinary epilogue to an uncompromised career, Scénarios assembles and layers paintings, collages, film clips, stills, and narration, including text from Sartre, read on screen—in an overwhelmingly poignant appearance—by Godard the day before his assisted death.
Exposé du Film annonce du film “Scénario” (2024, 34 min) Conceptualised by Godard and shot by his trusted collaborator Fabrice Aragno, with Exposé du film annonce du film “Scénario” the maestro — cigar in hand — presents a guided tour of a scrapbook-meets-storyboard for a feature left unfinished.
Exclusive Q&A with Fabrice Aragno
We invite you to a special conversation with Fabrice Aragno, Godard’s close collaborator, following the screening. Aragno will explore Godard’s unique creative process, the ideas explored in these final films, and Aragno’s experience completing them — from detailed instructions left by Godard—after the director’s death. This is a rare opportunity to gain insight into the artistry and genius of one of cinema’s most iconic figures.
About Film in Focus
The Film in Focus series, presented by the Cultural Programme at Oxford University in partnership with the Ultimate Picture Palace and in collaboration with Dr C.W. Winter, who has brought together this extraordinary partnership and conversation.
The Film in Focus series will showcase some of the finest art house films from last year’s Cannes, Berlin, Venice, and Locarnofilm festivals. Many screenings will feature post-film Q&As with the filmmakers, offering audiences a unique and exciting opportunity to engage with the artists behind the works. The series connects the Cultural Programme at Oxford University with new audiences and partners as the programme prepares for its new home in the Schwarzman Centre in 2025.
Film Annonce du Film qui n’existera Jamais: “Drôles de Guerres” (English: Trailer of the Film that Will Never Exist: ‘Phony Wars’) A film by: Jean-Luc Godard Written by: Jean-Luc Godard In collaboration with: Fabrice Aragno, Nicole Brenez, and Jean-Paul Battaggia Edited by: Jean-Luc Godard 2023, France/Switzerland, 20 min. 2023, Official Selection – Festival de Cannes
Scénarios A film by: Jean-Luc Godard Written by: Jean-Luc Godard 2024, France/Switzerland, 18 min. 2024, Official Selection – Festival de Cannes
Exposé du film annonce du film Scénario A film by: Jean-Luc Godard Written by: Fabrice Aragno, Nicole Brenez, Jean-Laul Battaggia Cinematography: Fabrice Aragno Editing by: Jean-Luc Godard 2024, France/Switzerland, 34 min. 2024, Official Selection – Festival de Cannes
Trailers
Trailer of the Film that Will Never Exist ‘Phony Wars’ (2023)
Scénarios & Exposé du film annonce du film Scénario (2024)
Plan your visit
The Ultimate Picture Palace, Jeune Street, Oxford, OX4 1BN
Based just off Cowley Road, the Ultimate Picture Palace is easy to find. There is no off street parking, so we recommend a car free visit if possible. However, there are two blue badge disabled parking spaces directly opposite the cinema. The number 1 and 5 bus from Oxford city centre stop right outside and there are numerous bike parks very close by.
We are open 7 days a week. We open the cinema and box office 30 minutes before the scheduled start time of each film, and the Box Office then closes 10 minutes after the film starts.
We don’t show adverts, just a couple of trailers, so don’t be late as the film itself starts very close to the advertised time!
Our Grade II listed building has its challenges when it comes to accessibility, but we have put measures in place to ensure that we are an inclusive place for everyone.
Is the cinema auditorium accessible to wheelchair users?
Yes. The auditorium and box office is on street level. Book tickets as normal through the website and then email us on info@uppcinema.com to let us know that you require a wheelchair space and if you need to reserve a seat for a personal assistant.
Do you have accessible toilets?
We don’t have currently accessible toilets on site. The toilets in our listed building are below the screen down a few steps. However, if you do need to use an accessible toilet during your visit, please speak to a member of staff and they will let you into an accessible toilet in the church just opposite the cinema.
Do you show films with hard-of-hearing subtitles?
We always try to show at least one or two screenings per week with deaf/HOH subtitles. Please consult the listings for more info.
French-Swiss film director, screenwriter, and film critic
Jean-Luc Godard
French-Swiss film director, screenwriter, and film critic
Jean-Luc Godard (1930–2022) was a French-Swiss film director, screenwriter, and film critic, renowned as a leading figure of the French New Wave movement in the late 1950s and 1960s. His innovative approach to filmmaking, characterised by experimentation with narrative, continuity, sound, and camerawork, revolutionized the motion picture form. Godard’s work influenced generations of filmmakers, and he is remembered for his bold, experimental approach to filmmaking. He passed away in September 2022, leaving a lasting legacy in the world of cinema.
Fabrice Aragno worked with Jean-Luc Godard for twenty years—first as a location manager, then as a technical advisor, and then as a genuine creative collaborator. His resourcefulness with and curiosity about cameras proved vital to Godard, and over time their professional collaboration grew more intense, whether on Film socialisme (2010), for which Aragno was entrusted to shoot many of the images without Godard even being present, or on Adieu au langage (2014), a 3D project enabled by the construction of an innovative rig for shooting two-cameras in three dimensions. About receiving this final set of editing instructions from the master, Aragno says, “In any case, his final instructions were so precise. He had the film in his mind, already edited. After 15 years of bringing Godard films to Cannes, this was the last one. The last time I brought a new Godard film there. A punto finale. For me, it’s remarkable that these films convey what he was thinking right before dying.” [Christopher Small]
C.W. Winter was born in Newport Beach, California. He is a film director and writer. His previous film, The Works and Days, co-directed with Anders Edström, won the Encounters Golden Bear for Best Film at the Berlin International Film Festival and won Best Independent Film of the Year from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association. His first film, The Anchorage, won a Best Film Golden Leopard at the Locarno Film Festival. He will curate ideas from his forthcoming book Underdetermined: A Partial History of Low Virtuosity into a travelling museum show beginning at MUDAM (Luxembourg) in 2027. He completed his DPhil in Art Practice & Theory at The Ruskin School of Art and Wolfson College, Oxford. He is currently the William Golding Junior Research Fellow in the Arts at Brasenose College, Oxford.
