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
Cert18+TBC
Performances
5.30pm Doors Open
6.00pm – 7.45pm Film screening
7.45pm – 8.30pm In Conversation + Q&A with Alain Guiraudie
Join us for a special preview screening of Misericordia, the critically acclaimed film that premiered last year at the 77th Cannes Film Festival
Written and directed by Alain Guiraudie, this gripping thriller blends suspense with dark humour, exploring themes of forgiveness, morality, and human complexity. The film won the Louis Delluc Prize for Best Film (2024), was named Best Film of the Year by Cahiers du cinéma and received eight nominations at the 50th César Awards.
Misericordia (2024, 102 minutes) French: Miséricorde. Language: French with English subtitles
Jérémie returns to his hometown for the funeral of his former boss, the village baker. He decides to stay for a few days with Martine, the man’s widow. A mysterious disappearance, a threatening neighbour and a priest with strange intentions make Jérémie’s short stay in the village take an unexpected turn.
“For me, Misericordia goes beyond the question of forgiveness, it embodies the idea of empathy and understanding others, transcending all moral boundaries.” – Alain Guiraudie
Exclusive In Conversation and Q&A with Alain Guiraudie
We invite you to a special in conversation with Alain Guiraudie following the screening.
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 curated 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 Locarno film 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.
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.
Alain Guiraudie, born July 15 1964 in Villefranche-de-Rouergue (Aveyron), is an actor, director and writer.
Born into a farming family, he developed a passion for very young folk culture. In 1990, he directed his first short film, HEROES NEVER DIE. In a style picaresque and the tone of the tale, he strives to represent the working class in the film THAT OLD DREAM THAT MOVES, winner Prix Jean Vigo and presented in 2001 at the Directors Fortnight. Jean-Luc Godard spoke on this occasion that it was the “Best Film at Festival de Cannes.” With his 4th feature film, STRANGER BY THE LAKE, Alain Guiraudie hit a homerun at the 66th Cannes Film Festival, earning the praise of many critics and winning the Best Director Award in the Certain Regard section. His other features has been selected three times in the past for the Directors’ Fortnight (in 2001, 2003 and 2009).
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.
