From November 5, the 2025 Russell Hobbs British Film Festival, presented by Palace, will open in cities across the country screening at Palace Cinemas, Palace Nova and Luna Palace Cinemas. This year’s sensational lineup showcases British brilliance at its best with hotly anticipated new releases, documentaries and retrospectives. 

Opening the festival is the Australian Premiere of THE CHORAL, a sweeping wartime drama with a stellar cast, led by Ralph Fiennes and directed by Nicholas Hytner. As a group of choralists discover the joys of singing, the young male members must also come to terms with their imminent conscription into the army.  Exploring humour and humanity at the heart of a community facing an uncertain future, the film also stars Roger Allam, Mark Addy and Amara Okereke. 

The Special Presentation is Oliver Hermanus’ THE HISTORY OF SOUND starring an electric Paul Mescal and Josh O’Connor. A decade spanning romance centered around the power of music, this gorgeous period drama is a film of lingering melancholic beauty. 

 Marking the highly anticipated return to the screen of Daniel Day-Lewis, ANEMONE is this year’s Festival Centrepiece. Heralding the directorial debut of son Ronan Day-Lewis, with whom Daniel Day-Lewis co-wrote the script, ANEMONE also features superb performances from Sean Bean and Samantha Morton as it explores the complex and profound ties that exist between brothers, fathers, and sons.  

Closing the festival is Oscar winner Chloé Zhao’s (Nomadland,The Rider) radiant adaptation of Maggie O’Farrell’s novel HAMNET, starring Jessie Buckley as Agnes Shakespeare and Paul Mescal as William Shakespeare. In the sensitively observed, magnificently crafted tale about the complexities of love and the healing power of art and creativity, the couple’s tragic shared experience sets the stage for the creation of Shakespeare’s timeless masterpiece, Hamlet.  

The festival is delighted to once again welcome naming partner Russell Hobbs — the iconically British appliance brand that’s been adding style, charm, and a proper cup of tea to everyday life since 1952.

Festival Dates

5 November - 7 December: Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Sydney, Melbourne, Ballarat, Perth, Byron Bay & Ballina