3rd Week - Sunday 14th at 1.30, 4 & 6.30pm, Saturday 20th at 5.45pm, Sunday 21st at 4pm

The long-anticipated new film from Jane Campion (THE PIANO, AN ANGEL AT MY TABLE). Set in London in 1818, BRIGHT STAR is the tender story of first love between John Keats (Ben Wishaw), the romantic English poet and the girl next door, the stylish, headstrong Fanny Brawne (Abbie Cornish). Inspired by the actual love letters between the couple and Keats' sublime poetry, BRIGHT STAR reveals one of the world's great, untold love stories in this exquisitely beautiful and deeply moving film. "Jane Campion's best film of her career... A deeply felt and intelligent film." -The Guardian * * * * *

UK/Australia/France 2009 | PG Contains sexual references | 119 minutes

Official Website | Watch Trailer

Direction & Screenplay: Jane Campion
With: Abbie Cornish, Ben Wishaw, Paul Schneider, Kerry Fox, Edie Martin, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Claudie Blakley

Festivals: Cannes (In Competition), NZ International (Auckland & Wellington only), Toronto International, London Film Festival 2009.

"Sixteen years after THE PIANO, Jane Campion has found renewed artistic inspiration in a tragic romance to match the haunting intensity of that Palme D'or winning feature. BRIGHT STAR tells the story of the love affair between John Keats and Fanny Brawne with a classical poise, exquisite craftsmanship and a piercing tenderness... Taking her lead from the sensuality of Keats' verses, Campion has created a film that revels in the beauty of the English countryside... the central love affair is expressed through modest caresses, clasped hands and lingering glances rather than anything more explicit. It is a dreamy film to make the viewer swoon... Australian Abbie Cornish (SOMERSAULT) (Century, April 2005)... captures all the youthful impetuosity of the English Fanny and portrays her as a young woman trying to maintain control of a life torn apart by all the fresh emotions and new sensations that she is experiencing... Ben Wishaw (PERFUME) (Century, September 2007) is equally impressive as John Keats making the poet an entirely human figure; unassuming, vulnerable and constantly engaged by the mysteries of life, love and the burdens of being human... Characters appear comfortable in their clothes and settings, the dialogue flows easily from their lips and there is a quiet, everyday intimacy on the way events unfold... Beautifully crafted in every department from the composure of the camerawork to the precision of the costume and production design, BRIGHT STAR is a film to savour."

-Allan Hunter, Screen Daily.