RFT – Reading’s Independent Cinema

Online Films available 

When Jane (Sally Hawkins) is dumped at the altar she has a breakdown and spirals into a chaotic world, where love (both real and imagined) and family relationships collide with both touching and humorous consequences. 

Jim Keogh, RFT director and film enthusiast, says:

“I could watch Sally Hawkins in anything, but even I wasn’t prepared for the sheer brilliance of her performance in Eternal Beauty. Hawkins plays a woman whose nightmare wedding day triggers a heart-breaking descent into trauma. A tender and ultimately redemptive depiction of mental illness."

Available for screening On Demand from October 2nd at a price of £6.00. You will have 48 hours to start watching and, once begun, you’ll have 48 hours to finish viewing.

Starring Henry Golding, MONSOON is story of cultural displacement, unexpected romance and the search for a lost home. The film is a rich and poignant exploration of the struggle for identity in a place where the past weighs heavily on the present. 

Juliet Hanfling, RFT Chair, has previewed the film and says:

"I love films set in Asia and this film gives an amazing insight into life in Vietnam. If you are a fan of Henry Golding you will be in for a treat!"

Available for screening On Demand from September 25th at a price of £9.49.

After his mother’s sudden death, Socrates, a 15-year-old living on the margins of São Paulo’s coast, must survive on his own. As he faces isolation because of his sexuality, his search for a decent, worthy life reaches a breaking point.

Produced by Ramin Bahrani (99 HOMES) and filmed with a micro budget of under twenty thousand dollars, SOCRATES is the debut feature film from Brazilian-American director Alexandre Moratto. It is the first feature produced by the Querô Institute in Brazil where it was co-written, produced, and acted by at-risk teenagers from local low-income communities, with the support of UNICEF.

Jim Keogh, RFT director and film enthusiast, has previewed the film and says:

"My heart went out to poor Socrates – a young boy left to fend for himself in a society blithely indifferent to his plight. As Bob Dylan once said: now is the time for your tears." 

For £9.49 you will be able to order this film after from 4 September. You will have 24 hours to start watching and, once begun, you’ll have 24 hours to finish viewing. And the first 50 RFT customers can also receive a 10% discount when using code READING_SOCRATES10

Important Message - RFT and Coronavirus

In line with guidance from the Government RFT remains closed. This means that unfortunately we have had to cancel our summer season of films.

If you would like to continue to support RFT at this time please do so by buying a ticket for the Reading Community Lottery  Congratulations to the supporters of RFT who have already won prizes in the Lottery!

Please continue to check our website for news of when we are able to re-open. We hope to show the three winning films from the RFT archives once we re-open.

We thank you all for your continuing support of RFT and wish you all the best at this time. 

George’s Film Blog

Due to Covid-19 we’ve missed some great films on our summer programme. Instead George Marshall, RFT’s guest reviewer, shares his insight into what we missed starting with Parasite (Please note George’s views are his own.)

RFT is 50 – help us to celebrate!

Reading Film Theatre is working with the Museum of Reading to produce an exhibition to celebrate Fifty Years of bringing independent cinema to Reading. We are looking for anecdotes, memorable films and moments to put in the 'show and tell' display. We can use voice recording or videos. So please dig deep and tell us your stories!!  

Please send a message to glenys.hart@gmail.com