Your chance to catch up with some of the best foreign films. There is a mixture of drama, action, comedy, thriller and tragedy, sometimes many found in one movie. The Festival not only provides the community of Sherborne with the opportunity to see foreign films which would not otherwise be shown locally, but also to raise funds for charity.
We are really looking forward to presenting four days of excellent foreign film entertainment and hope that you will join us. The 14th International Film Festival will be held from Thu 16 to Sun 19 October 2025 at the Powell Theatre, Abbey Road, Sherborne.
Pele – Birth of a Legend (2016) PG Brazil
Thursday 16th October, 7.30 pm
Opening night drinks reception from 6.30 pm
Pele’s meteoric rise from the slums of Sao Paulo to leading Brazil to its first World Cup victory at the age of 17 is chronicled in this biographical drama.
Pelé. A name known around the world, a sports legend who changed soccer forever, and a national hero who carried the hopes and dreams of a country on his back. But before he was an icon, he was a kid from the slums of São Paulo, Brazil, so poor that he couldn’t afford a real soccer ball. Charting his meteoric rise from scrubbing floors to support his family to honing his electrifying playing style on the streets to leading Brazil’s national team to its first World Cup victory at the age of 17 PELE vividly brings to life the greatest sports story of the 20th century.
Sponsored by Strategic Solutions (Headline Sponsor)
Chartered Financial Planners
La Femme Nikita (1990) 15 France
Friday 17th October, 5.00 pm
Anne Parillaud plays Nikita, a nihilistic punk who is given a life sentence for killing a policeman. Without warning she is transferred to a secret training centre where the mysterious Bob (Tchéky Karyo) transforms her into a ruthless government assassin. Directed by Luc Besson.
Sponsored by Orchard Estates
Somerset’s Award Winning Independent Estate Agent
Parasite (2019) 15 South Korea
Friday 17th October, 7.30 pm
Greed and class discrimination threaten the newly formed symbiotic relationship between the wealthy Park family and the destitute Kim clan. An urgent, brilliantly layered look at timely social themes, Parasite finds writer-director Bong Joon Ho in near-total command of his craft.
Sponsored by The Grange at Oborne
Sherborne’s Country House Hotel
Belle et Sebastien (2013) PG France
Saturday 18th October, 5.00 pm
High up in the Alps and far away from the fighting of the Second World War, a small, peaceful village is home to a young boy named Sebastian. Sebastian is an orphan and life on the mountains is dangerous for a young boy. But he soon meets Belle, a wild dog who has a heart of gold. Sebastian tames Belle and they form an unshakable friendship.
Based on the beloved children’s T.V. series, Belle & Sebastian is the charming adventure story of a courageous young boy and his lovable dog.
Sponsored by Hidden Needs Trust
Raising funds for families with additional needs
Downfall (Der Untergang) (2004) 15 Germany
Saturday 18th October, 7.30 pm
In 1942, young Traudl Junge lands her dream job — secretary to Adolf Hitler at the peak of his power. Three years later, Hitler’s empire is now his underground bunker. The real-life Traudl narrates Hitler’s final days as he rages against imagined betrayers and barks orders to phantom armies, while his mistress, Eva Braun clucks over his emotional distance, and other infamous Nazis prepare for the end.
Sponsored by Ray Holland (private sponsor)
Cinema Paradiso (1988) 12 Italy
Sun 19th October, 5.00 pm
Young Salvatore Di Vita discovers the perfect escape from life in his war-torn Sicilian village: the Cinema Paradiso movie house, where projectionist Alfredo instils in the boy a deep love of films. When Salvatore grows up, falls in love with a beautiful local girl and takes over as the Paradiso’s projectionist, Alfredo must convince Salvatore to leave his small town and pursue his passion for filmmaking.
Sponsored by Heartfelt Care
Local care company that provides highly personalised homecare and home support
Indochine (1993) 15 Vietnam
Sunday 19th October, 7.30pm
In colonial-era Vietnam, a dashing French naval captain; a wealthy plantation owner of French parentage; and her adopted Vietnamese daughter are the three points of a cross-cultural romantic triangle. As the struggle against European imperialism sweeps Indochina, Jean-Baptiste and Camille have to choose sides and Eliane faces the emotionally difficult challenge of raising the child of her daughter and ex-lover.
Sponsored by NFU Mutual, Sherborne & Beaminster
Personal and Business Insurance, Health & Safety, Financial Advice.
Rotary Club of Sherborne Castles 