When I first started to go to the cinema solo during my time at university, I was often plagued with doubts, mainly due to the social stigma. At first I felt as though people were judging me, wondering if they were thinking “That’s a bit odd isn’t it? Why go by yourself?” But these solo cinema trips helped ease a lot of anxiety. The art of de-stressing certainly becomes more complex as we get older, and in the age of the internet, the easiest way to fight off anxiety often appears to be scrolling until we realise hours have passed. The cinema experience has become a safety blanket, not just for me, but for many who want to escape from real life for a few precious hours.

The physical aspect of attending the cinema has benefits that we don’t typically realise. The concept of cinema therapy is something that isn’t widely discussed – in fact, most won’t know that it is a form of expressive therapy, similar to music and dance therapies. Segan’s Medical Dictionary describes this as a therapy that “can be a catalyst for healing and growth”. Most of the time we are self-prescribing cinema therapy without acknowledging its existence. You might have had a bad day at work, or simply just need to shut off for a few hours and peer into other worlds, whether based on real life or pure fantasy.

Recognising the potential of cinema as a literal force for good, MediCinema is a charity founded by Christine Hill in 1996. The former Chief Executive was inspired after seeing nurses at St Thomas’s Hospital wheeling patient’s outside in their beds to watch the boats go by – it looked like a cinema with patients watching a film. The first of six MediCinemas opened in 1999 at St Thomas’s Hospital, and current sites include Newcastle’s Royal Victoria Infirmary and Glasgow’s Royal Hospital for Children/Queen Elizabeth University Hospital. It has been recently announced that through a generous pledge between Paramount Global and MediCinema a conversion of an existing lecture theatre at Manchester University NHS Trust’s Oxford Road Hospital Campus has been green lit for 2026.

Supported through public donations and various partnerships (there is no cost to the NHS), MediCinema allows patients and their families to have time away from the varying challenges of being on a ward. With programmes planned by the central MediCinema team along with input from the Cinema Managers, each screening provides normality for those going through a healthcare journey. There are up to 4 regular screenings programmed a week, with some screenings additionally tailored for specific clinical groups such as the Advanced Prostate Cancer Support and Breast Cancer Support. Special screenings are also part of the programme – most recently, patients at MediCinema Royal Hospital for Children in Scotland were treated to a special visit from Paddington and actor Hugh Bonneville for an advanced screening of Paddington in Peru. Beth Keane, MediCinema’s Head of Service Design and Impact, says, “One of the most amazing things about MediCinema is that we can help such a wide range of people. We can help people who are two, to literally 100 years old.”

The screenings are available for everyone, whether their hospital stay is a few days or longer term. The team also meets those receiving end of life care. “It’s incredible because we can help such a wide spectrum of people in many different ways. So that’s psychosocial, psychological and physiological and that has been a challenge for us to try and distil the ways we can help,” Beth continues. “We did some work on this and we found a set of key themes that kept emerging. They were things like mental health, resilience, easing stress, anxiety.”

Going to even just one screening can have a transformational effect on patients. Through ongoing research (2017-2024) MediCinema have found that 85% of attendees believe that the experience supports mental health and helps people to cope. An additional 94% say that it reduces the isolation felt in the hospital. “My son was in a lot of pain after surgery. Having MediCinema to look forward to really motivated him to start mobilising and moving which was just what the doctor asked him to do,” a parent of a Chelsea and Westminster patient said. “Without MediCinema he would not have been as motivated to get moving and recover.”

According to cinema therapist Birgit Wolz, PhD, there are several types of cinema therapy: Popcorn (cinema entertain that allows for an emotional release), Evocative (which helps individuals connect with storylines and characters) and Cathartic (that helps an individual access their emotions and may be used in the early stages of psychotherapy). Keane agrees that these three headings make sense. “I’ve definitely had patients speak of those things, they speak about the impact,” she said. “A lot of patients will be taken back [to their ward] by a volunteer and they’ll talk about how their mood has changed after watching the film. It might open up conversations with the hospital staff because film is a leveller. I want to shout about the fact that it extends beyond actually watching a film.”

While some patients may simply go to MediCinema to have some normality to their day, some find that it gives them the ability to ease the worries and concerns of their treatment. One case study revolves around a little boy who was suffering with anxiety around hospitals and the mask they use when putting him to sleep when going into theatre. “They [the patient and his mum] came to MediCinema together and they watched Dolittle. There is a specific scene where a little squirrel called Kevin is injured and he’s put to sleep using a mask and when he wakes up he feels better.” Beth continues. “The next day her son was due to go to surgery and he called himself Kevin the squirrel – for the first time they were able to go down to the theatre looking and feeling more relaxed.”

MediCinema research indicates that 55% of participants feel the physiological aspect of attending a screening has reduced their pain. From the engagement side of attending a screening, 72% agreed that they are more likely to visit a public screening, outside the MediCinema space. This alone proves the importance of cinemas in an era where streaming sites attempt to dominate the world order of the arts.

At this point, I would ordinarily write a conclusion to bring to a close a feature highlighting both the amazing benefits of cinema, film and the work that MediCinema are continuing to do. But who better to prove the benefits than someone who has experienced it?, Yasmin, a patient who attended screenings at CW+ Chelsea and Westminster MediCinema, beautifully sums up the experience:

“My cancer has been so hard on those who care about me, but when I get taken to the CW+ MediCinema, shown to my seat and made cosy, I’m not Yasmin with terminal lung cancer, I’m just ‘me’ again and I blossom, and, I’m excited, and for a few hours we can just be friends and family enjoying a movie again.  It has meant everything to me. We are wreathed in escapism and the nurses and volunteers are amazing. I don’t worry about a single thing. The team collect me and take me back to bed. My nurses see me come back with a big smile on my face.

“MediCinema is a genuine godsend, I wish all hospitals had one, I think it would do patients and staff, the nation over the world of good. I’ve seen patients wheeled in lying on beds wearing the biggest smiles. You cannot put a price on that. I’m so grateful to the generosity of the film industry and the teams that make this happen. Thank you for what you have done for me and the people I love. Long may you continue, transforming the lives of movie goers great and small!”

At 27, I find life more complex than I did at 17, but boy did my hormonal self feel confused back then. As a girl who goes to sleep with crystals on my windowsill in an attempt to get rid of bad energy, my younger self would have dreamt about a manual on how to navigate complexities such as boys and emotions, etc. Shuchi Talati’s impressive debut feature Girls Will Be Girls is a sensitive and quiet addition to the coming-of-age genre that is relatable whether you’re a young teen going through love for the first time, or looking back on those exciting yet heartbreaking years of so many firsts.

The film, which debuted to plaudits at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, follows Mira (Preeti Panigrahi), the first female prefect at her school in north India. Her newfound responsibility means keeping everyone in check, regardless of what others think of her. The arrival of new student Sri (Kesav Binoy Kiron) disrupts Mira’s squeaky-clean image, while creating further separation between herself and her mother Anita (Kani Kusruti). As Mira and Sri’s relationship slowly and subtly begins to blossom, so does his closeness to her mother. Despite only getting close to her daughter’s suitor to protect her from any potential heartache, the film’s second act begins to feel like we have embarked on an emotional love triangle, fuelled by jealousy and competition.

Inspired by her own experiences at her school in the Indian city of Vadodara, Talati perfectly captures teen angst and the intensity that comes with crushes and first loves. Secrecy comes to mind when we embark on our own sexual awakenings: hidden rendez-vous and hiding facts from parents that generate both excitement and anxiety. In one scene we see Mira in the shower practising her kissing techniques on her hand, something we have all done at some point. Shortly after, her relationship with Sri develops on a sexual level.

While Sri is honest about his previous experiences, Mira begins to doubt herself but nevertheless feels ready to embark on her own journey of self-exploration. Talati’s delicate direction should be applauded. As a viewer watching this all unfold, it’s hard not to relate to Mira’s experience. The film’s gentle pace and dulcet score emphasise the pressures that can go on in our minds during times of questioning and making sure we are making the right choices.

Lessons are always learned in our formative years, especially when it comes to romance and sex. We are never ready, yet we are always ready. Girls Will Be Girls has relatability at its core, and is sympathetic to what an important period this is. Despite the film losing some momentum on the home stretch, this can’t take away from its overall message – there’s no stronger bond than that between a mother and her daughter.

Beauty standards are continuously evolving. What remains is that, in some way, we will always find ourselves feeling self-conscious about some aspects of our appearance. Our insecurities at times can make us seek refuge, feeling ashamed instead of acknowledging the beauty of our uniqueness. Stephanie Di Gusto’s second feature Rosalie advocates for a woman whose own insecurity challenges society’s standards on what beauty really is.

Set in 1870 Northern France, Rosalie (Nadia Tereszkiewicz) is living on a remote farm with her widowed father (Gustavo Kervern). Longing for a child and her happily ever after, her father sets up an arranged marriage to local tavern owner Abel (Benoît Magimel) who is drowning in debt and is desperate for his marriage’s dowry. What Abel is unaware of is that his bride holds a secret – she has a tendency to grow facial and body hair due to a condition presumed to be hirsutism, typically relating to the notion of ‘the bearded lady’.

While the condition is not really explained within the film, the story is loosely inspired by the life of the famous French bearded lady, Clementine Delait. To hide her condition, for decades she shaved her face daily to remove herself from any potential town gossip. As the pair take their vows and embark on married life, Abel is not best pleased when he discovers Rosalie’s well-kept secret.

It’s clear that Di Gusto and her co-screenwriters are not interested in telling a story about a troubled marriage but instead adopt a feminist angle. Instead of hiding her biggest insecurity, Rosalie decides to grow back her beard with the hope that curiosity among the villagers will encourage punters to visit her husband’s bar. We see her confidence growing now she is living authentically, with many in the town (especially the women) quickly becoming in awe of her – even Abel soon realises his true feelings.

Her confidence becomes tainted when a rich local businessman (Benjamin Biolay) who Abel owes money too disapproves of her new found awakening. Di Gusto’s finest work comes when she is celebrating her protagonist’s new-found freedom. The first half of the film provides depth into an argument about how judgemental we can be in regards to how we and others look.

In an era where fillers and cosmetic surgery are enabling our youth to change their appearance, to remain on this path could have provided a strong message to its audiences. Instead, by its second act we see Rosalie transforming into a typical emotional, romantic period drama. Tereszkiewicz is a force as the title character, embodying honest and raw emotions during some difficult scenes. Despite things at times feeling like two different films, its message is clear: we are all different, and that should be celebrated.

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When we think about heist films, we conjur up images of fast car chases and men who think they are super hard. Scrap all that – apparently there’s a new way to do it. The Score, from writer and director Malachi Smyth, is a pandemic-made thriller that attempts to express its own meaning by disposing of the notion of
palm-sweating tension and opts instead for some Mamma Mia-esque outbursts of folk rock to ease its protagonists into its storyline.

The film stars Brit character stalwarts Will Poulter and Johnny Flynn as a pair of un-smooth criminals playing the waiting game at a roadside café. Their time is spent mixing hard-boiled bants with a number of musical interludes courtesy of Flynn himself, which lends the film a more theatrical than cinematic quality.

Proceedings open with a musical number performed by all of the main cast, which sets both the tone and the scene. Troy (Poulter) discovers a big bag of cash that was stashed away by his older brother who we later find out is incarcerated. Mike (Flynn) hands over a gun to his wife at the caravan park where they live. Meanwhile Gloria (Naomi Ackie) is just nearing the end of a shift at the café.

Given Flynn a chance to flex his musical muscles does feel like an interesting way to give this hard-worn material a fresh sheen – he’s a confident singer and performer. Yet Poulter and Ackie seem less comfortable in this context, and the eccentric songs end up dissolving any rawness the pair might have brought to their characters.

Much of the film occurs within a single location, and we see Mike and Troy waiting to pull off their deal. During this process, we also see a blossoming romance occurring between Troy and Gloria. Yet their romantic repartee comes across like flirty DMs on a dating app.

Gloria at one point says to Troy, “Tough guy?” to which Troy replies with, “me thinks”. The playful, catty dialogue serves to disconnect the plot and characters from any kind of believable tone, not to mention a sense that we should really care for these people.

This stripped back tale does generate a bit of tension in leaving various key details blank: how much money is in the bag?; Who is it for?; What is their personal relationship? Yet in the end, most of these intriguing questions are ignored, and if they are dealt with, the answers are hardly mind-blowing.

There’s a sense that Smyth’s writing only works in fits and starts, and all the fractured elements don’t ever quite fit together. Flynn’s musical contributions, too, are all lacking in lyric department, and where they might have made for a decent stand-alone solo LP, it’s hard to know what wider function they play in the film.

Whistling winds, quiet whispers, and the longing for the perfect introduction to elusive parts of nature are core to The Velvet Queen. It’s a hypnotic lesson in watchful photojournalism, offering an insightful take on a quest to liaise with wildlife in its natural habitat – in this case, the rare Tibetan snow leopard.

Wandering the peaks are Vincent Munier, a wildlife photographer, and his writer friend Sylvain Tesson, who aim to climb great heights through extreme weather conditions and lock eyes on their prize. Through its cinematography alone we soon find out this is no Animal Planet special.

The scenery is breathtaking, open and often paralysing in its grandeur. Shots of wind lifting sand and filtering it through the open air almost personifies the pair’s journey of time passing with no guarantee of a sighting. Nick Cave and Warren Ellis’s haunting score captures the mood of exploration in Tibet – certainly something more sombre than your typical nature doc. Tesson’s narration at one-point weeps of self-determination, describing the leopard seeking journey as, “For me, a dream – for him, a rendezvous.” Lyricism appears to be key, and there’s perhaps too much at times.

The film’s title signifies the majestic nature of its subject, an ode to the slender feline and the infrequency of its sighting. The process of this search yields much additional interest as we see numerous aspects of wildlife throughout the doc – antelopes, wolves, bears just to name a few.

At one point both Munier and Tesson are in awe of being present with these other animals, but you can’t help but feel that they’re just holding time as they eagerly wait to catch a glimpse of the snow leopard. And while they patiently wait, the audience too must adopt the same mindset, and the film is essentially about the concept of delayed gratification.

And [mini spoiler alert], this waiting game is definitely worth it, despite the poetic lengths it takes to get there. Numerous near-misses and video teases later, you can see the self-acceptance that Munier and Tesson have adopted to justify their endeavour. “Scorn pain, ignore time, and never doubt you’ll get what you desire,” Tesson narrates. This sums up the heart of the film – that patience is key, knowledge is essential, and hope really is all we have to get us through the day.

In the end they get what they desire – both seen in complete awe just metres away from the snow leopard in all its wintery glory. The Velvet Queen cuts the traditional nature doc through with a philosophical edge which at times may feel suffocating, but you can’t argue with its makers’ adoration of nature.

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It’s strange to think after a year and a half of films appearing and disappearing due to multiple lockdowns that we can now head back into cinemas and enjoy its cathartic escapism and magic. For the Australian director Cate Shortland, this will come with the added relief of finally placing the spotlight on her as latest directorial effort, Marvel’s Black Widow, will finally be released a little over a year after its original due date.

The much-anticipated blockbuster is a huge deal for Shortland who is making history as Marvel’s first female solo director. And with that, coming from an independent film background, it means that this is something of a creative leap for her in terms of the scope and scale of production. This appears to be a common move for Marvel: to hire filmmakers with a background in indie or festival films and then catapult them to this alien world of fame, fortune and celebrity.

Black Widow appears to distance itself from the last few giant MCU films such as Avengers: Endgame and Spider-Man: Far From Home. It’s being perceived a spy thriller, but one that is kitted out in the typical ‘superhero genre-styled’ trappings. Yet for Shortland and Kevin Feige (president of Marvel Studios) this was an opportunity to really grasp the Natasha Romanoff character (as played by Scarlett Johansson) as an individual rather than merely a constituent of a team of heroes.

The director told Total Film magazine in September of 2020 that, if anything, she wanted to “expose the character and get under her skin.” Is this search for more nuance and depth one of the reasons that Marvel looks beyond the “safe-pair-of-hands” fray when it comes to employing creative leaders for their franchise spin-offs?

Pre-release whispers suggest that this isn’t just your regular hero saves the world narrative. After all, we’ve waited over a decade for this character to be explored on a more personal level. The movie is set follow Romanoff on the run as she heads back to her native Russia where she is confronted with an unfinished past she left behind before becoming an Avenger.

As a character, Romanoff was already a little different from her peers. She wasn’t gifted with extraordinary powers, but was instead driven by her strength and an ethical code of perpetual do-gooding. In an interview with The Independent, Shortland said: “Most of my characters have had a hard time, but I don’t want to tell stories which are just black and dark and upsetting.”

Johansson was an avowed fan of Shortland’s critically acclaimed 2012 drama Lore and her handling of its female lead. Lore tells a story of a young woman who leads her siblings through Germany as the Allied forces roll in. While it is a film that explores a vulnerable situation and complicated relationships, there is also something very beautiful and strangely empathetic in the way Shortland directs Lore’s rage and her realisation of emotions.

Shortland is known for her representations of strong women in real, often deadly and morally off-centre situations. Her female protagonists tend to struggle with life navigation which angers them when they try to defuse feelings of alienation, but with that she highlights how these characters survive and move on in a convincingly humane manner.

Take Shortland’s 2004 directorial debut, Somersault, as an example, a film which played in the Un Certain Regard section at that year’s Cannes Film Festival. This romantic drama revolves around 16-year-old Heidi (Abbie Cornish) who flees her Canberra home to explore a mountain town in New South Wales after trying to seduce her mother’s boyfriend. Confused and alone, she uses her sexuality in an attempt to secure herself a job and then she falls for Joe (Sam Worthington) who is himself is unclear his sexuality. It’s a sensual and authentic take on the feelings and desire of a young woman who is trying to define her own sense of belonging. The film rightly received praise for its touching and highly moving slow-motion imagery.

Marvel have perfected a formula when it comes to their hiring policies, and that’s not just when it comes to behind the camera talent: many of their lead stars have either been nominated or have won the industry’s biggest accolades. Indeed, the notion that Marvel could ever be an award season player has been clarified by Black Panther’s nomination for Best Picture in 2019, and a Best Picture win for Chloe Zhao, who will showcase her Marvel offering The Eternals later this year.

While Shortland’s small but perfectly formed film catalogue had already made the director one to watch, Black Widow will send her career on a new trajectory. From some angles, you could see Marvel as a malign force who are poaching the best and brightest young talent and bringing them into their filmmaking factory to make films in their inimitable house style.

Yet to do so would be to suggest that these filmmakers have no agency and aspirations of their own – that making these giant movies is something they would never otherwise want to do. Either way, when Black Widow finally makes it to cinemas on these shores, we’ll be looking hard for the personal “touch” she cultivated across three very fine films.

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Music is a vital ingredient when it comes to the production of a film. It can sometimes be hard to fully appreciate the effort that goes into creating instrumental tracks that help to heighten the emotions of what you’r seeing. If you think about superhero films, or some hard-stricken drama, the intensity of the score is always used to enhance what we see.

When we think of the great movie composers, these are the names that come to mind: Hans Zimmer; John Williams; Nino Rota; Danny Elfman; John Barry; James Horner and Alan Silvestri. All men. Most people can name one female film composer, but can you name two?

Zimmer, known for his work on blockbusters such as The Dark Knight Trilogy and Interstellar, has recently been hired for Patty Jenkins’ Wonder Woman 1984. This isn’t just a missed opportunity for a female oriented film to also employs a female for the soundtrack, but it’s also the latest example of women being largely unheard in the world of film composing. A study by the University of Southern California in 2018 found that, of the top 100 fiction films at the box office every year from 2007 to 2017, only 16 female composers were hired, in comparison to 1,218 men.

Additionally, a supporting report from the Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film revealed that 94 per cent of the top 250 films at the domestic box office in 2018 used male composers. In an era of Time’s Up, an organisation set up in support for equal pay and opportunities, female composers are still lingering in the shadows behind the men who hold domination in this industry. In celebration of women in film and music, here are a few composers we think you should know about:

1. Mica Levi

The British-born singer isn’t the first musician to take on the world of cinema. However, Mica Levi is certainly one of the first to disrupt orthodox film music traditions. Having first unsettled audiences with her trippy, idiosyncratic score for Jonathan Glazer’s 2014 unearthly sci-fi parable, Under the Skin, Levi then went on to receive an Academy Award nomination for Pablo Larrain’s Jackie. For the Jackie soundtrack she employed a small flute ensemble to emotive effect. Her style often leans on dramatic glissandos (the eerie slide upward or downward between note) and she rarely generates soundtracks act as a companion to a film but almost as a character within the narrative.

2. Hildur Guðnadóttir

Known for her collaborations with the late, very grate Jóhann Jóhannsson, Hildur Guðnadóttir has quite the back catalogue when it comes to contributing to films. An example is her solo cello work can be heard in Denis Villeneuve’s Prisoners, Sicario and Arrival. Guonadottir also went on to co-compose the score for Garth Davis’ Mary Magdalene with Johannsson. “People approach me looking for a specific type of sound, or feeling,” she told The New York Times. “They don’t come knocking on my door for, like, a John Williams score. So that also puts me in a really good position, because I’m normally allowed to be myself.” The Icelandic musician is set to be pushed towards mainstream fame as she recently used her modernist style of combining acoustic instruments with an electro edge for the mini-series Chernobyl, and her score for Todd Phillips’ Joker is soon to be heard across the globe.

3. Pinar Toprak

Pinar Toprak came to America from Istanbul at the age of 17 and she new little English. She had one goal: to compose music for film. She cemented that dream and became the first woman in history to write and compose a score in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. More specifically, she created the music for Captain Marvel, the film studio’s first female led film. To make sure Marvel producers could see her full potential, Toprak hired a 70-piece orchestra just to audition for the job. “I made my intentions clear, and when the opportunity to demo came, I wanted to mark sure that I made the best impression,” she told Vulture. Before the gig, the Turkish-born scorer worked with The Simpson’s composer Danny Elfman on the score for Justice League, and was the lead composer for Pixar’s short film Purl.

4. Lesley Barber

The Hollywood Reporter’s famous composer Roundtable which occurs around award season has always been pretty male dominated over the years, but back in 2016 Lesley Barber broke that tradition by being the first female composer to join the fray, in celebration of her mournful score to Kenneth Lonergan’s Manchester by the Sea. The Canadian multi-instrumentalist is known for her contemporary classical scores having previously worked on the music for films such as Mansfield Park, Irreplaceable You and also composed music for the animated television series Little Bear. Her intimate talent lies in a traditional style of mixing piano with strings, but you’ll also find that her scores include a dash of modern colour thanks to subtle electronics used to draw out the emotional themes. Her most recent work can be heard in Mindy Kaling’s comedy-drama Late-Night, breaking out from her classic traits for something a little more jazzy.

5. Anne Dudley

Known for her pop roots, and being a member of the band Art of Noise, Anne Dudley is no stranger to the film music world. Her discography in film is impressive, having scored for movies such as American History X and Paul Verhoeven’s bizarre anti-revenge film, Elle. One of Dudley’s composing highlights is her work on The Full Monty, in which she received the Academy Award for Best Original Musical or Comedy score. She is someone who is able to alter her style to connect to the material, but she mainly sits in a firmly traditional camp. “I’m also a piano player, so I like to compose at the piano, and the piano becomes my orchestra,” Dudley told Artsmania. Her most recent work includes working on BBC’s popular period drama Poldark.

6. Tamar-Kali

Working with writer and director Dee Rees was one of those right-place-right-time moments for Tamar-Kali. She was a singer-songwriter, who harboured no intention of getting into film composition until meeting Rees. Having previously worked on a few songs for the director’s excellent debut film, Pariah, she was commissioned to take on the music for Netflix’s hit Mudbound. “She (Rees) already had an aesthetic that she was married to, and that was strings,” Kali told Score It. “My work with strings is what made her choose me for the job because she wanted something that was intimate, maybe a bit ominous and melancholic in sections, and that’s definitely in my wheelhouse.” The direction given by her third collaboration helped the musician to create an arguably unconventional score that subverts traditional southern music to meet the radical themes of the film. She has since scored for films such as Come Sunday and Veena Sud’s The Lie. And we imagine there’s lots more to come from this talented musician.