Australian filmmaker Josephine Mackerras’ debut, Alice, is an unassuming yet powerful story of womanhood and self-realisation, and brimming over with French style. Striking for its cool-eyed presentation of ethically-fraught questions, the film picked up SXSW's Grand Jury Prize. When her husband’s addiction to costly call-girls threatens her home, Alice (Emilie Piponnier, reprising Catherine Deneuve in Belle de Jour) is forced to explore a scary new world of work. The film handles her new role with empathy and a lack of sensationalism, shifting focus from the work itself to the autonomy it offers her. Piponnier is enthralling: Alice’s feelings constantly simmer on the surface with an emotional resonance that engages audiences. Piponnier’s easy oscillation between vulnerability and strength makes Alice profoundly real and recognisable, transforming Mackerras’ exploration of transgressive womanhood into something universal.
The Regent cinema was built in 1947 and retains many of the beautiful old features of that era, mixed with the latetest projection and sound equipment. The Regent specialises in presenting international art house films, together with a selection of the best from Hollywood - and They are fully licensed so you can enjoy a quiet glass of wine or one of the famous local beers in our beautiful foyer or on our balcony overlooking the quaint towm of Murwillambah.