Wagner Hall Brighton

White Wall Cinema: LOVE LIES BLEEDING
2025-01-31 18:50 - 22:30 (Europe/London) | Wagner Hall
PLUS MYSTERY MOVIE

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WWC is back at the end of January by which time (let’s be honest) you will have given up on the gym membership you so enthusiastically bought at the beginning of the year. So why not let White Wall Cinema do the heavy lifting for you and provide some cinematic ‘gymspiration’ in the form of a muscular double bill starting with Rose Glass’s rippling queer revenge thriller Love Lies Bleeding followed by a magnificent (and no less ripped) mystery movie.

A major step-up from Rose Glass’s Bafta Nominated 2020 debut ‘Saint Maud’ (Mark Kermode’s favourite film of that year) Love Lies Bleeding is a uber cool sapphic thriller starring Kristen Stewart as shy and reclusive gym manager Lou living in a rural town in New Mexico in the late 1980s. When she meets ambitious female bodybuilder Jackie (Katy O’Brian), who is en-route to her Vegas bodybuilding competition dreams, romance immediately blossoms, but is stopped in it’s tracks by the complications of Lou’s dangerous and criminal family headed by her ruthless gangster father Lou Sr (Ed Harris).

This hyper stylised, ultra horny revenge thriller splattered with flashes of violence and even a psychedelic horror edge is also blessed with a brilliant soundtrack and an excellent ensemble performance that all adds up to a rip(ped) roaring tale that pulls off the herculean feat of being both a crowd pleaser and a true piece of cult cinema. Join us for this brilliant Friday night screening that will be followed by another equally entertaining cult gem with a reputation as big as Katy O’Brian’s biceps. This mystery movie is really quite something, an eye popping cinematic extravaganza not to be missed.

DOORS: 6.50pm*

START TIME: 7.20pm*

RUN TIME: 104 + 80 mins

CERT: 15 (under 16s must be accompanied by an adult)

Please Note: There will be a short interval between the films but patrons will only be able to enter prior to the start of the first film.

Brighton Astro - Exploring the end of the dark ages
2025-02-06 19:00 - 21:30
Speaker: Professor Stephen WilkinsUniversity of Sussex

DOORS: 7.00pm

LECTURE: 7.30pm

Register to Attend

In our current understanding, our Universe emerged from an incredibly hot, dense state roughly 14 billion years ago. While initially incredibly hot and full of light as the Universe expanded it cooled, eventually becoming dark, entering a period known as the “cosmological dark ages”. During this period dark matter and gas, attracted by the force of gravity, developed into structures, eventually leading to the formation of the first stars and galaxies, lighting up the Universe. This earliest period of galaxy formation is now accessible thanks to the James Webb Space Telescope (Webb). Webb not only allows us to identify examples of early galaxies but learn about their detailed physical properties. Webb has already thrown up surprising results including many more super-massive black holes in the early Universe than expected.

Stephen Wilkins is a Professor of Astronomy and Public Understanding of Science at the University of Sussex. Stephen obtained his Masters in Physics from the University of Durham before receiving his PhD from the University of Cambridge. Stephen then worked as a research fellow at the University of Oxford before joining the faculty at Sussex in 2013. Stephen’s main research focuses on understanding the formation and evolution of galaxies, particularly the first stages in the distant early Universe. Outside his research Stephen is also a keen advocate of public understanding of science.

If you sign up via meetup but can no longer attend, please update your status to say that you are no longer attending so that someone on the waiting list gets a place.

Please only come along if you’ve signed up, as we’re limited on space so won’t be able to fit anyone else in.

Wagner Hall is on on Regency Road, Brighton.Attendance is free, but we would be grateful if those of you who are able to could donate a few pounds to help cover the cost of hiring this event space. We will have a card reader and a money box you can drop your donations in on the night. We also have a bank account you can donate to electronically.

Please note that the venue has a bar that sells alcohol.

Waterstones: An Evening With Gary Stevenson
2025-02-10 18:15 - 21:30
DOORS – 6.15pm

EVENT – 7.00pm

Tickets

In ‘The Trading Game’, Gary Stevenson charts his life from working-class roots in Ilford to becoming one of Citibank’s leading financial traders, dealing in trillions of dollars of other people’s money everyday. He takes us right to the dark heart of the trading world, introducing us to the many intoxicating and amoral characters who reside there.

This is a white-knuckle, thriller of a memoir about an extremely talented man who took on and survived the trading game … then blew it wide open.

We hope you can join us for what promises to be a fascinating evening.

Please note, book & ticket option includes a paperback copy of ‘The Trading Game’ (RRP £10.99) available for collection on the evening.

Café Scientifique: What part will hydrogen play in getting to Net Zero?
2025-02-12 19:15 - 21:30
With Abigail Dombey CEng

DOORS: 7.15pm

SPEAKER: 8.00pm

IMPORTANT
Please ensure you REGISTER prior to attending!

Register to Attend

What part will hydrogen play in getting to Net Zero? with Abigail Dombey CEng CEnv.

Hydrogen is being hyped as THE energy vector for the transition to net zero. However, whilst it will be essential for the decarbonisation of many areas of the economy, there will be limits to its use.

This presentation will identify the key uses for hydrogen and hydrogen-derived fuels and those uses where there are likely to be more efficient alternatives to hydrogen, as well as discuss Sussex’s strengths in hydrogen.

Abigail Dombey (CEng CEnv) is an energy and sustainability engineer at Net Zero Associates, and is Chair of Hydrogen Sussex. Abigail has an extensive background in carbon reduction projects in the public sector, having spent 10 years as Head of Sustainability at the University of Brighton. She has worked on a number of decarbonisation projects across industrial sectors, and is currently leading on a UK Government funded Industrial Fuel Switching project to trial using green hydrogen as a fuel source.

Doors and bar open 7:15pm

Please note that we are entirely dependent on donations from those who attend our events. You can make a donation as you arrive or leave; we are happy to accept cash or card payments. All donations greatly appreciated!

White Wall Cinema: REAR WINDOW
2025-02-14 19:40 - 22:30
ALT. VALENTINE’S SPECIAL

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Legendary director Alfred Hitchcock is often mistakenly most associated with his hit horror movies such as Psycho or The Birds, but any real Hitchcock lover will tell you these don’t come near top of the list when it comes to the director’s greatest films. Hitchcock movies that employ an air of mystery such as Vertigo, or North By Northwest (amongst many others) are the films that best exemplify the style that earned him the moniker ‘The Master of Suspense’. This outrageously brilliant and incredibly entertaining 1954 mystery romance thriller is undoubtedly among Hitchcock’s best as he employs genius production design and his two ultra magnetic leads Jimmy Stewart & Grace Kelly (as well as the wonderful Thelma Ritter) to brilliant effect to create one of the best (and most referenced) films in all of cinema history.

When professional photographer L.B. ‘Jeff’ Jeffries (Stewart) is laid up with an injury after an accident he finds himself confined to a wheelchair and a waist high, leg and foot plaster-cast. Despite frequent visits and overtures from his glamorous socialite girlfriend Lisa (Grace Kelly sporting a series of jaw droppingly gorgeous pieces of couture fashion) and sage advice from his no-nonsense (and hilarious) nurse Stella (Ritter), Jeff can’t help voyeuristically tracking the activities of his neighbours as he looks out across the courtyard from his chair, only to suspect something entirely more sinister is going on just across the way.

The perfect alternative Valentines film, not only as an undisputed masterpiece of cinema (consistently ranked in the best 50 American films ever made) but as a romantic piece, both through the simultaneously amusing, heart-breaking, sinister and joyous lives of Jeff’s neighbours but through the film’s central enjoyable will they, won’t they relationship between Stewart & Kelly. And after all, what would our now traditional annual alternative Valentine’s romantic special be without something like a suspected murder and some dark humour (here in Hitchcock’s trademark style) thrown into the plot. Book now for a Friday night to remember, whether you are flying solo or bringing your date it doesn’t matter, Rear Window is a joy to watch from beginning to end.

DOORS: 7.40pm*

START TIME: 8.10pm*

RUN TIME: 111 mins

CERT: 15 (under 16s must be accompanied by an adult)

White Wall Cinema: THELMA
2025-02-20 19:10 - 22:30
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Mission Impossible on mobility scooters, the fabulous 93 year old June Squibb takes on her FIRST EVER lead role in the history of her remarkable 70 year career (and is about to have her second ever lead role in the first film directed by Scarlett Johansson). A remarkable treasure of the movie industry, Squibb plays the equally remarkable Thelma, a grandmother who falls foul of a con artist and loses $10,000 dollars. Not willing to stand idly by, she instead plans to take action by sitting quite comfortably on a mobility scooter and hurtling towards danger to try and recover the money.

A fantastically funny and remarkably poignant film, former Oscar nominee Squibb stars alongside Fred Hechinger (Eighth Grade, The White Lotus, Gladiator II, Nickel Boys), Clark Gragg (The Avengers), Parker Posey (Best In Show, Beau Is Afraid), Malcolm McDowell (If…., A Clockwork Orange) and the recently departed legendary Richard Roundtree (best remembered for his role as Shaft in the era defining 70s Blaxploitation film of the same name), in his final role.

A beautiful tribute to the director’s own grandmother, this nonagenarian action movie is a one of kind gem that earns every point of its 98% Rotten Tomatoes score. Infectiously funny, surprisingly affecting and quite unlike anything you have ever seen before.

DOORS: 7.10pm*

START TIME: 7.40pm*

RUN TIME: 98 mins

CERT: 12 (Under 16s must be accompanied by an adult)

White Wall Cinema: DUNE
2025-03-01 18:30 - 22:30
DAVID LYNCH’S (1984) – 4K REMASTER

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With the sad passing of a true icon of cinema in David Lynch, this previously scheduled screening now becomes an unintended tribute to one of the great directors of all time. Despite being Lynch’s second most successful film at the box office (his highest earner was The Elephant Man) 1984’s Dune was seen as a box office bomb and remains (easily) one of Lynch’s most underappreciated works and is still (incredibly given his back catalogue) one of his most misunderstood.

Built for the big screen Dune is a masterpiece of epic and eccentric gothic production design, a true feast for the eyes, with even the less well aged special effects oozing (sometimes literally) charm. It also features an out of this world all-star cast that ranges from Twin Peaks cast members like Kyle MacLachlan, Everett McGill, and Jack Nance, as well as Blue Velvet cast like Dean Stockwell and Brad Dourif mixed in with a stunning array of talent that includes Bergman regular Max Von Sydow, Blade Runner’s Sean Young, and Das Boot’s Jürgen Prochnow. Hell, even Sting turns up (in some outrageously small and weird leather underpants) all offering some of the most wonderfully memorable and ‘Lynchian’ line readings in cinema history.

Despite the film’s initial reception, in 2025, Dune’s concoction of sights and sounds, all capped with an epic soundtrack from Brian Eno and Toto, remains an undeniably mesmerising experience that shows one of cinema’s true iconoclasts attempting and perhaps ‘failing’ to redefine the blockbuster Sci Fi movie. Oh but what beauty there is in the failing, Dune is a swirling dream of a movie that thrills, confounds, entertains and catches the viewer repeatedly off-guard. We urge you to see or re-visit this fascinating, beguiling ride that we think contains a true epic masterpiece lurking just below the surface like a giant Sandworm in the deserts of Arrakis. Come celebrate this legend of cinema in all his eccentricity let loose with $40 million dollars ($121 million in today’s money) with this special 4K restoration screening on Saturday March 1st.

DOORS: 6.30pm*

START TIME: 7pm*

RUN TIME: 137 mins

CERT: 12 (Under 16s must be accompanied by an adult)

White Wall Cinema: PARIS MEMORIES
2025-03-05 19:00 - 22:30
AKA – REVOIR PARIS

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Acclaimed director Alice Wincour (Disorder / Proxima) brings us this tale of remarkable power about Mia (Virginie Efira) a 40 something Parisian who after being caught up in a horrific gunman attack in a bistro attempts to piece back together her life and come to terms with the extreme shock of the event. Desperate to make sense of it all and for some semblance of normality, Mia finds herself returning to the scene of the incident and forming bonds with fellow survivors in order to work through the mental puzzle of recovery.

A devastatingly tender portrait of trauma the film is a remarkable cinematic study of memory and the colliding of the emotional and analytical mind in the most difficult of circumstances. Featuring an astonishingly measured central performance from the brilliant Virginie Efira (Elle / Benedetta) who unearths hope, humanity and courage against the backdrop of a vividly captured city of light. This is a moving and exceptionally crafted film from director Alice Winocour, who is fast becoming one of cinema’s key voices.

DOORS: 7pm*

START TIME: 7.30pm*

RUN TIME: 105 mins

LANGUAGE: French w English Subtitles

CERT: 15 (Under 16’s must be accompanied by an adult)

*This screening will be followed by an optional and informal post film discussion group.*

Brighton Astro - Mercury 13: The Pioneering Women Who Defied the Space Race and Fought for Their Place Among the Stars
2025-03-06 19:00 - 21:30
Speaker: Tahani BaldwinUniversity of Sussex

DOORS: 7.00pm

LECTURE: 7.30pm

Register to Attend

During the height of the Space Race between the U.S. and the Soviet Union, a little-known yet revolutionary program dared to defy the norms of the 1960s. Spearheaded by visionary aerospace physician Dr. William Randolph Lovelace ll, this groundbreaking initiative sought to answer one bold question: Could women endure the physical and psychological demands of spaceflight? The answer came from thirteen extraordinary women – accomplished pilots who challenged societal expectations and excelled under gruelling tests, often surpassing their male counterparts. Though the program was ultimately discontinued, their resilience in the face of entrenched prejudices became a powerful and enduring symbol of progress and possibility. This Women’s History Month, we honour these trailblazing women, whose courage and determination not only shaped the history of human spaceflight, but also inspired generations of explorers to reach for the stars.

Tahani Baldwin, GMBPsS, is a PhD candidate in neuroscience at the Brighton and Sussex Medical School, with a research focus on digital interventions and behavioural change. She graduated with honours in Psychology from Aston University in 2022 and went on to complete her Master’s degree in Psychology at the University of Birmingham. Tahani’s passion for space exploration emerged during her postgraduate studies. As Chairperson of the University of Birmingham Astronomical Society, she led initiatives to promote engagement with astronomy and space research. For her master’s thesis, she explored the role of personality traits in stress adaptation within a simulated Martian environment. An avid space enthusiast and advocate for interdisciplinary research, Tahani is dedicated to advancing our understanding of human behaviour in extraterrestrial contexts, and deepening our knowledge of humanity’s place in the cosmos.

If you sign up via meetup but can no longer attend, please update your status to say that you are no longer attending so that someone on the waiting list gets a place.

Please only come along if you’ve signed up, as we’re limited on space so won’t be able to fit anyone else in.

Wagner Hall is on on Regency Road, Brighton.Attendance is free, but we would be grateful if those of you who are able to could donate a few pounds to help cover the cost of hiring this event space. We will have a card reader and a money box you can drop your donations in on the night. We also have a bank account you can donate to electronically.

Please note that the venue has a bar that sells alcohol.

Café Scientifique: The teen brain - don't be afraid
2025-03-12 19:15 - 21:30
With Dr Liat Levita

DOORS: 7.15pm

SPEAKER: 8.00pm

IMPORTANT
Please ensure you REGISTER prior to attending!

Register to Attend

Are adolescents really just thrill-seekers who struggle to learn from negative outcomes? The answer, as we will talk about, is a big no. I will share some exciting research from my lab, using insights from EEG and behavioural tasks to challenge common misconceptions about teens. We will explore what these findings reveal about brain plasticity, risk-taking, and mental health, and why adolescence—while for most is an age full of opportunity—can also be a time of increased vulnerability. This will be an informal and interactive talk, so feel free to jump in with any questions, thoughts, or anything that fascinates you about the teenage brain!

Dr Liat Levita is the head of the Developmental Affective Neuroscience Lab and a Reader in Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience at the University of Sussex. Her research takes a translational approach to understanding adolescence—a period of both immense opportunity and heightened vulnerability. By examining individual developmental trajectories from childhood through adulthood, she investigates both normative and non-normative development, with a focus on the impact of early life stress on well-being. She also studies the emergence of mental health pathologies, using a combination of brain imaging and psychophysiological methods (e.g., heart rate). She has held academic positions at the Universities of York, Sheffield, and Sussex, following postdoctoral research at Cornell, Columbia, and Emory Universities. She earned her PhD from the University of Cambridge and BSc in Neuroscience from the University of St Andrews.

Doors and bar open 7:15pm

Please note that we are entirely dependent on donations from those who attend our events. You can make a donation as you arrive or leave; we are happy to accept cash or card payments. All donations greatly appreciated!

White Wall Cinema: INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS + ANOTHER DAY ANOTHER TIME
2025-03-14 18:40 - 23:00
GREENWICH VILLAGE DOUBLE BILL

Now that Timothée Chalamet has done us all the service of bringing Bob Dylan’s Greenwich Village back into the cultural conversation we finally have an excuse to screen the greatest piece of film about said 1960s folk cultural hotbed in the shape of one of the finest Coen Brothers films (Fargo, Big Lebowski, O Brother, Where Art Thou?, No Country for Old Men, Burn After Reading, True Grit etc) the glorious Inside Llewyn Davis starring Oscar Isaac & Carey Mulligan.

Not only that but the evening will continue with the screening of a very special companion piece film ‘Another Day, Another Time’ celebrating the folk music explosion in early 60s New York featuring a who’s who of musicians (Joan Baez, Marcus Mumford, Punch Brothers, Patti Smith, Gillian Welch, Jack White & more) all captured giving sublime stage performances of music from the era, on a truly glorious evening at New York Town Hall.

Considered one of the finest Coen Brothers films and regularly named amongst the top entries in ‘best films of the 21st century’ lists, Inside Llewyn Davis is an undoubted masterpiece of melancholic comedy that follows ‘a complete unknown’ folk singer called Llewyn Davis (Oscar Isaac), struggling to keep his personal life in order (chiefly his relationship with married folk singer Jean – Carrie Mulligan, and his friend’s ginger cat) whilst also attempting to become a success on the early 60s folk scene. Exceptionally witty, beautifully photographed, with an exceptional supporting cast this is the Coen Brothers at the absolute peak of their powers.

The accompanying concert film is an equally remarkable document of some of the most uplifting and affectingly brilliant folk music performances ever recorded and is a truly joyous concert film produced by the genius behind so many Coen Bros film soundtracks, the fifteen time Grammy Award winner T. Bone Burnett.

DOORS: 6.40pm*

START TIME: 7.10pm*

RUN TIME: 105 mins + 101 mins

CERT: 15 (Under 16’s must be accompanied by an adult)

TICKETS & MORE INFO

Please Note: There will be a short interval between the films but patrons will only be able to enter prior to the start of the first film.

White Wall Cinema: INLAND EMPIRE
2025-03-23 17:40 - 22:30
DAVID LYNCH’S – 4K REMASTER

Tickets & More Info

With the sad passing of a true icon of cinema in David Lynch, we screen the final feature film of his illustrious career in the shape of this special 4K remaster presentation of the infamous Inland Empire. The final ‘ultimate’ puzzle of a career made out of cinematic puzzles, this 2006 experimental psychological thriller represents the natural progression and final landing point of the much discussed Lynchian style. Inland Empire is the direct successor to the likes of Blue Velvet, Wild At Heart, Twin Peaks, Lost Highway and perhaps most crucially Mulholland Drive.

A crucial artefact of the early digital filmmaking era, Lynch is as innovative as ever in this wild tale of a Hollywood actress (a mighty performance by Laura Dern) who begins to take on the personality traits of a character she is playing in a supposedly cursed film production. ​​Largely financed by Lynch himself, started without a finished screenplay and developed (as was Lynch’s preference) on a scene by scene basis, the film is famously shot by Lynch himself entirely on a handheld Sony camcorder. If Lynch was known for his pre-occupation with the relationship between cinema and dreams then Inland Empire is the closest we will ever come to having a live feed from inside David Lynch’s head on the screen.

The final and most undiluted statement by one of cinemas great heroes Inland Empire is a full circle moment and easily his most personal film since 1977’s Eraserhead and an extraordinary document of Lynch’s boundless imagination. Once again joining with regular collaborators like Dern (Blue Velvet / Wild At Heart) as well Justin Theroux (Mulholland Drive), Harry Dean Stanton (Wild At Heart) & Grace Zabriskie (Twin Peaks) David also brings in the likes of Jeremy Irons and Julia Ormond plus a collection of star cameos. Uncompromising and masterful, Inland Empire is a deep, seductive, troubling and confrontational whirlwind of a film that will confound and beguile you throughout.

DOORS: 5.40pm*

START TIME: 6.10pm*

RUN TIME: 180 mins

CERT: 12 (Under 16s must be accompanied by an adult)

White Wall Cinema: RETURN TO OZ
2025-03-28 19:20 - 22:30
Tickets & More Info

This wonderfully creepy kids classic still lives rent free in the minds of all who saw it in their youth. Forget Arianna Grande, this is the ONLY truly WICKED adaptation of L. Frank Baum’s Oz novels.

When the mother (Piper Laurie of Twin Peaks fame) of the young Dorothy Gale (played by the one and only Fairuza Balk from The Craft) fears her daughter is too disturbed by her memories/visions of the imaginary world of Oz, she takes her for psychological experimentation. Dorothy manages to escape to Oz, only find a vain witch and evil king have turned the yellow brick road to rubble, and left the Emerald City a pile of ruins. Determined to save the day she, with the help of some new friends like Billina, Tik-Tok, Jack Pumkinhead and The Gump, heads off to rescue her old friends the scarecrow, the tin man and the lion.

Given the awesome reputation of the original Wizard Of Oz film, spin-off adaptations were inevitable, but from The Wiz to Wicked no other Oz movie will ever quite achieve the cult status of this bizarre, brilliant and often dazzling creation that all adds up to the most wonderfully unexpected sequel to the 1939 MGM classic. Ingenious production design and irresistible nightmarish special effects combine to create a fantastic voyage that is burned into the psyche of every 80s kid and still stands today as a joyously creative and stylish take on the world over the rainbow.

DOORS: 7.20pm*

START TIME: 7.50pm*

RUN TIME: 113 mins

CERT: PG (Under 16’s must be accompanied by an adult).

Waterstones: An Evening With Elif Shafak
2025-04-01 17:45 - 21:30
Elif Shafak’s latest novel, ‘There Are Rivers In The Sky’ is a sweeping and enchanting story set between the 19th century and modern times. Events centre around three extraordinary characters, Arthur, Narin and Zaleekhah, living on the banks of the Thames and the Tigris, their lives all curiously touched by the epic of Gilgamesh.

This is a truly beautiful novel about love, loss, memory & healing and, since its hardback release last year, has become one of Shafak’s most praised and beloved titles.

We do hope you can join us for what will be a very special and memorable evening, celebrating both this remarkable book and its much loved, highly acclaimed author.

Please note, book & ticket option includes a paperback copy of ‘There Are Rivers In The Sky’ (rrp £9.99) available for collection on the night.

DOORS – 5.45pm

EVENT – 6.30pm

TICKETS

Brighton Astro: The European Southern Observatory - at the cutting edge of astronomy
2025-04-03 19:00 - 21:30
Speaker: Peter Grimley

DOORS: 7.00pm

LECTURE: 7.30pm

Register to Attend

The European Southern Observatory — ESO — was established in 1962 to provide astronomers in Europe with access to the southern skies by operating an observatory in Chile. Its five founding Member States have now grown to sixteen, including the UK. Since its inception ESO has been at the forefront of technological and engineering development and it now operates a suite of telescopes on three sites. In this Peter will describe ESO, its history and some of the cutting-edge instruments it now operates, and highlight just a few of the remarkable discoveries made with those facilities.

Peter Grimley is an editorial consultant working with ESO, the Square Kilometre Array Observatory and the International Astronomical Union. He has a BSc in Physics with Astrophysics from Leicester University and a PhD in astronomy from University College Cardiff. Peter is a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS) and manages a programme of talks for the Friends of the RAS (ras.ac.uk/friends).

If you sign up via meetup but can no longer attend, please update your status to say that you are no longer attending so that someone on the waiting list gets a place.

Please only come along if you’ve signed up, as we’re limited on space so won’t be able to fit anyone else in.

Wagner Hall is on on Regency Road, Brighton.Attendance is free, but we would be grateful if those of you who are able to could donate a few pounds to help cover the cost of hiring this event space. We will have a card reader and a money box you can drop your donations in on the night. We also have a bank account you can donate to electronically.

Please note that the venue has a bar.

The Cellar - One Night Stand
2025-04-05 18:30 - 21:30
Brighton Rocks International Film Festival

Join Brighton Rocks International Film Festival as we present an exclusive screening of The Cellar by Jamie Langlands followed by a filmmaker Q&A by BIFA Qualified Festival directors.

A sci-fi horror depicting one girl’s battle against her inner demons. One she day wakes up imprisoned underground, with amnesia. She must escape, unravel the mystery behind her captivity, and confront her personal struggles. A suspenseful tale of survival, truth, and inner turmoil unfolds.

DOORS – 6.30pm

TICKETS

White Wall Cinema: DOGFIGHT
2025-04-06 18:40 - 22:00
Tickets & More Info

Nancy Savoca’s criminally underseen 1991 film is an ineffably bittersweet portrait of youth in the 1960s, starring two of cinema’s brightest and most underserved talents in the late great River Phoenix (Stand By Me, My Own Private Idaho) and the wonderful Lili Taylor (Mystic Pizza, Six Feet Under).

When hot headed, Vietnam-bound marine Eddie Birdlace (River Phoenix), brings aspiring San Francisco folk singer Rose (Lili Taylor) as his date to a pre-shipping out to war ‘Dogfight’ party (a cruelly misogynistic party where men compete to bring the most unattractive dates they can find), things seem destined for disaster. But what begins as a night to forget unexpectedly develops into something far more meaningful.

Featuring music by folk legends Joan Baez, Bob Dylan, and Pete Seeger, Dogfight captures the miracle of human connection whilst gently prodding at notions of societal roles and the assumptions we make about others, all played out between two vividly drawn and beautifully acted characters (critics have argued Taylor more than deserved an Oscar nomination here). The film also gracefully subverts ideas surrounding machismo, patriotic duty, and the very meaning of America itself.

Finally seeing a renaissance in recent years Nancy Savoca’s Dogfight is a forgotten gem that deserves its new status as an undiscovered classic, that, whilst imbued with a light touch by its director, will non the less stay with you long after the credits roll.

DOORS: 6.40pm*

START TIME: 7.10pm*

RUN TIME: 93 mins

CERT: 15 (under 16s must be accompanied by an adult)

Café Scientifique: Is a 4 day week good for you & your business?
2025-04-09 19:15 - 21:30
With Dr Charlotte Rae

DOORS: 7.15pm

SPEAKER: 8.00pm

IMPORTANT
Please ensure you REGISTER prior to attending!

Register to Attend

In a 4 day working week, full-time employees reduce their time at work to 4 days with no loss of salary. Media reports have suggested this can enhance both staff wellbeing, and performance at work. But what really happens behind closed doors and beyond the media headlines? We’ve been studying employers in Sussex and around the UK who made the switch, to find out the impacts that it had on their staff, and on the business. From mental health to productivity, and sleep to brain function, we’ve been assessing how a 4 day working week transforms life at work and beyond. We’ll share our latest findings from our Sussex 4 Day Week trial. We’ll also explore how staff manage to get more done in less time, by using psychological tips and tricks to increase efficiency at work.

Dr Charlotte Rae is an Associate Professor in Psychology at the University of Sussex. Her research explores the biology of wellbeing and work, and particularly the interaction of our working hours with mental and physical health. She founded the Sussex 4 Day Week programme to study the effects of a 4 day week, and to use these research insights to help employers who want to give a shorter working week a try. Her research is funded by a £1.6million UK Research Council grant that studies how our brain health interacts with our work performance.

Doors and bar open 7:15pm

Please note that we are entirely dependent on donations from those who attend our events. You can make a donation as you arrive or leave; we are happy to accept cash or card payments. All donations greatly appreciated!

Pour Choices Wine Fair
2025-04-12 13:00 - 19:00
Tickets & More Info

After the success of their second event in September 2024, Pour Choices are back for the third edition of their sell-out fair!

Join us on Saturday 12th April, 2025 for a celebration of the best in UK low-intervention and natural winemaking. Whether you’re a seasoned wine enthusiast or new to the natural wine scene, there’s something for everyone to enjoy.

WHAT TO EXPECT FROM THE POUR CHOICES WINE FAIR?

With a curated incredible line-up of the UK’s most exciting low-intervention winemakers, joined by makers of wild beer, cider, and kombucha, it’s a chance to explore exceptional wines, dive into the craft behind them, and enjoy a day of great drinks, delicious local food, workshops and music.

🍇 Entry to the event – Meet, chat & try the wines of 20+ UK low intervention winemakers

📝 Access to all workshops (register for these on the day).

🎟️ Five tasting tokens

🍷 A branded tasting glass to keep

🥖 Music & local food traders

​STRICTLY OVER 18s ONLY

🔞 This event is strictly 18+. This includes no babes in arms.

💳 This is a cashless event. We can only accept card payments.

📷 Photography and filming will take place during the event.

White Wall Cinema: EMPIRE RECORDS
2025-04-18 19:00 - 22:30
GOOD FRIDAY SPECIAL EVENT

Tickets & More Info

Easily THE Most 90s movie ever made, the definitive cult classic and enduring fan favourite coming of age comedy-drama Empire Records comes to White Wall Cinema for a special Good Friday event.

A joyous depiction of 90s teen culture Empire Records follows a group of misfit employees at a Delaware record store (the shop itself is enough to inspire waves of 90s nostalgia) who find they have to band together to save their indie record store from a corporate takeover. Filled with teenage life problems, romances and laughs, Empire Records features a brilliant ensemble cast of fresh faced young stars including Liv Tyler (Lord of The Rings), Renée Zellweger (Bridget Jones), Robin Tunney (The Craft), Rory Cochrane (Dazed & Confused / Argo), Debi Mazar (Goodfellas / Entourage) plus a legendary and unforgettable turn from Maxwell Caulfield as washed up pop-star Rex Manning (Say No More Mon Amour)!

The film is chock full of classic 90s tunes, as such we will be spinning some of our own on the night ahead of screening time (including some pre-film big screen music videos of the era), so come early and grab a drink. On that note we will be serving a special coctail inspired by the legend Rex Manning himself and we will be opening up our beer garden for the first time this year. Plus if you fancy dressing up in your best 90s Empire Records inspired garb we might well give out a best dressed award. That plus much more at this special Good Friday special screening event. You are off work so no excuses, but either way, ‘Damn the man, save the Empire’!

DOORS, DJ & DRINKS FROM: 7pm*

SCREENING START TIME: 8.05pm*

FILM RUN TIME: 90 mins

CERT: 12 (Under 16s must be accompanied by an adult)

White Wall Cinema: THE KEEP + THE FOG
2025-04-20 21:00 - 2025-04-21 01:30
LATE NIGHT DOUBLE BILL – BANK HOLIDAY SUNDAY (NO WORK MONDAY!)

White Wall Cinema’s first ever late night screening we have twinned two supernatural horror classics, one hard-to-find, long lost gem by one of cinema’s coolest directors, and one much loved favourite by a horror master which we will sync up the time and date of the story with the actual time and date of the screening for extra spookiness!

The night begins with a super special screening of the long lost recently unearthed 1983 Michael Mann (Miami Vice, Heat, Collateral, Manhunter) film The Keep. Hard to find and rarely screened, this fabled holy grail of cinema follows a group of Nazi soldiers who occupy a small village in the Carpathian Mountains during World War II, only to find the fortress they are so keen on setting up camp in wasn’t built to keep them out, but was actually constructed to keep something evil in!

This will be followed by an all time classic from legendary horror director John Carpenter’s (Halloween, The Thing, They Live, Escape From New York). The Fog is the spooky tale of a small Californian coastal town celebrating it’s centenary which marks not only the 100th anniversary of the town, but also of a supernatural fog that descended following a mysterious ship wreck in the area. This unearthly fog now returns bringing with it dangerous spectres hell-bent on seeking retribution.

Please Note: There will be a short interval between the films but patrons will only be able to enter prior to the start of the first film..

*Please note – doors open at 9pm in advance of screening time in order to give patrons extra time to enjoy safely purchase food & drink, take a look at our archive movie store and to allow gradual entry to your seats in a safe and easy way. Please try to allow extra time to get seated prior to the performance start time of 9.30pm. There will usually be no admittance from 20 minutes after the films stated start time. No hot food or alcohol from outside the premises is allowed. All alcoholic drinks consumed on the premises must be purchased from the bar as per the conditions of the venue’s licence.

TICKETS & MORE INFO

DOORS: 9pm*

START TIME: 9.30pm*

RUN TIME: 96 mins + 90 mins

(Event End Approx 1.10am)

CERT: 18

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White Wall Cinema: DIDI
2025-04-24 19:20 - 22:30
The trick of Sean Wang’s brilliant debut film Didi is that it is both a coming of age movie for anyone who’s ever been a teenager, as well as being a deeply accurate portrait of what it was like for the first generation that grew up online. In what feels like a spiritual sequel to Jonah Hill’s ‘Mid90s’ and a prequel to Bo Burnham’s ‘Eighth Grade’, 2008 is depicted with heartfelt and deadly accuracy as young Didi grows up in a world of Facebook & MySpace whilst still facing the timeless agonies of being a teenager.

Sublimely written and performed, Didi boasts a brilliant lead in the shape of its young lead Izaac Wang, who must learn to navigate the tricky teenage questions of understanding your cultural identity, how to flirt with girls, how to skateboard, and how to get along with your mother, (played here beautifully by the marvellous Joan Chen of Twin Peaks fame).

Living with his sister, mother and (the director’s own real-life) grandmother, Didi’s life reflects both a highly personal statement from director Sean Wang, but also an extraordinarily moving and universal portrait of the joy and chaos of being 13 whilst trying to be cool. Tender, funny, and painful Wang’s film is a triumphant and definitive portrait of a very recent bygone era that gives us a wonderfully salient insight into the past, the present and the future of teenage life.

DOORS: 7.20pm*

START TIME: 8pm*

RUN TIME: 91 mins

CERT: 15 (Under 16s must be accompanied by an adult)

Tickets & More Info

White Wall Cinema: THE FRENCH CONNECTION
2025-04-29 19:30 - 22:30
Winner of 5 Oscars including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor for the late great Gene Hackman (Unforgiven, Mississippi Burning, The Conversation, The Royal Tenenbaums) we pay tribute to this titan of the acting world at the peak of his powers. Extraordinarily directed by the also recently departed William Friedkin, the no-nonsense genius who also gave us classics like The Exorcist, The Boys In The Band, Cruising, To Live and Die in L.A. and Sorcerer, The French Connection is a landmark film featuring a towering performance from Hackman and the best car chase sequence ever committed to celluloid.

When rough and tumble cop Jimmy ‘Popeye’ Doyle (Hackman) and his partner Buddy ‘Cloudy’ Russo (Roy Scheider – Jaws) stumble upon a narcotics ring in early 70s New York the obsessive Doyle sets about busting it up and taking down the smugglers bringing in heroine from Marseille. Realistic, fast-paced and uncommonly smart it ushered in a new gritty era of cinema that would lead to the greatest ever era of American films.

Repeatedly listed in the American film institutes top 100 movies of all time, this neo-noir masterpiece has influenced everyone from Akira Kurosawa to Steven Spielberg to David Fincher. Garnering more than 20+ major film awards (including the aforementioned 5 Oscars) The French Connection is a keystone of American cinematic culture and a big screen must for movie fans of all stripes, as well as being a fitting tribute to one of America’s greatest all-time screen actors, Gene Hackman.

DOORS: 7.30pm

START TIME: 8.10pm

RUN TIME: 104 mins

CERT: 18

Tickets & More Info

Brighton Astro: Quantum talks
2025-05-01 19:00 - 21:30
DOORS: 7.00pm

LECTURE: 7.30pm

Register to Attend

It’s that time of year again when Brighton Astro invites its members to take centre stage and talk on any subject they like for 10 minutes – as long as it is space related. This year we have a great line up and a brilliantly diverse range of subjects:

Ivana PeranicNarrowband Planets: Planetary imaging in UV, IR, and methane bandpasses

Russ FlawnProject: Satellite (DNA to LEO!)Our space balloon project only got us so high. This time we’re going all the way up to Low Earth Orbit!

JohnHabitable worlds around Red Dwarf stars… or not!Some important conditions concerning the possibility of habitable exoplanets around Red Dwarf stars, that’s often overlooked.

Simon BinnsFlight controller launch poll…

If you sign up via meetup but can no longer attend, please update your status to say that you are no longer attending so that someone on the waiting list gets a place.

Please only come along if you’ve signed up, as we’re limited on space so won’t be able to fit anyone else in.

Wagner Hall is on on Regency Road, Brighton.Attendance is free, but we would be grateful if those of you who are able to could donate a few pounds to help cover the cost of hiring this event space. We will have a card reader and a money box you can drop your donations in on the night. We also have a bank account you can donate to electronically.

Please note that the venue has a bar.

Brighton Fringe: The Bubble Show
2025-05-03 13:45 - 15:00, 2025-05-04 13:45 - 15:00
Step right up, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls! Mr Bubbles is coming to town, and he’s making a splash with “The Bubble Show”!

Brace yourselves to be dazzled by an enchanting array of whimsical soap bubbles in all shapes and sizes! From the exciting eruption of the bubble volcano to the spiralling marvel of the fire tornado, prepare to be astounded!

This is no ordinary bubble show; it’s an original, interactive adventure, where the fusion of magic, storytelling, and science converge in a breath taking display of bubble artistry.

And leading the charge is none other than the legendary Highland Joker, actor, storyteller and Guinness World Record Holder, renowned as one of the foremost bubble artists in the world!

Whether you’re a wide-eyed child or a child at heart, prepare to be captivated by the spellbinding wonder of bubbles! So come one, come all, and let your imagination soar as we dive headfirst into the spectacular world of bubbles!

The Bubble Show: flawlessly simple and full of wonder. Deadline News, ★★★★★

Engaging showmanship from bubble maestro the Highland Joker. The List, ★★★★

Highly recommended for young children, the magic of bubbles is mesmerising. Fringe Review

DOORS – 1.45pm | SHOW – 2.00pm

TICKETS / VENUE INFO / ACCESSIBILITY

DOORS – 1.45pm | SHOW – 2.00pm

Brighton Fringe: Andromache & Neoptolemus
2025-05-06 18:30 - 22:00, 2025-05-07 18:30 - 22:00, 2025-05-08 18:30 - 22:00
A play by the students of University of Sussex. A tale of tragedy and the violence of human nature — Andromache & Neoptolemus.

Following star crossed lovers during the final months of the Trojan war; Andromache is a recently widowed mother trying to find peace — Neo fights on the opposite side of the war; anomalistically wanting to make his father proud.

In dreams gifted by the Gods themselves, they know not whom the other is, but love them regardless. Will that all change when Neo receives a prophecy to kill the prince of Troy?

TICKETS / VENUE INFO / ACCESSIBILITY

DOORS – 6.30pm | SHOW – 7.00pm

White Wall Cinema: DESPERATELY SEEKING SUSAN
2025-05-09 19:50 - 22:30
40TH ANNIVERSARY

Celebrating 17 years of Brighton’s favourite 80s party and the city’s longest running weekly club night (Every Saturday at Green Door Store) ‘It Is Still 1985’ is marking both their own longevity and the fact that the year they are named after (1985) is now exactly 40 years ago by teaming up with us at White Wall Cinema to create a new movie club for 2025 that screens a selection of movies celebrating their 40th anniversary on a limited number of select dates across this year.

A bonafide member of the first wave of American 80s-era independent filmmakers, Susan Siedelman was just coming down from the success of her first film ‘Smithereens’ (the first American independent film to be selected for competition at Canne) a gritty and humorous look at New York’s Bohemian post-punk music scene, when she stumbled upon her next film and truly captured pop culture lightning in a bottle. Against the studios wishes she refused a who’s who list of stars lined up for the film’s lead roles opting instead to cast two unknowns in the shape of Rosanna Arquette and Siedelman’s neighbour at the time Madonna. Arquette of course would go on to be a major movie star (credits include Scorsese’s After Hours, Besson’s The Big Blue, Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction and Cronenberg’s Crash) but it was Madonna, still exuding the hyper cool of New York street fashion, cool in a way that only a newly minted popstar on the verge of mega-fame can be, that set audiences alight in 1985.

DOORS: 7.50pm*

START TIME: 8.30pm*

RUN TIME: 104 mins

CERT: 15 (Under 16’s must be accompanied by an adult).

Tickets & More Info
