The Third Murder (dir: Hirokazu Koreeda, 2017, cert 15)
Koreeda’s films possess a rigorously contemplative tone that is both quiet and reassuring, like the relentlessly durable pace of small waves lazily lashing at immutable rocks. Such stylisation is perfectly suited to courtroom procedural The Third Murder, a powerful meditation on the nature of truth and how it is perceived.  After a vicious murder a notorious serial killer turns himself in and confesses, but is everything as it seems?
Mon 9 Apr to Thu 12 Apr at the mac, Cannon Hill Park, Birmingham B12 9QH £9 macbirmingham.co.uk

Jaws (dir: Steven Spielberg, 1975, cert PG) + live orchestral score
The film that heralded the arrival of the summer blockbuster and still as sharp as shark teeth as it was on release. Managing to embed terror in the human psyche for generations thanks to Mr Spielberg, that John Williams score and a malfunctioning mechanical shark called Bruce. Enjoy the film in the safe and relatively shark free Symphony Hall with live in sync musical accompaniment from The Czech Symphony Orchestra.
Wed 11 Apr 8pm at The Symphony Hall, Broad St, Birmingham B1 2EA £30.50 – £58 www.thsh.co.uk

The Gold Diggers (dir: Sally Potter, 1983, cert n/a) + Discussion
One of the most important entries in the canon of feminist cinema is Sally Potter’s debut feature The Gold Diggers. Completed with an all female crew and featuring incredible cinematography alongside a compelling score, the film stars Julie Christie as a bank clerk who becomes obsessed with the intersection of power and gold. Experimental, some might say difficult, it’s a seminal work that demands to be experienced. There’s also a really cool extended tap dancing sequence. The screening will be followed by a discussion, with ‘pay what you can’ food available from the Real Junk Food Project.
Thu 12 Apr 7pm at Cafe Ort, 500-504 Moseley Rd, Birmingham B12 9AH Free ortcafe.co.uk

If… (Lindsay Anderson, 1968, cert 15) + Q&A
Lindsay Anderson’s revolutionary cinematic communique captured perfectly the contemporary zeitgeist of rebellion that was raging through the sixties Europe and beyond. Malcolm McDowell’s sneering Mick Travis is a compelling anti-hero resisting the oppressive nature of empire and authority, the final coruscating scene with Travis and cohorts atop Cheltenham College machine guns blazing is one of the most iconic in cinema history. Cameraman Chris Menges will take part in a Q&A following the screening. Part of Flatpack Festival, check out our top ten picks here.
Sat 14 Apr 6pm at The Electric, Station Street, Birmingham B5 4DY  £9.50 www.theelectric.co.uk

Wild Strawberries (dir: Ingmar Bergman, 1957, cert PG)
A sort of existential road trip as world weary Professor Isak Borg, Victor Sjöström in his final role, drives to Lund University to collect an award with his precocious daughter-in-law Marianne in tow. Ingmar Bergman’s film is beautifully nuanced and crafted; by turns moving, witty and bleak. Imperious cinema of the highest order and one of the Swedish director’s finest works. A Cinematic Time Machine screening.
Sun 15 Apr 1.15pm at The Electric, Station Street, Birmingham B5 4DY  £9.50 www.theelectric.co.uk

Leviathan (dir: Andrey Zvyagintsev, 2014, cert 15)
In part funded by a disapproving Russian Ministry of Culture, a fact that makes Zvyagintsev’s beautifully bleak and visionary film even more compelling. The Old Testament tale of Job is transposed to a grim contemporary Soviet landscape riddled with corruption, despair and unhappy chance. The bitter wind that blows through this monumental epic can almost be felt through the screen.
Sun 15 Apr 6.30pm at Cafe Ort, 500-504 Moseley Rd, Birmingham B12 9AH £5 www.meetup.com

David Holzman’s Diary (dir: Jim McBride, 1967, cert 15)
Jim McBride’s debut film is a non-documentary false feature that is as unsettling as it is stark, L. M. Kit Carson stars as the titular Holzman, who becomes so obsessed with recording his life on film his fragile mental health begins to unravel. That the audience is aware of the central conceit of the mockumentary only reinforces its enigmatic power. As Holzman himself states, “I don’t know what you’re waiting for, I’ve got nothing to say.” Part of Flatpack Festival, check out our top ten picks here.
Sun 15 Apr 8pm at The Mockingbird, Custard Factory, Gibb St, Birmingham B9 4AA £9.50 flatpackfestival.org.uk

The celluloid cultural behemoth that is Flatpack Film Festival lumbers into magnificent life on Friday the 13th, check out our top ten picks here.