Cake (dir: Asim Abbasi, 2018, cert 12A)
Pakistani cinema finally emerges from the huge shadow cast by its Bollywood neighbour with this engaging and smart family drama from debut filmmaker Asim Abbasi. Beautifully shot, Karachi looks stunning, and possessed of a life affirming resonance that baulks at the turgid melodrama so mawkishly beloved of much of Bollywood cinema.
Fri 1 Jun to Thu 7 Jun at Lighthouse, The Chubb Buildings, Fryer St, Wolverhampton WV1 1HT £8.40 light-house.co.uk

Mary & The Witch’s Flower (dir: Hiromasa Yonebayashi, 2018, cert U)
If you imagine there’s more than just a whiff of the legendary Studio Ghibli about Yonebayashi’s charming feature, Mary & The Witch’s Flower, that’s probably because the director worked with the great Hayao Miyazaki for several years. Yonebayashi’s third film is a breezy tale of adolescent witchcraft and magic that will certainly appeal to younger audiences but with enough bite for the mature anime fan to enjoy.
Fri 1 Jun to Thu 7 Jun at The Mockingbird, The Custard Factory, Gibb St, Birmingham B9 4AA £4 veezi.com

The Early years of British Animation
A rare chance to catch some of the most interesting British animated films, beginning with the stop motion genius of Walter Booth in The Sorcerer’s Scissors (1907) through to Lawrence Wright’s Hitler baiting propaganda piece Adolf’s Busy Day (1940). Twelve stunning films curated by the BFI, with our favourite being a glimpse into the experimental work of avant garde artist Len Lye.
Sat 2 Jun 2pm at the mac, Cannon Hill Park, Queen’s Ride, Birmingham B12 9QH £9 macbirmingham.co.uk

Psycho (dir: Alfred Hitchcock, 1960, cert 15)
In Norman Bates and Psycho, Hitchcock created one of cinema’s most iconic killers and certainly its most famous murder scene, in a film that still manages to shock, the effect on contemporary audiences was seismic. The shift from tight heist film to unhinged horror is seamless and unsettling, look out for a cowboy hat wearing Hitch cameoing early on and always remember, a boy’s best friend is his mother.
Sun 3 Jun 2.30pm at Electric, Station Street, Birmingham B5 4DY £10.50 www.theelectric.co.uk

Look Back In Anger (dir: Tony Richardson, 1959, cert PG)
One of the finest example of The British New Wave of cinema that briefly fired up the filmmaking world with its searing realism and honest portrayal of working class life. Richard Burton is electrifying as the disaffected Jimmy Porter, raging against the world and those around him, kitchen sink drama writ huge.
Sun 3 Jun 2pm at the mac, Cannon Hill Park, Queen’s Ride, Birmingham B12 9QH £9 macbirmingham.co.uk

Pour Elle (dir: Fred Cavayé, 2008, cert 15)
Superb thriller starring a sizzling Vincent Lindon as a law abiding and humble man driven to criminal extremes when his wife is imprisoned for murder in Fred Cavayé’s debut film. Ignore the inferior (aren’t they always?) Hollywood remake The Next Three Days starring Russell Crowe.
Sun 3 Jun 6.30pm at Cafe Ort, 500-504 Moseley Rd, Birmingham B12 9AH £5 www.meetup.com

2001: A Space Odyssey (dir: Stanley Kubrick, 1968, cert U)
Beautifully restored under the direction of Christopher Nolan, the greatest sci-fi film ever made returns to the big screen fifty years after its original release. Kubrick’s masterpiece is an astonishing spectacle and under Nolan’s methodical care it is as close to the legendary director’s original vision as ever. The bliss of experiencing 2001’s perfection on the big screen is revelatory and unforgettable.
Sun 3 Jun 4.30pm at Everyman, The Mailbox, Birmingham B1 1RF £13.90 www.everymancinema.com