THE PHOENICIAN SCHEME (M)

The story of a family and a family business.
If something gets in your way: flatten it.

1950. Anatole “Zsa-zsa” Korda (Benicio del Toro), enigmatic industrialist, one of the richest men in Europe, survives another attempt on his life (his sixth plane crash).

Korda’s wide-ranging, wildly complex, and ruthless business practices have made him an enemy to not just rival enterprises but also governments of every ideology across the globe — and a target for assassins.

Now he is in the final stages of a decades-long, career-defining project (Korda Land and Sea Phoenician Infrastructure Scheme), the expansive exploitation of a potentially rich/long-dormant region.

The risk to his personal capital has become incalculable. The threats to his life are ongoing. He chooses this moment to appoint and prepare a successor: his twenty-year-old estranged daughter Liesl (currently, a nun).

With personal tutor Bjorn (Michael Cera) in tow, Zsa-zsa and Liesl sweep across Modern Greater Independent Phoenicia meeting their assorted partners on a mission to close The Gap (a rapidly expanding financial shortfall) which Zsa-zsa quantifies as “Everything we got — plus a little bit more.”

Along the way, Liesl investigates the unsolved murder, a decade earlier, of Zsa-zsa’s first wife (her mother).

This winter, wrap yourself up in world cinema and step into the welcoming surrounds of the BREC Sky Bar, once again reimagined as our Festival Hub.

Come in from the cold and enjoy a warm drink, your favourite snacks, or one of our legendary toasted paninis. Designed as a comfortable and inclusive space for everyone, the Festival Hub invites you to arrive early or linger longer, unwind at your own pace, and connect with fellow film lovers in a relaxed environment.