MUBI Will Deliver New Titles And Collections This December, All Ready For Christmas

Unleash your inner cinephile with MUBI. Explore a handpicked selection of movies from classic masterpieces to hidden gems.

MUBI has announced the details of new titles and themed collections coming to the platform throughout December. Mati Diop’s award-winning Dahomey comes to the platform on 13 December where you can also watch Diop’s debut feature Atlantics. Instead of thinking about the big Christmas food shop you can enjoy the culinary and mouth-watering spectacle The Taste of Things starring Juliette Binoche. MUBI are also marking the festive season with The Naughty List: Alternative Christmas Classics, three Christmas Crackers from the legendary Ealing Studios and a look back over an amazing year with MUBI Retrospective: Best of 2024.

And finally, if Gladiator II has ignited an interest in all aspects of Roman history Tinto Brass gave us his own singular vision with Caligula. Caligula: The Ultimate Cut reveals the infamous film in a new light – probably not one to watch with the family on Boxing Day!

MUBI RELEASES: DAHOMEY

Winner of the 2024 Berlinale Golden Bear, Mati Diop’s Dahomey (2024) is a poetic and immersive documentary that delves into real perspectives on far-reaching issues surrounding appropriation, self-determination and restitution. Set in November 2021, the film charts 26 royal treasures from the Kingdom of Dahomey that are due to leave Paris and return to their country of origin: the present-day Republic of Benin. Using multiple perspectives Diop questions how these artefacts should be received in a country that has reinvented itself in their absence.

Split into two halves, Diop begins the film with a focus on the exacting precision that goes into relocating artefacts from one museum to another, and in the process gives voice to one of the artefacts, Number 26, who is given autonomy to ruminate on experiencing colonialist plunder first-hand. The film then pivots to a debate between Beninese university students on the reintroduction of the artefacts into Benin, revealing a nuanced examination of restitution and the ramifications of colonial history.

Dahomey (Diop, 2024) – December 13

LATEST & GREATEST: THE TASTE OF THINGS

Trần Anh Hùng’s César Award-nominated The Taste of Things (2023) follows world-famous cook Eugénie Benoît (Juliette Binoche) and the epicure she has spent the last twenty years cooking for, Dodin Bouffant (Benoît Magimel) as their relationship shifts from a professional one to a romantic one. However, Eugenie’s hesitance to fully commit to the romance puts Dodin behind the chopping board for once as he decides to cook for her in hopes of fully winning her heart. 

A culinary and mouth-watering spectacle, Hùng spends a significant portion of the film detailing the process of the art of cooking in sizzling close-ups before shifting perspectives to the central couple of the film, reminding us of the shared passion that united them together in the first place.

The Taste of Things (Hùng, 2023) – December 6

THE NAUGHTY LIST: ALTERNATIVE CHRISTMAS CLASSICS

Experience Yuletide this year with our The Naughty List: Alternative Christmas Classics collection, a series which honours the joyous symbols of Christmas while also diving deep into the lives of people from all walks of life during the festive season. Coming to the platform on 6 December is Todd Haynes’ wintry and six-time Academy Award-nominated Carol (2015). Set in the 1950s, Carol (Cate Blanchett) and Therese (Rooney Mara) are two women who fall for each other and must decide to either pursue their hearts or fall in line with the status quo of repressed society. 

Meanwhile, Álex de la Iglesia’s The Day of the Beast (1995) examines Christmas through the perspective of a Basque priest in his attempts to ward off the return of Satan, while Sean Baker’s Tangerine (2015) sees Christmas Eve through the eyes of Los Angeles sex workers and their adventures across the city.

Carol (Haynes, 2015) – December 6

The Day of the Beast (de la Iglesia, 1995) – Now Streaming

Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale (Helander, 2010) – Now Streaming

Tangerine (Baker, 2015) – Now Streaming

LATEST & GREATEST: TRAILER OF THE FILM THAT WILL NEVER EXIST: ‘PHONY WARS’

Jean-Luc Godard’s Trailer of the Film That Will Never Exist: Phony Wars (2023) is a radical experimental short that assembles a montage of photographs, collages, sketches, and handwritten notes to form a visual palimpsest of a film that never came to be. Premiering at the 76th Cannes Film Festival, the piece offers an intimate glimpse into Godard’s creative process, blending sound, image, and text to reflect the essence of his life’s work. 

Released posthumously in 2022, Trailer of the Film That Will Never Exist: Phony Wars (2023) was originally conceived as an adaptation of Charles Plisnier’s 1930s short story Carlotta, but was halted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Through its fragmented collage of ideas and references, it stands as a final statement from one of cinema’s most influential innovators.

Trailer of the Film That Will Never Exist: ‘Phony Wars’ (Godard, 2023) – December 1

LATEST & GREATEST: AN URBAN ALLEGORY

A new collaboration between beloved director Alice Rohrwacher and renowned street artist JR, An Urban Allegory (2024) is a visually arresting and relevant short that seamlessly blends street art, philosophy, and sound design. A union of artistic talent, the short also features a score by Thomas Bangalter (of Daft Punk) and a cameo from acclaimed director Leos Carax, inviting a philosophical reflection on the fractured nature of modern society.

In Paris, a ballerina arrives incredibly late for an audition for a production of Plato’s Allegory of the Cave with her imaginative young son in tow. Nevertheless, the director allows her to perform, and whispers the secret of the cave to her son, who escapes into an artistic and philosophical fantasy across Paris.

An Urban Allegory (Rohrwacher & JR, 2023) – December 20

MUBI RETROSPECTIVE: BEST OF 2024

2024 saw a wave of bold, inventive cinema, and MUBI Retrospective: Best of 2024 celebrates the year’s standout titles, including many titles from our own MUBI releases. From festival award-winners to indie gems, this collection brings together the most exciting films of the year offering an eclectic fusion of genres and voices, showcasing both established masters and rising talents. 

The Taste of Things (Hùng, 2023) – December 6

Dahomey (Diop, 2024) – December 13

27 (Buda, 2023) – Now Streaming

Dammi (Demange, 2023) – Now Streaming

Fallen Leaves (Kaurismäki, 2023) – Now Streaming

Io capitano (Garrone, 2023) – Now Streaming

La Chimera (Rohrwacher, 2023) – Now Streaming

Robot Dreams (Berger, 2023) – Now Streaming

Crossing (Akin, 2024) – Now Streaming

The Substance (Fargeat, 2024) – Now Streaming (Read our review here.)

LATEST & GREATEST: CALIGULA: THE ULTIMATE CUT

Banned in several countries upon its original release in 1979, Tinto Brass’s Caligula: The Ultimate Cut (2023) reveals the deviant film in a new light. This reconstructed Caligula restores the entire performances of Malcolm McDowell and Hellen Mirren. And follows Caligua (Malcolm McDowell) as he takes control of the Roman Empire following the assassination of his family. As Caligua rises to ascension, Rome increasingly becomes a place of corruption and perversion. And he faces an ongoing series of humiliations. 

Once described by Variety as a ‘moral holocaust’, the extensive reconstruction of the film maintains the erotic charge of the original. But affords more time to the magnificent artistry that makes up the film by prioritising its nuanced content and breathtaking costume and set design.

Caligula: The Ultimate Cut (Brass, 2023) – December 20

CHRISTMAS CRACKERS: THREE EALING COMEDIES

From the prolific Ealing Studios comes three of their best comedic outputs with our Christmas Cracker: Three Ealing Comedies collection. A celebration of British comedy during the post-war period, each directed by Alexander Mackendrick. Whiskey Galore! (1949), based on a true story, sees a ship carrying 50,000 cases of whisky leading to Jamaica sink outside of a small island in Scotland. At first thrilling the locals but then inciting a small rebellion. In The Man in the White Suit (1951), a scientist invents a new type of clothing that is indestructible and repels dirt. But in doing so attracts the heat of the fashion industry who will financially stagnate if his invention reaches the market. The Ladykillers (1955) follows a motley crew of five criminals as they lodge at a sweet but naive older lady’s house while planning a bank robbery in disguise as a string quartet.  

Whisky Galore! (Mackendrick, 1949) – December 13

The Man in the White Suit (Mackendrick, 1951) – December 13

The Ladykillers (Mackendrick, 1955) – December 13

SHE DIES TOMORROW

Amy Seimetz’s enigmatic She Dies Tomorrow (2020) follows Amy (Kate Lyn Sheil). A woman convinced that she is going to die tomorrow. Beginning with Amy revealing her routined daily life as she meanders around her newly bought house. Eventually, the feeling of impending death begins to seep into the fabric of the film around her. Affecting her friends as a contagious blight. As Amy’s anxiety deepens, the lives of everybody orbiting her begin to unravel into insanity. 

She Dies Tomorrow (Seimetz, 2020) – December 8

GIVE THE GIFT OF THE WORLD’S BEST MOVIES 

This holiday season, MUBI, the global streaming service, production company and film distributor, makes it easier than ever to give the gift of great cinema. MUBI offers one of the season’s most unique presents. A carefully curated selection of hand-picked films from around the world. Ready for your loved ones to discover and enjoy. 

Whether it’s for a beloved cinephile. A family member always on the hunt for something new to watch, or a best friend, MUBI offers a thoughtful and convenient holiday solution. Gift options include two subscription choices. 3 months for £49.99 or 1 year for a special rate of £149.99. Each gift includes a personalized message and customizable film still. You can schedule the delivery to arrive on a specific date, giving you complete control over when the gift lands in their inbox.

A GATEWAY TO CINEMATIC TREASURES

MUBI is a gateway to cinematic treasures. And for anyone receiving it as a gift, it’s a personalized invitation to discover, connect, and be moved.  More than just a streaming service, MUBI is a journey through film history and diverse global perspectives. Each month the platform is updated with new releases. Special collections and director retrospectives, featuring award-winning films from Cannes. The Academy Awards, and BAFTA as well as unforgettable cult classics.

To complement a MUBI subscription gift, the MUBI Shop offers a range of exclusive items, including unique t-shirts. Hats. Socks, Film posters. Blu-rays, and more. Perfect for any film enthusiast.

This holiday season, give the gift of great cinema. And let your loved ones explore the world through film with MUBI.

Visit mubi.com/gifts to purchase.

MUBI UK & IRELAND DECEMBER 2024

01/12/2024 | Trailer of the Film That Will Never Exist: ‘Phony Wars’ | Jean-Luc Godard | Latest & Greatest
01/12/2024 | Nightingale | Jennifer Kent
06/12/2024 | Carol | Todd Haynes | The Naughty List: Alternative Christmas Classics
06/12/2024 | The Taste of Things | Trần Anh Hùng | Latest & Greatest
08/12/2024 | She Dies Tomorrow | Any Seimetz
13/12/2024 | The Ladykillers | Alexander Mackendrick | Christmas Crackers: Three Ealing Comedies
13/12/2024 | The Man in the White Suit | Alexander Mackendrick | Christmas Crackers: Three Ealing Comedies
13/12/2024 | Whisky Galore! | Alexander Mackendrick | Christmas Crackers: Three Ealing Comedies
13/12/2024 | Dahomey | Mati Diop | MUBI Releases
13/12/2024 | Atlantics | Mati Diop
20/12/2024 | Caligula: The Ultimate Cut | Tinto Brass | Latest & Greatest
20/12/2024 | An Urban Allegory | Alex Rohrwacher & JR | Latest & Greatest

 

 

 

 

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