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It feels like a lifetime since we temporarily closed the doors to Towner Cinema, and while we've missed being able to host you all, we've been asking ourselves - if we were open, what would our dream big screen line-up be?

Read on to discover our fantasy draft of the best cinema grabbing our attention right now, including new releases and some older hidden treasures as recommended by Towner staff. More than enough to keep you company until we open our doors again later this year!

A welcome return to the big screen for Jane Campion after Top of the Lake, her well-received mystery drama series starring Elisabeth Moss. The Power of the Dog sees a departure for Benedict Cumberbatch, but he carries a menace and unpredictability and Kirsten Dunst inhabits her character with believable vulnerability. 

Fans of Breaking Bad will notice how well Kodi Smit-McPhee and Jesse Plemons hold the screen, though inevitably it's the Montana landscape that edges the main character role. On all levels this film entertains and delights, and the traditionally male-centric Western takes on a new twist with two women at the helm.

Where to watch: Netflix

Tilda Swinton's gestural and ethereal storytelling is at its best and most mystifying as she navigates a plot that never really fully unfolds, but instead leads us into a state of intrigue mirroring her character's. Jessica is in Bogota visiting her sister, who is unwell with an unknown respiratory disease and is awoken one night by an unidentifiable sonic boom. 

A film entwined deeply with its meticulous sound design and daring use of silence is an uncompromising success from Bangkok's Apichatpong Weerasethakul, winner of the 2010 Palme d'Or, and expert in the transient cinema experience, toeing the line between dream and reality, or life and death. 

Where to watch: In cinemas now

As one of the faces of the early-to-mid 2000s golden era of Young Adult television, Reggie Yates is more than qualified to speak for this age bracket, allowing his own experiences and love of music to guide and deliver some frank and touching comedy.

Set in the age of bedroom radio, and specifically in the year of the millennium when everything seemed just about in-reach, Pirates tells the story of three young friends just barely teetering on the cliff-edge of maturity. The chemistry of this group carries a sweet story that doesn't exactly push boundaries or expectations, but comforts and charms in its nostalgia, its ability to stay true to itself, and its authenticity to garage-era London life.  

Where to watch: Streaming platform soon to be announced

The story of Clarice Cliff, the 1920s and 30s British ceramicist who grew up in a working-class community in Stoke-on-Trent supporting her widowed mother and sister, and began learning her trade at the age of 13, need not be dramatised. Claire McCarthy sticks closely to what is real but allows cinematic storytelling to bring out the nuances and depth of Cliff as a character, and her determination to break through her adversities to succeed as an artist. 

Cliff's passion and creativity are incontestable as she resolves to develop her skills across the ceramics industry, facing constant backlash from men who aren't quite ready for this forward-thinking Toby Jug-denouncing visionary. Inspiring, though devastating at times, this film is a welcome window into a courageous female artist's difficult journey towards acceptance by her peers.

Where to watch: Now TV

Jamila Wignot, who cites Towner Collection artist John Akomfrah as one of her key cinematic influences, presents this masterful, sensory and archivally-rich documentary piece on Alvin Ailey. Her subject is the ground-breaking and influential choreographer and founder of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, one of the most successful and globally recognised dance companies in the world, but her portrayal concentrates on the man beneath the grandeur. 

Ailey's MO was "searching for truth in movement," and his determination to do so in a world that worked against him is deeply poetic, raw and energising. A relatable and affecting subject, his life was rife with conflict and tension as he navigated the excruciating difficulties that come with being a queer black man in a creative industry. Wignot is able to introduce him as a visionary without taking away from his raw humanity and allows us to see him in ever-changing lights. 

Where to watch: In cinemas now

An all-star cast (Jane Fonda, Audrey Hepburn, Henry Fonda) delivers an impactful and emotional story of simple affection, something so often overlooked in the Hollywood realm. Carrying such delicate topics as ageing in a long-term marriage, generational bonding and parental pressure is no small feat but a well-written script and thoughtful performances allow for an expertly balanced film. 

The plot follows the development of 80-year-old Norman, who having almost given up on connecting with his daughter and her 13-year-old son and losing touch with his own memory, begins to realise that it's not too late. 

Where to watch: Amazon Prime
Recommended by: Clare Dobson, Director of Development

Following the success of new release Licorice Pizza, now is a perfect time to revisit the rich and bizarre back-catalogue of Paul Thomas Anderson. In many ways a spiritual predecessor to Uncut Gems (the Safdie brothers noting Adam Sandler's performance here as a vital factor in their casting decision), Punch Drunk Love is an urgent and hypnotic character study that speaks to all the senses. 

Sandler plays socially impaired small-business owner Barry Egan, whose mundane life is elegantly played up against broad and artistic cinematography, each minutiae and idiosyncrasy blown up into something spectacular. Though Barry attempts to find love and solace in the comforting arms of Lena (Emily Watson), their happiness may ultimately be threatened by his naiveties. 

Where to watch: Amazon Prime
Recommended by: Keziah Keeler, Marketing and Communications Assistant

A classic British cinematic masterpiece, confrontational through its stylistic post-war realism and completely at odds with the grandiose nature of other popular films of its time, The Third Man follows Holly Martins (Joseph Cotten), a pulp writer of western and noir stories as he investigates the death of his friend Harry Lime (Orson Welles). 

Iconic and genre-defining in its use of expressionist film technique, harsh lighting and disconcerting Dutch angles, the film is wonderfully evocative of the devastation that followed the war, which its main subject grapples with through his own lenses. While The Third Man is considered by many to be one of the best British films of all time, its legacy has been lost a little through time, but its impact remains untethered. 

Where to watch: BBC iPlayer
Recommended by: Nick Stockman, Newhaven Creative Producer