Emirates British Film Festival 2014

Overview

The Emirates British Film Festival is back for another year, with more Benedict Cumberbatch than ever before. The Sherlock star gives a sure-to-be-Oscar-nominated performance in The Imitation Game, about mathematician Alan Turing, the man who cracked Nazi Germany's Enigma code and, in doing so, helped turn the tide of the war. The historical thriller is one of 15 recent films on the festival program, which kicks into gear at select Palace Cinemas this week.

Other standouts include the Belle & Sebastian-infused musical God Help the Girl and the intense action-drama '71, set on the streets of Belfast during The Troubles in Northern Ireland. There are also new films from acclaimed directors including Liv Ullmann, Ken Loach and Mike Leigh, in the form of Miss Julie, Jimmy's Hall and Mr. Turner, respectively.

The contemporary contingent is bolstered by a selection of six beloved classics from the 1960s. Get a dose of kitchen-sink realism with Billy Liar, go on the run with Michael Caine in The Italian Job or experience full-blown Beatlemania with A Hard Day's Night.