A biennial festival celebrating Cary Grant, based in his hometown, Bristol
Friday 27 November
Set sail with Cary Grant for a day of romance, comedy and adventure on the high seas. From submarines and houseboats to tropical islands and wartime intrigue, Friday’s programme explores some of the most charming and unexpected films of Grant’s later career, showcasing the wit, warmth and effortless screen presence that made him one of Hollywood’s most enduring stars.
Saturday 28 November
Take to the skies with Cary Grant for a day of adventure, romance and aviation, tracing his journey from fast-rising leading man to one of Hollywood’s most beloved stars. Saturday’s programme brings together two rarely screened early films alongside two career-defining Howard Hawks classics, exploring the exhilaration, danger and comic possibilities of life in motion.
Sunday 29 November
Explore Hollywood’s shifting visions of East and Southeast Asia through four films spanning almost the entirety of Cary Grant’s screen career. Beginning with one of his earliest appearances and concluding with his final film, Sunday’s programme offers a unique opportunity to reflect on both the evolution of a star and the changing ways that Hollywood represented the wider world.
Friday 27 – Sunday 29 November
Bristol Megascreen
The Full Pass offers the best value for the full three‑day weekend and is the most immersive way to experience everything the festival has to offer — from headline screenings to the smaller, surprising moments in between.
Friday 27 November 2026
Doors 10am; event start 10.30am GMT
When the commander of a battered American submarine (Cary Grant) finds himself sharing cramped quarters with a group of stranded army nurses, military discipline is stretched to breaking point.
Friday 27 November 2026
Foyer, Bristol Megascreen, 1-2pm
A free pre-screening knit-in inspired by Mr Lucky (1943). Come along for knitting, conversation and community before the film. Bring your own project, learn a few stitches, share tips and stories, or simply enjoy the atmosphere.
Friday 27 November 2026
Doors 1.30pm; event start 2pm GMT
Cary Grant stars as Joe Adams, a charming gambler and draft dodger whose world is turned upside down when he falls for socialite Dorothy Bryant (Laraine Day) and becomes involved in a wartime charity project.
Friday 27 November 2026
Doors 3.30pm; event start 4pm GMT
Cary Grant plays Walter Eckland, a cantankerous beachcomber reluctantly drawn into wartime espionage in the South Pacific, whose solitary existence is disrupted when a French schoolteacher (Leslie Caron).
Friday 27 November 2026
Doors 6pm; event start 7.15pm GMT
Following the death of his wife, widowed diplomat Tom Winters (Cary Grant) finds himself struggling to raise his three children alone, until he hires the spirited and unconventional Cinzia Zaccardi (Sophia Loren).
Saturday 28 November 2026
Doors 10am; event start 10.30am GMT
Set amid the dangers and psychological pressures of aerial combat, the film follows a group of fighter pilots confronting the brutal realities of war.
Saturday 28 November 2026
Doors 1pm; event start 2pm GMT
Released in 1935, Wings in the Dark is one of Grant’s earliest aviation films and a fascinating example of pre-Code Hollywood’s appetite for spectacle, speed and daring adventure.
Saturday 28 November 2026
Doors 3.30pm; event start 4pm GMT
Part romantic comedy, part military farce and part road movie, I Was a Male War Bride is one of the most delightfully unconventional films of Cary Grant’s career.
Saturday 28 November 2026
Doors 6pm; event start 7.15pm GMT
One of the greatest aviation adventures ever made, Only Angels Have Wings finds Cary Grant at the height of his powers in a thrilling tale of courage, professionalism and sacrifice…
Sunday 29 November 2026
Doors 10am; event start 10.30am GMT
As part of our Sunday strand exploring Hollywood’s imagined visions of East and Southeast Asia, Destination Tokyo offers a fascinating opportunity to revisit one of the most successful wartime films of the 1940s.
Sunday 29 November 2026
Doors 1.30pm; event start 2pm GMT
A rare opportunity to see Cary Grant’s first screen appearance, with an expert panel discussion exploring Hollywood’s visions of East and Southeast Asia in the early sound era and offering fresh perspectives on the cultural assumptions, stereotypes and screen fantasies that shaped the period.
Madame Butterfly (dir. Marion Gering, 1932) Bristol Megascreen at Bristol Aquarium, Anchor Road, Bristol UK, BS1 5TT Sunday 29 November 2026, doors 3.30pm; event start 4pm GMT Running Time: 1hrs 36min (including brief intro) Rating: PG (Parental Guidance), contains heavy mature themes that may be triggering or require discussion with younger viewers Sylvia Sidney, Cary…
Sunday 29 November 2026
Doors 6pm; event start 7.15pm GMT
Cary Grant’s final film, is set and filmed during the Tokyo Olympics, the film follows a housing shortage that forces British businessman Sir William Rutland (Grant) to share an apartment with a young woman (Samantha Eggar) and an American athlete (Jim Hutton).
Sunday 29 November, 11.00am-12.30pm GMT
Join Show of Strength for a special Cary Comes Home Festival edition of their acclaimed theatre walk, tracing Cary Grant’s journey from Archibald Leach, a Bristol boy from a troubled childhood, to one of Hollywood’s most beloved stars. Discover the people, places and hidden stories that shaped his early life in the city he never forgot (not included in Festival Passes).