Best Gifts to Get a Film Lover

Looking for gifts for movie lovers? Check out our round-up of cinema-themed presents that'll delight your friends and family – whatever the occasion. Our handy guide caters to wide-ranging tastes, and includes female-filmmaker T-shirts, Wes Anderson-inspired wallpaper and fantastical LEGO figurines. Read on for more gifts for movie buffs.  

Curzon Membership

Do you know someone eagerly awaiting the new Wes Anderson or Céline Sciamma? Are they on a quest to find the next Stanley Kubrick, Steven Spielberg or Agnès Varda? Then Curzon’s Cult membership is for them.

The ultimate gift for anyone with a passion for cinema, Curzon’s Cult membership offers seven free films every week, either to watch in person at one of Curzon’s cinemas around the UK, or from the vast library available on Curzon Home Cinema. With new films opening every week, championing the best of mainstream releases and the finest world cinema, this is the ultimate gift for both the cinephile and anyone who wants to explore the rich and varied world of film.

Membership also includes discounts on food and drink at Curzon bars and pizzerias, exclusive members’ previews of anticipated releases and members’ priority booking on selected events. There’s also Classic membership, which offers five free films a year – at cinemas or on Curzon Home Cinema – and 20% off all other tickets for members and a friend. Pick up your gift pack in venue today.

SCRT Merchandise

Streetwear doesn't get much edgier than the vintage-inspired, utilitarian designs from Hackney-based brand SCRT. Its curated capsule collections – featuring T-shirts, jumpers and accessories – celebrate cult films and directors. Add a dash of east-London cool to your loved one's look with Lost in Translation stickers, a Paris, Texas T-shirt or a Stanley Kubrick cap.

‘I am Kenough’ Hoodie

He’s just Ken and he’s enough, and he’s great at doin’ stuff... Relive the movie event of 2023 with your very own replica of the fluffy, rainbow-hued jumper Ryan Gosling’s character sports in Barbie. Sling it on when enjoying Brewski beers lovingly brought to you by your long-term long-distance low-commitment casual girlfriend; performing a four-hour guitar solo of ‘Push’; or simply sitting around mansplaining The Godfather. Sublime!    

A24 GOODIES

An 'A24 movie' has become a genre in and of itself. It's usually a stylish, personal, small- to mid-budget indie helmed by a renowned auteur (Noah Baumbach, Yorgos Lanthimos, Ari Aster) or promising up-and-comer (Rose Glass, Halina Reijn, Ti West).

The studio has developed a cult following and, in its shop, sells a revolving door of inventive products connected to its films, including a scale model of the Van Buren building in The Brutalist, Love Lies Bleeding beach towels and Beau is Afraid embroidered pyjamas. Alongside these limited-edition drops, there's plenty of branded A24 merch. Moving house? There's A24 packing tape. Planning a staycation? There's an A24 weekend bag. Feeling thirsty? There's an A24 water bottle.

Cinephile: A Card Game

Know your Altman from your Antonioni? Your Tomboy from your Tommy? Cinephile is a chance to test just how much of an expert cinephile you really are. Each card features a key figure in the film world, and you have to guess the films they are associated with. If you pass this test, then check out other challenges.

Sight and Sound Subscription

There isn’t a better time to buy a gift subscription to this revered film magazine, which comprises interviews with world-renowned directors and fascinating archive content. Published by the British Film Institute and celebrating 100 years in print, Sight and Sound is an authority on all areas of film. It also explores new trends in television, visual arts and augmented reality.

Ingmar Bergman's Cinema 

Ponder the metaphysical and spiritual questions of a master storyteller with Criterion's comprehensive Blu-ray collection, which comprises 39 Ingmar Bergman films from across six decades. You'll find celebrated classics like The Seventh Seal (1957), Persona (1966), and Fanny and Alexander (1982), as well as previously unavailable works (among them 1955's Dreams, 1969's The Rite and 1958's Brink of Life). The collection is arranged as a film festival, with opening- and closing-night picks bookending double features and centrepieces. Plus, there's a 248-page book of essays and more than 30 hours of bonus features.

Curzon Gift Cards

The perfect present for any cinemagoer, Curzon gift cards can be used at any venue, either on cinema tickets, food and drink, or the many events we host throughout the year. Physical cards can be purchased in venue, or you can buy them online.

Greta Gerwig: Icons of Cinema by Laura Venning

Curzon Journal contributor Laura Venning expands the Icons of Cinema series (previous editions honour Baz Luhrmann and Wes Anderson) with a beautifully illustrated book celebrating the work of Greta Gerwig, who started out as an actress on New York's mumblecore scene before breaking out as a household-name filmmaker with Barbie (2023). Venning dedicates a chapter to each of Gerwig's major directorial efforts, from Lady Bird (2017) to Little Women (2019) and Barbie, and offers in-depth analysis of Gerwig's creative process, as well as her favoured themes of coming of age and female relationships.     

Masterclass Subscription

How does Aaron Sorkin write punchy dialogue? How does Hans Zimmer compose majestic scores? How does Martin Scorsese direct virtuosic sequences? Some of the world's most acclaimed filmmakers have lent their expertise to Masterclass, a virtual learning platform that includes more than 200 classes (all of which can be accessed via a gift subscription). In each lesson, these artists break down the secrets to their success, and give you the tools you need to replicate it for yourself. 

Sofia Coppola: Forever Young by Hannah Strong

Curzon Journal contributor Hannah Strong’s exploration of the work of the Lost in Translation (2003) director, published by Little White Lies, is a fascinating guide through a singular filmography. With a foreword by Italian filmmaker Alice Rohrwacher and featuring illuminating interviews with collaborators, Strong casts an expert eye over each of Coppola’s films, grouping them together thematically (rather than chronologically) to offer fresh insights into her oeuvre.

Girls on Tops T-shirts

Are you a Nora Ephron or a Jane Campion? A Greta Gerwig or a Laura Dern? Girls on Tops have been producing elegant T-shirts that don’t just champion female film icons – both in front of and behind the camera – with their logo designs, they celebrate the diversity of a global cinema, past and present, that inspires, engages and entertains.

Bong Joon Ho collection

Parasite (2019) remains one of the standout films of the last decade and is the most recently produced film to appear in the prestigious Sight and Sound Critics’ List of the 100 greatest films ever made. But it is only the recent film in the extraordinary career of the acclaimed Korean filmmaker. This boxset offers the opportunity to enjoy all of Director Bong’s films, from his quirky debut Barking Dogs Never Bite (2000) and forays into dazzling dystopia with The Host (2006) and Snowpiercer (2013) to his stunning crime dramas Memories of Murder (2003) and Mother (2009). The set also features cult favourite Parasite: Black and White Edition (2020), allowing you to watch the Cannes-, BAFTA- and Oscar-winning masterpiece from an entirely new perspective. 

Home Theatre Projector

Revamp your home-viewing set-up with Xiaomi's state-of-the-art projector, which is HD ready and ideal for dark rooms. Incidentally, it'll help you create the perfect environment to watch all the latest releases and classic films on Curzon Home Cinema.

Strong Female Character by Hanna Flint

Curzon Journal contributor Hanna Flint’s impressive book is an insightful and entertaining critique of contemporary film culture that discusses screen representations of women and minority communities through an intersectional-feminist lens. It is also memoiristic, delving into how Flint’s own mixed-race heritage shaped her moviegoing tastes. Witty, engaged and perceptive in its analyses of prejudices that aren’t always so clear-cut, Strong Female Character is both a barometer of our times and a provocation to those who think any status quo is better than seeking change for good.

Wim Wenders Collection  

Across a career that spans five decades, Wim Wenders has established himself as one of world cinema’s most celebrated filmmakers. He is best known for his 1970s road trilogy, Paris, Texas (1984), which won him the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival, and Wings of Desire (1987), which also premiered at Cannes and for which he won Best Director. But this extensive overview of his work covers a vast range. There’s his celebrated Pina (2011), about the life of the legendary choreographer, Buena Vista Social Club (1999), detailing the history and world tour of the Cuban all-star band, and The Salt of the Earth (2014), a riveting portrait of world-renowned photographer Sebastião Salgado. If Alice in the Cities (1974), Wrong Move (1975) and Kings of the Road (1976) cemented Wenders’ reputation, other films in this collection, such as the Patricia Highsmith adaptation The American Friend (1977), The State of Things (1982), Faraway, So Close! (1993) and the epic, visionary Until the End of the World (1991), highlight his brilliance as a storyteller and master of captivating imagery. This expansive, 22-disc edition includes rare shorts, Polaroids taken by the filmmaker, an illustrated book and poster designs from some of the films’ original release.

Well Documented by Ian Haydn Smith

Curzon Journal contributing editor Ian Haydn Smith explores over a century of documentary film through 100 features and 20 shorts. Some films are known, others less so. Some have achieved canon status, others have broad popular appeal. But each of the films in this book (along with the 300 other titles highlighted in relation to these key works) champion the idea that the documentary is a broad category that is in a constant state of change.

Moleskine Journal

Whether it's creative writing or criticism, the Moleskine Film & TV Passion Journal provides a stylish place to log your watching habits. It’s a brand synonymous with quality – the travel writer and novelist Bruce Chatwin is just one of the renowned writers to swear by a Moleskine notebook.

Alternative film posters 

The striking cover for the 2022 Awards Journal was created by artist Aleksander Walijewski, whose incredible film-poster designs – from his spookily corporeal Joker (2019) to evocative Birdman (2015) – are available to buy. They hark back to the golden age of film posters and are often as inventive and surprising as the films they promote.

Bong Joon Ho: Dissident Cinema by Karen Han

The Korean auteur had been at the forefront of world cinema for two decades before his extraordinary critical and commercial success with Parasite (2019). Karen Han’s engaging book, published by Little White Lies, is a sumptuously illustrated journey through this remarkable filmmaker’s career. It’s an enlightening exploration of Director Bong’s work, highlighting the way this singular writer-director’s career has developed. 

The Royal Tenenbaums Wallpaper

Wes heads, this one’s for you. Pay tribute to the stylish, meticulously designed home from Wes Anderson’s 2001 classic The Royal Tenenbaums by decorating your own place with the zebra-patterned wallpaper. Move aside Accidentally Wes Anderson, this is Deliberately Wes Anderson. 

Michael Haneke Collection 

Described by The Guardian's Peter Bradshaw as 'extreme cinema without anaesthetic', Michael Haneke's often unnerving work explores alienation, violence and the disengagement of the bourgeoisie. Explore the two-time Palme d'Or winner's oeuvre in this 14-disc Blu-ray collection, which includes his entire feature filmography from the Glaciation Trilogy to Funny Games (1997) and The White Ribbon (2009). This set also comprises several documentaries about Haneke, new commentaries, interviews, behind-the-scenes featurettes and more. A precise chronicler of social failings, Haneke, and his confronting films, force us to question our own upholding of the status quo. 

Movie-Themed LEGO 

Fly away in the Up house, ride the Millennium Falcon and visit Willy Wonka's chocolate factory with Lego's special-edition themed sets, suitable for builders of all ages. There's a robust selection of Wicked collections this year, including the Emerald City, Shiz University, and Glinda and Elphaba's dorm. 

Peter Strickland Collection 

Step into the weird and wonderful worlds of Peter Strickland with this comprehensive Blu-ray collection, which boasts the director's complete feature filmography, from giallo-inspired Berberian Sound Studio (2012) to killer-dress thriller In Fabric (2018).