Film4 Christmas

Film4 brings together the best in contemporary science-fiction cinema for over two weeks of amazing tales, visionary adventures and far-flung fantasy. The season includes Terry Gilliam's Brazil; JJ Abrams' spectacular re-boot of Star Trek, as well as a classic Star Trek triple-bill featuring the first three original films; Hugh Jackman in the X-Men Origins story Wolverine; Nicolas Cage in the intriguing Knowing; and the shiny, over-the-top blockbuster Transformers.

The channel also presents a sweeping, sublime survey of animated magic from Studio Ghibli, taking the viewer from early films like Little Norse Prince and Castle of Cagliostro, made prior to the foundation of the studio in 1985, through to the recent box-office success Ponyo. The season kicks off with premiere of Ponyo and also includes the TV premiere of little-seen 1993 Ghibli film Ocean Waves.

There's also an exciting Christmas week with first plays on the channel for Palme D'Or winning French drama The Class; Tim Burton's gorgeously grisly Sweeney Todd; epic comic-book adaptation Watchmen; and brooding British dramatic thriller Dorian Gray.

And the Christmas nights are packed with contemporary cult classics such as Bronson, with Tom Hardy; low-budget British sci-fi success Monsters; martial-arts extravaganza Ip Man; exhaustingly relentless horror films The Loved Ones and Primal; and a gritty French Connection double bill.