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Extra Screening: Seaside Special (12A)

A love letter to Britain from our friends in Europe, Jens Meurer’s funny, bittersweet and loving Seaside Special visits the town of Cromer, Norfolk as it prepares for its annual end-of-pier variety show during the summer of 2019.

With the show due to be performed twice a day for three months, we meet the performers, the team pulling it together, and the townsfolk who will flock to each show day after day. In the background Brexit is hitting its stride, and as we see the talent and the passion driving the show, we also witness a microcosm of a Britain in flux. All shot beautifully on 16mm film, Seaside Special is affectionate and funny filmmaking reflecting the eccentricities of classic English entertainment while the country sets out to leave its European neighbours.

“Vivid and richly affectionate” Guardian ★★★★

Read what our Film Programmer Jeremy had to say here…

“A humorous, melancholic time-capsule of a rather unique moment in time — the dying days of the UK’s decades old relationship with Europe. Yet there’s little anger or divisiveness here. For want of a better term, it’s keep calm and carry on. ” Filmhounds ★★★★

Directed by Jens Meurer
1hr 33 mins // GER 2023

Catch-up Screenings: The Miracle Club (12A)

Set in 1967, The Miracle Club is a heart-warming film that follows the story of three generations of close friends, Lily (Maggie Smith), Eileen (Kathy Bates), and Dolly (Agnes O’Casey) of Ballygar, a hard-knocks community in Dublin, who have one tantalizing dream: to win a pilgrimage to the sacred French town of Lourdes, that place of miracles that draws millions of visitors each year. When the chance to win presents itself, the women seize it.

However, just before their trip, their old friend Chrissie (Laura Linney) arrives in Ballygar for her Mother’s funeral, dampening their good mood and well-laid plans. The women secure tickets and set out on the journey that they hope will change their lives, with Chrissie joining in place of her mother. The glamor and sophistication of Chrissie, who has just returned from a nearly 40-year exile in the United States, are not her only difficult traits. Old wounds are reopened along the way, forcing the women to confront their pasts even as they travel in search of a miracle. Deep wounds from the past can only be healed by the curative power of love and friendship.

Telegraph ★★★

Directed by Thaddeus O’Sullivan
With Laura Linney, Kathy Bates, Maggie Smith
1hr 30 mins // UK 2022

Hamlet (12A)

Two-time Academy Award nominee and Shakespearian titan, Ian McKellen, stars in this thrilling and uniquely modern take on The Bard’s classic tragedy. In cinemas nationwide, the screening will include an exclusive recorded Q&A with Ian McKellen and Director, Sean Mathias.

A tale of revenge that has stood the test of time, Shakespeare’s classic tragedy is reimagined for the modern day as a gripping psychological thriller! Transcending the confines of the stage in a uniquely modern take, the film utilises nearly every room of the Theatre Royal Windsor to transform it into the immortal Elsinore Castle, from basement dungeon to roof-top battlement. Ian McKellen – reprising his lead role as Hamlet, a man who descends into madness as he seeks vengeance against his uncle for the apparent murder of his father – leads a stellar cast including stage and screen legend, Steven Berkoff, and stars of the critically acclaimed, recent stage cast of ‘Hamlet’: Frances Barber (King Lear, Chekhov’s The Seagull), Jonathan Hyde (King Lear, Titanic, Crimson Peak), Jenny Seagrove and BAFTA-winner Francesca Annis, bringing their iconic roles to life in this compelling new film adaptation.

Director: Sean Mathias
Producer: Bill Kenwright, David Gilbery, Naomi George
Cast: Ian McKellen, Jonathan Hyde, Jenny Seagrove, Steven Berkoff, Francesca Annis, Frances Barber
Runtime: 117 Minutes

Exhibition on Screen: John Singer Sargent- Fashion & Swagger

John Singer Sargent is known as the greatest portrait artist of his era.  What made his ‘swagger’ portraits remarkable was his power over his sitters, what they wore and how they were presented to the audience. Through interviews with curators, contemporary fashionistas and style influencers, Exhibition on Screen’s film will examine how Sargent’s unique practice has influenced modern art, culture and fashion.

Filmed at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and the Tate Britain, London, the exhibition reveals Sargent’s power to express distinctive personalities, power dynamics and gender identities during this fascinating period of cultural reinvention. Alongside 50 paintings by Sargent sit stunning items of clothing and accessories worn by his subjects, drawing the audience into the artist’s studio.

Sargent’s sitters were often wealthy, their clothes costly, but what happens when you turn yourself over to the hands of a great artist? The manufacture of public identity is as controversial and contested today as it was at the turn of the 20th century, but somehow Sargent’s work transcends the social noise and captures an alluring truth with each brush stroke.

Step into the glittering world of fashion, scandal and shameless self-promotion that made John Singer Sargent the painter who defined an era. Explore the unique creative process of the late 19th century’s favourite portrait artist and the way in which his portraits captured the spirit of a vibrant and rapidly changing age.

Directed by David Bickerstaff

Exhibition on Screen: Painting the Modern Garden- Monet to Matisse

Based on the sell-out show at the Royal Academy of Arts, London 

Claude Monet was an avid horticulturist and arguably the most important painter of gardens in the history of art, but he was not alone. Great artists like Van Gogh, Bonnard, Sorolla, Sargent, Pissarro and Matisse all saw the garden as a powerful subject for their art. These great artists, along with many other famous names, feature in an innovative and extensive exhibition from the Royal Academy of Art, London.

From the exhibition walls to the wonder and beauty of artists’ gardens like Giverny and Seebüll, the film takes a magical and widely travelled journey to discover how different contemporaries of Monet built and cultivated modern gardens to explore expressive motifs, abstract colour, decorative design and utopian ideas. Guided by passionate curators, artists and garden enthusiasts, this remarkable collection of Impressionists, Post-Impressionists, and avant-garde artists of the early twentieth century will reveal the rise of the modern garden in popular culture and the public’s enduring fascination with gardens today. Long considered spaces for expressing colour, light and atmosphere, the garden has occupied the creative minds of some of the worlds greatest artists. As Monet said, ‘Apart from painting and gardening, I’m no good at anything’.  For lovers of art or lovers of gardens, this is an ideal film.

Filmed and Directed by David Bickerstaff
Produced by Phil Grabsky

Comedy Hotspot

BARRY DODDS

Charms audiences with his unique brand of disarming wit and wry, and down-to-earth observational humour. A talented storyteller who uses whimsical imagery and evocative observations, Barry is an assured closing act, with regular bookings at many of the UK’s top comedy clubs including The Stand, XS Malarkey and The Frog and Bucket. His comedy has even taken him to Luxembourg, where his solo show proved so popular, he became the first ever comedian to perform on Luxembourg TV. Barry has recently been supporting Jason Manford, on his UK Tour.

His calm, inclusive persona has ensured that Barry has also proven himself to be a popular and amiable MC, garnering a reputation as a strong and reliable choice to hold a quality line up together. In January ’16, Barry Dodds was awarded Best MC at the Midlands Comedy Awards 2016.

PHIL REID

Phil Reid is an award winning comedian who has been in entertainments for over a decade and travels the world performing to audiences all over.

He has a natural ability to connect with the audiences of all ages. Friendly and enthusiastic his observational style instantly puts the audience at ease, allowing him to regale them with tales of his observations of every day life. He has performed at a number of big venues throughout the UK, including the world famous Hammersmith Apollo & the O2.

Phil has had the pleasure of working along side and supported some of Britain’s top comedians such as Jason Manford, John Bishop, Tim Vine, Lee Nelson, Patrick Monahan & Bobby Davro.

ANDY WHITE

Andy escaped from a call centre to become a stand up comic who mixes silly voices and faces with observational humour, topical humour and his mixed race background. He can do material that’s clever, cheeky, sick or just silly and his performance can shift from deadpan to loud and physical. Andy has played to a wide variety of audiences, adults and children, both at home and abroad, in comedy clubs, theatres, universities, radio and TV shows, and at corporate entertainment events. He regularly headlines up and down the UK and has worked with all the major chains and comedy promoters along the way. Overseas, he’s performed in Monte Carlo (Laughing Horse), Berlin (Bleu Montag), Abu Dhabi and Dubai (Laughter House) amongst others.

DANNY POSTHILL

Danny Posthill is undoubtedly one of the most promising British comedians around today. He is a well-known and much loved stand-up comedian and impressionist, well remembered for his outstanding performance on the finals of Britain’s Got Talent in 2015.

Since then Danny has never stopped, performing all over the world, working around the Mediterranean and South America, plus taking his Donald Trump Act far and wide, performing at events from London to Singapore.

His TV credentials include Pointless Celebrities, where he appeared alongside fellow impressionists Alistair McGowan, Rory Bremner and John Culshaw.

Jazz in the Bar with Jeanie Barton

Featured artist for this month is Jeanie Barton. Jeannie is a superb interpreter of the jazz standard repertoire giving each song a smooth convincing delivery and occasionally introducing a scat vocal line. She produces a personal style based on a thorough understanding of the jazz singing tradition.

The super Bob Hudson trio provides a swinging accompaniment so expect a night of toe tapping finger snapping jazz.

42nd Street (PG)

42nd Street, the legendary Broadway musical theatre classic, is a ‘glorious’ (Express) and ‘utterly moreish extravaganza of glitz’ (Times).

Telling the story of Peggy Sawyer, a talented young performer with stars in her eyes who gets her big break on Broadway, this is the largest ever staging of the Tony Award-winning musical and it was filmed live at the
magnificent Theatre Royal in the heart of London’s West End. Starring national treasure Bonnie Langford as Dorothy Brock and featuring iconic songs 42nd Street, We’re In The Money and Lullaby Of Broadway, this is
pure musical magic on the big screen.

2hrs 24 mins including an interval

An American in Paris (PG)

Robert Fairchild (Jerry Mulligan) and Leanne Cope (Lise Dassin) in An American In Paris by George and Ira Gershwin @ Dominion Theatre. Directed and Choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon. (Opening 21-03-17) ©Tristram Kenton 03-17 (3 Raveley Street, LONDON NW5 2HX TEL 0207 267 5550 Mob 07973 617 355)email: tristram@tristramkenton.com

This breathtakingly beautiful Tony Award-winning Broadway musical, inspired by the Oscar winning MGM film, tells the impassioned story of discovering love in the ‘City of Light’.

Jerry Mulligan is an American GI striving to make it as a painter in a city suddenly bursting with hope and
possibility. Following a chance encounter with a beautiful young dancer named Lise, the streets of Paris become the backdrop to a sensuous, modern romance of art, friendship and love in the aftermath of war.

Featuring the gorgeous music and lyrics of George and Ira Gershwin (including the classic hits, Wonderful and I Got Rhythm), stunning designs, and show-stopping choreography, this incredible production received a record-setting 28 five-star reviews from the critics.

2hrs 30 mins including an interval

Titanic – The Musical (12A)

Winner of 5 Tony Awards (including Best Musical), Titanic – The Musical is a stunning and stirring production focusing on the hopes, dreams and aspirations of her passengers who each boarded with stories and personal
ambitions of their own. All innocently unaware of the fate awaiting them, the Third Class immigrants dream of a better life in America, the Second Class imagine they too can join the lifestyles of the rich and famous, whilst
the millionaire Barons of the First Class anticipate legacies lasting forever.

2hrs 40 mins including an interval