Beer Film Society reveals summer programme

Beer Film Society has announced an exciting schedule for the 2022 summer season.

The programme kicks off with 'The Rescue', set in Thailand, before jetting over to Northern Ireland for Sir Kenneth Branagh's 'Belfast'.

In July we take a trip to the sunny Provence for 'A Good Year' to mark Bastille Day in France (watch out for a special July 14 celebration!) then end up back in England for a feelgood drama that evokes the spirit of Ealing comedies in 'The Duke'.

Below is a little taster of what is to come and, closer to the time, the society will be issuing its monthly newsletter to give you the chance to book your tickets and reserve a table.

Thursday, May 19 - 'The Rescue' (12)

A chronicle of the enthralling, against-all-the-odds story that gripped the world in 2018 focused on the daring rescue of twelve boys and their coach from deep inside a flooded cave in Northern Thailand.

Critics Review: "The film makers (Oscar-winning duo Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi responsible for the climbing documentary Free Solo) somehow manage to wring nerve-jangling tension from a forgone conclusion. . . and best of all, the movie finds unexpected stardust in the British lead divers John Volanthen and Richard Stanton . . . quietly eccentric, thoughtful and ridiculously good at their job.' (The Times).

Thursday, June 16 - 'Belfast' (12A)

This semi-autobiographical drama earned Kenneth Branagh his first Oscar earlier this year for best original screenplay.

The story charts the early years of a young Branagh and his working-class Belfast family experience growing up in the start of the Troubles in the tumultuous late 1960s.

Critic's Review: "There is a terrific warmth and tenderness to Kenneth Branagh's elegiac, autobiographical movie about the Belfast of his childhood: spryly written, beautifully acted and shot in a lustrous monochrome.' (The Guardian).

Thursday, July 14th - 'A Good Year' (12A)

A British investment broker inherits his uncle's chateau and vineyard in Provence, where he spent much of his childhood. He discovers a new laid-back lifestyle as he tries to renovate the estate to be sold.

Critic's Review: "The scenery is glorious; you can almost feel the sunshine and smell the wine.' (Rolling Stone magazine).

Friday, August 19th (Beer Regatta Week) - 'The Duke' (12A)

In 1961, Kempton Bunton, a 60-year-old taxi driver, steals Goya's portrait of the Duke of Wellington from the National Gallery in London. Based on a true story that you wouldn't dare dream of making up.

Critic's Review: "In this feelgood drama... Jim Broadbent is outstanding. Both foolish and infuriating, yet also sympathetic, he ultimately delivers one of the performances of his career.' (The Times).