Propelled by the deliciously dry wit of Oscar nominee Steve Coogan, this poignant dramedy follows an Englishman’s personal and political awakening during a period of crisis in Argentina. Inspired by true events, The Penguin Lessons takes to heart the notion that saving someone’s life begins a new responsibility. In this case, that someone is a surprisingly wise, utterly adorable penguin.

The year is 1976. Tom (Coogan) lands in Buenos Aires to take up a teaching position at a prestigious English boarding school. The city is in the midst of political violence, but the headmaster (Oscar nominee Jonathan Pryce) insists his school simply keep calm and carry on. That suits Tom just fine. When a coup d’état shuts down the school, he hops next door to Uruguay to party. A romantic foray leads to a walk along the beach, which leads to the sight of a penguin drenched in oil from a spill. Against his better judgment, Tom rescues the bird, which unlocks its undying loyalty. He's forced to sneak the flightless beast back to Argentina, and thus begins a strange and beautiful friendship.

Against the backdrop of crackdowns from the new dictatorship and echoes from Tom’s long-repressed past, the penguin becomes a sounding board and an unwitting agent of change for him and, ultimately, the whole school.

Helmed by Peter Cattaneo (The Full Monty; Military Wives), The Penguin Lessons delivers this delightful true story with wit, warmth, and subtle insight into just how rewarding it can be to do the right thing

At the end of Ibsen’s classic, ground breaking 1879 play, A Doll’s House Nora walks out on her marriage, home and young children.  Playwright Lucas Hnath builds on Ibsen’s seminal work by imagining what happens when Nora returns years later with an urgent request.  Old School Theatre Company presents Hnath’s rich, stand alone sequel, eloquently exploring traditional gender roles and social class still inherent in today’s society.  A Doll’s House, Part 2 received its UK premiere at the Donmar Warehouse, London in 2022.

Ralph Fiennes and Stanley Tucci revel in the ritual and intrigue surrounding the process of choosing a new pontiff, in this tantalisingly tense Vatican-set drama.

The Pope has died. Cardinal Lawrence must lead the Conclave to select the new leader of the Catholic world. But as high-ranking cardinals gather, he discovers sides have been drawn and secrets that might destroy a future pope, perhaps even the Church itself, threaten to be revealed. Following his Oscar-winning success with All Quiet on the Western Front, Edward Berger presents us with another tale of conflict, albeit one where battles are waged in hushed tones in hallowed hallways. Fiennes, Tucci and John Lithgow make the most of Peter Straughan’s (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) screenplay, based on Robert Harris’ 2016 novel, albeit with Isabella Rossellini almost stealing the film as the formidable Sister Agnes.

Fire Over Shingle Street—Fact, Fiction, or Propaganda?

A new documentary by Suffolk-based filmmaker Tim Curtis (Life on the Deben, Stanley's War) delves into one of Britain’s most persistent Second World War mysteries, asking: Has this enduring enigma been fully accounted for, or are there still unanswered questions?

For decades the Shingle Street ‘Mystery’ has divided the views of locals, journalists and historians alike with incredible and unexplained stories of the sea being set on fire, dead soldiers bodies on the beach and strange happenings in the night.

Was this remote stretch of Suffolk’s coast the site of a German invasion attempt? Did British forces set fire to the sea with petroleum weapons to repel the enemy? Or could it have been part of an elaborate wartime deception, designed to maintain national morale?

The film examines how the Suffolk coast was a hub of military secrecy—home to radar development and experimental weapons testing. Did these classified operations (with some still under wraps) combined with wartime propaganda help create the perfect conditions for rumours to fuel a wartime mystery?

The Shingle Street ‘Mystery’ gained renewed attention in the 1990s when the East Anglian Daily Times was contacted by an ‘MOD Whistleblower’ claiming to have a file—soon to be destroyed—detailing a horrific accident in which British soldiers had been killed in a training exercise.

The ensuing media frenzy led to the early release of classified documents from the National Archives at Kew. However, the files revealed little, sparking claims of a cover-up.

This gripping documentary takes viewers deep into Suffolk’s wartime history, and attempts to unravel a mystery that refuses to fade.

The film is followed by a live discussion and Q&A with ‘Bodies on the Beach’ and ‘Burn the Sea’ author James Hayward, former East Anglian Daily Times Reporter, Henry Creagh and the film's director, Tim Curtis.

It promises to be a fascinating evening!