We are opening this year's festival with two films. At the Light Cinema, we will be showing Official Secrets (starring Keira Knightley, Matt Smith and Ralph Fiennes), while at the Picturehouse we'll be screening Sarah Gavron's Rocks.
Rocks, from the director of Suffragette and Brick Lane, is a story about sisterhood, resilience and the intensity of teenage friendships. Set in East London, the film follows a group of year-11 girls, amongst them Nigerian-British girl Rocks. When Rocks' mother leaves, she and her brother do their utmost to avoid going in to care. As surviving – and keeping their situation secret – becomes increasingly difficult, Rocks has only one group of people she can turn to: her friends.
We are thrilled to be welcoming director Sarah Gavron and writers Theresa Ikoko and Claire Wilson to the screening!
Official Secrets tells the story of Katherine Gun, who worked for GCHQ in the run up to the Iraq War. When she discovers an email that urges spying on members of the UN Security Council to force through the resolution to go to war, she feels compelled to leak it to the press. She is soon discovered and charged with breaking the Official Secrets Act. Katharine and her lawyers set out to defend her actions. With her life, liberty and marriage threatened, she must stand up for what she believes in…
Don't worry if you'd like to see both films – each has a screening on the second day of the festival as well!
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