Epic of Everest

Remarkable silent film documenting the legendary Everest expedition of 1924, the third attempt to climb the mountain that led to the deaths of two of the finest climbers of their generation, George Mallory and Andrew Irvine. The trek ends in controversy over whether they did indeed reach the summit. Filmed in brutally harsh conditions using a hand-cranked camera, the amazing cinematography inspires considering the limited technology and danger of their expedition. Miraculous restoration by the British Film Institute National Archive.

UK, 1924 (85 minutes)

Underground

Director Anthony Asquith’s silent classic is a working class love story about an electrician and a porter who both fall in love with a shop girl they meet on the London Underground on the same day. Set in the subterranean entrails of the London Underground in the 1920s with iconic shots of Lots Road Power Station in Chelsea, gentle Bill and macho Bert charge through tunnels and across monumental buildings to fight it out. No one “minds the gap” and passengers smoke, nonchalantly dropping stubs on the wooden carriage floors. The 2009 restoration by the British Film Institute makes the film look fresh and new.

UK, 1928 (84 minutes)

Twice Shy

A modern coming-of age-drama, a romance, a road movie – a truly independent film with a big heart, and a bold vision- this may be the “hidden gem” that festivalgoers always hope to find. A young couple set off on a road trip from rural Ireland to London; a large world, a small town and an unplanned pregnancy put the path in question. The future awaits – but what will be waiting there for them? Director Tom Ryan’s thoughtful film is about love, choices and being true to yourself.

Ireland, 2016 (77 minutes)

Mammal

An engrossing film starring Golden Globe-winning actress Rachel Griffiths (“Six Feet Under”). Her character has lost her son and develops an unorthodox relationship with a homeless youth played by Irish rising star Barry Keoghan. Their tentative trust is threatened by his involvement with a violent gang and the escalation of her ex-husband’s grieving rage. Winner Panavision Spirit Award, Santa Barbara International Film Festival

Ireland, 2016 (96 minutes)

Handsome Devil

Two very different Irish high school outsiders learn to be true to themselves in this contemporary coming-of-age story. From the geek pariah to the secret gay jock right down to a rugby match as a tease of outsider self-affirmations–versions of this story are familiar to audiences. But the sweetness, poignancy and breezy humor of this popular Irish film make it pretty darn impossible to resist. Energetic directing by John Butler, charming performances, vibrant widescreen cinematography and an eclectic soundtrack cleverly used elevate this light-hearted but surprisingly nuanced- festival hit above the typical “feel-good” films of this genre.

Ireland, 2016 (94 min.)

Adult Life Skills

Debut films can be hit and miss. Rachel Tunnard’s first film  definitely is the former. She won the Tribeca Film Festival’s prestigious Nora Ephron Award for “Adult Life Skills” which focuses on a confused teen, played with just the right degree of kookiness by the adorable Jodie Whittaker (“Broadchurch”). Grief stricken by the death of her twin brother she has fled to the seclusion of a shed in her mother’s garden. Facing her first birthday without her brother, she questions if she still qualifies as a twin. Its heart-felt emotions are sure to impress.

UK, 2016 (96 minutes)     

The Sense of an Ending

Julian Barnes’ Man Booker Prize-winning novel “The Sense of An Ending” has been brought to the screen with its many complexities intact by acclaimed director Ritesh Batra (“The Lunchbox,” a hit at Mostly British festival). This subtle tale of how memory plays tricks on us and the consequences of decisions made when young stars Academy Award winner Jim Broadbent as a divorced retiree whose quiet existence is uprooted by a letter exposing long buried secrets. It forces him to face unwelcome truths about his first love (Charlotte Rampling). The splendid cast includes Michelle Dockery as his daughter and Emily Mortimer as the mother of his love interest from the past.

Director Ritesh Batra will be interviewed following the screening by film professor Larry Eilenberg

UK, 2017 (106 minutes)

Shepherds and Butchers

Steve Coogan proved in “Philomena” that he can do drama as well as comedy, and he is impressive in this Apartheid courtroom drama as a jaded lawyer who takes on a seemingly hopeless case of a prison guard in South Africa charged with multiple murders. As the attorney probes  into this case he comes to believe the accused has been traumatized by his job as a security guard overseeing executions.  Winner best narrative feature, Woodstock Film Festival  

South Africa, 2016 (80 minutes)

Away

Timothy Spall (“Mr. Turner”) teams up with Juno Temple (“Notes on a Scandal”) as a depressed widower and a runaway escaping an abusive partner who discover that despite an age gap they are kindred spirits. Their unlikely friendship is movingly portrayed by Spall and Temple, pondering the question: What is it about another person that touches our heart so completely? Set in the fun-loving English seaside tourist town of Blackpool—Las Vegas without the glamour.

UK, 2016 (110 minutes)

An Evening with Anne V. Coates / Murder on the Orient Express

The famed British film editor Anne V. Coates began her career as an assistant on “The Red Shoes” in 1948 and two years ago was an editor on “50 Shades of Grey.” In between she was nominated for five Academy Awards and won an Oscar for “Lawrence of Arabia.” Just this year awarded an honorary Oscar known as “the Governor’s Award” by the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, she was introduced at the ceremony by Nicole Kidman and presented with her Oscar by Richard Gere. Miss Coates’ other films include “The Pickwick Papers,” “The Horse’s Mouth,” “Beckett,” “In the Line of Fire” and “Unfaithful.” She edited “Out of Sight” and “Erin Brokovich” for director Steven Soderbergh.

Miss Coates will be interviewed by the distinguished British film historian David Thomson, author of the definitive “The New Biographical Dictionary of Film.”

In conjunction with this interview Mostly British will screen Miss Coates’ film “Murder on the Orient Express,” an adaptation of Agatha Christie’s whodunit from the 1930s, set almost entirely inside the famous train. Albert Finney stars as Hercule Poirot who while on vacation finds himself solving a murder in one of the train cars. The star-studded cast includes Lauren Bacall, Jacqueline Bisset, Michael York, Sean Connery, Richard Widmark and Ingrid Bergman, who won an Oscar for her role.

UK, 1974 (128 minutes)

An Evening with Anne V. Coates 7:30 p.m.
Murder on the Orient Express (UK, 1974, 128 minutes) 9 p.m.