One of the first British movies to deal with the all but taboo subjects of sex, abortion, and homosexuality. A critical and commercial success, it brought a distinctly feminine sensibility to the gritty postwar British New Wave. Rita Tushingham is luminous as a teenager impregnated by a black sailor. She leaves her effete mother and moves in with a young gay man who looks after her as she faces a decidedly uncertain future. Tony Richardson (“Tom Jones”) directs from an original play by 18-year-old Shelagh Delaney. UK 1961 (101 minutes)

Michael Caine plays a true Cockney Casanova — a mischievous, funny and lovable anti-hero, who gets away with bad behavior. This is a romp through the ‘60s, in every sense a classic period movie expressing the best of the British New Wave. Prepare for an evening of sizzling seduction, roguish glamour and brilliant music set off by the popular theme song “What’s It All About, Alfie?’’ UK 1966 (104 minutes)

Ticket includes a tasting of Hendricks Gin – a British Classic 6:10-6:45pm
Compliments of Hendricks

Introduced by Peter Robinson, movie reviewer for KALW 91.7 FM and editor of San Francisco’s Books & Travel.

Swinging 1960s Lomdon is enhanced by director John Schlesinger’s hallmark La Dolce Vita ambiance, satirical and at times seedy but always engaging. The young and indelibly beautiful Julie Christie won an Oscar as a meagerly talented girl, who progresses from an immature marriage into a series of shabby affairs. UK 1965 (128 minutes)

Ticket includes a tasting of Hendricks Gin – a British Classic 6:10-6:45pm
Compliments of Hendricks

The story of the unlikely bond between a cantankerous theatrical lion played by Brian Cox (“The Bourne Identity,” “Deadwood”) suffering from Parkinson’s and a young Hungarian woman who comes to care for him (Coco Konig making her film debut with this low-key but winning performance). An aspiring actress, she hopes to pick up some advice in the process. This May-December buddy movie is a glorious showcase for the great Brian Cox, who – in one of his best roles ever as the maddeningly self-absorbed but shrewdly observant thespian – deftly portrays a character considerably less vital than the actor himself. An added delight is to hear the co-stars banter in Shakespearian verse. UK 2016 (89 minutes)

Giving perhaps their best film performances to date, Evan Rachel Wood (“Westwood”) and Denis O’Hare (“ American Horror Story are devastating in this searing portrait of broken families search for intimacy. Wood plays a troubled 30-year old searching for sexual and emotional fulfillment through a series of failed relationships. Her life changes when she befriends an unhappy 16-year-old girl, bringing her into her home under the guise of a confidante. Manipulation, denial and co-dependency fuel what soon becomes a fractured attempt at salvation. Recently selected by the Toronto International Film Festival as one of the 10 best Canadian films of 2017, this auspicious directing debut from noted fine art photographers (and brothers) Carlos and Jason Sanchez is sure to be one of the most provocative films of the year. Canada 2017 (105 minutes)

Based on the stage production “London Road,” a sold out hit, earning five-star reviews when it premiered at the National Theater in London 2011, the film version is equally gripping. A quirky musical, it tells the true story of the serial murders in London Road, rural Ipswich, which shattered the community when the bodies of five young women were discovered. The musical uses verbatim interviews with the residents of London Road, who had struggled for years with soliciting on their street. A local man was convicted of the murders and this brings the community together to process the disturbing events. Cast includes Tom Hardy (“Mad Max”) and Olivia Colman (of “Broadchurch” fame and soon to play Queen Elizabeth in Netflix’s “The Crown”). UK 2015 (91 minutes)

Karen Gillan of the cult British TV show “Doctor Who” stars as a writer whose first novel is set for publication just as she finds herself in love. But too much happiness causes her to develop writer’s block. It looks as if she may be forced to choose between being in love and continuing to write. Shot on location in Glasgow, the city has a romantic glow adding to the sweet nature of this rom-com. UK 2013 (102 minutes)

Dave Johns is a veteran standup comedian who was about to pack it in at 59 when director Ken Loach cast him as the title character in this gritty drama about a fictional everyman struggling to claim disability benefits after a serious heart attack. A chilling and recognizable story, this decent widower, a carpenter in North East England, becomes ensnared in the bureaucratic nightmare of the UK welfare state. Unable to work or receive benefits, he strives to retain his dignity and humanity in the face of heartless officials. The film won numerous awards including the Palme D’Or at Cannes. UK 2016 (100 minutes)

Sally Potter directs this sparkling, smart black comedy with a wonderful ensemble cast and creative black and white cinematography. Beginning as a celebration for Janet (Kristin Scott Thomas) who has been promoted to Shadow Minister of Health, the party unravels as her guests, all close friends, arrive and reveal shocking secrets and lies. Janet’s nervously distracted husband (Timothy Spall) adds to the chaos and confusion with his own dramatic announcements. “The Party” is all London bourgeois wit, fun and games until it is not. Set against UK politics, it exposes a political class that has lost its way. With Cillian Murphy and Emily Mortimer.

UK 2017 (72 minutes)

“Downton Abbey” fans will always think of Joanne Froggatt fondly as the lady’s maid Anna, a role for which she received three Emmy nominations and won a Golden Globe. But Miss Froggatt has moved on with movie and TV roles displaying her versatility. In the series “Liar,” which will be back for a second season on SundanceTV, she plays a victim of date rape who can not convince authorities she is telling the truth. She appeared as Britain’s first female serial killer in Masterpiece’s “Dark Angel,” and in the tender “Starfish” she watches her husband succumb to a devastating infectious disease. The Mostly British Film Festival is lucky to be catching her just as her career has caught fire.

Miss Froggatt will be interviewed by Jonathan Moscone, director of civic engagement at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts and former artistic director of California Shakespeare Theater.

“A Crooked Somebody” – an American independent film Miss Froggatt chose to screen-shows another side of the multi-faceted actress. For one thing she plays an American. Rich Sommer (“Mad Men”) makes a very appealing psychic named Vaughn. Vaughn’s readings seem to make people feel better afterward by giving them a kind of closure. But he proves to be too successful when someone he comes across believes that Vaughn is the real deal and can assist him in connecting with the other side. This is more of a grift than Vaughn can handle as his friend and business partner played by Miss Froggatt tries to warn him. With Ed Harris as Vaughn’s father, a preacher disgusted by his son’s career path. USA 2017 (102 minutes)

Ticket includes:
7:30 pm Joanne Froggatt Tribute: Film clips from her career, onstage interview
8:40 pm Screening of “A Crooked Somebody”