There is a day of wonderful British cinema at the Victoria Hall on Saturday, 16th April, with a 4.30 p.m. family screening of the beautiful hand-drawn animated adventure, Song of The Sea (PG), and a 7.30 p.m. screening of the hugely successful period drama, Suffragette (12A).

Song of the Sea draws on a rich heritage of Irish mythology and folklore, to tell the story of Ben and his little sister, Saoirse. Saoirse, however, is no ordinary little sister; she is quite extraordinary, indeed she is the last of the Selkies. Selkies are mythical creatures who live as Seals when they are in the sea, but shed their skins to become humans once on the land.

This visually stunning retelling of the popular Irish myth by Academy Award-winning director, Tomm Moore, won a host of best animated film nominations and awards for its rich storytelling and visual beauty. A great Irish cast voice the characters, among them the wonderful Brendan Gleeson, who also won Best Supporting Actor in the British Independent Cinema Awards for his performance in Suffragette.

Following the fascinating cinematic journey of laundress, Maud (Carey Mulligan) and her friends, as they become, somewhat to their own surprise, important foot soldiers of the early feminist cause, Suffragette takes a familiar piece of classroom history and makes it seem entirely new.

Suffragette features great writing from renowned screenwriter, Abi Morgan (The Hour, The Invisible Woman) and a stellar British cast that includes Carey Mulligan, Helena Bonham-Carter, Anne-Marie Duff, Brendan Gleeson, Ben Whishaw and Meryl Streep in a scene-stealing cameo as Emmeline Pankhurst. Carey Mulligan won Best Actress of the Year in the Hollywood Film Awards for her portrayal of Maud.

Suffragette depicts in fascinating detail how it was that ordinary working women became increasingly frustrated with the path of peaceful protest and instead found themselves in all their desperation, embroiled in the sort of civil disobedience, which not only saw them involved in actions such as putting explosives in post-boxes and undertaking hunger strikes, but even more heartbreakingly sees one of them sealing her permanent place in history by throwing herself in the direct path of the king’s horse.

If you missed this sterling piece of British period drama in the cinemas, come and enjoy it at the Victoria Hall this weekend.

These screenings will be the last in the Victoria Hall’s intimate Green Room studio. From May, screenings will move into the larger V H Studio, with new tiered seating funded by Radstock and Westfield Big Local and Sue Hill Dance Ltd. With only 35 seats in the Green Room Studio, audiences are urged to book in advance for both Song of the Sea and Suffragette to guarantee a seat. Tickets can be booked online at: www.vhradstock.co.uk