ILKLEY Film Society opens its new season on Sunday, September 10th with the British romantic drama Empire Of Light (8pm, Ilkley Playhouse).

National treasure Olivia Colman stars as Hilary, the duty manager of the Empire, a Margate cinema in 1980. She is struggling with bipolar disorder and an emotional life which is restricted to a very unsatisfactory affair with her married boss. When Stephen, a young Black British man, joins the cinema staff the two form a bond when he shows a fascination for the magnificent Art Deco building and its workings, and Hilary glimpses the possibility of a much more rewarding life.

Colman is supported by Colin Firth as the boss, Toby Young as the projectionist, and Michael Ward (winner of the 2020 BAFTA Rising Star award) as Stephen. Roger Deakins' superb cinematography gained him an Oscar nomination. The director is Sam Mendes, the only man to have directed two consecutive James Bond movies – Skyfall and Spectre.

As Empire Of Light is a British film, hard-of-hearing subtitles will not be used for the screening.