Ditchling Film Society is proud to host an evening in conversation with Greta Scacchi. Join us for a screening of White Mischief (15) followed by Greta Scacchi in coversation with Peter Guttridge author and former film journalist.
Set in 1940s colonial Kenya, White Mischief (1987) follows Diana Broughton (Greta Scacchi), a young aristocrat trapped in a loveless marriage to the much older Sir Jock Broughton (Charles Dance). Seeking escape, she falls for the charismatic Josslyn Hay, Earl of Erroll (Joss Ackland), a notorious figure in the decadent Happy Valley set. Their affair sparks jealousy and scandal within the insular expatriate community, leading to Erroll’s mysterious murder—a crime that exposes the moral decay beneath the group’s glamorous facade. Directed by Michael Radford (1984), the film blends historical drama with an atmospheric murder mystery, set against the striking landscapes of East Africa.
Radford’s direction highlights the tension between Diana’s yearning for freedom and the rigid constraints of her world. Scacchi delivers a nuanced performance, portraying Diana as both vulnerable and defiant, caught in a web of passion and power. John Hurt’s narration adds a reflective tone, while the film’s restrained pacing builds a quiet inevitability. With its mix of romance, intrigue, and social critique, White Mischief offers a compelling portrait of colonial excess and the personal tragedies it leaves in its wake.
Free for members.
£7 Advance tickets on sale from Ditchling Post Office or on the door
Welcome to the new Ditchling Film Society programme for 2025.
We have selected a year of eclectic and award-winning films both in English and in other languages for you to enjoy this year.
Screenings are on the first Thursday of every month, apart from January (Thu 16 Jan) and in May (Thu 8 May), at 8pm in Ditchling Village Hall with doors open at 7.30pm. Quality wine and beer is available to purchase prior to every screening and complementary tea, coffee & biscuits are also served.
Membership is £50.00 for twelve months and covers all eleven films from when you join. Guests pay £7.00 at the door. Payment is by cash or card.
Members can get extra benefits on a 20% discount at The Bull pub on movie nights and can also access the society’s library of over 100 titles on DVD and Blu-ray. To join the society membership pay at the door or contact the society at treasurer@ditchlingfilm.org.uk
Please note films may change due to circumstances beyond our control. We thank you for your support and look forward to seeing you at our films.
Played by Mads Mikkelsen, Martin is a high school teacher in a mid life crisis. He and his three colleagues embark on an “study” to see what level of alcohol makes them better people.
Measuring social and professional performance they drink only during working hours. Intoxicating, very funny and sobering. The film won a Bafta for Best Film not in the English Language and an Oscar for best international feature.
Directed by Thomas Vintenburg. Danish with English Subtitles.
Wim Wenders’s Oscar-nominated zen Japanese drama is his best feature film in years. Hirayama cleans public toilets in Tokyo, lives his life in simplicity, appreciating each moment, alongside encounters that lead him to reflect on himself.
This zen meditation on beauty, fulfilment and simplicity is an achingly lovely and unexpectedly life-affirming picture.
Directed by Wim Wenders. English / Japanese with subtitles.
Two lonely souls connect in a rain-lashed Helsinki in this unexpectedly uplifting drama from the Finnish master of melancholy.
Meeting by chance the two look at last to have found love. However, various obstacles thwart their hopes and dreams – lost phone numbers, mistaken addresses, alcoholism and a charming dog. Won the Jury prize at Cannes. Tragicomic romance set in modern-day Helsinki.
Directed by Aki Kaurismäki. Finnish with English Subtitles.
