Lesley Manville

The gripping, decades-spanning inside story of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and the Prime Ministers who shaped Britain's post-war destiny. The Crown tells the inside story of two of the most famous addresses in the world – Buckingham Palace and 10 Downing Street – and the intrigues, love lives and machinations behind the great events that shaped the second half of the 20th century. Two houses, two courts, one Crown.

Dir. Peter Morgan · With Imelda Staunton, Jonathan Pryce, Lesley Manville

A beautiful, pure-hearted young woman, Maleficent has an idyllic life growing up in a peaceable forest kingdom, until one day when an invading army threatens the harmony of the land. She rises to be the land's fiercest protector, but she ultimately suffers a ruthless betrayal – an act that begins to turn her heart into stone. Bent on revenge, Maleficent faces an epic battle with the invading King's successor and, as a result, places a curse upon his newborn infant Aurora. As the child grows, Maleficent realizes that Aurora holds the key to peace in the kingdom – and to Maleficent's true happiness as well.

Dir. Robert Stromberg · With Angelina Jolie, Elle Fanning, Imelda Staunton

After her adoptive mother dies, Hortense, a successful black optometrist, seeks out her birth mother. She's shocked when her research leads her to Cynthia, a working class white woman.

Dir. Mike Leigh · With Brenda Blethyn, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Timothy Spall

When a mutating, highly contagious fungus escapes a sealed facility, two employees – joined by a grizzled bioterror operative – must survive the wildest night shift ever to save humanity from extinction.

Dir. Jonny Campbell · With Georgina Campbell, Joe Keery, Sosie Bacon

Actor William Hartnell felt trapped by a succession of hard-man roles while wannabe producer Verity Lambert was frustrated by the TV industry's glass ceiling. Both of them were to find unlikely hope and unexpected challenges in the form of a Saturday tea-time drama. Allied with a team of unusual but brilliant people, they went on to create the longest running science fiction series ever made.

Dir. Terry McDonough · With David Bradley, Jessica Raine, Sacha Dhawan

In 1950s London, a renowned dressmaker's meticulous lifestyle begins drastically changing as his relationship with his young muse intensifies.

Dir. Paul Thomas Anderson · With Daniel Day-Lewis, Vicky Krieps, Lesley Manville

Following the loss of their son, a retired sheriff and his wife leave their Montana ranch to rescue their young grandson from the clutches of a dangerous family living off the grid in the Dakotas.

Dir. Thomas Bezucha · With Diane Lane, Kevin Costner, Kayli Carter

A 1950s London cleaning lady falls in love with an haute couture dress by Christian Dior and decides to gamble everything for the sake of this folly.

Dir. Anthony Fabian · With Lesley Manville, Isabelle Huppert, Lambert Wilson

Margaret Hale is a southerner from a country vicarage newly settled in the industrial northern town of Milton. In the shock of her move, she misjudges charismatic cotton mill-owner John Thornton, whose strength of purpose and passion are a match for her own pride and willfulness. When the workers of Milton call a strike, Margaret takes their side, and the two are brought into deeper conflict. As events spiral out of control, Margaret - to her surprise - begins to fall in love with Thornton...

Dir. Elizabeth Gaskell, Sandy Welch · With Richard Armitage, Daniela Denby-Ashe, Sinéad Cusack

Abortionist Vera Drake finds her beliefs and practices clash with the mores of 1950s Britain – a conflict that leads to tragedy for her family.

Dir. Mike Leigh · With Imelda Staunton, Phil Davis, Sally Hawkins

Penny works at a supermarket and Phil is a gentle taxi-driver. Penny’s love for Phil has run dry and they lead joyless lives with their two children, Rachel, a cleaner, and Rory, who is unemployed and aggressive.

Dir. Mike Leigh · With Timothy Spall, Lesley Manville, Alison Garland

During a year, a very content couple approaching retirement are visited by friends and family less happy with their lives.

Dir. Mike Leigh · With Jim Broadbent, Lesley Manville, Ruth Sheen

In Verona, bad blood between the Montague and Capulet families leads to much bitterness. Despite the hostility, Romeo Montague manages an invitation to a masked ball at the estate of the Capulets and meets Juliet, their daughter. The two are instantly smitten but dismayed to learn that their families are enemies. Romeo and Juliet figure out a way to pursue their romance, but Romeo is banished for his part in the slaying of Juliet's cousin, Tybalt.

Dir. Carlo Carlei · With Hailee Steinfeld, Douglas Booth, Tomas Arana

An extraordinary look at the lives of a middle-aged couple in the midst of the wife's breast cancer diagnosis.

Dir. Lisa Barros D'Sa, Glenn Leyburn · With Liam Neeson, Lesley Manville, David Wilmot

When an intriguing novel appears at the bedside of a journalist whose career has been built on revealing transgressions, she is horrified to realize she's a key character in a long-buried story—one that exposes her darkest secret.

Dir. Alfonso Cuarón · With Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, Sacha Baron Cohen

Respected police officer John River, a gifted cop with a troubled mind, struggles to come to terms with the recent loss of a colleague, and chases a suspect across London - with tragic consequences. Now at odds with the authorities, River ends up in a precarious position as he seeks to bring closure to the mother of murdered teenager, who blames him for failing to keep his promise.

Dir. Abi Morgan · With Stellan Skarsgård, Nicola Walker, Adeel Akhtar

For nearly a decade, Gilbert and Sullivan’s collaborations have delighted the English people. But in 1884, as a London heat wave cuts into the theater trade, their latest work, "Princess Ida", receives lukewarm press. In an effort to reconcile their creative differences and drawing inspiration from Japanese culture, they went on to create the hit opera "The Mikado", one of the duo's greatest successes.

Dir. Mike Leigh · With Jim Broadbent, Allan Corduner, Timothy Spall

The extraordinary story of Amy Winehouse’s early rise to fame from her early days in Camden through the making of her groundbreaking album, Back to Black that catapulted Winehouse to global fame. Told through Amy’s eyes and inspired by her deeply personal lyrics, the film explores and embraces the many layers of the iconic artist and the tumultuous love story at the center of one of the most legendary albums of all time.

Dir. Sam Taylor-Johnson · With Marisa Abela, Jack O'Connell, Eddie Marsan

A series of heinous crimes have unsettled a small community, and Detective Lois Tryon feels they are eerily personal, as if someone—or something—is taunting her.

Dir. Ryan Murphy, Jon Robin Baitz, Joe Baken · With Niecy Nash, Courtney B. Vance, Nicholas Alexander Chavez

Emily Walters is an American widow living a peaceful, uneventful existence in the idyllic Hampstead Village of London, when she meets local recluse, Donald Horner. For 17 years, Donald has lived—wildly yet peacefully—in a ramshackle hut near the edge of the forest. When Emily learns his home is the target of developers who will stop at nothing to remove him, saving Donald and his property becomes her personal mission. Despite his gruff exterior and polite refusals for help, Emily is drawn to him—as he is to her—and what begins as a charitable cause evolves into a relationship that will grow even as the bulldozers close in.

Dir. Joel Hopkins · With Diane Keaton, Brendan Gleeson, James Norton

Eccentric British painter J.M.W. Turner lives his last 25 years with gusto and secretly becomes involved with a seaside landlady, while his faithful housekeeper bears an unrequited love for him.

Dir. Mike Leigh · With Timothy Spall, Dorothy Atkinson, Marion Bailey

In 1950s Mexico City, William Lee, an American ex-pat in his late forties, leads a solitary life amidst a small American community. However, the arrival in town of Eugene Allerton, a young student, stirs William into finally establishing a meaningful connection with someone.

Dir. Luca Guadagnino · With Daniel Craig, Drew Starkey, Jason Schwartzman

Jimmy Erskine is the most feared theatre critic of the age. He lives as flamboyantly as he writes and takes pleasure in savagely taking down any actor who fails to meet his standards. When the owner of the Daily Chronicle dies, and his son takes over, Jimmy quickly finds himself at odds with his new boss and his position under threat. In an attempt to preserve the power and influence he holds so sacred, Jimmy strikes a Faustian pact with a struggling actress, entangling them and the boss in a thrilling but deadly web of desire, blackmail, and betrayal.

Dir. Anand Tucker · With Ian McKellen, Gemma Arterton, Mark Strong

A group of women involved in the Women's Liberation Movement hatched a plan to invade the stage and disrupt the live broadcast at the 1970 Miss World competition in London, resulting in overnight fame for the newly-formed organization. When the show resumed, the results caused an uproar and turned the Western ideal of beauty on its head.

Dir. Philippa Lowthorpe · With Keira Knightley, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Jessie Buckley

A woman's consuming love forces her to bear the clone of her dead beloved. From his infancy to manhood, she faces the unavoidable complexities of her controversial decision.

Dir. Benedek Fliegauf · With Eva Green, Matt Smith, Lesley Manville

What if you lost your memory? What if a spy didn't know they were a spy? Years ago, the top agents of Citadel, Mason Kane and Nadia Sinh, had their minds wiped. But, they're called back to action as sinister forces emerge from the past. With the help of spymaster Bernard Orlick, these former lovers must remember the past to save the future.

Dir. Josh Appelbaum, David Weil, Bryan Oh · With Richard Madden, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Ashleigh Cummings

Single and middle-aged, beautiful Irene is wholly devoted to her job as an inspector of luxury hotels. Constantly on the road, she indulges in expensive pleasures at impeccable resorts, but always incognito and alone, soon escaping to the next exotic destination with her checklist and laptop in tow. When her best friend and ex, Andrea, who has always been a source of emotional support, suddenly becomes unavailable, Irene is thrown into a deep existential crisis. "Luxury is a form of deceit," she is told by a fellow traveller in the fog of a steam room, and thus begins Irene's quest to bring more meaning into her life.

Dir. Maria Sole Tognazzi · With Margherita Buy, Stefano Accorsi, Fabrizia Sacchi

A single mom tries to break free from a mysterious organization that has abducted her.

Dir. Steven Shainberg · With Noomi Rapace, Peter Stormare, Kerry Bishé

Working-class couple Shirley and Cyril are in conflict over whether they should have children, their problems with 'yuppies' moving into the neighbourhood and outpricing them, and the advent of Cyril's ageing mother's seventieth birthday.

Dir. Mike Leigh · With Phil Davis, Ruth Sheen, Edna Doré