Sunday, 6 September 2026 at 9 pm
Directed by: Mike Leigh
United Kingdom, 1996
After the death of her adoptive mother, young London ophthalmologist Hortense embarks on a search for her biological mother. She finds her in the lower-class Cynthia, who at first denies being her mother because Hortense is black while Cynthia is white, but eventually admits that she is her mother. Cynthia lives with her daughter, Roxanne, a street cleaner, and their relationship is fraught with tension. Cynthia's brother, Maurice, is a successful photographer and lives nearby, but in a more prestigious area, with his wife, Monica, who suffers from depression because she cannot have children…
Following the great critical success of his previous film, Naked, Mike Leigh took things a step further with his next feature, Secrets & Lies, winning over not only critics and festivals but also a wider audience – the film earned several times its budget at the box office. Leigh made it in his usual way, through lengthy rehearsals and improvisation with the cast, achieving the highest degree of realism with strong naturalistic undertones. It is a supreme study of character and class relations, and of intense emotional engagement. Brenda Blethyn, who would star as police inspector Vera in the popular and acclaimed TV series of the same name some fifteen years later, is brilliant in the lead role, as is Leigh's direction.
Secrets & Lies won the Palme d'Or at Cannes and the award for Best Actress, and was nominated for five Oscars – for Best Picture, Director, Original Screenplay, and Best Actress and Supporting Actress (Marianne Jean-Baptiste for her role as Hortense). They also won the British Academy Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) “Alexander Korda” Award for Best British Film, as well as BAFTAs for Best Original Screenplay and Best Actress. Brenda Blethyn also won the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Drama, while the film itself was also nominated for a European Film Award and, among many other accolades, won the Independent Spirit Award.
Tickets for the screening on 6 September 2026 at 9 pm can be purchased online HERE, as well as at the Surogatkino KIC box office one hour before the start.