“Everyone should see this film” says Emma Thompson.

Are you ready to talk about death?

We’re very lucky to have the UK’s first Coffin Club here in Hastings. You can meet its founders at a special Dying Matters week Q&A and screening of new film about empowerment in death, Dead Good, on Saturday 18 May, says Annie Waite.

Electric Palace cinema in Hastings Old Town is screening the film Dead Good to help mark Dying Matters Week, 13-19 May. Special guests from Hastings’ Coffin Club and St Michael’s Hospice, plus the film’s director, will be sticking around after the screening for a panel discussion and Q&A all about death.

Emma Thompson urges you to see this film

“This is an unbelievably timely and important film. It is beautifully crafted, so comforting as well as moving, and gives the wisdom forth so simply and compellingly. Everyone should see this.” – Dame Emma Thompson.

She’s not its only fan. Stephen Fry has pledged his support for the film with a valuable set of endorsements and RTs on Twitter in recent weeks. British actress Miriam Margolyes signed up as patron of Coffin Club earlier this year, so the drive to create a more open and frank forum for discussing death is gathering pace in the public eye. And this can only be a good thing.

Empowerment in death

Dead Good offers an intimate portrait of those dealing with their dead in modern Britain, supported by a team of women who are ‘giving death back to the people’ and enabling participation during the care process.

For nearly 20 years, a small group of women in Brighton (UK) have been changing the way people look after their dead, supporting them to participate during the ritual of care after death and empowering them to create personal ceremonies that reflect the life that the deceased lived.

An extraordinary level of access is given, and in the film we follow three groups of people, close up, from after the death through to the ceremony. This relatively unknown work is part of an emerging global movement confronting the way death is approached. It is a gentle look at a human right that has been taken away but is gradually being reclaimed by ordinary people.

The Cure rarity on the soundtrack

Robert Smith of The Cure re-recorded a new string quartet arrangement of Pictures of You exclusively for the documentary after watching 15 minutes of material at the early stages of production. Other notable musicians on the soundtrack include Alison Moyet, Underworld, Martin Donnelly and Rita Lynch.

★★★★ “The final silhouetted montage shot is quite possibly the most beautiful thing you’ll see on a screen all year.” – The Fan Carpet

Dead Good Electric Palace cinema, 39a High Street, Hastings Old Town, TN34 3ER, Saturday 18 May, 8pm.

Book tickets on the Electric Palace website.

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