AMMONITE

In the 1840s, acclaimed self-taught palaeontologist Mary Anning works alone on the wild and brutal Southern English coastline of Lyme Regis. The days of her famed discoveries behind her, she now hunts for common fossils to sell to rich tourists to support herself and her ailing widowed mother. When one such tourist, Roderick, entrusts Mary with the care of his young wife Charlotte, who is recuperating from a personal tragedy. Mary, whose life is a daily struggle on the poverty line, cannot afford to turn him down but, proud and relentlessly passionate about her work, she clashes with her unwanted guest. Mary and Charlotte discover they can each offer what the other has been searching for: the realisation that they are not alone.

FRANSIS LI / FRANCIS LEE

Francis Lee was brought up on his parents’ farm on the Pennine Hills in Yorkshire. After an acting career, Francis self-financed three short films which onto screen at international film festivals winning many awards. Francis wrote and directed the hugely successful debut feature film God’s Own Country which was developed and funded by BFI and Creative England and premiered at Sundance 2017 where Francis won Best Director. 

Francis Lee’s biopic of palaeontology pioneer Mary Anning reimagines her erotic relationship with a woman trapped in a stifling marriage

Peter Bradshaw, Guardian