TRACEY SEAWARD

THE PROGRAM (2015)
Starring Ben Foster, Chris O'Dowd, Guillaume Canet, Jesse Plemons, Dustin Hoffman and Elaine Cassidy. Directed by Stephen Frears.

The film charts the thrilling rise of pro-cyclist Lance Armstrong through the ‘90s and early 2000s, battling cancer, as he and his fellow American teammates dominate and change the quintessentially European sport of cycling. Winning the Tour de France an unprecedented seven times, Lance retires as one of the great sporting heroes of our time, and worth millions of dollars. Sports writer David Walsh is at first charmed by Lance’s charisma and talent, but as he probes further, he believes the world is being sold a lie. After speaking out about his concerns, Walsh finds himself ostracised by the cycling community. As a lone voice he perseveres, but it will be several years before Lance is exposed.

REVIEWS The Program - The man, the myth, the legend, the lies

PHILOMENA (2013)
Starring Judi Dench, Steve Coogan, Sophie Kennedy Clark, Mare Winningham, Barbara Jefford, Ruth McCabe, Peter Hermann, Sean Mahon, Anna Maxwell Martin and Michelle Fairley. Directed by Stephen Frears.

The true story of one mother’s search for her lost son. Falling pregnant as a teenager in Ireland in 1952, Philomena Lee was sent to the convent of Roscrea to be looked after as a “fallen woman”. When her baby was only a toddler, he was whisked away by the nuns to America for adoption. Philomena spent the next fifty years searching for him in vain. Then she met Martin Sixsmith, a world-weary journalist as cynical as Philomena was trusting. Together they set off for America on a journey that would not only reveal the extraordinary story of Philomena’s son, but also the powerful bond that grew up between Philomena and Martin.

REVIEWS Philomena - A journey worth taking