Belle

Belle, the much-anticipated film about the mixed race daughter of a British aristocratic Navy Admiral, is finally released in London on the 13th of June. Amma Asante has only directed one feature length film before – the well received tragicomedy A Way of Life (2004)  – but this film has already been receiving press attention for not only for its plot, but also for her impressive directional skill. 
Based on real events...
Based on the true, and truly incredible, story of Dido Belle, who grew up in traditional English luxury at Kenwood House in Hampstead, this film explores racial prejudice from a novel standpoint.
RADA graduate Gugu Mbatha-Raw gives an extraordinary performance. She transforms what might have been a moralising tale into a sensitive representation of the experiences of a real woman, with a rich inner life. 
With a hint of Jane Austen...
There is of course a fairytale element to the film  –  and the world and the romance can seem plucked out of Austen at times  –  but Belle remains true to history, and Asana has ensured that the film is set on a definite undercurrent of slavery and racism, a facet of British history that is often unacknowledged. 
As well as the title newcomer, other veteran actors put in wonderful performances in Belle. Miranda Richardson (The Phantom of the Opera (2004); The Empire of the Sun (1987); Harry Potter) puts in a feisty turn as a scheming matriarch, and fellow Potter-actor Tom Felton re-uses his Malfoy-esque drawl as the bigoted son of his former co-star.