Film: Much Ado About Dying

About Film: Much Ado About Dying

Location: Duncan Place Community Hub 
4 Duncan Place, Leith, Edinburgh, EH6 8HW

Special Demystifying Death Week Film Screening + Optional Post-Film Death Cafe. While our usual community cinema screenings have a ticket price of £4, this special film screening is free, thanks to some additional funding from the Scottish Partnership for Palliative Care.
This event is for adults aged 16+

Much Ado About Dying (2024)
BBFC rating: 15 (however this particular screening is strictly for ages 16+)
Running time: 84 mins.
Directed by: Simon Chambers.
Genre: Documentary
Language: English.
Subtitles: SDH English subtitles.
View the trailer for Much Ado About Dying on YouTube here. 

About the Film:
Simon is shooting a film in India when his Uncle David calls him with a message of doom: “Come back to London, I think I may be dying.” What the viewer doesn’t yet know is that David is a Shakespeare-loving drama queen who has grown old on a diet of attention and applause. But Simon finds his own life drastically interrupted when he returns to try and sort everything out. David has no intention of dying.

As the months turn into years David accidently makes himself homeless, and refuses to go into a care home. While Simon tries to figure out how he can help his anarchic and spirited uncle, David sits in his kitchen reciting King Lear, “It’s the play about an old man becoming infirm, losing his mind and giving his kingdom away” he tells his nephew. Simon soon discovers that his uncle too has been giving away thousands of pounds to a hot young “carer”. As David’s life echoes the play that he loves so much, Simon is left with the challenge of trying to help David find a good ending to the drama that his own life has become.

“...joyous clarity...bittersweet empathy...in this achingly funny-sad film"
-Variety

"In its refreshingly frank look at the end of life, Much Ado About Dying becomes a thought-provoking study of what it means to live."
-Screen Daily

Post-film Death Cafe
Following the screening, attendees are welcome to stay and take part in a free Death Cafe. This is entirely optional. The Death Cafe will last around an hour.

What is a Death Cafe?
At a Death Cafe people, often strangers, gather to eat cake, drink tea and discuss death. A Death Cafe is a group directed discussion of death with no agenda, objectives or themes, with an emphasis on listening and sharing, and the focus that life is finite and we want to talk about that. It is a discussion group rather than a grief support or counselling session.
Please see the Death Cafe website for further information on what a Death Cafe typically involves.

The Death Café portion of the afternoon will be facilitated by Tamsin Grainger, who has 5 years' experience of holding Death Cafes, is a Shiatsu therapist specialising in grief and end-of-life care, and author of a 2020 book on Death and Loss.

Refreshments
We will provide hot drinks, squash and biscuits to enjoy during the film. 
Small cash donations towards these are welcome but not required.
You are also welcome to bring your own refreshments, however no alcohol is permitted. Please also refrain from bringing any hot or strong smelling food items. Thank you.

Much Ado About Dying BBFC Content Advice

Language
There is infrequent use of very strong language (‘c**t’) and also of strong language (‘f**k’)’. Milder terms include ‘shit’ and ‘God’.

Sex
Infrequent moderate sex references include a use of ‘f**k’ in the sexual sense.

Discrimination
There are brief and undetailed references to historical homophobia, which is clearly criticised.

Suicide and self-harm
A man tells his relative that he is experiencing suicidal thoughts. Soon afterwards the man refuses medical treatment necessary to save his life, but he subsequently changes his mind. There is no graphic detail.

Theme
Mild upsetting scenes include ones involving illness and death, such as scenes in which a man attends the bedside of his elderly relative in the final hours of his life.

More information on BBFC content advice for Much Ado About Dying here.

Duncan Place Access Information

• SDH English subtitles will be onscreen during the film. 
• There is ramped access into the building. The event will be held on the ground floor of Duncan Place Community Hub and is wheelchair accessible.
• There are two individual toilets on the ground floor with one being wheelchair accessible.
• We have a mix of padded seats and hard plastic seats. Seats with arm rests are also available if needed. We have a limited supply of chair cushions available on request.
• There is foyer space and outdoor space for those that might need to break away to a quieter area during the film.

If there is anything we can do to help you attend, please get in touch by emailing events@duncanplace.org or phoning 0131 364 4350.

Getting Here

We can be found on Google Maps here > https://goo.gl/maps/qNZeEKWL1uhdQRBd7

Duncan Place is a few minutes’ walk from Leith Walk, Duke Street, Great Junction Street and Easter Road. This area is very well served with buses, including 1, 7, 14, 16, 21, 25, 34, 35 & 49.

www.lothianbuses.com has a journey planner.

The closest tram stop is Foot Of The Walk.

Bike racks are available in our outdoor space. Please bring a secure lock. We do not have any to loan out & bikes and scooters are not allowed in the building. Bikes and scooters are left at your own risk and Duncan Place will not accept any responsibility for any damage or theft. CCTV does cover the bike racks.

Duncan Place has 1 disabled parking space and 1 further space alongside the exterior fencing, both available on a first come basis.

Parking bays have been painted on the road outside the building and on-street (card only) pay and display meters have been installed by City of Edinburgh Council, at a rate of £3.80 per hour, Monday to Friday 8:30am until 5:30pm.

There are also yellow zig zags on the street. Again, please check signage but at the time of writing it is free to park on the zigs zags after 4pm Mon to Fri and all day on the weekends.

There is free parking at the nearby Tesco. At the time of writing parking is available for up to 3 hours.