Hastings Smugglers, a film by Nick Bloomfield

Nick Bloomfield is bringing his film Hastings Smugglers to Durbar Hall at the Hastings Museum & Art Gallery on Saturday 28 November, starting at 2pm. It's a look at England's long love-hate relationship with smuggling, told through the lens of Hastings and the Sussex and Kent coast, where contraband wasn't just a crime but an economy, a culture and sometimes a way of surviving.

Bloomfield sets the story in the chaos of the Georgian era (1714-1837), a time of wars and crushing taxation. The film mixes documentary, live action and animation to retell old stories, with plenty of music and reimagined traditional songs running through it. It's a vivid and occasionally darkly comic journey through the smuggling trade that once defined the coast.

There's a personal side to this one too. The Association's late colleague and friend Andre Palfrey-Martin was due to work with Bloomfield on the film but died too soon. When it showed earlier in the year at St Leonards Kino, all three performances sold out, so it's worth getting in early if you're planning to go.

On the day, Nick Bloomfield will introduce the film and stay on to answer questions afterwards. It's at Durbar Hall, Hastings Museum & Art Gallery, Bohemia Road, Hastings TN34 1ET, on Saturday 28 November at 2pm, and tickets are £10 to the Association.