Welland Community Cinema

The Colour Room is an uplifting British drama inspired by the remarkable life of Clarice Cliff, the pioneering ceramic artist whose bold designs brought colour and modernity into millions of homes.

Set in Stoke-on-Trent during the 1920s, the film follows Clarice (Phoebe Dynevor), an ambitious young factory worker determined to become more than another pair of hands on a pottery production line. At a time when opportunities for working-class women were severely limited, she moves from factory to factory, learning new skills and refusing to allow convention to restrict her imagination.

Her talent and determination eventually attract the attention of Colley Shorter (Matthew Goode), the enlightened but unconventional factory owner who recognises something extraordinary in her work. Given the opportunity to experiment, Clarice begins creating the vivid colours, geometric patterns and daring shapes that will become her trademark.

But innovation brings risks. With the pottery industry facing difficult economic times and traditional tastes firmly established, Clarice must persuade both her employers and the buying public that there is a place for something startlingly new.

Beautifully designed and filled with the colours that made Clarice Cliff’s ceramics instantly recognisable, The Colour Room combines social history with an engaging story of ambition and artistic discovery. At its heart is a woman challenging expectations of class and gender through sheer imagination and determination.

Warm, entertaining and visually delightful, the film celebrates British craftsmanship, creative courage and the transformative power of seeing the familiar differently — while revealing the fascinating woman behind some of the twentieth century’s most distinctive ceramics.