We round up an amazing year with a cracker of a December programme

There's no denying it - markets have suddenly appeared, selection boxes are hugging the shelves, winter spice is being added to everything from coffee to cake, the John Lewis ad is on the telly... it's nearly Christmas. It's 37 days away, in fact, but don't worry - we're here to ease you into the festive season with a great line up of films and a warming welcome in the Café/Bar.

Our December cinema programme features a lot of strong, formidable females, all of whom are very different: from Sunset Song's independent-minded young farmer, to a focus on the complex, colourful life of art collector Peggy Guggenheim, to the 'mostly true' story of a singular older lady who held fort at the bottom of Alan Bennett's drive for 15 years (The Lady in the Van) and a great Sunday Brunch season picked by Elizabeth Karlsen, one of the most important film producers in the industry, it's a diverse bunch.

There's also a very timely look at satire in art - with a particular focus on political cartoonists, most notably Ralph Steadman, whose work you will recognise from the explosive credits of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (which we'll screen on Sat 5 Dec). On The Margins: Cartoonists, Satire and Democracy, is a great selection of films and shorts (screening over the weekend of Sat 5 - Sun 6 Dec) dedicated to artists on the margins of the mainstream - a look at how, in Steadman's own words, 'drawing became a weapon'.

If you're looking for the ideal present for Chrismas, our Gift Vouchers are the perfect present for any film fan in your life, and are available to buy online. It’s simple – they can be bought in any denomination, will last for up to 12 months, and can be redeemed against any film, or cards, DVDs, and confectionary. Sponsoring a Seat is also a really special gift - and you can now sponsor a seat in any of our three cinemas.

We also wanted to give you the heads up that throughout December we'll have some builders in to fit a brand new kitchen. This is great news for Watershed - it'll make our space greener and more sustainable, will be a far more pleasant area for our team to work in, and will improve our service - but it does mean what we can offer to eat and drink will be a little different.

Throughout the building works we will be serving a menu of soup and sharing plates on recyclable, compostable plates, and the bar will remain unaffected (apart from being closed on one day, Mon 30 Nov). We've written a short piece on the schedule and what to expect so please do take a look.

And related to all things timing, take a look at our Christmas and New Year Opening Hours here. Enjoy your holidays wherever you are, and see you in 2016 bright and early. We've got Slapstick Festival coming up to help you banish those post-Christmas blues!

Check out our Calendar for the rest of the programme...

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