CLAIRE Shilton will be talking about her travels in Vanuatu ahead of a screening of Oscar nominated film Tanna at Bridport Arts Centre on Thursday, October 26.

Claire will be in conversation with the arts centre's director Laura Cockett sharing her stories, observations and photos from her four month visit to the Pacific islands.

She travelled to the islands last winter following her disappointment at the outcome of the Brexit vote and the election of Donald Trump as US President.

Claire said: "So an invitation to tropical islands I'd never heard of, from a man I'd met once, proved too irresistable to refuse."

Tanna, an island of Vanuatu, was the sixth island Claire visited, drawn to the thrill of experiencing a live volcano.

Claire said: "Whilst sheltering from Cyclone Cook in April, my host played the Tanna movie on his laptop, I hadn't realised until that point I'd been photographing the unassuming stars and was indeed the only tourist to witness the deputy prime minister handing over a cheque and large pig to celebrate the Yakel villagers' participation in the film which had, in turn, increased tourism to the islands.

Tanna, (12A), is set in the South Pacific where Wawa, a young girl from one of the last traditional tribes, falls in love with her chief's grandson, Dain.

When an inter-tribal war escalates, Wawa is unknowingly betrothed as part of a peace deal. The young lovers run away but are pursued by enemy warriors intent on killing them. They must choose between their hearts and the future of the tribe, whilst the villagers must wrestle with preserving their traditional culture and adapting it to the increasing outside demands for individual freedom. Tanna is based on a true story and performed by the people of Yakel in Vanuatu.

*Claire Shilton's Travels in Vanuatu and Tanna, Bridport Arts Centre, Thursday, October 26, 7.30pm. Call the box office for tickets.