The star-studded UK premiere of British action thriller Jackdaw, the feature debut of North East writer-director Jamie Childs (The Sandman, Willow, His Dark Materials), will take place at the Showcase Cinema de Lux Teesside in Stockton-on-Tees on January 24, 2024.
Childs will be joined on the red carpet by the film’s stars including Oliver Jackson-Cohen (The Invisible Man, Emily, The Haunting of Hill House) Jenna Coleman (Doctor Who, The Sandman, Victoria), Thomas Turgoose (Creation Stories, The Gallows Pole, This is England) and North East actor Joe Blakemore (The Third Day).
In addition to the premiere, there will also be a special paid public preview screening of the film in tandem with the premiere screening so members of the public in the region can come along and be part of the evening.
Shot on location in the North East of England in Hartlepool and the Tees Valley, around sites including Seal Sands, Nunthorpe, Redcar and the North Sea, Jackdaw is an unrelenting thriller mired in treachoury, crime and kidnapping set against the backdrop of the region’s breathtaking coastlines and dramatic industrial landscapes.
It also utilised The Northern Film and TV Studios, the North East’s only large-scale film and TV production facility. The film has seen significant investment from The Tees Valley Mayor and Combined Authority and the North East Production Fund, delivered by regional screen agency North East Screen on behalf of the North East Screen Industries Partnership (NESIP), as part of their ambitious plans to make the region one of the UK’s leading film and TV production hubs.
The film also features a pulse-pounding soundtrack including classic dance music tracks from The Prodigy, The KLF, Aphex Twin and Robin S, as well as new wave music from Adam and the Ants, The Revillos and a brand-new exclusive track from North East star Sam Fender.
Gayle Woodruffe, operations director for North East Screen, said: “We’re delighted to support the UK premiere of Jackdaw at the Showcase Cinema de Lux Teesside. It’s right on the doorstep of all the amazing Tees Valley locations that were used in the film, so is very fitting.
“Supporting ambitious, world-class local talent like Jamie Childs is integral to the work we are doing to make the North East one of the leading UK film hubs where regional folk can live, create and work.”
Writer/director Childs added: “I can’t wait to bring Jackdaw up to the North East for its UK premiere, and celebrate it with the rambunctious Northern souls who made it all possible.”
