Actors Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Jenna Coleman and Thomas Turgoose to attend red carpet premiere of new thriller Jackdaw filmed in Hartlepool and Tees Valley

British action thriller Jackdaw is the feature film debut of North East-born writer-director Jamie Childs whose TV directing credits include The Sandman, Willow and His Dark Materials.

It features Oliver Jackson-Cohen as a struggling former motocross champion and army veteran, who embarks on a violent quest across the North East when his brother is kidnapped.

He stars alongside Doctor Who and Victoria actress Jenna Coleman, This is England’s Thomas Turgoose, and North East actor Joe Blakemore.

They and the director will be on the red carpet for the film’s premiere which will take place at the Showcase Cinema de Lux Teesside, in Stockton, on Wednesday, January 24.

Childs, who is originally from Shotton Colliery, said: “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.”

The 15-certificate film was shot on location in Hartlepool and the Tees Valley, including around Seal Sands, Nunthorpe, Redcar and the North Sea.

It also utilised the North East’s only large-scale film and TV production facility, the Northern Film and TV Studios, in Lynn Street, Hartlepool,

The film benefited from significant investment from The Tees Valley Mayor and Combined Authority and the North East Production Fund, delivered by regional screen agency North East Screen.

Gayle Woodruffe, operations director for North East Screen, said: “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.”

Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen added: “It’ll be fantastic to welcome the cast and crew of Jackdaw to Teesside for the star-studded premiere this month and I’m certain this event will be a great celebration of our growing local film industry.”

There will also be a special paid public preview screening of the film in tandem with the premiere screening so that local film fans can also attend and be part of the evening.

Tickets for this premiere preview can be booked at www.showcasecinemas.co.uk/film-info/jackdaw. Audiences are advised to book early to avoid disappointment.