All eyes are on Blue Jean as momentum builds over writer-director Georgia Oakley's first feature ahead of the British Academy Film Awards.
The eighties-set drama is one of the five BAFTA nominees in the category of 'outstanding debut by a British writer, director or producer' and it lands former Newcastle University student Oakley and producer Hélène Sifre in the spotlight in the build-up to the February 19 awards ceremony. On the morning of Tuesday, January 31 there is to be an exclusive preview screening of the film at Tyneside Cinema in Newcastle, the city at the heart of where filming took place.
An invited audience will be among the first in the country to see Blue Jean which is set in the region in 1988 during the time of Margaret Thatcher's government and the notorious new and stigmatising Section 28 clause in law which banned promotion of homosexuality in schools. The Jean of the title is a lesbian PE teacher who effectively leads a double life to keep her sexuality secret.
Read more: See filming on Blue Jean in Newcastle
The closeted Jean is played by award-winning actor Rosy McEwen and the story, described by promoters as a "quiet and soulful drama", sees her character pushed to the brink after she is confronted in a lesbian bar and a new student threatens to expose her sexuality. Before work began on the film, the team advertised for cast for other roles and encouraged applicants from the LGBTQ+ community to play characters alongside the professional actors.
Once filming got under way in the region, film crews were seen in action last February around Moss Crescent in Gosforth - a street which also has featured in Vera - and, prior to that, in Grey Street in North Shields. Other chosen areas included Hexham and Whitley Bay. Below we round-up a range of locations used for filming Blue Jean and which film buffs can look out for when it hits the big screen.
Oakley said: “As someone who studied at Newcastle University and has close family in the region, shooting Blue Jean in the North East was an unforgettable experience. During our lengthy research phase, we connected with members of Newcastle’s queer community whose anecdotes and stories provided much needed texture for the film."
She added: “I’m proud to have captured this pivotal moment in LGBTQ+ history and given voice to those teachers whose lives were affected by Section 28.” Aready her film has won British Independent Film Award acclaim for its lead performances and awards for Oakley and casting agent Shaheen Baig plus a People’s Choice Award at Venice Film Festival.
Following the January 31 preview, it is to have another advance screening at Tyneside Cinema - see here to book - and also at Forum Cinema in Hexham, see here, both on February 8 and including introductions and post-screening question-and-answer sessions with Georgia Oakley, Hélène Sifre, Rosy McEwen and fellow lead actor Kerrie Hayes. The film, developed with the support of BBC Film, goes on nationwide release on February 6 - in LGBTQ+ History month - and marks 20 years from the repeal of Section 28.
For more more about Blue Jean see Altitude Film here. The 2023 EE BAFTA Film Awards, out to celebrate the very best in film of the past year, will take place on February 19 and will be broadcast at 7pm on BBC1 and BBC iPlayer. For the full list of categories and nominations see here.
North East filming locations for Blue Jean
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Venus Bar - the bar of this name in the film was actually the site of World Headquarters in Carliol Square, Newcastle
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Chippy - The Cottage Kitchen, Saville Street, North Shields
- Running scenes by the sea - these were filmed at Whitley Bay Promenade along Edwards Road, Whitley Bay
- School (Interiors) - these were shot in th former Old Hexham Middle School in Wanless Lane, Hexham, Northumberland
- Social Club - this was King Street Social Club at 27 King Street in North Shields
- The Coop - the scene was actually at 55 Westgate Road, Newcastle
- Bike & Car - at 9 Dale Street, Blyth, Northumberland
- Beach - the roundabout, Blyth
- Lois’ house - the location of this was in Grey Street, North Shields
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