Shane Meadows: Celebrated British director returns with first film in 17 years

The director said he’s ‘beyond excited’ about the new drama

Shane Meadows, the widely celebrated British director of dramas such as This is England (2006) and Dead Man’s Shoes (2004), has announced that he has wrapped filming on his first film in 17 years.

The 52-year-old has revealed that he has finished production on his new film Chork, which he has co-written with Adolescence writer Jack Thorne. The two have previously collaborated on the This is England TV series, which ran from 2010 to 2015, and the drama miniseries The Virtues, which starred Stephen Graham.

Chork will follow the story of two young girls, 15-year-old Kit and 11-year-old Ani, who leave their foster home in Kent to trek up the east coast of England in the hope of finding a better life in Scotland.

However, their disappearance sparks national interest and the police launch a widespread search to retrieve the girls, meaning Kit must use all of hits wits to protect Ani and help them achieve their goal.

Shane Meadows (Getty Images)

“To be returning to film after 17 years, writing alongside ‘megadude’ Jack Thorne again, and working with so many gifted collaborators, has been an absolute privilege,” said Meadows in a statement.

“Our story follows two beyond bright, funny as heck and mischievously ingenious young people on a ‘runaway’ road trip the length of this glorious isle. Safe to say, I’m beyond excited about what we’ve captured on their journey.

He added: “I’m also hugely grateful to our partners at BBC Film, BFI, Screen Yorkshire, Hoopsa Films and Altitude for their undying trust and support throughout.”

“The films of Shane Meadows are at the heart of contemporary British independent cinema and we are hugely excited to support his return, with a cast of exceptional new actors, his brilliant writing collaborator Jack Thorne, and an anarchic story of love, redemption and the untapped and profound potential of youth,” said Eva Yates, director of BBC Film.

Louise Ortega, senior production and development executive at the BFI, added that the film is “a typically funny, urgent and heartfelt state of the nation piece seen through the lens of two young girls making their way on a messy ride through Britain”.

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The cast of ‘This is England’ (Channel 4)

Meadows’ last fictional film was the 2009 fly-on-the-wall comedy Le Donk & Scor-zay-zee, which was filmed over the course of five days in 2007. It starred Paddy Considine, Olivia Colman and Arctic Monkeys as themselves.

In 2013, Meadows released the documentary The Stone Roses: Made of Stone about the iconic band’s 2012 reunion.