Gary Wilkinson (left) and Tom Kelly
Following on from the success of the widely acclaimed film Little Ireland, film maker Gary Wilkinson and writer Tom Kelly are to join forces for a second time to produce what they hope to be their next hit film.
The documentary will take a look at the stories of significant people in Jarrow’s unique history such as the Venerable Bede, William Jobling – the last man to publically hang in the North East and Ellen Wilkinson – the Labour MP who lead the Jarrow crusade.
Taking the form of a narrated road trip around the town, the film will feature famous Jarrow landmarks and interviews with local people who will share their own memories and views on the historical subjects.
Gary, owner of Northeastern Films that produces films for the community, arts and educational sectors and Tom, a former drama lecturer at South Tyneside College and now a full time play playwright and author, first got together last year to produce the highly praised Little Ireland. A documentary style film about how Irish immigrants helped shape the history and geography of Jarrow. It opened to a sell out crowd at The Customs House, South Shields last month.
Gary said: “Tom and I got on great and worked well together on Little Ireland. Based on its success we decided to continue the relationship by making another film.
“Jarrow’s history is fascinating and there is still so much left for us to explore, we have just started researching material for the new film and expect we will be very busy all summer.”
Jarrow born Tom, whose previous work includes a poetry collection entitled The Wrong Jarrow, said: “Being a Jarrow lad, this subject is very close to my heart. There have been many historic events and characters who have had an enormous influence on the people of Jarrow.
“There is so much we still don’t know about our history and heritage and we are hoping to bring this to life with the help of local people and their stories of how their lives have been influenced by our great ancestors.”
The pair are set to launch the hotly anticipated film locally in October and are hoping to show it at various film festivals throughout the UK as a celebration of Jarrow’s unique history.
For more information or to share your own story with Gary and Tom, contact Gary on 0191 455 8395 or gary@northeasternfilms.co.uk
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