ACTRESS Jodie Whittaker is to see her new film premiered in Yorkshire.
The Skelmanthorpe star is in Perrier’s Bounty, an Irish gangster film.
And it has been confirmed the UK premiere of the Ian Fitzgibbon film will herald the opening of the 16th Bradford International Film Festival.
Perrier’s Bounty, in which Jodie stars with Jim Broadbent, Cillian Murphy and Brenda Gleeson, will be screened in Bradford on March 18 to kick-start the prestigious 10-day festival.
Whittaker, 27, completed filming of Perrier’s Bounty last year.
Jodie said she enjoyed her work on Perrier’s Bounty, opposite Jim Broadbent, which she describes as an Irish gangster farce.
Much of the filming was done in Dublin – a city that Jodie loved.
“We had a fabulous time filming there and I grew to love Dublin.”
Jodie’s parents, Adrian and Yvonne, still live in Huddersfield but the actress herself is now based in north London.
Some of her co-stars from Perrier’s Bounty, including Cillian Murphy, are expected to be guests in Bradford for the launch of the Festival.
The Festival will showcase more than 120 features from all over the world.
Special guests due throughout the festival include superstar actors John Hurt and Imelda Staunton, and top directors Nicolas Roeg and Fernando Meirelles, who will all be presented with awards.
The Festival will come to a close with a 40th anniversary screening and digital premiere of The Railway Children, a film set in Yorkshire.
Stars Jenny Agutter, Sally Thomsett and Bernard Cribbins are due to attend and to pay tribute to another star and director, Lionel Jeffries, who died last week.
Festival artistic director Tony Earnshaw said: “I am particularly pleased with our programme this year.
“I shows our diversity and really demonstrates our commitment to unveiling authentic, independent cinema.
“We are proud to be celebrating our new status as City of Film and looking forward to welcoming guests and audiences at the National Media Museum and our satellite venues throughout the festival”.
