Award-winning filmmaker Shane Meadows is set to return to the big screen after more than a decade, teaming up with celebrated writer Jack Thorne (The Virtues, Adolescence) for an upcoming feature titled Chork.
Written by Thorne, Chork unfolds along the rugged east coast of England, tracing the gripping journey of two runaway siblings—15-year-old Kit and her 11-year-old brother Ani. Escaping their foster home, the pair set out in search of hope and freedom while a national manhunt and the relentless pursuit of police loom over them. As their odyssey intensifies, Kit must summon every ounce of resolve to shield Ani and carry their mission forward.
The lead roles were cast through open calls held across the U.K., overseen by Shaheen Baig, a long-time collaborator of Meadows known for her work on Hot Milk and Adolescence.
Best known for acclaimed features like TwentyFourSeven, Dead Man’s Shoes, Somers Town and A Room for Romeo Brass, Meadows has also made a lasting mark on television with projects like This Is England, The Virtues and The Gallows Pole.
The film is being produced by Ben Pugh and Cathy King of 42, Lauren Dark and Amy Jackson of Unified, along with Meadows’ Big Arty and Thorne’s One Shoe Films. Both Meadows and Thorne will also serve as executive producers.
Backing for Chork comes from BBC Film, the BFI (via National Lottery funding), Screen Yorkshire (through the Yorkshire Content Fund), and Hoopsa Films. Executive producers include Eva Yates and Kristin Irving (BBC Film), Louise Ortega (BFI), Caroline Cooper Charles (Screen Yorkshire), Sonny Gill and Tim Macready (Hoopsa Films), and Ali Jazayeri and Keith Kehoe (Three Picture Capital), alongside Laura Jackson and Joshua Horsfield. The project was developed in partnership with BBC Film.
Altitude is set to distribute Chork in cinemas across the UK and Ireland in 2026.
