STARS of a film shot largely in Holme Wood will attend a preview screening at The Light Bradford.

Ali & Ava, a touching contemporary love story set in Bradford, involved many local people in both cast and crew.

Ahead of its national release in March, the critically acclaimed film will be shown at The Light cinema on Tuesday, February 15 at 7.15pm, followed by a Q&A with the cast.

Filmed in Holme Wood and other Bradford locations - including Undercliffe Cemetery, Bradford Cathedral grounds and the city's Waterstones bookstore - Ali & Ava is about an unlikely romance between a middle-aged teaching assistant from an Irish Catholic background, played by Claire Rushbrook, and a younger music obsessed DJ, played by Adeel Akhtar, star of Netflix hit Stranger Things.

When they connect over a child at Ava’s school, their friendship blossoms into something more - despite the disapproval of their families.

Rooted in the realism of a working-class community in 21st century Britain, the film has humour, kindness and hope.

Ali & Ava was financed by Screen Yorkshire and is written and directed by Otley-born Clio Barnard, director of Bafta-nominated 2010 film The Arbor, about the life of Buttershaw playwright Andrea Dunbar.

Attending The Light screening will be Ali & Ava cast members including Bradford actress Natalie Gavin, whose TV work includes Line of Duty and Gentleman Jack, and Holme Wood actor Shaun Thomas, who was picked as a schoolboy to star in Clio Barnard’s 2013 film The Selfish Giant, about young scrap dealers.

Other youngsters and adults from Holme Wood also appear in Ali & Ava, and graduates from the University of Bradford worked with the crew. The film was shot in 2019, and during lockdown local people helped with sound recordings when the production team was unable to travel.

At the film's northern premiere in Bradford last year Clio said: “I came here in 2008 to make The Arbor and it was because of Andrea Dunbar that I grew to love Bradford. I grew up not far from here and I wanted to make a film that celebrates the city and its inhabitants. I hope this film is a positive representation of the city that I’ve grown to love.”

Bradford City of Film director David Wilson, who worked closely with Clio on Ali & Ava, said: “This is a very Bradford film and was supported all the way by the Bradford Film Office. We provided space for script read-throughs and helped to find locations across the district and production offices in Little Germany. We worked with Incommunities and residents in Holme Wood, where a house was used for filming.

“Bradford should be very proud of the films of Clio Barnard, which are so well regarded at film festivals worldwide. The Selfish Giant was the first feature film supported by the Bradford Film Office in 2013 and we’re immensely proud to be associated with Clio. She knows the city well - we need more local voices like hers.”