Pathé has released the first images from its new feature film, ‘Allelujah,’ a darkly comic tale about surviving old age.
Based on the stage play by Alan Bennett (The Madness of King George, The Lady in The Van), Richard Eyre (Notes on A Scandal, Iris) directs from a screenplay by Heidi Thomas.
The synopsis reads; When the geriatric ward of a small Yorkshire hospital is threatened with closure, the hospital decides to fight back by galvanizing the local community. They invite a news crew to film their preparations for a concert in honour of the hospital’s most distinguished nurse. What could go wrong? The story celebrates the spirit of the elderly patients whilst paying tribute to the deep humanity of the medical staff battling with limited resources and ever-growing demand. But in the midst of the tears and the laughter, we slowly realise that there is something threatening the hospital that is far more lethal than the politicians demanding efficiency at any cost…
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Jennifer Saunders (Absolutely Fabulous), Judi Dench (Notes On A Scandal, Iris), Derek Jacobi (I Claudius, Frasier), David Bradley (Harry Potter, Game Of Thrones), Julia McKenzie (Guys And Dolls, Sweeney Todd), Russell Tovey (The History Boys) and Bally Gill (Ian Charleson Award 2019) star.
Footage from the film, which recently completed principal photography, will be screened at the upcoming Cannes Film Festival.
Pathe plans to theatrically release the film in the UK early next year, coinciding with the 75th Anniversary of the NHS.
