The first trailer for Blitz, a World War II film directed by Sir Steve McQueen, offers a glimpse of how locations in Hull were transformed to represent 1940s London. The film tells the story of George, a defiant nine-year-old boy played by Elliott Heffernan, and his mother Rita, portrayed by Saoirse Ronan, as she tries to send him to safety during the Blitz.
Filming took place in February 2023, when Hull’s streets were lined with vintage red buses, 1940s posters, and period street furniture to recreate wartime London. Locations such as Hull’s Old Town and Paragon railway station can be seen in the trailer.
Hull, dubbed “Hullywood” for its growing role in film and TV, has previously been featured in productions like The Crown and Enola Holmes 2, using landmarks like High Street and Queen Victoria Square. Blitz also included extras and actors from East Yorkshire.
Sir Steve McQueen, known for his Academy Award-winning film 12 Years a Slave, directed Blitz, which will premiere at the BFI London Film Festival on 9 October before its cinema release on 1 November.
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