Dewsbury-born filmmaker’s debut feature nominated for Best Picture at the BAFTA selected British Urban Film Festival

Jordon Scott Kennedy’s debut feature, Suicide Kelly, will be premiering as part of the Working Class Heroes programme of the film festival in Halifax, next Thursday, October 19, while the production has been nominated for Best Picture and Best Actor at an awards ceremony at Dean Clough in the town the following night, Friday, October 20.

Brought up on the Dewsbury Moor estate, the writer and director’s stories are strongly influenced by his upbringing in West Yorkshire, an area he feels is regularly misrepresented on our television screens.

Produced by Jordon’s own independent production company, Idle Work Factory, alongside Northern Exposure Films and West One Entertainment, Suicide Kelly explores generational racism in a marginalised working-class community and follows Brendan Kelly, a disgraced former boxer who gets a shot at redemption when his estranged grandson lands on his doorstep, looking for a place to hide out for the night.

Producer Sophie Kingsley said: “When I first read the script for SUCIDE KELLY, I resonated hugely with the story and was committed to making sure Jordon’s ideas came to life.”

The film stars Freddy Smith, as Cain Kelly, who has appeared in the BBC’s hit television show, and Calderdale-based, Happy Valley.

The launch of the film festival starts in Leeds on Saturday, October 14, and Sunday, October 15, before continuing in Halifax from Monday, October 16 to Friday, October 20, when Jordon will discover if Suicide Kelly has been successful in the Best Picture and Best Actor categories.