York St John alumna’s award-winning film comes to York

An award-winning film, which appears at a special screening at York City Screen next week, has been co-produced and co-directed by a former York St John University student.

Common People (12A), which will be screened on 10 June, is a film by Kerry Skinner and Stewart Alexander. Described as a bittersweet British comedy, the film weaves together six stories to tell a tale of romance, crisis and adventure and is based in a London park.

The film received its world premiere at the Sedona International Film Festival in the USA where it won The Independent Spirit Awards. It went on the screen at The St Louis International Film Festival where it was nominated for Best Narrative Feature, and it won the Excellence Award at The Rincon International Film Festival in Puerto Rico.

Its UK premiere was a one-off screening at The Clapham Picturehouse at the beginning of the year but the film was such a hit with audiences that it went on to play for nine weeks. Following this success, the Picturehouse chain decided to take the film nationwide – a first for an independent, self-distributed British feature.

It will screen at 17 cinemas across the country, including York City Screen, next week. As part of the venue’s Discover Tuesdays programme it will screen on 10 June at 6.30pm.

Kerry said: "I have been overwhelmed and delighted by the response to 'Common People' both from audiences in the USA and here in the UK. It is an honour to be the first ever entirely self-distributed film to receive a nationwide Picturehouse release and I am particularly delighted that the film will play at the City Screen in York.

“I spent an amazing three years studying for my Drama, Film & TV degree at York St Johns and eight happy years living in York, so to be able to screen my first feature film in this wonderful city feels so right. I'm bringing the film home to where it all began."

Kerry was a Drama, Film and TV student at York St John and graduated in 1994. She has worked in the industry ever since; including devising plays with young offenders, producing and directing shows and establishing a successful production company. Kerry also attended drama school in London and went on to appear in many stage and screen productions. She met Stewart at drama school and they began working together. Despite festival success for the film, the team have had to self-distribute Common People after struggling to find financial backing.