Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images for BFI
“I don’t know if it’s insensitive to say that I was grateful for it, but it gave you so much motivation to continue on with the picture because it does feel incredibly relevant,” she added. “It made it incredibly real.”
The cast of “Blitz” also includes Harris Dickinson, Paul Weller, Stephen Graham, Kathy Burke, and Benjamin Clementine. The film chronicles the lives of civilians during a sustained and intense Nazi bombing campaign during World War II known as the Blitz.
The story largely centers on the experience of a nine-year-old child, George (played by newcomer Elliott Heffernan), who is evacuated to the countryside for his safety, leaving his mother, Rita (Ronan), behind.
McQueen said at the press conference that he was inspired to write and direct “Blitz” after he came across a photo from the 1940s showing a young Black boy with a suitcase at a railway station while doing research for his previous project, “Small Axe.”
“I thought, who is that child? I want to see the war through his eyes,” McQueen said.
“Blitz” is set to be released in theaters on November 1 ahead of its streaming debut on Apple TV+ on November 22.