Joe Locke Like You've Never Seen Him: Everything We Know About Black Church Bay

Forget Charlie Spring. In Black Church Bay, Joe Locke steps into something a lot darker, and fans got a quick glimpse of it before it vanished.

The film is a queer mystery-thriller from Welsh writer-director Rhys Marc Jones. It stars Tom Cullen and Locke, and it's heading to its world premiere at the Zurich Film Festival on Sept. 25, the day after Locke turns 23.

What is Black Church Bay about?

The story is set in a remote coastal village in Wales. Jasper (Locke), an openly gay sixth-form student, disappears after a secret weekend away with Barry (Cullen), the school's deputy head teacher. As the village searches for answers, Barry's hidden life starts to come apart, along with secrets the whole community has been keeping.

The filmmakers describe it as a story about how far someone will go to hide who they really are. This is not a romance. It's a thriller about secrets, power and shame, and the relationship at its center is meant to make you uncomfortable.

What happened to the Black Church Bay trailer?

In early September, a trailer for the film appeared on the Busan International Film Festival's website, where the film is screening in October. Fans who clicked it soon afterward got a "video unavailable" message instead.

No one involved with the film has explained why it came down. The most likely answer is simple: someone published it before the official launch. Coverage of the brief clip described scenes of Barry and Jasper together on a boat before Jasper goes missing, which shows how central that weekend is to the mystery.

We'll add the official trailer here as soon as it's released.

Who's in the cast?

Tom Cullen plays Barry. The Welsh actor, who was born in Aberystwyth, broke out in the 2011 queer drama Weekend and has since appeared in Downton Abbey, Knightfall and The Gold.

Joe Locke plays Jasper. Locke became a household name as Charlie Spring in Netflix's Heartstopper, then played Billy Maximoff in Marvel's Agatha All Along and made his Broadway debut in Sweeney Todd.

They're joined by Marli Siu, Rakie Ayola, Julian Lewis Jones and Celyn Jones.

There's a nice full-circle detail behind the camera: producer Tristan Goligher also produced Weekend, the film that made Cullen's name.

Where was Black Church Bay filmed?

The film was shot on the Isle of Anglesey in North Wales, and the dialogue is in both English and Welsh. Jones said he wanted to show the island "in a way it's never been seen before."

It was made with support from BBC Film, Ffilm Cymru Wales and Screen Scotland, and it was produced by Alex Polunin and Tristan Goligher.

When can you watch Black Church Bay?

For now, the only way to see it is at a film festival:

• Sept. 25: Zurich Film Festival (world premiere). Locke, Jones and Goligher are expected on the red carpet.
• Oct. 6–15: Busan International Film Festival, South Korea (Asian premiere)
• Oct. 12–18: Iris Prize LGBTQ+ Film Festival, Cardiff (Wales premiere)
• Oct. 15 and 17: BFI London Film Festival (UK premiere, in the Thrill strand)

Vertigo Releasing will distribute the film in UK and Ireland cinemas, but a release date hasn't been announced. No US release has been announced yet either.

If you're going to London Film Festival: the BFI notes the film contains scenes of nudity and sex.

A big year for Joe Locke

Black Church Bay lands in a busy stretch for Locke, who also returns as Charlie Spring in the Heartstopper Forever film and has more projects in the works. If Heartstopper was his sweet era, this looks like the start of something much darker.

We'll keep this page updated with the trailer, reviews out of Zurich and any release date news.

Black Church Bay FAQ

Reporting from Screen Daily, BFI London Film Festival, Screen Scotland, Iris Prize, Film Hub Wales, Queerty and PinkNews.

Last updated: Sept. 16, 2026