Honeydripper

Veteran writer-director Sayles finds the roots of rock and roll – and a moment of profound change - in small-town Alabama, 1950. A small-time club owner stakes everything on one big gig starring the legendary Guitar Sam. Well, Sam ain't coming, but who knows what he looks like? And just blown into town is a young musician named Sonny with one of these new-fangled electric guitars and quite a voice on him. Sayles uses stereotypes like Stacy Keach's racist sheriff, then subverts them. The authenticity of the locale and the music (Gary Clark Jr as Sonny really is a rising blues star) resonate against the magic of the tale.

NW England première – thanks to Axiom Films