Onward and Sideways

Onward and Sideways is a 90-minute feature film that wrapped principal photography in North Norfolk in late 2025 and is now in post-production. Written by Paul Mayhew-Archer and directed by John Madden, the film stars Laura Linney as Emma Dretzin, a pianist and composer, and Rhys Ifans as Tony Evans, a deputy head teacher, whose lives intersect after simultaneous Parkinson's diagnoses. The cast also includes Monica Dolan and Rory Kinnear. Produced by Hilltop Screen for John Gore Studios and the BBC, with producers Hilary Bevan Jones and John Gore, the film shot on location in Fakenham and surrounding North Norfolk areas. The project is set for release in UK cinemas and on BBC One and BBC iPlayer later in 2026, with Kaleidoscope Film Distribution handling worldwide sales.