Academic-directed film adaptation hits the big screen Published on: 18 June 2026 BAFTA-nominated Â鶹´«Ã½ academic Dr Tina Gharavi’s new film Virginia Woolf’s Night and Day opens in cinemas nationally. The ‘unromantic’ comedy, which was partially filmed on location in the North East of England, opens nationally in cinemas on Friday (19th June). The new movie, which is winning rave reviews, is an adaptation of Virgina Woolf’s 1919 novel and tells the story of passionate astronomer Katharine Hilbery who does everything she can to avoid romantic love and marriage. The story is set against the backdrop of London and Cambridge in 1910, advances in science and technology, the suffragette movement and crumbling Edwardian patriarchy. The star-studded cast includes Hayley Bennet as Katharine, and also features British actors Jack Whitehall, Jennifer Saunders, Timothy Spall and Lily Allen. It was filmed around the North East in locations including, Beamish, the Lit & Phil, the Mining Institute and Ryhope Engines Museum in Sunderland. Dr Tina Gharavi directing Night and Day Bringing Virginia Woolf to life A BAFTA nominated director, Dr Gharavi is a Reader in Screenwriting and Film in Â鶹´«Ã½’s School of English Literature, Language and Linguistics. She said: “Recreating Edwardian London and bringing Virginia Woolf to life is an extraordinary dream. I have always wanted to tell stories about women who resist the roles imposed on them, and Woolf understood that impulse better than almost any writer. The question at the heart of this film — must a woman choose between love and ambition? — is as alive today as it was in 1910. “Virginia Woolf was a Modernist. She was always thinking about how society was evolving and how differently to tell stories. So, it made sense to make a film that was perhaps more radical in the way that it told its tale. Hopefully, you'll see that when you watch the movie, there's efforts to be more conceptually experimental in the story.” The future She is now working on preparations for her next project, a biopic of the influential Iranian poet Forough Farrokhzad, which is being executive produced by acclaimed director Wes Anderson. Dr Gharavi is an award-winning, Iranian-born, British American artist, director and screenwriter, best-known for telling innovative cross-platform stories about misfits, outsiders and rebels, as well as people in extraordinary situations. She is also known for her interactive digital projects and museum exhibitions that have toured internationally and are housed in permanent collections at institutions such as the BFI and MIT. Read more about Dr Gharavi's work at Â鶹´«Ã½ and directing a star-studded cast in a full interview with Dr Gharavi Tina with actor Timothy Spall on set Share: Latest News Academic-directed film adaptation hits the big screen BAFTA-nominated Â鶹´«Ã½ academic Dr Tina Gharavi’s new film Virginia Woolf’s Night and Day opens in cinemas nationally. published on: 18 June 2026 Â鶹´«Ã½ ranked top 150 in the world Â鶹´«Ã½ has been ranked as a global top 150 university by an influential higher education guide. published on: 18 June 2026 Scientists uncover key cause of inflammatory bowel disease A decades-old puzzle has been solved as scientists uncover a key cause of inflammatory bowel disease, paving the way for faster diagnosis and more targeted patient treatments. published on: 17 June 2026 Facts and figures
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