Joe Locke’s Black Church Bay Brings a Dark LGBTQ+ Mystery to Wales

Joe Locke is stepping into much darker territory with Black Church Bay, an upcoming Welsh mystery thriller about a student’s disappearance and the secrets threatening to destroy a small coastal community.

Written and directed by Rhys Marc Jones, the film pairs the Heartstopper star with Tom Cullen in a story built around hidden identity, fear and the consequences of trying to keep two lives separate.

What is Black Church Bay about?

Tom Cullen plays Barry, a deputy head teacher whose private life has been kept firmly out of sight. His world changes after an intimate encounter with Jasper, an openly gay sixth form student played by Joe Locke.

When Jasper disappears, attention turns towards the people around him and Barry is forced to confront just how much he is prepared to risk to protect the life he has built.

The disappearance provides the mystery, but the real tension comes from Barry himself. Black Church Bay places a closeted older man and an openly gay younger man at opposite ends of its central story, using that contrast to explore sexuality, secrecy and self preservation.

Joe Locke takes on a very different role

Locke became internationally known as Charlie Spring in Heartstopper before joining Agatha All Along as Billy Maximoff.

Tom Cullen is also particularly interesting casting for LGBTQ+ film audiences. He starred in Andrew Haigh’s acclaimed Weekend, one of the most significant British gay films of the past two decades.

Behind the camera, Black Church Bay marks Rhys Marc Jones’s feature directing debut. Jones previously received mentorship through the BFI Flare and BAFTA programme supporting emerging LGBTQ+ filmmakers and his earlier shorts include Father of the Bride and Ripples.

Filmed on Anglesey

Black Church Bay was shot on location in Anglesey, North Wales, giving the film a distinctive coastal backdrop.

That setting is more than scenery. Placing the story inside a close community where people know one another makes Barry’s attempts to keep his personal life hidden increasingly difficult.

Festival debut and UK release

Black Church Bay has already attracted industry attention after being chosen for the 2026 GREAT 8 showcase, which presents emerging British filmmakers and their new features to international buyers and festival programmers during Cannes.

Its next major appearance will be at the BFI London Film Festival on 15 October 2026, where it is scheduled to screen at Vue West End. The festival lists the film at 110 minutes.

A definitive nationwide release date and UK streaming service have not yet been announced.

For LGBTQ+ film viewers, Black Church Bay already offers something noticeably different from the romances for which Locke is best known. This is a darker story about sexuality, secrecy and the damage caused when protecting one life begins to endanger another.

Black Church Bay screens at the BFI London Film Festival in October 2026, with further UK cinema details still to come.

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