The feature is based on a real-life, groundbreaking trans marriage case in 2000

A starry cast headed by Emma Thompson, Anna Friel, Christopher Eccleston, Julian Ovenden and Rebecca Root has boarded Queer Drama feature, Hear Me Roar.

The film is co-written by Lisa McMullin and Ashley Bayston, whose story it tells. In 1981, Elizabeth Bellinger (played by Root) was one of the few transgender people in Britain to go through a marriage ceremony, when she wed husband Michael at Southwark register office. For two decades, only her husband knew her secret, but in 1998, she launched a campaign to have her marriage legally recognised and two years later, the case went to court…

Co-writer Bayston, who was the barrister representing Bellinger, said: “I can’t believe this is finally happening and that the story of Liz and my battle is to be told by such an amazing team of actors. We used to joke about a film being made some day but couldn’t imagine such young and glamorous actors portraying us. This story has to be told and these are exactly the right people to tell it.”

Thompson added: “I’m weeping like a baby, it’s so moving and powerful and funny. It’s a great story and script with wonderful characters – I just loved it and it moved me deeply. I think it’s both fascinating and profoundly meaningful and essential.”

Director Amy Coop, said: “It’s a privilege to be working with such a great team to tell this incredible story, an overlooked part of modern British history that represented a seismic shift for LGBTQ+ people.”

The producers of Hear Me Roar are Darren Stuart (Capital Punishment and the documentary Stone By Stone) and David Nichols (Everest, The Tourist, William Tell); filming will take place later this year.