LONDON — Set against the stark landscape of wartime Britain, BAFTA-nominated director Richard Hawkins’ latest feature, Think of England, is set for a nationwide theatrical release on Friday, November 6, 2026.
The 102-minute period drama dives into a forgotten, absurd niche of World War II history: a covert government experiment testing whether adult films could boost morale among frontline troops.
A High-Stakes Mission in isolation
The narrative unfolds in the summer of 1943 on a remote Orkney island, where six strangers from vastly different walks of life are assembled under top-secret orders from the Ministry of Information.
Leading the cast as Corporal Harry Evans is Jack Bandeira. Evans, a former cinema tough guy with combat experience across Crete, North Africa, and Sicily, finds himself forced into the assignment while facing the imminent shadow of a court-martial.
Joining him on the island are:
- Natalie Quarry as Holly Spurring, an ambitious munitions worker and aspiring actress who has endured 20 failed screen tests without a single call-back.
- Ben Bela Böhm as Max Meyer, a Jewish-German filmmaker whose once-promising career directing major screen stars was abruptly halted when he was forced to flee Nazi persecution.
- John McCrea as Captain Clune, the Ministry of Information officer overseeing the clandestine operation.
- Ronni Ancona as Agnes, the unit’s costume and makeup artist.
- Ollie Maddigan as Clifford, the young sound apprentice.
Trauma, Morale, and the Toll of Duty
As production on the experiment gets underway, the group struggles to navigate the bizarre nature of their assignment. However, as boundaries are pushed and the project begins to unravel, the film shifts beyond satire to explore the internal trauma each character carries.
Through its ensemble cast—highlighted by breakout performances from Quarry, Bandeira, and Böhm—Think of England tackles the mental weight of wartime survival and questions the true cost of personal sacrifice in service of one’s country.