MUSIC fans from Blackburn are having to travel to Burnley or Manchester to watch the much-anticipated film about the Northern Soul movement.

Reel Cinema has the only scheduled screening of Northern Soul in East Lancashire, which has sparked criticism of Blackburn’s only cinema for failing to put it on.

The movie has been snubbed by Vue, despite some of the key scenes being shot at King George’s Hall in Blackburn.

Roman Korol, a Pendle-based Northern Soul DJ, said: “You’d have thought they would have jumped on the film in Blackburn as large parts of it were filmed there. I don’t think they’ve really taken this on board and there will be some disappointed people.”

Garry Place, a Blackburn-based Northern Soul DJ, said: “It’s a real shame that it won’t be shown here. It seems stupid, because there’s a big scene here and obviously some of the movie was filmed here. I was able to see it at a special screening at King George’s Hall last month, but this was a private event for special guests and people who appeared as extras in the film.”

The movie charts the rise of the genre in the 1970s, and features actors including Steve Coogan, John Thomson, Ricky Tomlinson and Lisa Stansfield.

It was initially expected to show in a few selected cinemas, but demand has been so high that fans have requested extra screenings in several cities through the ‘Ourscreen’ website, a kickstarter scheme that allows people to influence their local cinema’s programme. The website does not currently have an arrangement with Vue, however.

In a statement, the company said: “Vue Entertainment International is passionate about providing alternative content for the big screen and tries to explore as many opportunities as possible to bring titles to the big screen.

“However in this instance due to busy schedules across our 1,359 screens we have not programmed to screen Northern Soul across our sites or chosen to screen it at locally related sites pertinent to the story line.”

The film is being screened at Reel Cinema today and tomorrow, and is scheduled to be screened at about 125 cinemas around the country, including in small towns with no obvious connection to Northern Soul music, such as Basildon, Bognor Regis and Peterborough.