THREE films made in the North-East and depicting life in the region's former mining communities, are being screened this week in Teesside.

Newcastle-based Amber Films has just released Shooting Magpies, which is about a woman struggling with life in a County Durham coalfield community.

It stars Emma Dowson, 25, of Thornley, near Peterlee, and Darren Bell, 29, a youth worker from Easington, County Durham.

In the film, Emma plays a character, also called Emma, who is trying to get her partner off heroin while bringing up two daughters.

The new film is being shown at Teesside University along with two previous films from the same company.

The Scar was made in 1997 and is about how active women were during the miners' strike of 1984.

Like Father, made in 2000, is about 70-year-old Arthur Elliott who is losing his allotment. His son, musician and ex-miner Joe, is scraping a living, but losing his wife, while ten-year-old Michael is left to grapple with his own realities.

The showing times at the cinema, in Woodlands Road, Middlesbrough are; The Scar, tonight; Like Father, Tuesday night; Shooting Magpies, Wednesday night.

The screening of Shooting Magpies will be followed by a question and answer session with the filmmakers and cast.

All films start at 7.30pm. For tickets, call the box office on (01642) 247755.

Published: 16/05/2005