Is Rye Lane the new Notting Hill?

A new British film is giving Peckham the rom-com treatment, and for resident Liz Hoggard the vibrant area is long overdue some love

- Liz Hoggard

IT’S the little film that roared. Raine Allen-Miller’s fresh romcom, Rye Lane, is a love letter to Peckham and south London, and when it screened at the Sundance Film Festival in January, critics hailed the arrival of an exciting new voice in British film-making. Perhaps this is not surprising when so many Americans’ view of Britain is filtered through the lens of Richard Curtis.

The film, released here next Friday, stars David Jonsson (of BBC1’s Industry and tipped as an ES rising star) and actor and musician Vivian Oparah (from the BBC’s Dr Who spin-off, Class). For Peckham locals, like me, it’s a moment of real pride.

I’ve lived in Bellenden Road, dubbed the “artisanal heart of Peckham” for 23 years. In 1999 I bought arguably London’s smallest, cheapest maisonette so I’ve witnessed many changes to the area — from the arrival of Antony Gormley’s traffic bollards and Tom Phillips’s lampposts, to the explosion of bars and galleries. Friends who originally reacted with scepticism are now envious of the Peckham vibe, from drinks on the roof at Frank’s Bar to the Bellenden Road car boot fairs.

So watching Rye Lane as a Peckham veteran, it’ s just so entertaining to see all the places where I’ve eaten, danced, cried, fallen in love, been chucked (the scene where two ex-lovers meet up for an uncomfortable lunch in Peckham’s Giardino restaurant rang very true) projected onto the big screen. Made with Disney’s Searchlight studio, BBC Film and BFI financing, it’s great to see a film shot by a woman of colour starring two charismatic black British leads. The clothes are amazing, and people live in very cool flats. The score is by Lewisham-born experimental music producer Kwes.