British Council Logo UK Films Database
Project Detail

Joy

Synopsis

The remarkable true story behind the ground-breaking birth of Louise Joy Brown in 1978, the world’s first ‘test-tube-baby’, and the tireless 10-year journey it took to make it possible. Told through the perspective of Jean Purdy, a young nurse and embryologist, who joined forces with scientist Robert Edwards, and surgeon Patrick Steptoe to unlock the puzzle of infertility by pioneering in vitro fertilisation (IVF). The film celebrates the power of perseverance and the wonders of science as it follows this maverick trio of visionaries who overcame tremendous odds and opposition to realise their dream, and in doing so allowed millions of people to dream with them.
Official Selection BFI London Film Festival 2024 - World premiere

Details

Year
2024
Type of project
Features
Running time
113 min
Director
Ben Taylor 1st Feature
Producer
Finola Dwyer, Amanda Posey
Executive Producer
Cameron McCracken
Editor
David Webb
Screenwriter
Jack Thorne, Rachel Mason (Story by)
Director of Photography
Jamie Cairney
Production Designer
Alice Normington
Principal cast
Thomasin McKenzie, James Norton, Bill Nighy

Genre

Drama

Categories

Fiction

Production Status

Complete

Production Company

Wildgaze Films

Pathe UK

Sales Company

Netflix

Page updates

This page was last updated on 12th May 2025. Please let us know if we need to make any amendments or request edit access by clicking below.

Suggest amendments

See also

You may also be interested in other relevant projects in the database.

A muddied dishevelled man looks into the camera Kibera Hustle

Director: Janet Wells

Year: 2026

When his estranged half-brother is kidnapped in Kibera, a hapless British outsider plunges into Nairobi’s largest slum. Out of his depth and desperate, Steve teams up with Mshai, a streetwise hustler with plans of her own. As double-crosses mount and loyalties shift, Steve must decide whether he’s come to save his brother — or himself.

Action Drama Thriller
Maleek sits against a soft furnishing, wearing a cream knit top. He has a shaved head and beard, and his expression is contemplative and emotional. Natural light falls across his face. Between Realms

Director: Romaine Reid

Year: 2026

Guided through shifting realms shaped by memory, spirit and emotion, Maleek is forced to confront the unresolved wounds that continue to echo across generations. As reality blurs and time slips away, what begins as a search for connection becomes a journey of healing and transformation. Official Selection, S.O.U.L Festival 2026

Black Drama Fantasy Sci-Fi
A blonde woman in a white dress holds a baby at the top of a staircase Unspeakable

Director: Corinna Faith

Year:

Lil, a young mother, struggles to connect with her newborn baby. Ashamed and exhausted, she tells no one not even her domineering mother, Judith. But something terrifying already senses the void between them. Drawn to mothers who are uncertain or overwhelmed, an ancient creature begins to circle, waiting for an opportunity to rid her of her burden. When the family relocates to Judith’s childhood home, isolated deep in the countryside, buried tensions erupt and old secrets surface. The creature closes in, and a primal battle begins between a now-desperate mother and a relentless, all-consuming force.

Horror