Cherie Blair is to become the latest political figure to get involved in film production, following in the footsteps of Barack and Michelle Obama and Hillary and Chelsea Clinton by agreeing to act as executive producer for a film called The Rock Pile.

Set in the Middle East, The Rock Pile will tell the story of a Jerusalem correspondent for Time magazine who discovers three boys of different faiths who become friends through their love of football.

In a statement, Blair said: “Given my own foundation’s work in Israel and Palestine, and Tony [Blair]’s work on the Middle East peace process, we are deeply aware of the human cost of the conflict and the benefit of bringing stories about the reality on the ground to a global audience. Stories like The Rock Pile can alter people’s understanding, foster engagement and ultimately trigger action for change.”

The Rock Pile will be directed by British film-maker John Deery and star Hugh Bonneville, while Blair joins former Sun editor David Yelland on the list of executive producers.

Barack and Michelle Obama signed a deal with Netflix in April to produce film and TV shows about “issues of race and class, democracy and civil rights”, while the Clintons are working on “a pipeline of programmes” of “female-centric content”. In 2018 Hillary Clinton joined with Steven Spielberg to executive produce The Women’s Hour, a TV series about the fight to secure female suffrage in the US.