Natalie Press in The Island sitting on a rock © Hopscotch Films
Director: Elizabeth Mitchell, Brek Taylor
Starring: Natalie Press, Colin Morgan, Janet McTeer
Production Company: Finite Films and TV, Hopscotch Films, Tailor-Made Films, Tailormade Productions
Kent Locations Used: Gravesend, Somerhill Independent School
Island (2011) is a psychological drama based on the acclaimed novel of the same name by Jane Rogers. Incapable of love and desperate for revenge, Nikki Black embarks on a journey to a remote island to seek out the mother who abandoned her at birth.
Directed by Elizabeth Mitchell and Brek Taylor, the film stars Natalie Press (Wasp (2003), Suffragette) as Nikki Black, Colin Morgan (Merlin (2008), Humans – Series 2 (2016)) as Calum and Janet McTeer (The Honourable Woman (2014), Me Before You) as Phyllis.
Filming took place at a private house in Gravesend, which doubled for Nikki’s old house, and at Somerhill Independent School in Tonbridge. A scene was also filmed on Gravesend Promenade however this did not make the final cut.
Gravesend is a town in northwest Kent on the south bank of the Thames. The town’s pier is the oldest remaining cast iron pier in the world, with an unspoilt promenade, high street and two shopping centres. Other projects to have filmed in Gravesend include Canterbury Tales – The Seacaptain’s Tale (2003), The Interceptor (2015) and The Escape (2018).
The Schools at Somerhill are a family of schools within the Tonbridge and Malling district of Kent. Features include a sports hall, swimming pool, spacious dining hall, treehouse complex and a state-of-the-art music building with a large performance area.
Island (2011) debuted in UK cinemas on Friday 22nd April 2011 and is currently available to stream on Amazon Prime.
For more information about Kent’s Filming History please visit our Movie Map.
