Author: Kent Film Office

Rustom (2016)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
Rustom film poster with army officer on the cover. Image of women is faintly shown behind. Rustom is written on top in white

Rustom film poster © Friday Filmworks

Director: Dharmendra Suresh Desai

Writer: Vipul K. Rawal

Starring: Akshay Kumar, Ileana,  Arjan Bajwa

Production Co.: Cape of Good Films, Kriarj Entertainment, Plan C Studios, Zee Studios

Kent Locations Used: The Chequers Inn pub in Aylesford, Canterbury, Maidstone River Path and County Hall, Leeds Castle, Dover seafront, South Foreland Lighthouse, The Historic Dockyard Chatham

Rustom is a Hindi  murder mystery romance inspired by the true 1959 legal KM Nanavati v. State of Maharashtra, which changed the face of the India judicial system. Kawas Manekshaw Nanavati (Akshay Kumar) was a naval officer who was tried for killing his English-born wife’s lover, Prem Ahuja.  The murder case is still famous on the subcontinent and the film’s tagline is “3 shots that shocked the nation”.

The film is directed by Dharmendra Suresh Desai (Special 26, Players), written by Vipul K. Rawal and stars Akshay Kumar (Singh Is Kinng, Housefull 2), Ileana (Barfi!, Devadasu), and Arjan Bajwa (Son of Sardaar, Bobby Jasoos).

The Rustom production filmed on location in Kent in April 2016 for the romantic montage where Rustom (Akshay Kumar) and Cynthia (Ileana D’Cruz) visit England including The Chequers Inn pub in Aylesford, Canterbury, Maidstone River Path and County Hall, Leeds Castle, Dover seafront and  South Foreland Lighthouse.

The Historic Dockyard Chatham features as the Bombay naval port and HMS Cavalier as the destroyer on which he serves. A snowy Commissioners House also features in a montage and Slip 5 in a dinner scene between Rear Admiral Prashant Kamath (Parmeet Sethi)and Cynthia (Ilene D’Cruz).

Aylesford is a picturesque village located on the banks of the River Medway complete with a Norman Church and Victorian houses. It has previously featured in Half A Sixpence (1967).

Canterbury is a historic cathedral city with parks and open spaces, shopping areas, bars and restaurants and has previously featured on screen in projects such as Take Me Out (2010-2019) Terry and Mason’s Great Food Trip (2015) The Apprentice (2014).

The county town of Kent, Maidstone has many parks, shopping areas and sports facilities and is home to The Maidstone Studios. Maidstone has been used to film The Great Interior Design Challenge (2014), Couples Come Dine With Me (2014) and Don’t Tell the Bride (2013), to name a few.

Leeds Castle is a romantic castle with medieval themed rooms, 1920’s style interiors and original marble bathrooms. The large 500 acres estate boasts beautiful gardens, a moat, woodlands, maze with shell grotto and an aviary. The castle has been used to film The Hollow Crown: The Wars of the Roses (2016), Henry VIII (2003) and Lady Jane (1987).

South Foreland Lighthouse in Dover, is a Victorian lighthouse landmark along the White Cliffs of Dover. The Dover area has been used for projects including Mr Selfridge Series 3 (2015), The Apprentice (2015) and On A Clear Day (2005).

The Historic Dockyard Chatham is a 17th century dockyard set over 80 acres, containing over 100 buildings dating from the Georgian and Victorian Periods. It has been used extensively for filming, appearing in productions such as Call the Midwife (2016), Les Miserables (2013) and Downton Abbey (2013).

Rustom was released worldwide on 12th August 2016 and is now available for DVD purchase.

 

For more information about Kent’s Filming History please visit our Movie Map. 

The Carer (2016)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
The Carer film poster - Brian Cox and Coco König in open gardens of large country house. The Carer written in white text

The Carer film poster © Cinefile

Director: János Edelényi

Writers: Gilbert Adair, János Edelényi, Tom Kinninmont

Production Co.:  Hopscotch Films, Mythberg Films, Vita Nova Films

Starring: Brian Cox, Coco König, Anna Chancellor, Emilia Fox, Karl Johnson, Selina Caddell, Andrew Havill, Roger Moore

Kent Locations Used:  Boughton Monchelsea Place,  Sutton Valence Care Home,  Sutton Valence Main School, Sutton Valence Preparatory School , Headcorn, The Lord Raglan Pub – Staplehurst, Theatre Royal – Margate

The Carer is a U.K.-Hungary co-production film about a legendary actor (Brian Cox) who is terminally ill. When young Hungarian actress Dorottya (Coco König) becomes his carer, she hopes he will give her advice and help her reach the English stage. However, despite his revered status, Sir Michael is foul-mouthed and difficult. Will their shared love of Shakespeare bring them closer together?

The film stars Brian Cox (Braveheart, The Bourne Identity) as Sir Michael Gifford and Coco König (Assassin’s Creed) as Dorottya alongside a supporting cast that includes Anna Chancellor (Testament of Youth, Four Weddings and a Funeral), Emilia Fox (The Pianist, David Copperfield), Karl Johnson (The Illusionist, Hot Fuzz), Selina Cadell (Match Point, Doc Martin) and Roger Moore (Live and Let Die, The Spy Who Loved Me).

The production filmed on location in Kent for six weeks in February and March 2015 using Boughton Monchelsea Place,  Sutton Valence Care Home,  Sutton Valence Main School, Sutton Valence Preparatory School, Headcorn, The Lord Raglan Pub – Staplehurst and the Theatre Royal – Margate.

Boughton Monchelsea Place is a 16th Century manor house boasting unrivalled views across the Kent Weald. Previous productions to have filmed there include The Royals (2016), Half Broken Things (2007) and Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949).

Sutton Valence and Headcorn are both small villages found in the district of Maidstone, which has welcomed filming from Later… with Jools Holland (2015), Couples Come Dine With Me (2014) and Missing (2009).

Other locations include the Theatre Royal, which is situated near the heart of Margate, a vibrant seaside resort, with complementary historic and modern architecture. Margate has welcomed other productions including The Apprentice (2015), Last Orders (2002) and Only Fools and Horses: The Jolly Boys’ Outing (1989).

The Carer is released in cinemas on 5th August 2016.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-9V2rxB8AU

 

For more information about Kent’s Filming History please visit our Movie Map. 

Long Lost Family Series 6 (2016)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
Long Lost Family presenters Davina McCall and Nicky Campbell standing next to each other in front of a white pillar

Long Lost Family presenters Davina McCall and Nicky Campbell © ITV

Kent Locations Used: Folkestone

Long Lost Family is an award winning British television series that started on ITV in 2011. The programme, presented by Davina McCall and Nicky Campbell, aims to reunite close relatives after years of separation. The new series explores new territory and tackles some of the most difficult social history of family separation through compelling and touching personal stories.

Following stories in and around the UK, the show inevitably came to Kent, particularly in Folkestone.

Episode four of the new series features 70-year-old widow Susan Webb who fell pregnant as a teenager and decided to have the baby adopted. With the help of specialist adoption intermediaries, Long Lost Family track down Susan’s daughter to find she is living in Folkestone and the duo are reunited for the first time in 48 years.

Folkestone is a seaside town with an elegant clifftop promenade, a coastal park, fishing harbour and Victorian cliff-top lifts. It has featured in productions The Tunnel: Sabotage (2016), Is Anybody There? (2009) and The Darling Buds of May (1991 – 1993).

Long Lost Family featuring Folkestone will air on Wednesday 3rd August 2016 at 21:00 on ITV.

 

For more information about Kent’s Filming History please visit our Movie Map. 

Countryfile (2016)

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The Countyfile presenters on bails of hay L-R - Anita Rani, Ellie Harrison, John Craven, Adam Henson, Matt Baker, Peg, Tom Heap

Anita Rani, Ellie Harrison, John Craven, Adam Henson, Matt Baker, Peg, Tom Heap © BBC/Tom Dulat

Production Company: BBC

Kent Locations Used: Dover, Hugh Lowe Farms

Countryfile is the popular BBC One show which celebrates the people and places of the British countryside and explores stories making news.

Kent features in an episode of the new series where amidst tennis season, Matt Baker finds out about Wimbledon strawberries and gets to grips with the harvest at Hugh Lowe Farms.  Fellow presenter Naomi Wilkinson meets a couple who turned their love of wildlife into an animal rescue centre, looking after everything from hedgehogs to flocks of jackdaws and magpies and at the White Cliffs of Dover she learns about the long history of channel swimming.  John Craven meets a farmer who is growing Chinese vegetables and produce, from pak choi to chrysanthemums.

Dover is home to several renowned locations including the port, connecting the UK with the European mainland, Dover Castle which towers above the town, signalling Dover’s strategic importance in the defence of the country and the White Cliffs of Dover, one of the most recognised landmarks in Britain. Dover has been used in productions such as The Tunnel: Sabotage (2016), Great British Railway Journeys – Series 7 (2016) and Missing (2009).

The Kent episode of Countyfile will air on Sunday 10 July 2016 at 18:00 on BBC One.

 

For more information about Kent’s Filming History please visit our Movie Map. 

To B&B The Best (2016)

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Lisa Holloway sitting at a desk looking up at the camera

To B&B The Best – Lisa Holloway

Production Company: Ricochet

Kent Location Used: Margate 

To B&B The Best is a Channel 5 programme fronted by Lisa Holloway, who looks at the B&B revolution going on where ordinary homeowners attempt to turn amateur hotelier.  Throughout the series, Lisa travels the UK to meet all manner of Brits who are keen on turning their empty rooms into potential goldmines.With her characteristic no-nonsense approach, a modest design budget and no shortage of ideas, Lisa will arm the homeowners with the tools to turn their spare rooms into superb places to stay. But will they follow Lisa’s plan and create successful B&B’s?

Episode twenty four of the new series features Margate in Kent, where she meets English language teacher Martine and her daughter Vibs, who’ve been hosting foreign language students for well over twenty years. Wishing to transform her Victorian townhouse into a boutique B&B, Lisa guides them and  discovers the key to their future guests could lie in the towns emerging art scene.

Margate is a seaside town boasting a sandy beach, harbour, amusement park Dreamland, period housing and modern art gallery the Turner Contemporary. Previous filming here includes The Tunnel: Sabotage (2016), Coast (2014), Last Orders (2002) and many more.

The series runs weekdays at 11:15 on Channel 5 and the Kent episode of To B&B The Best will air on Thursday 14th July on Channel 5 at 11.15.

 

For more information about Kent’s Filming History please visit our Movie Map. 

 

Love Your Garden (2016)

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Alan Titchmarsh standing in a garden looking at the camera

Alan Titchmarsh © Spungold

Production Company: Spun Gold Productions

Kent Location Used: Canterbury

Love Your Garden is an ITV programme fronted by Alan Titchmarsh as he travels around the country with his team to create beautiful gardens for extraordinary people.

Gurkha Hari Budha Magar with Alan Titchmarsh in the garden

Gurkha Hari Budha Magar with Alan Titchmarsh © Spungold

Episode three of series six features a visit to Canterbury, where the team help outstanding soldier  Gurkha Hari Budha Magar and his young family. Despite tragically losing both his legs in an IUD incident in the Afghanistan war, Hari goes out of his way to help others.

However, Hari’s own garden has proven difficult to manage, so his friends and colleagues asked Alan and the team to help. With Hari’s Nepalese homeland in mind, they transform his garden into a colourful private sanctuary for the whole family. There is even a surprise visit from Joanna Lumley!

Canterbury is a vibrant City that offers a variety of locations ranging from the modern day city, parks and open spaces, shopping areas to neighbouring quaint, traditional towns. Previous productions that have shot in Canterbury include Bargain Hunt (2012), Songs of Praise (2011) and A Canterbury Tale (1944).

The Kent episode of Love Your Garden will air on Tuesday 12th July 2016 on ITV at 20:00.

 

For more information about Kent’s Filming History please visit our Movie Map. 

You Are Whole (2016)

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You Are Whole screenshot - a man walking accross a coastal footbridge

You Are Whole screenshot

Writer/Director: Laura Spini

Starring: Fred Melamed

Kent Locations Used: Studd Hill, Herne Bay and Margate

Laura Spini’s directorial debut short, You Are Whole, is a dark comedy, following Norman Pugg (played by Hollywood actor Fred Melamed), a spiritual teacher visiting houses in a small British sea-side town. He is soon mistaken for a serial killer, as he seems to leave a trail of deaths across the town. The short film was selected for the Edinburgh International Film Festival, Palm Springs International Shortfest and the London Short Film Festival.

Kent locations used are both Herne Bay and Margate.

Herne Bay is a coastal resort which is home to the world’s first free standing purpose built clock tower, and boasts a beautiful beach and seafront. Previous filming has taken place here for Holiday of My Lifetime with Len Goodman (2016), Boomers (2014 and 2016) and Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em (1973).

Margate is a seaside town complete with sandy beach, harbour, amusement park, period housing and ultra-modern art gallery Turner Contemporary. Previous filming here includes The Tunnel: Sabotage (2016), Coast (2014), Edge of Heaven (2014) and many more.

You Are Whole is available to view now: https://vimeo.com/118488026

 

For more information about Kent’s Filming History please visit our Movie Map. 

Genius (2016)

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Actor Guy Pearce wearing a beige top siting on a sofa smoking, looking away from the camera. Drinks and books can be seen in front of him.

Guy Pearce in Genius (2016)

 

Writer: John Logan (screenplay) A. Scott. Berg (writer)

Director: Michael Grandage

Starring: Colin Firth, Jude Law, Nicole Kidman, Laura Linney, Guy Pearce, Dominic West, Vanessa Kirby

Producers: James J. Bagley, A. Scott. Berg, Tim Bevan and James Bierman

Production Company: Desert Wolf Productions, Michael Grandage Company, Riverstone Pictures, Ingenious, Pinewood Pictures

Kent Locations Used: The Historic Dockyard Chatham

Genius is a drama about the complex transformative relationship between the world-renowned book editor Maxwell Perkins (Colin Firth), who discovered F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway, and the larger-than-life literary giant Thomas Wolfe (Jude Law).

The film stars: Colin Firth (The King’s Speech/Kingsman: The Secret Service), Jude Law (Dom Hemingway/Spy), Nicole Kidman (Grace of Monaco/Paddington), Laura Linney (The Big C/Mr Holmes), Guy Pearce (Iron Man 3/The Rover), Dominic West (Burton and Taylor/Testament of Youth), Vanessa Kirby (About Time/Jupiter Ascending). The film was directed by Michael Grandage (The Madness of King George/Bugs). The film was written by John Logan (Skyfall/Spectre) and A. Scott. Berg (The Colbert Report/Facing the Nation).

The bustling docks and streets of 1920s New York were filmed at The Historic Dockyard Chatham. The scenes mostly revolved around where Thomas Wolfe (Jude Law) lived in New York. The Dockyard is a popular location for period dramas due to it’s Georgian and Victorian buildings and cobbled streets. The Dockyard has previously featured on screen in a number of early 20th century dramas including The Crown (2016),  Suffragette (2015) and Downton Abbey (2013).

Genius was released in cinemas on 10th June 2016.

Genius trailer – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCvcD3IBSlc

 

For more information about Kent’s Filming History please visit our Movie Map. 

Question Time (2016)

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Question Time David Dimbleby sitting in front of a desk

Question Time David Dimbleby © BBC/Mentorn/Des Willie

Production Company: Mentorn

Kent Location Used: The Creative Quarter, Folkestone

Question Time is the topical politics show hosted by David Dimbleby. High profile guests debate various topics and face difficult questions from members of the public.

In a special programme about the EU referendum, which takes place on Thursday 23 June 2016, Question Time will be coming live from The Quarterhouse in Folkestone’s  Creative Quarter.

Kent previously hosted the show in Tunbridge Wells in 2012, when the discussion included the crisis in Syria, Bankers bonuses and unpaid work placements.

The Creative Quarter in Folkestone was developed by the Creative Foundation, to regenerate the area through the arts, the creative industries and education. It is now home to a thriving collection of artists’ studios and creative businesses. The Folkestone area has been used as a location for filming by productions such as The Tunnel (2013 – 2016) and Is Anybody There? (2009).

Question Time will air on Thursday 9th June 2016 at 22:45 on BBC One.

 

For more information about Kent’s Filming History please visit our Movie Map. 

 

New Blood (2016)

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New Blood written in balck, Stefan (MARK STREPAN) and Rash (BEN TAVASSOLI) headshots in front of a derelict landscape

New Blood Stefan (MARK STREPAN), Rash (BEN TAVASSOLI) © BBC / 11th Hour Films

Director: Anthony Philipson

Starring: Mark Strepan, Ben Tavassoli, Ariyon Bakare, Dorian Lough, Rachel Palmer, Aiysha Hart, Matt Bardock, Mark Bonnar, Mandana Jones

Production company: Eleventh Hour Films

Kent Locations Used: the M2 and Medway Services

New Blood is a new, seven part investigative drama, created and written by bestselling author Anthony Horowitz (Foyle’s War, Collision). The story follows Stefan (Mark Strepan) and Rash (Ben Tavassoli) who are junior investigators for the Serious Fraud Office and the police respectively, brought together by two seemingly unrelated cases.

The duo comes up against the rich and powerful as well as criminals who hide behind legitimate facades and are guarded by lawyers. As their friendship grows, they understand that they make a formidable crime-solving team.

The series stars Mark Strepan (The Mill, Northmen – A Viking Saga), Ben Tavassoli (Tomorrow, Healey’s House), Ariyon Bakare (Doctors, The Dark Knight), Dorian Lough (Notting Hill, Far from the Madding Crowd), Aiysha Hart (Atlantis, Honour), Matt Bardock (Casualty, Sixty Six), Mark Bonnar (Casualty, Catastrophe) and Mandana Jones (Bad Girls Random Quest).

The production visited Kent in September 2015 to film driving sequences the M2 motorway as well as Medway services.

Medway is a group of towns set along the River Medway, steeped in history, particularly with Charles Dickens connections. Rochester City offers beautiful cobbled streets, parks as well as a Cathedral and castle. The Medway area has previously been used for filming by projects including Secret Britain (2016), Black Sea (2014) and The Mystery of Edwin Drood (2012).

New Blood will start Thursday June 9th 2016 at 21:00 on BBC One.

 

For more information about Kent’s Filming History please visit our Movie Map.