Sajjan Singh Rangroot (2018)

Posted on March 19, 2018 by Kent Film Office

Movie poster showing WW1 Indian soldier carrying a comrade on his back. Rangroot is written in white underneath.

©Flame Visuals

Director: Pankaj Batra

Starring: Diljit Dosanjh, Yograj Singh, Darren Tassell

Production Company: Colour 9 Productions

Kent Locations Used: Faversham Market

Based on a true story, the upcoming movie follows British Indian Army officer Sajjan Singh (Diljit Dosanjh), who served on the Western Front during World War I. It centres on the Sikh regiments who were sent to fight for Britain during the war, and pays tribute to the sacrifice that the Indian Army made for Britain, fuelled by Sikh pride and appreciation.

The film was directed by Pankaj Batra (Virsa, Channa Mereya), and features actors Diljit Dosanjh (Udta Punjab, Welcome to New York, Super Singh), Yograi Singh (Tiger, Baaz) and Darren Tassell (The Mummy, Autopsy: The Last Hours Of).

Faversham Market was used in multiple scenes, in which WWI soldiers are marching through town.

Located in the heart of Faversham’s historic town centre, Faversham Market has the esteemed status of Kent’s oldest town market. Southcliffe (2013) was a Channel 4 mini-series that was filmed primarily in Faversham town centre. The surrounding areas of Faversham are often used as locations for productions such as Great Expectations (2012) and Waterland (1992).

Rangroot will be released in UK cinemas on 23 March 2018.

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

House of Salem (2016)

Posted on January 23, 2018 by Kent Film Office

House of Salem Film Poster- cloudy night sky with the film title on top and a clowns face in the centre and a hand reaching out holding a manor house. House of Salem written in white.

House of Salem Film Poster ©Last British Dragon

Writer: James Crow

Director: James Crow

Starring: Jessica Arterton, Jack Brett Anderson, Liam Kelly, Robert Lowe, Leslie Mills

Production Company: Last British Dragon

Kent Locations Used: Evegate Manor, Dryhill Local Nature Reserve, Sole Street House

The House Of Salem is a horror film in which a child, Josh (Liam Kelly) finds unlikely protectors in the form of a group of kidnappers who discover they have been tricked and are now trapped in a house. Realising that they are to become the next sacrifice in a line of murders spanning centuries, they get ready to battle demonic forces for their freedom.

The film was written and directed by James Crow (Curse Of The Witching Tree, He Who Dares). House of Salem stars Jessica Arterton, Jack Brett Anderson (Runaway, Drop), Liam Kelly, Robert Lowe (Casualty, Primeval) and Leslie Mills (Merlin of the Crystal Cave, The Bill).

Several Kent locations were used for filming, including private houses Evegate Manor as Josh’s home and Sole Street House as The House of Salem, alongside KCC Dryhill Nature Reserve.

Evegate Manor is a grade II star listed Manor House in Ashford and until recently was used as a farmhouse. Mostly dating from 14th to 16th century the house is constructed of Kentish ragstone rubble with red brick dressing; and is part timber framed with numerous exposed beams. Previous productions to film in the Ashford district include Dead and Awake (2016).

Sole Street House in Ashford is a 10-bedroom Georgian manor house with a Victorian wing, less than 50 miles from central London and standing in 30 acres of grounds including gardens, woodland, stables accommodating some 16 horses and paddocks.

Dryhill Local Nature Reserve in Sevenoaks is on a former quarry site of Special Scientific Interest. The exceptional structure of its rocks and fossils led to it becoming the first geological Local Nature Reserve in Kent. It also has a small stretch of private road for small set-ups. Sevenoaks has previously been used by productions such as Judwaa 2 (2017) and The First Team (2020).

House of Salem was released on 23^rd January 2018.

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

Darkest Hour (2018)

Posted on January 9, 2018 by Kent Film Office

Gary Oldman in his role as Chrurchill giving the Victory sign in parliament in the film the Darkest Hour (2017)

Writer: Anthony McCarten

Director: Joe Wright

Starring: Gary Oldman, Lily James, Ben Mendelsohn, Kristin Scott Thomas, Stephen Dillane, Ronald Pickup, Samuel West

Production Company: Wanda Pictures and Working Title Films

Kent Locations Used: Fort Amherst and Chartwell House

Darkest Hour is a war drama that follows Winston Churchill (Gary Oldman) as he becomes Prime Minister at the start of the Second World War. Churchill is faced with a tough decision: negotiate with Adolf Hitler, who rages war across Europe, or fight and risk many British lives.

Darkest Hour is written by Anthony McCarten (The Theory of Everything) and directed by Joe Wright (Pride and Prejudice). The film stars Gary Oldman (The Dark Knight Rises), Lily James (Cinderella), Ben Mendelsohn (Rogue One), Kristin Scott Thomas (Only God Forgives), Stephen Dillane (Game of Thrones), Ronald Pickup (The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel), Samuel West (Suffragette) and many others.

Several scenes from the production were filmed at Fort Amherst which itself was used during World War II as an Air Raid Warning command post. Fort Amherst has tunnels that have featured in many films, such as Jekyll and Hyde (2015).

Other scenes were filmed in the grounds of Chartwell House, Churchill’s former home. Set in delightful gardens, Chartwell is a National Trust property in Westerham and the rooms remain much as they were when Churchill lived there. Chartwell has previously been used as a film location by productions such as Flog It! (2014) and The Gathering Storm (2002).

Darkest Hour will be released in the UK on 12^th January 2018.

See Darkest Hour trailer here:

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

Slumber (2017)

Posted on January 5, 2018 by Kent Film Office

Slumber Film Poster- actress Maggie Q lying asleep wearing a night dress in a dark room on a bed, above her on the wall is a mirror which shows her in the same position but this time screaming. Slumber written in red underneath image

Slumber Film Poster © Goldcrest Films

Writer: Richard Hobley and Jonathan Hopkins
Director: Jonathan Hopkins
Starring: Maggie Q, Will Kemp, Sophia Wiseman
Production Company: Goldcrest Films
Kent Locations Used: Home Farm in Swale

Slumber is a supernatural horror film that follows the story of Alice (Maggie Q), a sleep doctor who is forced to think outside the box when she meets a family who claim that a demon paralyses and terrorises them while they sleep.

Written by Richard Hobley (The Vessel, Japantown) and Jonathan Hopkins (Charlie and The Chocolate Factory, Extraordinary Rendition), who also directed the film, Slumber’s cast is led by Maggie Q (Divergent , Die Hard 4.0) and features Kristen Bush (Paterno, Liberal Arts), Sam Troughton (Chernobyl, The Ritual), Lucas Bond (Summerland, Susu) and Honour Kneafsey (Miss You Already, A Christmas Prince).

Filming took place at Home Farm near Faversham which represented the Morgan’s family home.

Home Farm is a colonial-style villa surrounded by countryside views, with a vintage décor inside. Previous productions who used the location are The Autopsy of Jane Doe (2017) and Historical feature film The Current War (2019).

Slumber was released on the 5^th January 2018.

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

Bhikari (2017)

Posted on October 1, 2017 by Kent Film Office

Bhikari

Writer: Guru Thakur

Director: Ganesh Acharya

Starring: Swwapnil Joshi, Rucha Inamdar

Kent Locations Used: Kingsgate Bay, Botany Bay

Bhikari follows the story of a rich young man whom having finished his higher education in London, returns to India where his mother hands over the family business to him. However, unfortunate events lead Samrat to face difficult choices in order to save his mother’s life.

The film is was written by Guru Thakur, a popular lyricist and screen-writer, and directed by Ganesh Acharya (Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, PK), and stars Swwapnil Joshi (Mumbai Pune Mumbai, Duniyadari) and Rucha Inamdar (Children of War, Under the Same Sun)

Both Kingsgate Bay and Botany Bay in Thanet were used as locations as backdrops for dance sequences for the feature.

Botany Bay is has stunning white cliffs and chalk stacks and is great for rock pooling. Over the years, Botany Bay has also featured in productions such as Thaandavam (2012), Humans: Series 2 (2016) and True Love (2012).

Kingsgate Bay is known for its beautiful sandy beach and sea caves. Kingsgate Bay has featured in films and television series such as Mr Selfridge Series 4 (2016) and Whistle and I’ll Come to You (2010).

Bhikari will be released on Amazon Prime for viewing on demand in January 2018.

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

Judwaa 2 (2017)

Posted on September 28, 2017 by Kent Film Office

Film poster with actor and actress on bicycle with large close of actors face in background tilting sunglasses forward. Judwaa 2 is written in the middle.

Judwaa 2 – © Fox Star Studios

Writer: Yunus Sajawal, Farhad Samji, Sajid

Director: David Dhawan

Starring: Salman Khan, Varun Dhawan, Jacqueline Fernandez, Anupam Kher, Tapsee Pannu

Production Company: Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment

Kent Locations used: Sevenoaks

Twin brothers Raja and Prem are separated at birth and live very different lives until a series of coincidences brings them back together and they find themselves working together to infiltrate and take down an underground smuggling ring.

David Dhawan (Do not disturb, Rascals) directed the production along with writers Yunus Sajawal (Jaggu Dada, Singham Returns), Farhad Samji (Housefull 3, Diwale) and Sajid (Chennai Express, Ready). Indian superstars Salman Khan (Sultan, C.I.D ) and Varun Dhawan (Badlapur, Student of the year) star, along with Jacqueline Fernandez (Kick, Roy) , Anupam Kher (A Family Man, Sense8), and Tapsee Pannu (The Ghazi Attack, Pink)

The production visited the town of Sevenoaks to film in a private residence that features in the film.

Sevenoaks is a historic market town and the home of Knole Park, a stately home with a thousand acre medieval deer park. Previous productions to have filmed in Sevenoaks include Strike – The Cuckoo’s Calling/The Silkworm (2017), Rush (2013) and Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows (2011)

Judwaa 2 will be released in cinemas across the UK on 29^th September 2017

]

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

Victoria and Abdul (2017)

Posted on September 12, 2017 by Kent Film Office

Queen Victoria sitting at table writing with Abdul standing next to hear looking down

Victoria and Abdul © Focus Features

Writer: Lee Hall, based on the book Victoria & Abdul by Shrabani Basu

Director: Stephen Frears

Starring: Dame Judi Dench, Ali Fazal, Olivia Williams, Michael Gambon and Eddie Izzard

Production Company: BBC Films, Working Title Films

Kent Locations Used: The Historic Dockyard Chatham

Queen Victoria and Abdul walking on tree lined pathway

Victoria and Abdul © Focus Features

The BBC’s newest biopic feature, Victoria and Abdul, tells the story of the unlikely friendship between Queen Victoria (Dame Judi Dench) and her servant Abdul Karim (Ali Fazal). The film is based on the book Victoria &Abdul: The True Story of the Queen’s Closest Confidant, by Shrabani Basu.

Dame Judi Dench stars as Queen Victoria and Ali Fazal as Abdul Karim (Fast and Furious 7 and 3 Idiots). The supporting cast include Olivia Williams

(The Sixth Sense and An Education), Michael Gambon (The Harry Potter Series and Sleepy Hollow), Eddie Izzard (Valkyrie and Ocean’s Thirteen) and Adeel Akhtar (The Dictator and Pan).

The production filmed at The Historic Dockyard Chatham on The HMS Gannet and the quayside adjacent to the ship.

With over 100 Georgian and Victorian buildings, spread over 80 acres, The Historic Dockyard Chatham is one of Kent’s most popular filming locations. Some of the productions that have filmed at The Historic Dockyard Chatham include, Call the Midwife (2012-present), Downton Abbey (2013) and Les Misérables (2013)

Victoria and Abdul will be released in cinemas on Friday 15th September 2017.

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

Una (2017)

Posted on September 1, 2017 by Kent Film Office

Una (Rooney Mara) standing in warehouse looking forward

Una (C) WestEnd Films

Writer: David Harrower

Director: Benedict Andrews

Starring: Rooney Mara, Riz Ahmed, Ben Mendelsohn, Tobias Menzies, Indira Varma, Tara Fitzgerald

Production Company: Bron Studios, Film4 Productions, Jean Doumanian Productions, WestEnd Films

Kent Locations Used: Dungeness, Greatstone, Lydd

Looking to resolve her past, Una (Rooney Mara) confronts Ray (Ben Mendelsohn ), her former neighbour, at his work place, seeking answers. As buried secrets and forbidden desires start to surface, they begin to threaten the stability they have found in their new lives.

Una (Rooney Mara) and Ray (Ben Mendelsohn) staring at each other

Una (C) WestEnd Films

The film is based on the play “Blackbird” that was written by David Harrower. Benedict Andrews (National Theatre Live: A Streetcar Named Desire) directed and Rooney Mara (A Nightmare on Elm Street, The Social Network) takes the lead role alongside Riz Ahmed (Jason Bourne, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story), Ben Mendelsohn (The Dark Knight Rises, Bloodline) Tobias Menzies (Casino Royale, Atonement), Indira Varma (Game of Thrones, Hunted) and Tara Fitzgerald (Legend, Brassed Off).

The production chose to film in Kent in June 2015, using Dungeness, Greatstone and Lydd which feature as a remote hideaway location.

The Dungeness, Greatstone and Lydd coastal area boasts a unique and large expanse of sandy beach backed by dunes and the largest shingle desert in Europe. Ginger and Rosa (2012), The Poison Tree (2012) and Parade’s End (2012) have previously used the area for filming.

Una is released in cinemas from Friday 1^st September 2017.

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

Mubarakan (2017)

Posted on July 28, 2017 by Kent Film Office

Main characters in car facing and pointing at camera with film title Mubarakan above them

Mubarakan – (C) Cine1 Studios & Sony Pictures Releasing

Writer: Rupinder Chahal (story), Rajesh Chawla (dialogue)

Director: Anees Bazmee

Starring: Anil Kapoor, Arjun Kapoor, Ileana D’Cruz, Athiya Shetty, Neha Sharma

Production Company: Cine1 Studios, Mark Production

Kent Locations Used: Guru Nanak Darbar Gurdwara, Gravesend

Mubarakan is an upcoming romantic comedy which follows the lives of identical twins, Charan and Karan Singh who are deeply in love with Sweety and Nafisa. When Karan’s family are insistent on his marrying Binkle, the daughter of a very wealthy family, he persuades them to offer Charan as a groom instead. Unfortunately, Charan is equally determined to marry the love of his life, Nafisa.

The film was written by Rupinder Chahal (Love Punjab, Chak Juwana) and Rajesh Chawla (Dehleez, Sharafat Gayi Tel Lene) and directed by Anees Bazmee (Welcome back, No Entry: Pudhe Dhoka Aahey). The prestigious Bollywood cast is led by Arjun Kapoor (Half girlfriend, Ki & Ka) who, not for the first time, plays both brothers and supported by Anjil Kapoor (Fanney Khan, Welcome back) Ileana D’Cruz (Rustom, Happy Ending), Athiya Shetty (Hero) and Neha Sharma (Tum Bin 2, Xuan Zang)

The production filmed scenes at the Guru Nanak Darbar Gurdwara temple in Gravesend. The Sikh temple has 5 elaborate domes inspired by the Golden Temple at Amritsa. It also boasts hand crafted marble walls and stained glass windows.

Gravesend is located the south bank of the River Thames and is well known for its pier, promenade and high street as well as international links at the nearby Ebbsfleet International station. Previous productions to have visited the area include Doctor Strange (2016).

Mubarakan will be released in cinemas on 28th July 2017.

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

Wonder Woman (2017)

Posted on June 1, 2017 by Kent Film Office

GAL GADOT as Diana standing on beach with other Amazonian women next to her.

Writers: Allan Heinberg, Geoff Johns

Director: Patty Jenkins

Starring: Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Robin Wright, Connie Nielsen

Production Companies: DC Films, Warner Bros, RatPac Entertainment, Atlas Entertainment, Wanda Picture, Cruel and Unusual Films

Kent Locations Used: Lower Halstow

Captain Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) and Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) standing next to each other facing the camera

Wonder Woman is an upcoming DC superhero film which follows Amazonian Princess, Diana (Gal Gadot), who leaves her home after an American pilot crashes on the island and tells her about the ongoing world war.

The film is written by Allan Heinberg (Grey’s Anatomy, Sex and the City) and Geoff Johns (The Flash, Arrow) and directed by Patty Jenkins (Monster, The Killing). Wonder Woman stars Gal Gadot (Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Fast & Furious), Chris Pine (Star Trek, Into the Woods), Robin Wright (The Princess Bride, House of Cards) and Connie Nielsen (Gladiator, One Hour Photo).

The major production visited the small Kent village of Lower Halstow where the estuary doubled as a Belgian Creek for a scene in which Diana arrives on a sailboat to be delivered to the war front.

Lower Halstow is located in the Swale district of Kent on the banks of the Medway Estuary. The rural villages in Swale have often been used as filming locations for visiting productions. Wonder Woman was filmed near Stangate Creek which lies on the River Medway and is famous for Turner’s watercolours of English rivers. Other productions that have filmed at Stangate Creek are Mr Turner (2014), Great Expectations (2012) and Canterbury Tales- The Man of Laws’ Tale (2003).

Wonder Woman was released in cinemas on 1^st June 2017.

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

Kent's Premier Film Commission