feature film

The Rizen (2017) and The Rizen: Possession (2020)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
Hand holding open book of arcane symbols

The Rizen © Lost Eye Films Ltd

Written and directed by: Matt Mitchell

Starring: Sally Phillips, Julian Rhind-Tutt, Tom Goodman-Hill, Adrian Edmondson

Production Company: Lost Eye Films

Kent Locations Used: Manor Way Business Park in Swanscombe, Old Town Hall Gravesend, Powerhub in Maidstone, Northfleet Industrial Estate

The Rizen (2017) and The Rizen: Possession (2020) is a horror story set in 1955, an era when both NATO and the Allied Forces were supposedly conducting secret, occult experiments in a bid to win the Arms Race.

What if they had succeeded and what the Army unleashed threatens to tear the world apart?

Man standing side-on looking at the Suited Women (Sally Phillips) who is looking forward.

The Rizen © Lost Eye Films Ltd

The Rizen was written and directed by Matt Mitchell (Gangsters, Guns & Zombies, It Never Sleeps). The film stars Sally Phillips (Bridget Jones’s Diary, The Decoy Bride), Julian Rhind-Tutt (Lucy, Rush), Tom Goodman-Hill (Mr Selfridge, Everest) and Adrian Edmondson (War and Peace, Bottom).

The production was largely based in Kent and the Manor Way Business Park in Swanscombe was used as their studio. Production filmed the endless, dark corridors in the Powerhub in Maidstone and ‘laboratory’ and ‘radio room’ scenes at Northfleet Industrial Estate with both locations doubling as an ex-military base. Filming also took place at Gravesend Old Town Hall which featured as a Grand Hall for an ‘academy’.

Manor Way Business Park is an industrial area with offices and warehouses located in Swanscombe, famous for its spectacular finds of Early Man. The site has excellent transport links and previously featured in Gangsters, Guns & Zombies (2012) and Doctor Strange  (2016).

The Gravesend Old Town Hall was once the seat of the local Magistrates Courts and has now been restored to serve as cultural and community venue. Other productions that have filmed in the Gravesend area include Canterbury Tales – The Seacaptain’s Tale (2003), The Interceptor (2015) and Great British Railway Journeys (2014).

Lieutenant Conner Taylor (Lee Latchford-Evans) pointing rifle towards figure in the foreground.

The Rizen © Lost Eye Films Ltd

The Powerhub in Maidstone is a five storey, listed, industrial building with a 1900’s art deco exterior. Inside the building there are a selection of studios, offices, showrooms and amazing studios. Past productions that have filmed in Maidstone include Missing (2009), Children in Need – The Rickshaw Challenge (2015) and Couples Come Dine With Me (2014).

Northfleet Industrial Estate is an estate in two halves, having been cut in half by the high speed railway and each half has its own tone. The location was used for filming a car crash scene in Doctor Strange  (2016).

The Rizen (2017) was chosen to headline and close the London Sci-fi Film Festival 2017 on Saturday 6th May 2017 with its World Premiere and The Rizen: Possession (2020) closed the London Sci-Fi film festival on 22nd May 2019.

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

 

The Autopsy of Jane Doe (2017)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
two Coroners working in a lab looking at a piece of paper

The Autopsy of Jane Doe © 42, IM Global, Impostor Pictures

Director: André Øvredal

Writer: Ian B. Goldberg, Richard Naing

Starring: Emile Hirsch, Brian Cox, Ophelia Lovibond, Michael McElhatton, Olwen Katherine Kelly, Parker Sawyers, Jane Perry

Production Company: 42, IM Global, Impostor Pictures

Kent Filming Locations: Home Farm, Swale

The Autopsy of Jane Doe is a new take on the horror feature genre and stars father and son coroners, Tommy (Brian Cox) and Austin (Emile Hirsch) Tilden who receive a mysterious homicide victim with no apparent cause of death. Whilst carrying out their examination, they become aware that they are not alone in the morgue basement and start to suspect that something supernatural may have been involved with Jane Doe’s death.

The film is directed by André Øvredal (Trollhunter, The Tunnel) and written by Ian B. Goldberg (What Goes On, Once Upon a Time), Richard Naing (Behind the Mask, Dead of Summer).

Emile Hirsch (Into the Wild, Savages) and Brian Cox (Zodiac, X-Men: Days of Future Past) take the leading roles alongside Ophelia Lovibond (Thor: The Dark World, Guardians of the Galaxy) Michael McElhatton (The Hallow, Mammal), Olwen Katherine Kelly (Darkness on the Edge of Town, Why Life Sucks When You’re in Your 20s), Parker Sawyers (Southside With You) and Jane Perry (World War Z, A Hologram for the King).

The Autopsy of Jane Doe production team filmed at Home Farm in April 2015 which doubled as an American house.

Home Farm is a colonial style weather boarded villa set in 5 acres in the Swale district of Kent. The property boasts a white picket fence and veranda’s bordered by woods, faded grandeur interiors with reclaimed wood floors and a derelict Victorian greenhouse. Home Farm has been used for a variety of photoshoots including HSBC.

The Autopsy of Jane Doe is released in cinemas on Friday 31st March 2017

 

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

 

Level Up (2016)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
Level Up poster - animation of a man holding a gun with Level Up wirtten in red

Level Up poster © Fulwell 73, Independent, Quickfire Films

Writers: Adam Randall, Gary Young

Director: Adam Randall

Starring: Josh Bowman, Neil Maskell, William Houston, Leila Mimmack

Production Company: Fulwell 73, Independent, Quickfire Films

Kent Locations Used: The Historic Dockyard Chatham

Level Up is a thriller about Matt (Josh Bowman), a young, unambitious man whose world changes instantly when his girlfriend is kidnapped. Forced to make his way across an increasingly sinister London, Matt tries to save his girlfriend, but will he succeed?

Written by Gary Young (Harry Brown, Vera) and Adam Randall (iBoy, Hooded), who also directs, the film was produced by Danny Potts (Piggy, The Guvnors) and stars Josh Bowman (Revenge, Prowl), Neil Maskell (Humans, The Football Factory), William Houston (Sherlock Holmes, Clash of the Titans), Leila Mimmack (Home Fires, High-Rise) and Christina Wolfe (Need for Speed, Fury).

The production largely filmed in London but also visited The Historic Dockyard Chatham in Kent where they used a warehouse in the ropery for the final scenes of the film where Matt (Josh Bowman) looks for his girlfriend.

The Historic Dockyard Chatham is a 17th century dockyard set over 80 acres with more than 100 period buildings, dry docks, submarines and period streets.One of Kent’s most popular film locations, The Historic Dockyard Chatham has previously featured in Rustom (2016), Mr Turner (2014) and Oliver Twist (2007).

Level Up is available on DVD and online download.

 

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

 

Road Games (2016)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
field full of hay barrels, a yellow car is in the centre with two people running into the distance

Road Games © February Films

 

Writer and Director: Abner Pastoll

Stars: Andrew Simpson, Joséphine de La Baume, Barbara Crampton, Frédéric Pierrot

Production Companies: February Films, Superbe Films, Trigger Films

Kent Locations Used: St Clere Estate, Markbeech, Castle Farm, Falconhurst and Kemsing roads

Road Games is a psychological thriller set during an idyllic summer in France where drifters Jack (Andrew Simpson) and Véronique (Joséphine de La Baume) hook up and hit the road. Hitchhiking a lift from a local oddball, who takes them home to his wife, where they suddenly find themselves in a deadly game of cat and mouse..

The film was written and directed by Abner Pastoll (Me or the Dog, A Great Mistake) and stars Andrew Simpson (The Life and Adventures of Nick Nickleby, Notes on a Scandal), Joséphine de La Baume (Rush, One Day), Barbara Crampton (The Young and the Restless, We Are Still Here) and Frédéric Pierrot (Young & Beautiful, Polisse).

The Anglo-French co-production filmed in Kent for around 4 weeks in July and August 2014 using St Clere Estate, Markbeech, Castle Farm, Falconhurst and Kemsing roads, doubling as France.

 

St Clere Estate is set across 2,800 acres of the rolling Kent countryside, offering stunning views of the North Downs. The house itself was built in 1630 and has some fine architectural examples of the Caroline era. St Clere Estate has been previously featured on screen in The Mirror Crack’d (1980).

Falconhurst is a 700 acre country estate just 45 minutes to central London. The location boasts farmland, woods, private roads, farmhouses and cottages. Falconhurst has been used for filming by a variety of projects including short films and photo shoots.

Castle Farm is a farm in Sevenoaks with a timber-framed farmhouse and oast surrounded by stunning lavender fields, pasture, woodland, stream, farm shop, barns and outbuildings. The site has been used for filming by De De Pyaar De (2019)  and various photoshoots.

Road Games​ has its UK theatrical premiere on Friday 26th August and will be available on demand and DVD release from Monday 29th August 2016.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nI8guzFYSPI%20

 

 

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

 

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)

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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. 

The Ones Below (2016)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
Jon (David Morrissey), Teresa (Laura Birn), Kate (Clémence Poésy) and Justin (Stephen Campbell Moore) at a dinner table

Jon (David Morrissey), Teresa (Laura Birn), Kate (Clémence Poésy) and Justin (Stephen Campbell Moore) © Icon Film Distribution

Director and writer: David Farr

Starring: Clemence Peoesy, Stephen Campbell Moore, David Morrissey, Laura Birn

Production Companies: Cuba Pictures, Tigerlily Films, BBC Films, Kreo Films FZ (in association with)

Kent Locations Used: The Port of Dover and surrounding cliffs

The Ones Below is a film about Kate (Clemence Poesy) and Justin (Stephen Campbell Moore), who are expecting their first baby. They make friends with another couple who have moved into the apartment below and are also expecting a child. However, a tragic accident throws the couples into a nightmare of psychological terror.

The film is written and directed by David Farr (Hannah, Spooks) and stars Clemence Peoesy (In Bruges, The Tunnel), Stephen Campbell Moore (Burnt, Season of the Witch), David Morrissey (The Walking Dead, True Love) and Laura Birn (Purge Purge, Heart of a Lion).

The production visited Kent to film at The Port of Dover and took some close up shots of the water and Theresa (Laura Birn) as she leaves the UK., and then again when Theresa is on the boat.

The Port of Dover is the UK’s busiest passenger port and the coastline is well known for its iconic white cliffs. The area has previously featured on screen in The Tunnel (2013), Johnny English (2003) and Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows (2011).

The Ones Below is released in cinemas on 11th March 2016.

 

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

Churchill’s Secret (2016)

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Churchill's Secret - Michael Gambon as Winston Churchill holding a cigar

Churchill’s Secret – Michael Gambon as Winston Churchill © ITV

Director: Charles Sturridge

Writer: Jonathan Smith (Novel), Stewart Harcourt (Adaption)

Starring: Michael Gambon, Lindsay Duncan, Romola Garai, Matthew Macfadyen, Daisy Lewis, Daisy Lewis, Rachael Stirling, Tara Fitzgerald

Production Company: Daybreak Pictures, Masterpiece

Kent Locations: Chartwell, Westerham

Set in 1953, ITV’s Churchill’s Secret is a feature length drama which tells the little known story of Winston Churchill’s (Michael Gambon) second time as Prime Minister when he suffered a life-threatening stroke, which is kept from the public.

Based on Jonathan Smith’s book, The Churchill Secret: KBO, the drama is told from the perspective of Churchill’s family, his doctor and young Nurse, Millie Appleyard (Romola Garai). Whilst his political peers plot his succession, family tensions surface when his long suffering wife, Clemmie (Lindsay Duncan) calls his children to visit him at his  Chartwell home in Kent, unsure if he will survive.

Michael Gambon (Harry Potter series, Gosford Park) plays Sir Winston Churchill with a supporting cast including Lindsay Duncan (Birdman, Alice in Wonderland), Romola Garai (The Hour, Emma), Matthew Macfadyen (Ripper Street, Anna Karenina), Daisy Lewis (Downton Abbey, Pusher), Rachael Stirling (Snow White and the Huntsman, Salmon Fishing in the Yemen) and Tara Fitzgerald (Game of Thrones, Legend).

The film is adapted by Stewart Harcourt (Treasure Island, Dracula) and directed by Charles Sturridge (Gulliver’s Travels, Lassie).

Chartwell was the real life Churchill family home from 1924 until Winston Churchill’s death in 1965 and was naturally chosen by the production to feature as the Churchill home. Exteriors of the house and garden were filmed on location at Chartwell, whilst the interiors were recreated at West London Film Studios.

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).

Churchill’s Secret will be shown on ITV1 on Sunday 28th February 2016 at 20:00.

 

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

 

Victor Frankenstein (2015)

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Victor Frankenstein Poster-James McAvoy and daniel radcliffe staring at the camera with a dead body on an operating table covered by a white cloth is underneath. Victor Frankenstein reads in silver.

Victor Frankenstein Poster © Fox UK Film

 

Director: Paul McGuigan

Writer: Max Landis (screenplay)

Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Andrew Scott, James McAvoy, Jessica Brown Findlay, Charles Dance, Mark Gatiss, Louise Brealey

Production companies: Davis Entertainment Company, TSG Entertainment

Kent Locations Used: The Historic Dockyard Chatham 

Victor Frankenstein is a dark, contemporary twist on the classic tale of Frankenstein, told from the point of view of Igor (Daniel Radcliffe) who befriends radical young scientist Victor Von Frankenstein (James McAvoy). Together they envisage innovative research into immortality to aid human suffering, but it is not long before the experiments go too far and Victor’s ambition leads to horrifying consequences. Can Igor save them both from Victor’s creation?

The screenplay is adapted by Max Landis (Fear Itself, Me Him Her), based on the novel by Mary Shelley, written almost 200 years ago.

The film is directed by Paul McGuigan (Sherlock, Push) with a stellar cast including Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter, The Woman in Black) and James McAvoy (X-Men: Days of Future Past, The Last King of Scotland), Andrew Scott (Saving Private Ryan, Spectre), Jessica Brown Findlay (Albatross, Downton Abbey), Charles Dance (The Imitation Game, Game of Thrones), Mark Gatiss (Wolf Hall, Doctor Who) and Louise Brealey (The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Ripper Street).

The production visited The Historic Dockyard Chatham to film some exterior scenes by the Chain and Cable store, the Tarred Yarn Store, which doubled as a hospital interior, and additional outdoor street scenes.

The Historic Dockyard Chatham is a popular filming location which offers Georgian and Victorian buildings and authentic cobbled streets. The Historic Dockyard Chatham has previously featured in Suffragette (2015), Mr Turner (2014) and Dom Hemingway (2013).

Victor Frankenstein is released in cinemas on 4th December 2015.

 

 

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

The Lady in the Van (2015)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
The Lady In The Van - Dame Maggie Smith as Miss Shepherd being pushed in a wheelchair by Alex Jennings as Alan Bennett in

The Lady In The Van – Dame Maggie Smith as Miss Shepherd and Alex Jennings as Alan Bennett © Sony

Writer: Alan Bennett

Director: Nicholas Hytner

Starring: Maggie Smith, Alex Jennings, Dominic Cooper, James Corden, Jim Broadbent, Frances de la Tour

Production company: BBC Films, TriStar Productions

Kent Locations: Broadstairs – High Street, Esplanade, Harbour Street, Viking Bay Beach,  Morellis Gelato, Buckmaster House

The Lady in the Van is British film based on the true story about a homeless woman, Miss Shepherd (Maggie Smith), who temporarily parked her old yellow van on the driveway of writer Alan Bennett (Alex Jennings) in the 1970’s. As fifteen years went by, the pair developed an endearing but sometimes turbulent relationship, which translates into a funny, poignant and life-affirming story.

Adapted by Alan Bennett (The History Boys, A Private Function, Prick Up Your Ears) from his memoir of the same name, the film is directed by Nicholas Hytner (The Crucible, The Object of My Affection, Center Stage).

Maggie Smith (Downton Abbey, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, Gosford Park) stars as Miss Shepherd with Alex Jennings (The Queen, Babel, Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason) playing Alan Bennett.

Also starring is Dominic Cooper (Mamma Mia!, Need for Speed, Captain America: The First Avenger), James Corden (Begin Again, Into the Woods, The History Boys), Jim Broadbent (Moulin Rouge!, Cloud Atlas, Gangs of New York) and Frances de la Tour (Hugo, The Book of Eli, Alice in Wonderland).

In November 2014, The Lady in the Van production team came to Kent to film in Broadstairs including the High Street, Esplanade, Harbour Street, Viking Bay Beach and http://www.morellisgelato.com/ for the scenes where Miss Shepherd (Maggie Smith) visits the coast. Buckmaster House in Broadstairs also doubled as Weston-Super-Mare for the scenes where Alan Bennett visits his mother.

Broadstairs is a traditional British seaside town offering sandy beaches with rides, beach huts, surfing, a harbour and cliff-top promenade. The High Street has historic red-brick buildings occupied by cafes, restaurants, bars and shops. Broadstairs has also been used as a film location in Eastenders (2015), Edge of Heaven (2014) and Hancock and Joan (2008).

Don’t miss The Lady in the Van which is released in cinemas on Friday 13th November 2015.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OA8tMziteZM

 

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