Suffragette (2015)

Posted on September 28, 2015 by Kent Film Office

Suffragette film poster- The three sufragetters facing the camera with "The Time is Now" "Suffrafettes" written on top

Suffragette film poster © Pathe

Director: Sarah Gavron

Writer: Abi Morgan

Starring: Carey Mulligan, Helena Bonham Carter, Meryl Streep, Ben Whishaw, Brendan Gleeson, Anne-Marie Duff

Production Companies: Film4, BFI, Ingenious Media, Canal+, Ciné+, Ruby Films

Kent Locations Used: The Historic Dockyard Chatham

Told through the eyes of a young mother, Suffragette is a powerful film about the foot soldiers of the suffragette movement in late 19^th and early 20^th century Britain. When peaceful protests fail, a group of suffragettes take radical moves to be heard, risking their jobs, homes, families and even their lives.

Carey Mulligan as Maud looking out of a window next to a vase of flowers

Carey Mulligan as Maud © Pathe

The film is directed by Sarah Gavron (Brick Lane, This Little Life) and written by Abi Morgan (Shame, The Iron Lady).

Featuring an all-star cast including Carey Mulligan (Drive, An Education), Helena Bonham Carter (Alice In Wonderland, Fight Club), Meryl Streep (The Devil Wears Prada, The Hours), Ben Whishaw (Skyfall, Cloud Atlas), Brendan Gleeson (Edge of Tomorrow, Troy) and Anne-Marie Duff (Nowhere Boy, Notes on a Scandal).

The production visited The Historic Dockyard Chatham for a week in February 2014 which doubled as the exterior to the Bethnal Green Laundry, a factory and a prison cell.

The Historic Dockyard Chatham is a maritime heritage location set over an 80 acre site. The location boasts a variety of Georgian and Victorian architecture, maritime environment, cobbled streets, and industrial buildings. The Historic Dockyard Chatham is a popular film location and has previously been seen on screen in The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (2015) Our World War (2014) and Mr Selfridge (2012-2015).

Suffragette was released in cinemas on Monday 12^th October 2015 and is now available for DVD and online purchase.

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

The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (2015)

Posted on August 6, 2015 by Kent Film Office

Henry Cavill pointing a gun to the camera in a street

Henry Cavill as Napoleon Solo ©Warner Bros and Ratpac-Dune Entertainment

Director: Guy Ritchie

Writer: Guy Ritchie, Lionel Wigram

Stars: Alicia Vikander, Henry Cavill, Armie Hammer

Production Company: Ritchie/Wigram Productions, RatPac-Dune Entertainment, Davis Entertainment

Kent Locations Used: The Historic Dockyard Chatham

Alicia Vikander as Gaby, Armie Hammer as Illya Kuryakin and Henry Cavill standing outside a flight of stairs

Alicia Vikander as Gaby, Armie Hammer as Illya Kuryakin and Henry Cavill as Napoleon Solo ©Warner Bros and Ratpac-Dune Entertainment

The Man From U.N.C.L.E is an action spy-fi movie set in the early 1960s during the Cold War. A mysterious criminal organization plans to use nuclear weapons and war technology to disrupt the balance of power between the United States and Soviet Union.

CIA agent, Napoleon Solo (Henry Cavill) and KGB agent, Illya Kuryakin (Armie Hammer) are forced to work together to stop the criminals in their tracks. Their only lead is the daughter of a missing German scientist who is their key to infiltrating the organisation. They must find her soon to prevent a global disaster.

Cast and crew of The Man From U.N.C.L.E. visited The Historic Dockyard Chatham for 5 days to film a chase sequence where the Historic Dockyard doubles as East Berlin. In the film, the footage shot at the Dockyard is mixed with CGI to create an incredible, fast-paced car chase.

The Dockyard has previously been transformed into France in Les Miserables (2013), Victorian London Streets in Sherlock Holmes (2009), and was HMS Gannet in The Dockyard was used in Mr Turner (2014).

The Man from U.N.C.L.E is released in cinemas August 14th 2015.

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

Mr. Holmes (2015)

Posted on June 8, 2015 by Kent Film Office

Mr. Holmes walking along a tree lined path

Mr. Holmes © See-Saw Films

Director: Bill Condon

Writers: Mitch Cullin (Based on the novel by), Arthur Conan Doyle (Characters), Jeffrey Hatcher (Screenplay)

Starring: Ian McKellen, Milo Parker, Laura Linney, Hattie Morahan, Patrick Kennedy

Production company: AI Film, BBC Films, FilmNation Entertainment, Archer Gray Productions, See-Saw Films

Kent Locations Used: The Historic Dockyard Chatham

Mr. Holmes is a crime film starring Ian McKellen (The Lord of the Rings trilogy, X-Men Trilogy) as a retired Sherlock Holmes dealing with the decline of his health and mental ability. He looks back at his incredible life, and with the help of Roger, his housekeeper’s son, Holmes seeks closure of an old, unsolved case.

Based on the seventh novel by author Mitch Cullin, the film is directed by Bill Condon (Dreamgirls, Fifth Estate) from a screenplay by Jeffrey Hatcher (The Duchess, Casanova).

Ian McKellen is supported by Laura Linney (Hyde Park on Hudson), Hattie Morhan (Summer in February), Patrick Kennedy (Warhorse) and the film introduces up and coming actor, Milo Parker.

: The Historic Dockyard tarred yarn store as Japanese restaurant screenshot © See-Saw Films

: The Historic Dockyard as Japanese Street screenshot © See-Saw Films

For 5 days in July 2014, the Mr. Holmes production team visited The Historic Dockyard Chatham in Kent, to use Anchor Wharf as a street in Japan. They also dressed the Tarred Yarn Store as a Japanese restaurant and the exterior of the Ropery for a street scene.

The Historic Dockyard Chatham has previously been used as a film location by BBC for Call the Midwife (2015), ITV’s Arthur and George (2015) and Les Miserables (2013).

Don’t miss Mr. Holmes was released in cinemas on Friday 19^th June 2015 and is now available for DVD and online purchase.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qng3t9RZk6Q

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

Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)

Posted on April 20, 2015 by Kent Film Office

the artificial intelligence, Ulton staring at the camera with a building behind

Ultron in Marvel’s Avengers ©Marvel 2015

Director: Joss Whedon

Writer: Joss Whedon (Screenplay), Stan Lee, Jack Kirby (Comic Book)

Starring: Robert Downey Jr, Scarlett Johansson, Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, James Spader, Tom Hiddleston, Samuel L. Jackson, Mark Ruffalo, Jeremy Renner, Cobie Smulders

Production company: Marvel Studios

Kent locations: Dover Castle

Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) is the next thrilling installment set in the Marvel Universe and is a follow up to the award winning film, Avengers Assemble (2012).

At the heart of the story is Iron Man, Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr) who attempts to start a peacekeeping program based around Artificial Intelligence. However, inevitably things take a turn for the worse when the autonomous technology runs awry and the initial attempt of mediation turns sour. It is up to The Avengers including; Captain America (Chris Evans), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), The Incredible Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and adding Hawkeye (Clint Barton) to come to the rescue and save the planet as its population hangs in the balance.

Hawkeye (Clint Barton) running through a snowy forest as there's an explosion in the background

Hawkeye (Clint Barton) ©Marvel 2015

Directed by Joss Whedon (Avengers Assemble, Much Ado About Nothing), the film has a star studded ensemble cast with an array of acting talent including Robert Downey Jr (Sherlock Holmes, Iron Man 3 ), Scarlett Johansson (Lucy, Lost in Translation), Chris Evans (Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Avengers Assemble), Chris Hemsworth (Thor: The Dark World, Star Trek), James Spader (The Blacklist, Boston Legal), Tom Hiddleston (Thor: The Dark World, Avengers Assemble) Samuel L. Jackson (Django Unchained, Pulp Fiction) Mark Ruffalo (Avengers Assemble, The Kids are alright) and Jeremy Renner (The Bourne Legacy, The Hurt Locker).

The Marvel Studios production visited Dover Castle in June 2014 for a week to film several action sequences and local runners were involved to ensure a smooth shoot. Dover Castle was used as part of the interior for the Hydra Outpost in Sovokia and you may also be able to spot the entrance to the wartime tunnels that is used a secret entrance.

Dover Castle is a stunning medieval castle situated on the White Cliffs of Dover, overlooking the English Channel. Dover Castle is a popular film location having featured in Into the Woods (2015), Poirot “The Clocks” (2009), The Other Boleyn Girl (2008) and Hamlet (1990).

Avengers Age of Ultron was released in cinemas on Thursday 23^rd April 2015 and is now available on DVD.

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

Into the Woods (2015)

Posted on January 1, 2015 by Kent Film Office

Meryl Streep as the Witch crouched in a tree

Meryl Streep as the Witch in Into The Woods © Disney

Director: Rob Marshall

Writer: James Lapine, Stephen Sondheim

Starring: Johnny Depp, Meryl Streep, James Corden, Emily Blunt, Anna Kendrick, Chris Pine, Christine Baranski, Billy Magnussen, Mackenzie Mauzy, Tracey Ullman, Daniel Huttlestone

Production companies: Walt Disney Pictures, Lucamar Productions

Kent locations: Dover Castle

Into the Woods is a film adaption of James Lapine and Stephen Sondheim’s Tony Award–winning Broadway musical of the same name which is a modern twist on several beloved Brothers Grimm fairy tales.

The story follows the Baker and the Baker’s Wife’s who are unable to start a family due to the curse by a wicked Witch. Trying to break the spell, they encounter Little Red Riding Hood, Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk, and Rapunzel.

Emily Blunt as the Baker's Wife and James Corden as the Baker in the woods looking shocked

Emily Blunt as the Baker’s Wife and James Corden as the Baker © Disney

Directed by Rob Marshall (Chicago, Memoirs of the Geisha), the film has an ensemble cast with an array of acting talent including Johnny Depp (Pirates of the Caribbean series, Edward Scissorhands), Meryl Streep (The Devil Wears Prada, The Hours), James Corden (Gavin and Stacey, The History Boys), Emily Blunt (The Devil Wears Prada, Salmon Fishing in the Yemen), Anna Kendrick (Twilight, Pitch Perfect), Chris Pine (Star Trek, Unstoppable) Christine Baranski (Mamma Mia, The Good Wife) , Mackenzie Mauzy (The Bold and the Beautiful, Brother’s Keeper), Billy Magnussen (As the World Turns, The East), Daniel Huttlestone (Les Miserables), and Tracey Ullman (The Tracey Ullman Show, Corpse Bride).

The Disney production visited Dover Castle in September 2013 which doubled as the King’s Castle, and features in scenes such as Cinderella attending the ball, her marriage to the Prince and a giant attacking a castle.

Dover Castle is a stunning medieval castle situated on the White Cliffs of Dover, overlooking the English Channel. Dover Castle is a popular film location having featured in Poirot “The Clocks” (2009), The Other Boleyn Girl (2008) and Hamlet (1990).

Into The Woods is released in cinemas on Friday 9^th January 2015.

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

Black Sea (2014)

Posted on November 21, 2014 by Kent Film Office

Jude Law sitting at a table with bars of gold in front of him.

Jude Law as submarine Captain Robinson © Universal, Alex Bailey, Focus Features.

Director: Kevin Macdonald

Writer: Dennis Kelly

Starring: Jude Law, Jodie Whittaker, Michael Smiley, Scoot McNairy, Ben Mendelsohn

Production company: Film4 Productions, Cowboy Films, Etalon Film

Kent locations: Black Widow Submarine, River Medway

Black Sea is an adventure thriller about a rogue submarine captain who brings together a misfit crew to seek out a sunken treasure rumoured to be lost in the depths of the Black Sea.

The film was written by Dennis Kelly (Utopia, Pulling), directed by Kevin Macdonald (The Last King of Scotland, Touching the Void) and stars a number of acting talents including Jude Law (Sherlock Holmes, Cold Mountain), Scoot McNairy (Argo, 12 Years a Slave), Ben Mendelsohn (The Dark Knight Rises, Killing Them Softly), Jodie Whittaker (Broadchurch, One Day) and Michael Smiley (The World’s End, The Other Boleyn Girl).

The Black Sea production team visited the Black Widow Submarine, which is moored in Strood on the River Medway in August 2013 to film submarine interiors.

The Black Widow is an ex Russian Foxtrot Submarine which was built in 1967 and was in active service until 1994. The submarine was also used in 2013 for the shooting of The Fitzroy, a black comedy about a leaky submarine hotel.

Strood is in the Medway towns and productions that have previously filmed in the area include Mr Turner (2014), The Mystery of Edwin Drood (2012) and The Golden Compass (2007).

Black Sea is released in cinemas on Friday 5^th December 2014.

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

Mr Turner (2014)

Posted on October 15, 2014 by Kent Film Office

Mr Turner (Timothy Spall) standing in front of a painting

Mr Turner © Entertainment One

Director/Writer: Mike Leigh

Starring: Timothy Spall, Paul Jesson, Dorothy Atkinson, Marion Bailey, Karl Johnson, Ruth Sheen, Lesley Manville

Production companies: Film4, Focus Features International, Lipsync ProductionsT, hin Man Films, Xofa Productions

Kent locations: The Historic Dockyard Chatham, Stangate Creek

Mr Turner was written and directed by the acclaimed Mike Leigh and chronicles the last twenty-five years of one of the most celebrated artists in British history – J.M.W. Turner.

The biographical drama takes us back to the nineteenth century when Turner travelled and painted some of his renowned works, even though he was struggling with the death of his esteemed father. The film also highlights Turner’s eccentric behaviour which resulted in his being both celebrated and reviled by the public and royalty alike.

Mr Turner looking at a painting in his study. Paintings are also on the walls behind

Mr Turner © Entertainment One

Turner is played by BAFTA winner Timothy Spall (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, The King’s Speech) and also stars Paul Jesson (Vera Drake, Rome), Dorothy Atkinson (Call the Midwife, All or Nothing), Marion Bailey (Persuasion, Meantime), Karl Johnson (The Illusionist, Hot Fuzz), Ruth Sheen (Run Fatboy Run, Vanity Fair) and Lesley Manville (Maleficent, Another Year).

The Mr Turner production visited The Historic Dockyard in Chatham where they used HMS Gannet which doubled for a pleasure vessel on the Thames as well as the scenes where Turner is tied to the mast of a ship in a storm to make some sketches for his painting Snow Storm- Steam-Boat off a Harbour’s Mouth. Stangate Creek was also used to film a rowing scene.

Turner had a rich history with Kent and drew inspiration for his works from a variety of locations including Stangate Creek, Margate and Whitstable. Now, the Turner Contemporary gallery in Margate celebrates Turner’s association with the area.

The Historic Dockyard Chatham lies on the River Medway which boasts a dry dock, cobbled streets, industrial buildings and extraordinary Georgian and Victorian architecture. The location has previously featured on screen in productions such as Muppets Most Wanted (2014), Call The Midwife (2012-2014) and Sherlock Holmes (2009).

Stangate Creek is on the River Medway and has been used by feature film adaption Great Expectations (2012) as well as the BBC’s Great Expectations (1999).

Mr Turner is released in cinemas on Friday 31^st October 2014.

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

Muppets Most Wanted (2014)

Posted on March 18, 2014 by Kent Film Office

Kermit the frog standing in front of a wall of wanted posters featuring his face

Director: James Bobin

Starring: Ricky Gervais, Ty Burrell, Tina Fey, Hugh Bonneville

Production company: Walt Disney Pictures, Mandeville Films

Kent Locations: Historic Dockyard in Chatham

Disney’s Muppets Most Wanted sees the whole Muppets gang on a grand world tour that takes an unexpected turn when they become involved with an international jewel thief who is a Kermit the Frog look-a-like.

Starring alongside the Muppets gang is Ricky Gervais (The Office, The Invention of Lying) Ty Burrell (The Incredible Hulk, Dawn of the Dead), Tina Fey (30 Rock, Mean Girls), and Hugh Bonneville (Notting Hill, The Monuments Men).

Picture of the puppets from the Muppets standing on a railway platform.

The Historic Dockyard in Chatham doubled as Berlin where Kermit decides to go for a lonely walk after having an argument with Miss Piggy. Upon entering a square he is duped by the evil Kermit look-a-like, leading to Kermit’s arrest.

The Historic Dockyard in Chatham is set over 80 acres and contains over 100 Georgian and Victorian buildings. It is a popular filming location and has been used for productions such as Call the Midwife (2012-2014), Sherlock Holmes (2009) and Sherlock Holmes – Game of Shadows (2011).

Don’t miss Muppets Most Wanted which is released in cinemas on 28 March 2014.

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

The Monuments Men (2014)

Posted on February 5, 2014 by Kent Film Office

The Monuments Men movie poster- 6 cast members in seperate boxes, with their surnames written next to them. Monuments Men is written in red underneath,

Director: George Clooney

Writers: George Clooney, Grant Heslov

Starring: George Clooney, Matt Damon, Cate Blanchett, Bill Murray, John Goodman, Hugh Bonneville, Jean Dujardin, Bob Balaban

Production company Fox 2000 Pictures, Smokehouse Pictures, Studio Babelsberg

Kent Filming Locations: Farm in High Halden, Ashford

Frank Stokes (George Clooney), James Granger (Matt Damon) and Donald Jeffries (Hugh Bonneville) walking in front of an airplane wing

Frank Stokes (George Clooney), James Granger (Matt Damon) and Donald Jeffries (Hugh Bonneville) © Columbia Pictures and 20th Century Fox

The Monuments Men is an action drama film based on the true story of one of the greatest treasure hunts in history, where an unlikely team are tasked to go to Germany during World War II and rescue art masterpieces from Nazi thieves and return them to their rightful owners.

With the German Army under instructions to destroy all of the artwork, the Monuments Men as they were known, consisting of museum directors, curators, and art historians are tasked to go behind enemy lines and retrieve the art and are willing to risk their lives to protect and defend mankind’s greatest achievements.

Frank Stokes (George Clooney) and James Granger (Matt Damon) sitting at a bar having a drink

Directed, co-written and starring George Clooney (Up In The Air, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind) the film also stars a wealth of talent including Matt Damon (Bourne Trilogy, The Departed) , Cate Blanchett (Blue Jasmine, Lord of the Rings series), Bill Murray (Lost in Translation, Ghostbusters), John Goodman (The Big Lebowski, Argo), Hugh Bonneville (Downton Abbey, Burke and Hare), Jean Dujardin (The Wolf of Wall Street, The Artist) and Bob Balaban (Girls, Gosford Park).

In June 2013, the production visited a farm in High Halden, Ashford where they filmed establishing shots of the farmland. A number of the production team also chose to stay in Ashford whilst filming scenes in Camber Sands in neighbouring East Sussex.

Ashford is a lively town with tremendous rail links, both to Europe via the Eurostar and to the capital via the High Speed Javelin. The town boasts many shops, eateries, and a designer outlet shopping centre and only a short drive away is a glorious Kent countryside. This isn’t the first time that Ashford and surrounding areas has been used for filming with previous visiting productions including Emma (2009).

Don’t miss The Monuments Men which is released in cinemas on 14 February 2014.

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

The Harry Hill Movie (2013)

Posted on December 20, 2013 by Kent Film Office

The Harry Hill Movie

Director: Steve Bendelack
Writers: Jon Foster, James Lamont, Harry Hill
Starring: Harry Hill, Matthew Hall, Julie Walters, Simon Bird, Matt Lucas, Jim Broadbent, Sheridan Smith, Julian Barratt
Production Company: Lucky Features, Jonescompany Productions
Kent Locations Used: Littlestone-on-Sea

Under the mistaken impression that his pet hamster, Abu, is ill, Harry Hill and his Nan (Julie Walters) take him to the vet, who wrongly gives them the tragic news that Abu has one week to live. Harry, who thinks he speaks fluent hamster (but, in fact, misunderstands every squeak that comes out of his little pal’s mouth), incorrectly thinks Abu’s dying wish is a trip to Blackpool. With Nan making three, the trio embark on a road trip to the seaside town. Unbeknownst to them, the Vet is actually the dirty rotten henchman of Harry’s evil twin brother Otto (Matt Lucas), who was raised separately by Alsatians. Addicted to Hula-Hoops and fuelled by revenge, Otto’s nefarious plot is to kidnap Abu and make him the centrepiece of the plastinated hamster world he’s creating in his evil lair. Can Harry and Nan stop Otto before it’s too late?

The film is Comedian Harry Hill’s big screen debut and stars a wealth of British acting and comedy talent including Harry Hill (TV Burp, Harry Hill), Julie Walters (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part One (2010), Canterbury Tales (2003)), Jim Broadbent (Vanity Fair (2005), King Lear (2018)), Simon Bird (The Inbetweeners (2010), Friday Night Dinner), Guillaume Delaunay (Victor Frankenstein, Tale of Tales), Matt Lucas (Little Britain (2003), Bridesmaids), Marc Wootton (Nativity!, Arthur Christmas), Sheridan Smith (Morgana Robinson’s Summer (2017), Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps) and Julian Barratt (The Mighty Boosh, The Great (2020)).

Directed by Steve Bendelack (The League of the Gentlemen, Mr Bean’s Holiday) and written by Jon Foster and James Lamont of Armstrong and Miller as well as Harry Hill himself, this film is sure to promise high jinks, and crazy characters.

In May 2013, the production visited Littlestone-on-Sea where they filmed various scenes of Harry and his Nan arriving in an old car and staying at a B&B in the fictional village of “Black Pole”.

Littlestone lies on the coast between Greatstone and St Marys Bay, and is a village with a sea wall, promenade, beach huts, lifeboat station and beach consisting of shingle, mudflats and sand. Nearby Dungeness is a popular filming location having been used for The Poison Tree (2012).

The Harry Hill Movie was released in cinemas on December 20^th 2013 and is now available to buy on DVD.

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

Kent's Premier Film Commission