feature film

Island (2011)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
Natalie Press sitting on a rock with sea and hills behind her.

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.

Veer (2010)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
Zarine Khan walking in the snow holding a book with a bike behind her.

Zarine Khan as Princess Yashodhara © Eros International

Director: Anil Sharma

Writers: Salman Khan

Stars: Salman Khan, Mithun Chakraborty and Jackie Shroff

Filming Locations: The Historic Dockyard Chatham, Rochester Castle

Set in 1875 and starring Bollywood legend Salman Khan as Veer, this is the love story of an Indian warrior under the British Raj. With the arrival of the British, Indian Kings and Nawabs entrust their treasured kingdoms to the foreigners. Not so Veer. Being a member of the Pindari, he prefers death to dishonour and decides to fight the invaders.

Salman Khan as Veer walking down a street with horse and carriages, white buildings are either side

Salman Khan is Veer © Eros Entertainment

The stakes are raised when he falls in love with Princess Yashodhara (Zarine Kahn), daughter of a British collaborator and his sworn enemy, played by Jackie Shroff.  Veer takes on the might of the British Empire and its allies not only for justice, but also to win his true love.

Salman Khan, who wrote the story for the film, gained one and half times his body weight to fit the role.  Over 20 years in the making, Khan’s hard work and determination finally paid off when he completed his ‘dream project’.

The Historic Dockyard Chatham provided the perfect period location for Director, Anil Sharma, to stage a funeral sequence, a winter scene and a Victorian Street, all within its grounds.

Rochester Castle became the romantic backdrop for a musical sequence complete with horse and carriage.

The Historic Dockyard Chatham is set over 80 acres on part of the site of the former royal/naval dockyard at Chatham. The site boasts 100 Georgian and Victorian buildings, cobbled streets and a Cold War submarine and Victorian ropery. Previously filmed at The Historic Dockyard Chatham include The Crown (2016) and Great Expectations (2012).

Rochester Castle is a 12th Century Castle which prides itself on being one of the best preserved castles in England. The castle is set in beautiful gardens and overlooks the River Medway and has been used for filming by  The Mystery of Edwin Drood (2012).

Veer is out on DVD.

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

The Long Lonely Walk (2010)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
Actor walking down the street towards a red double decker bus, There is police tape behind him

Scene from The Long Lonely Walk © Third Light Films

Kent Film maker Leon Chambers returns with a new film

Director & Writer: Leon Chambers

Production Company: Third Light Films

Kent Filming Locations: Mid Kent College

The Long Lonely Walk follows the a bomb disposal expert, a young boy and an elderly woman as they reach a life defining moment. The cast includes Jeremy Sheffield (Holby City and contestant on Dancing On Ice 2010), Tessa Peake-Jones (Only Fools and Horses) and Sylvia Syms (The Queen).

Close up of Christian Lees staring at the camera in school uniform. Another actor can be seen looking at him behind,

Christian Lees in The Long Lonely Walk © Third Light Films

The film cost just £23,500 to make and was shot both at Mid Kent College in Maidstone and at Pinewood Studios. The Long Lonely Walk was partly financed by the Cranbrook Film Society and by those who attended a premier of the film at the Curzon Cinema in London in January.

Last year, Leon Chambers’s short film entitled ‘Stolen Youth’ received critical acclaim by winning Best UK Short at the Canary Wharf Film festival and making the official selection at Sundance and Palm Springs among others.

The Long Lonely Walk is now available on DVD and was shown at the following festivals.

The Crystal Palace Film Festival – 19th July
 The Sacramento Film and Music Festival  – 25th July  
 LA Shorts Fest – July 28th. This prestigious festival is recognised by the Academy Awards.
 
The film has also been awarded the following at the Accolade Competition Award of Merit: Short Film Award of Excellence: Sound – Overall Impact

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

The Calling (2009)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
Close up of Emily Beecham standing in front of a window staring off camera

Emily Beecham in The Calling © Meave Films

Written and Directed by: Jan Dunn

Produced: Elaine Wickham

Production Company: Medb Films

Kent Filming Locations: Ramsgate, Broadstairs, University of Kent Canterbury Campus, Wingham Wildlife Park, The Churchill Tavern, Barnsole Vineyard, St Lawrence College, Salmonstone Grange, Viking Bay

The Calling is a film about Joanna (Emily Beecham), a university student in her final year chooses to pursue her lifelong dream of becoming a nun, despite strong opposition from her family, friends and boyfriend. Arriving at the convent, a closed Benedictine order, she discovers an eccentric community of nuns  Joanna begins her spiritual journey under the guidance of  progressive Sister Ignatious (Brenda Blethyn). All seems well until an unexpected secret is uncovered, which puts Joanna’s future at the convent at risk. Only her bond with Sister Ignatious can guide her to fulfill her own destiny in a surprising twist of the plot…

Directed by Jan Dunn and produced by Elaine Wickham, of Kent based Maeve Films (formerly Medb Films) the same team who created the critically acclaimed ‘Ruby Blue’.

Susannah Harker, Brenda Blethyn, Rita Tushingham and Jan Dunn on the set of The Calling in a church holding bibles open in front of an alter

Susannah Harker, Brenda Blethyn, Rita Tushingham and Jan Dunn on the set of The Calling © Meave Films

Emily Beecham (Hail, Caesar!,Into the Badlands) stars as the protagonist Joanna, alongside Brenda Blethyn (Atonment, Pride & Prejudice, Secrets & Lies) as Sister Ignatious.  The supporting cast includes, Susannah York (Superman 1978, A Man For All Seasons).

The film was shot entirely on location in Kent in the districts of Canterbury and Thanet. In Ramsgate, St Lawrence College  was used for the nuns quarters whilst The Churchill Tavern featured as Joanna’s local pub. Salmonstone Grange in Margate,a beautiful 14th Century retreat, was used as the setting for St Bertha’s Priory. Various external scenes were filmed . In Broadstairs various external scenes were filmed in popular locations such as Viking Bay. The Thanet area has previously been used for filming  including Not Going Out  (2013) and Whistle and I’ll Come To You (2010).

In Canterbury the University of Kent Canterbury Campus doubled as Joanna’s university, whilst Barnsole Vineyard was the used for St Bertha’s Vineyard. Wingham Wildlife Park also featured doubling as Africa in the final scenes of the film. Rustom (2016),  Boomers (2014) and Only Fools and Horses: The Jolly Boys Outing  (1989) have previously filmed in the  Canterbury area. 

The Calling will open the fifth edition of the London Independent Film Festival (LIFF) on April 15th. Writer/director Jan Dunn is a previous winner of the prestigious ‘Best Feature’ award at LIFF with her 2008 Kent based film Ruby Blue . She was able to use the £50,000 prize money, towards fund this new project.

The film was the first to benefit from Kent County Council’s Development Fund, the initial investment of £75,000 was then match funded by other Kent Businesses including Courtyard Studios, Screen South, Maidstone Studios and The Hop Farm. The investment secured more than £500,000 spend into the local economy and also provided training for six young people from Kent on the production.

The Calling was released in 2009 and is now available for DVD purchase.

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

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 2010

Posted on by Kent Film Office
Rupert Grint, Emma Watson and Daniel Radcliffe running through a dark forest. Film title Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 is in silver underneath

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 movie poster © WarnerBros

Director: David Yates

Writers: Steve Kloves (screenplay), J.K. Rowling (novel)

Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Helena Bonham Carter, Robbie Coltrane, Warwick Davis, Ralph Fiennes, Michael Gambon, Rhys Ifans, Bill Nighy, Alan Rickman, Timothy Spall and Julie Walters

Production Companies: Warner Bros., Heyday Films

Kent Filming Locations:  Dartford Crossing

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 is the seventh instalment of the popular Harry Potter series based on the novels by JK Rowling. The story follows Harry racing against time to destroy the Horcruxes, Lord Voldemort’s secret to immortality. During his pursuit he uncovers the existence of the three most powerful objects in the wizarding world: the Deathly Hallows.

With an A-list British cast, including those who grew up on the film set, Daniel Radcliffe(The Woman in Black), Rupert Grint (Wild Target), Emma Watson (The Perks of Being a Wallflower), Tom Felton (Rise of the Planet of the Apes); and veteran actors such as Michael Gambon (The King’s Speech), Maggie Smith (Best Exotic Marigold Hotel), Ralph Fiennes (Schindler’s List) and Helena Bonham-Carter (Les Misérables).

The Dartford Crossing became part of movie history in 2010 when it was used for the scene where Hagrid (Robbie Coltrane)  and Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) race through the toll road and tunnel on a flying motorbike, being chased by Death-Eaters. At the end of the scene, as they take to the air, make sure you spot the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge in the background!

The Dartford area  has been used for filming by productions including London Spy (2015), Hummingbird (2013) and The Inbetweeners (2010).

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 was released in cinemas in November 2010 and is now available to buy on DVD.

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

Burke and Hare (2010)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
Chair on set during the filming of Burke and Hare at Knole Park. Chair reads Burke & Hare

Chair on set during the filming of Burke and Hare at Knole, Kent © NTPL Megan Taylor

Director: John Landis
Writers: Piers Ashworth, Nick Moorcroft
Starring: Simon Pegg, Andy Serkis, Isla Fisher
Production Company: Ealing Studios, Fragile Films
Kent Locations: Knole House

Based on true-life characters of William Burke and William Hare, this black comedy has an all-star cast including Simon Pegg (The Good Night (2008), Hot Fuzz), Andy Serkis (War for the Planet of the Apes, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers) and Isla Fisher (Wedding Crashers, Confessions of a Shopaholic) and is directed by the legendary John Landis (The Blues Brothers, Schlock).  It tells the story of the two infamous but hapless nineteenth Century serial murderers, who discovered the lucrative trade of supplying cadavers to the medical community in Edinburgh.  Burke and Hare find themselves unable to meet demand and start murdering people to keep up the supply.

Burke and Hare (2010) includes scenes filmed at Knole House, near Sevenoaks, which on a cold February day was transformed into a lively Edinburgh market.

Knole House is a popular filming location, having also provided locations for Pirates of the Caribbean – On Stranger Tides (2011), Sherlock Holmes – A Game of Shadows (2011) and The Other Boleyn Girl (2008).

Burke and Hare (2010) was released in UK cinemas on Friday 29th October 2010, and is now available to purchase on DVD.

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

Sherlock Holmes (2009)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
Sherlock Holmes Poster- Sherlock holmes staring at the camera with his hands in his pockets, smokey london skyline can be seen behind. HOLMES reads across the middle

Sherlock Holmes Poster

The Victorian Sleuth returns to our screens in an all action film

Director: Guy Richie

Writer: Simon Kinberg, Anthony Peckham

Starring: Robert Downey Jr, Jude Law, Rachel McAdams, Mark Strong, Eddie Marsan and Kelly Reilly

Production Company: Silver Pictures, Village Roadshow Pictures, Wigram Productions

Kent Filming Locations: The Historic Dockyard Chatham

Boxing day 2009 saw the release of the new Sherlock Holmes movie directed by British filmmaker Guy Ritchie. Fans expecting a classic ‘Sherlock’ adaptation complete with smoking pipe and deerstalker hat will be disappointed. This interpretation of Holmes is fast paced and action filled, taking its cue from modern graphic novels.

Based on an unpublished comic book by Lionel Wigram, the film features

Arthur Conan Doyle’s legendary characters Sherlock Holmes (Robert Downey Jr) and Dr Watson (Jude Law). Set in 1891, the film sees Holmes and Watson trying to stop Lord Blackwood’s (Mark Strong) conspiracy to destroy Britain. To thwart this deadly plot, Sherlock’s brilliance and intellect are called upon alongside some newly acquired skills:bare knuckle and sword fighting.

Directed by Guy Ritchie (Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Snatch) written by Simon Kinberg (Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Jumper) and Anthony Peckham (Don’t Say A Word, Invictus) and starring Robert Downey Jr (Zodiac, Iron Man) and Jude Law (Cold Mountain, Alfie). Rachel McAdams (Mean Girls, The Notebook), Mark Strong (Body of Lies, The Young Victoria), Eddie Marsan (V for Vendetta, Happy-Go-Lucky) and Kelly Reilly (Pride & Prejudice, Me and Orson Welles.

Ritchie and the all star cast came to The Historic Dockyard Chatham to film parts of the movie. The Historic Dockyard Chatham proved to be an ideal location with its cobbled streets, industrial buildings and authentic Victorian architecture. If you watch carefully you will notice the following locations.

  • Punchbowl Pub interior: fight scene
  • Punch Bowl pub exterior: various characters entering the pub
  • Main Gate (the seal): entering the prison to see Blackwood
  • Hemp House 3: Hanging of Lord Blackwood
  • Ropery courtyard: Prison exterior scene with Holmes and Watson locked up in the prison yard
  • Chain and Cable shed: chase scene with hansom cabs before the slip 7 scene where the ship enters the Thames
  • Slip 7: The fight with Dredger around the ship in slip 7
 

Behind the scenes image of the shipyard at Ship 7 at The Historic Dockyard Chatham

Behind the scenes image of the shipyard at Ship 7 at The Historic Dockyard Chatham © The Historic Dockyard Chatham

  

Behind the scenes image of the exterior of the Punch Bowl Pub at The Historic Dockyard Chatham at the bottom of a cobbled street

Behind the scenes image of the exterior of the Punch Bowl Pub at The Historic Dockyard Chatham © The Historic Dockyard Chatham

The Historic Dockyard Chatham remains a top Kent filming location due to its unblemished historical surroundings, authentic backdrops, cobbled streets and Georgian and Victorian architecture. It has previously been used in productions such as BBC’s Oliver Twist (2007), The Golden Compass (2007) and Vanity Fair (2005).

Sherlock Holmes was released in cinemas on December 2009 and is now available to buy on DVD.

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

The Hide (2009)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
Alex MacQueen and Phillip Campbell in the wooden Bird hide out with binoculars

Alex MacQueen and Phillip Campbell in the Bird hide out © Poisson Rouge

Director: Marek Losey  

Writer: Tim Whitnall

Starring: Alex Macqueen and Phil Campbell

Production Company: Poisson Rouge Pictures, Solution Films Limited

Kent Filming Locations: Elmley Marshes, Swale and Harty Ferry Inn 

Based on the play by Tim Whitnall and starring Alex MacQueen and Philip Campbell, The Hide tells the story of a reclusive bird watcher who spends his time on desolate marshes. His peace is disrupted by the arrival of a stranger whose dishevelled appearance initially causes him some alarm. Surprisingly, the pair strike up a friendship, discovering that they have more in common than they first thought. However a shocking police announcement on the radio throws the two friends into a deadly fight for survival in this tense thriller.

The Hide - a wooden shed surrounded by filming equipment

Behind the scenes image of The Hide © Kent Film Office

  

Behind the scenes image - lighting equipment on the marshes

Behind the scenes image © Kent Film Office

 
The Hide was erected on the marshy shores just below the Harty Ferry Inn. Other footage was shot a little further along at the Elmley Marshes on the Isle of Sheppey.  Exposed to the elements, the bleak and atmospheric coastal marshland was the perfect backdrop for this tense thriller.
Elmley Marshes is a little bit of wilderness located on the shores of the River Swale and is home to many unusual species such as the Avocet and the Marsh Harrier making it an ideal spot for twitching and indeed a film about a bird twitcher!   The marshes have previously been used by productions such as Jekyll and Hyde (2015), Great British Railway Journeys (2014) and A Taste of Britain (2014).

The film was well received on the film festival circuit, making the official selection at the Dinard Film Festival and has recently been acquired by Film4.

The Hide was released in cinemas in 2008 and is now available on DVD.

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

The Boat that Rocked (2009)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
Philip Seymour Hoffman and Nick Frost at a table with other people clapping and raising their glasses off screen. Posters and paper on the wooden walls behind

Philip Seymour Hoffman and Nick Frost in The Boat that Rocked © Universal Pictures

Writer/Director: Richard Curtis

Production Company: Working Title Films

Starring: Bill Nighy, Nick Frost, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Tom Sturridge

Kent Filming Locations: Squerryes Court

Brought to our screens by Richard Curtis, famed for Four Weddings and a funeral Notting Hill, The Boat that Rocked is a comedy focusing on the Rock and Roll antics of Pirate Radio DJ’s.

Carl (Tom Sturridge), recently expelled from school is sent to spend time with his Godfather Quentin, played by Bill Nighy, in the hope that he will find some much-needed guidance. As it turns out, Quentin is the manager of ‘Radio Rock’, a sea bound Pirate Radio Station. On the boat is a motley crew of eccentrics,  including The Count (Phillip Seymour Hoffman), Dave (Nick Frost) and Midnight Mark (Tom Wisdom) who are all more than willing to impart their advice on life to the impressionable young man.

Life on the water is anything but smooth with the return of the ‘Greatest DJ in Britain’ (Rhys Ifans) he Count is forced to compete for the title he feels he rightly owns. In addition, Radio Rock has fallen foul of the Government who are determined to put a stop to the station and the rock and roll lifestyle it promotes.

Drone shot of the dj's sunbathing on the deck of a ship with the sea behind

The DJ’s on the boat © Universal Studios

Rhys Ifans as Gavin in a recording studio speaking into a microphone with earphones on.

Rhys Ifans as Gavin in the studio © Universal Pictures

 

The Boat that Rocked captures the essence of the swinging sixties and a generation for whom music was not just a passion, but a way of life that must be protected at all costs. The tale has echoes of the legendary Radio Caroline which first broadcasted its radio channel in 1964 in foreign waters not far from Felixstowe in Suffolk. Today the Radio Caroline is synonymous with Pirate Radio and continues to broadcast, now legally, out at sea.

The film is directed by Richard Curtis (Four Weddings and a Funeral, Notting Hill) and featuring an all-star cast: Bill Nighy (Love Actually, I Capture the Castle), Nick Frost (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz), Phillip Seymour Hoffman (The Big Lebowski, A Most Wanted Man) and Tom Sturridge (Being Julia, Far from the Madding Crowd)

The production visited Kent in 2007 to film scenes at Squerryes Court, a 17th Century manor home in Westerham. The house is set in 20 acres of land which include beautiful gardens and a lake. The rooms that were used during the filming are open to the public.

The Boat that Rocked was released in cinemas on the 1st April 2009 and is now out on DVD.

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

Is Anybody There? (2009)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
Is Anybody There? Film Poster- a man and a child stood in front of a white wooden bus shelter with a blue bench. Is Anybody There? written in yellow underneath

Is Anybody There? Film Poster © Optimum Releasing

Director: John Crowley 

Writer: Peter Harness 

Starring: Michael Caine, Bill Milner, David Morrissey, Anne-Marie Duff, Ralph Riach

Production Company: Heyday Films, BBC Films, Big Beach

Kent Filming Locations: Hythe, Folkestone Central Train Station and St Peter’s CEP School in Folkestone

Set in the 1980’s, Is Anybody There? is about a young boy called Edward (Bill Milner) growing up in an old people’s home. Whilst his parents struggle with their personal problems, Edward becomes obsessed with ghosts and the afterlife. Arming himself with his trusted tape recorder and camera, he tapes the residents in his quest to find out more about what happens to people when they die.

Living a fairly solitary existence, Edward strikes up a friendship with resident magician and rebel Clarence (Michael Caine). The pair become good friends, teaching each other to live each day in the present and how to come to terms with the past.

In 2007, the production visited several Kent locations including Folkestone Central Train Station which doubled as a Yorkshire train station  Princes Parade in Hythe was turned into Yorkshire for two days where they used the sea-shelter as a bus shelter (see the movie poster!) and the road was used for the scenes where Clarence (Michael  Caine) and Edward (Bill Milner) are pushing the vehicle along the sea road after the crash.

Filming on Princes Parade in Hythe - green double decker bus on the road with crew and filming equipment on the pavement

Filming on Princes Parade in Hythe © Kent Film Office

Produced by the same company who bring Harry Potter to the big screen, the film also visited St Peter’s CEP School,  Folkestone where the children themselves were extras for a day! To thank them for their time and help they were rewarded with signed posters from the main cast of Harry Potter and Michael Caine signed their school mural.

The seaside town of Folkestone has an elegant clifftop promenade, a lower coastal park, a fishing harbour and Victorian cliff-top lifts. Hythe is a small coastal town situated between Folkestone and the Romney Marsh. The area has featured in a wide range of productions including Future Tense: The Story of H.G. Wells (2016), The Tunnel: Sabotage (2016) and Everyone’s Going To Die (2013).

The film was released on 1st May 2009 and is now available to buy on DVD.

 

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