Summertime Blues (2009)

Posted on February 4, 2009 by Kent Film Office

Francois Goeske and Sarah Beck sat on a kitchen counter top having a conversation holding tea cups.

Francois Goeske and Sarah Beck as Alex and Faye © Boxfish Films

Director: Marie Reich

Writer: Frederike Kopf

Production Company: Boxfish Films

Kent Filming Locations: Faversham, Stodmarsh, Dover

Alex is a teenager whose life is thrown into turmoil following the announcement that his father’s new girlfriend is pregnant and his mother intends to move to England with her new partner and himself in tow.

Karoline Eichhorn and Alexander Bayer in Summertime Blues smiling at the camera through an orchestra pit,. Audience can be seen smiling behind

Karoline Eichhorn and Alexander Bayer in Summertime Blues © Boxfish Films

Summertime Blues chronicles Alex’s exile to a sleepy English village and his determination to return to his home-town of Bremen at the earliest opportunity. It’s not long, however, before he begins to make friends, notably Louie and Faye, who show him that life in the middle of nowhere isn’t all that bad. At a crossroads, Alex is torn between his life in Bremen and his new life in England.

In the height of summer 2008, Kent played host to the German production Summertime Blues. Looking for some of Kent’s most idyllic and romantic countryside locations, the crew came to the Film Office to aid them in their search. After weeks of deliberation the production company chose the beautiful market town of Faversham and the picturesque village of Stodmarsh for Alex’s quintessentially English home. Released in Germany this summer, there are unfortunately no current plans to bring the film to the UK.

The coastal town of Dover is home 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 for filming productions such as The Tunnel: Sabotage (2016), Great British Railway Journeys – Series 7 (2016) and On A Clear Day (2005).

Stodmarsh is a small village on the outskirts of the historic City of Canterbury. The Canterbury area has previously featured on screen in projects such as Rustom (2016), Terry and Mason’s Great Food Trip (2015) The Apprentice (2014).

Faversham is a beautiful, historic market town which boasts nearly 500 listed buildings and is set on the picturesque Faversham Creek. It has many restaurants, shops, attractions and beautiful walks. The Faversham area has been used as a film location for productions such as Great British Railway Journeys (2014) and Channel 4 drama Southcliffe (2013)

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

Invisible Eyes (2009)

Posted on February 4, 2009 by Kent Film Office

close up of Pia Mechler staring away from the camera in front of a black backgroun. Invisible Eyes is written in white on top.

Actress Pia Mechler starring as Gaby © Hide Films

Writer/Director – Olivier Cohen

Producer – Liz Rosilio

Production Company: HiDe Films

Kent Filming Location: Old Romney

‘Invisible Eyes’ follows successful model Gaby (Pia Mechler) as she tries to begin a new life away from the glamour and glory of the catwalk. Reluctant to accept her career is on a downward spiral, Gaby retreats to a country house to cheer herself up. Soon she begins to feel observed by invisible eyes. Is there truly someone watching her, or is she sliding into madness? Co-starring Simon Merrells (The Wolfman and ITV’s The Bill) and Michael Mears (The Colour of Magic and Sharpe) this thriller promises to surpise you!

Invisible Eyes premiered at this years Cannes Film Festival and has just been selected in the ‘Breakthrough Strand’ of the London UK Film Focus (LUFF) taking place on the 28 June to 1 July at the BFI Southbank.

Old Romney is in the Shepway district of Kent where the area has welcomed filming from The Tunnel: Sabotage (2016), The Only Way is Essexmas (2014) and The Harry Hill Movie (2013).

For further information regarding screenings and festival submissions please see the Invisible Eyes website below.

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

Greetings (2008)

Posted on February 4, 2008 by Kent Film Office

Kirsty (Kirsty Cox) looking at a mirror that has misted up

Kirsty (Kirsty Cox) looking at a mirror in Greetings © Dunne Productions

Director and writer: Ken Colley

Production Company: Dunne Productions

Kent Filming Location: Shepway

Greetings is a psychological horror, written and directed by Ken Colley, who lives in Kent. Ken Colley financed the project entirely on his own, with a budget of just under £100,000. Filming took twenty days and it was shot with a small cast and crew at Ken’s house in Shepway.

4 men with their hands on a Oujia Board in a living room

Lads playing the Oujia Board © Dunne Productions

Ken Colley’s wide and varied career as an actor spans over 40 years and he is best known for his portrayal of Admiral Piett in the original Star Wars trilogy.

At Cathy’s (Mel Stephenson) party the lads (Ben Shockley, Matthew Reynolds, John Rackham, Henry Dunn) decide to liven up the atmosphere by playing the Ouija board. When strange things start to happen they blame each other. But is there something else in control?

Greetings previewed at the Odeon cinema in Canterbury and at various festivals, including Kent’s own Swale Film Festival 2008. Ken is currently seeking a distribution deal for the film.

Greetings will have a special screening at the Folkestone University on Wednesday 4^th February 09 at 7.30p.m.

The film now has a DVD distribution deal through Brain Damage Films and is also available for online purchase.

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

Wild Child (2008)

Posted on February 4, 2008 by Kent Film Office

Emma Roberts (Poppy), Linzey Cocker (Josie), Sophie Wu (Kiki), Kimberley Nixon (Kate) and Juno Temple (Drippy) all dressed in fancy dress posing at the camera.

Emma Roberts (Poppy), Linzey Cocker (Josie), Sophie Wu (Kiki), Kimberley Nixon (Kate) and Juno Temple (Drippy) on the set of Wild Child. Giles Keyte: copyright: © 2008 Universal Studios. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Directed by: Nick Moore

Written by: Lucy Dahl

Starring: Emma Roberts, Natasha Richardson, Aidan Quinn, Alex Pettier, Shirley Henderson

Production Company: Universal Pictures, StudioCanal, Relativity Media, Working Title Films

Kent Locations: Cobham Hall

Emma roberts soaking wet emptying water from a red shoe with her bed behind

Emma Roberts and Kimberley Nixon in school uniform frowning at each other in a corridor full of students

Writen by Lucy Dahl, the daughter of literary giant Roald Dahl, “Wild Child” follows the antics of 16 year-old Poppy (Emma Roberts) on a search of self-discovery and maturity. Brought up in Los Angeles, Poppy has been living a selfish and spoiled existence. Fed up with Poppy’s attitude and behaviour, her father ships her off to an English boarding school where she’s faced with strict rules, curfews, school girl hierarchies and scary teachers. Will Poppy be able to remain the ultimate Wild Child?

Starring Emma Roberts (Hotel for Dogs, Nancy Drew), Natasha Richardson (The Parent Trap, Blow Dry), Aidan Quinn (Legends of the Fall, Unknown) Alex Pettyfer (Magic Mike, I am Number Four) and Shirley Henderson (Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Bridget Jones Diary Franchise).

Shot on location, “Wild Child” was mostly filmed at Cobham Hall, near Gravesend, in Kent. Already a boarding school for girls, the location was perfect for the film. The country house has become an increasingly popular filming location and has played host too many productions including The Great Fire (2014), the BBC’s adaptation of Bleak House (2005), and Agent Cody Banks (2003).

Laura Goldfinch as an extra on set - standing in school uniform on a field with cars parked behind

Laura Goldfinch as an extra on set © Laura Goldfinch

Local Kent girl Laura Goldfinch was lucky enough to be an extra on the film.

“On the fourth day of filming, two women approached me and revealed Kimberley Nixon, one of the young lead actresses, was absent and they needed a stand-in for three night shoots – me!!! I found myself whisked away into my very own trailer and travelled down to set in the same cars as Juno Temple, Alex Pettyfer and the amazing Shirley Henderson!”

“When the whirlwind rush of Wild Child was over, my life went back to normal, but my attitude towards my chosen career changed for the better. To this day I am grateful for having been given this opportunity and that Kent was chosen as the location for the Wild Child Production. Since Wild Child, I have gone on to have other successes working as a supporting artiste and actress in other Film and Television productions.”

Wild Child was released in cinemas in August 2008 and is available out on DVD.

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

Ruby Blue (2007)

Posted on February 4, 2008 by Kent Film Office

Director Jan with actress Angelica OReilly filming Ruby Blue at Barnsole Vineyard. © Medb Films

Directed and Written by: Jan Dunn

Starring: Bob Hoskins, Josiane Balasko, Jody Lathum, Jessica Stewart,Josef Altin

Production Company: Medb Films ,Entertainment Motion Pictures ,Le Tax Shelter du Gouvernement Fédéral de Belgique , uFilm

Kent Filming Locations: Ramsgate, Barnsole Vineyard

Written and directed by Jan Dunn (The Calling, Gypo), Ruby Blue stars Bob Hoskins (Hook, Enemy at the Gates), Josiane Balasko (My Life is Hell, French Fried Vacation), Jody Lathum (Shameless, EastEnders), Jessica Stewart (Genie in the House) and Josef Altin (Game of Thrones,Les Miserables).

The film is set in Ramsgate and several locations feature as themselves such as The Falstaff Inn, Ellington Park, The Granville, Ramsgate Port, and the High Street. Ramsgate is England’s only Royal Harbour, boasting of a rich history and has high speed rail links to London. Also Thanet Offshore Wind Farm, which can be seen in the film, is visible from the coastline on a clear day. Ramsgate has since welcomed further media productions such as Big Bad World (2013), True Love (2012) and The Calling (2009).

Barnsole Vineyard in Canterbury is used as the location of Rosie’s (Angelica O’Reilly) place of work in the film. The same Vineyard also features in The Calling (2009).

Ruby Blue was first released in cinemas in 2007 and is now available to buy on DVD.

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

Incendiary (2008)

Posted on February 4, 2008 by Kent Film Office

Ewan McGregor getting out of a black car with people in a smokey background behind him

Ewan McGregor in Incendiary © Optimum Releasing

Writer/Director: Sharon Maguire

Stars: Ewan McGregor, Michelle Williams, Matthew Macfadyen, Sidney Johnston

Production Company: Aramid Entertainment Fund ,Archer Street Productions ,Capitol Films ,Film4 ,Incendiary ,Sneak Preview Films,UK Film Council, Wild Bear Films

Kent Filming Locations: Metropolitan Police Training Ground, Gravesend

Incendiary is the heartbreaking story of a young wife and mother whose family falls victim to a terrorist attack when a bomb explodes during a football match. Watching the horrific events unfold before her eyes on TV, her feelings of are intensified by guilt, because at the time of the blast she was with another man. Anguished, she rejects her lover and seeks comfort from the officer investigating the incident.

Adapted from Chris Cleave’s controversial novel, Incendiary caused furore at the time of its release: appearing in bookshops only a week after the 7/7 attacks in London, the story seemed chillingly close to reality, causing major retailers to pull their marketing campaigns for the novel.

Michelle Williams and Sidney Johnson running on the beach

Michelle Williams and Sidney Johnson © Optimum Releasing

The film visited the Metropolitan Police training facilities near Gravesend to shoot the scenes under the football stadium, after the bomb has exploded.

Incendiary was released in cinemas in October 2008 and is now available on DVD.

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

DEREK (2008)

Posted on February 4, 2008 by Kent Film Office

Tilda Swinton and Issac Julien behind a grey gravestone in a graveyard

Tilda Swinton and Issac Julien © JN Films

Director: Issac Julien

Production Company: Normal Films

Kent Locations: Dungeness, Prospect Cottage, St Clements Church, Old Romney

Derek Jarman © Steve Pike & JN Films

Starring Tilda Swinton (The Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe, Michael Clayton) and directed by Issac Julien, DEREK explores the many faces of Derek Jarman and looks at his life as an artist and filmmaker. The film is based around previously unseen footage of an interview which was conducted with Jarman in 1991, which is interwoven with clips of his work including pop promos and feature films, as well as rare home movies depicting his family life.

In 2007, Tilda Swinton and Issac Julien visited Kent to film at Derek Jarman’s home ‘Prospect Cottage’ on the Dungeness estate. His garden, made from shingle, driftwood and other material salvaged from the beach, is much treasured and continues to attract both visitors and film crews alike.

Derek Jarman died in 1994 after a long battle with AIDS and he is now buried at St Clements Church in Old Romney.

DEREK was originally shown on More 4 as part of the Jarman Season and has garnered critical acclaim across the globe. This summer the documentary was shown at the Sundance Festival and at The Berlin Film Festival.

Dungeness is a unique coastal landscape with a shingle beach, two lighthouses and a power station. The area is a popular film location having previously been used for productions including Homes By The Sea (2014) and Parades End (2012).

Recently the documentary also received a nomination for Best Documentary at the British Independent Film Awards.

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

Inkheart (2008)

Posted on February 4, 2008 by Kent Film Office

Silvertongue reading to a young Meggie. Both on green armchairs with a table in between them. Bookshelves can be seen behind.

Director: Iain Softly

Starring: Helen Mirren, Brendan Fraser, Eliza Bennett, Jim Broadbent, Paul Bettan

Production Company: New Line Cinema, Internationale Filmproduktion Blackbird Erste

Kent locations used: Hever Castle

Based on the best selling novel by Cornelia Funke, Inkheart is about Mo ‘Silvertongue’ Folchart (Brendan Fraser – The Mummy) who has a special gift when reading aloud: the characters come to life. One night, he unknowingly brings to life three characters from a novel entitled Inkheart who kidnap him. Now it is up to Mo’s daughter Meggie (Eliza Bennett – Nanny McPhee) and her great-aunt Eleanor (Helen Mirren – The Queen) to rescue him from the cruel dictator Capricorn (Andy Serkis, Lord of the Rings) and return the characters back to the pages of Inkheart. Alongside her real and fictional friends, Meggie learns the importance of family and having a place to call home.


Andy Serkis in Inkheart © Entertainment Film Distributors Ltd. Photo: Close Murray	Helen Mirren © Entertainment Film Distributors Ltd. Photo: Close Murray

Directed by Iain Softly (Hackers, The Skeleton Key) and featuring an all-star cast, Helen Mirren (Calendar Girls, The Queen) Brendan Fraser (George of the Jungle, Journey to the Center of the Earth), Jim Broadbent (Bridget Jones’s Diary, Moulin Rouge!) Paul Bettany (A Knight’s Tale, Wimbledon) and Eliza Bennett (The Prince and Me, Nanny McPhee).

Hever Castle was used for three weeks for the filming of Inkheart, transforming the historical site into the Italian lakeside home of Great Aunt Elinor as the historical home of Anne Boleyn and the beautiful Italian gardens complete with a lake were ideal for this family-orientated fantasy film.

Hever Castle is a thirteenth century Tudor castle near Edenbridge, Hever which was originally the home of the Boleyn family. Hever Castle is a popular filming location with its stunning Italianate gardens, beautiful lake and a mock Tudor village. Hever Castle has also be used for other productions such as Walking through History (2013), The Other Boleyn Girl (2008) and Anne of a Thousand Days (1969).

Inkheart was released in cinemas in December 2008 and can now be bought on DVD.

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

The Bank Job (2008)

Posted on February 4, 2008 by Kent Film Office

Jason Statham standing behind an open train door staring away from the camera

Writer: Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais

Director: Roger Donaldson

Production Company: Mosaic Media Group , Relativity Media, Skyline, Atlas Entertainment, Omnilab Media

Kent Filming Locations: The Historic Dockyard Chatham

Starring Jason Statham (The Italian Job, The Transporter) and Saffron Burrows (Boston Legal, Enigma), The Bank Job is inspired by true events. When Martine, an attractive model from Terry’s old neighbourhood, offers information on a bank, Terry finds that it is too tempting to resist.

By tunnelling their way into the bank, the crew not only walked away with a jackpot of over £3 million, but more importantly, stumbled upon scandalous Royal secrets. Almost as soon as the daring heist hit the headlines, the government fearing the release of the uncovered secrets put in place a gagging order that has shrouded the true nature of this crime for over thirty
years.

The Historic Dockyard Chatham provided the ideal double for a London railway station of the 70’s, as well as the post office scene in the closing stages of the film.

Set over 80 acres, The Historic Dockyard Chatham contains over 100 Georgian and Victorian buildings as well as cobbled streets and dock spaces. The Historic Dockyard Chatham is a poplar location for filming having previously featured in Rustom (2016), Downton Abbey (2013) and The World is Not Enough (1999).

The Bank Job was released in cinemas on 29^th February 2008 and is now available on DVD.

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

Jetsam (2008)

Posted on February 4, 2008 by Kent Film Office

Alex Reid standing in wet clothes on a empty sandy beach

Director/Writer: Simon Welsford

Production Company: Skyman Films

Kent Locations: Margate

Washed up on a deserted beach with no recollection of how she got there and who she is, Grace’s (Alex Reid – Life on Mars, The Descent) world changes dramatically as she collides with a man (Jamie Drevan, – Billy Elliot, Ultimate Force) who is intent on killing her.

In a desperate attempt to recall her memories and stay alive, Grace goes on the run. I her mind, the chaos of the city mixes with the bleak and savage coast and she begins to piece together her past, frantically working out how she became embroiled in a world of betrayal and espionage.

Filmed on a budget of less than £3000, Jetsam premiered at this year’s London Film festival to packed cinemas, forecasting a very promising future for the film.

Simon Welsford, a Kent resident, was inspired by his surroundings and the Margate coast provided the perfect backdrop for the moody, volatile atmosphere the thriller demanded. The weather was even on hand to help reflect the mood.

Margate is a coastal town that offers a sandy beach, arcades and period shopping areas in Old Town. Margate has welcomed filming from a variety of projects including The Apprentice (2015), Last Orders (2002) and Only Fools and Horses: The Jolly Boys’ Outing (1989).

Jetsam was shown at various film festivals around the world including the Slamdance Festival and the London Film Festival.

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

Kent's Premier Film Commission