Folkestone

The Tunnel (2013)

Posted on by Kent Film Office

 

Clemence Poesy (Elise Wassermann) and Stephen Dillane (Karl Roebuck) standing in the centre of a tunnel

The Tunnel – Clemence Poesy (Elise Wassermann) and Stephen Dillane (Karl Roebuck) © Sky Atlantic/Justin Downing

 

Starring: Stephan Dillane, Clemence Poesy, Keeley Hawes, Liz Smith, David G. Robinson, Angel Coulby, Tobi Bakere, Mathieu Carriere

Production Company: Kudos Film and Television, Shine France

Kent Locations: Channel Tunnel, Folkestone Harbour, Discovery Park, Connaught Barracks, Folkestone, Dover, Margate, The Port of Dover, The Turner Contemporary and many more.      

Inspired by hit Scandinavian drama The Bridge, The Tunnel is a new 10 part Sky Atlantic series set against the backdrop of a European crisis after a French politician is found dead on the border between the UK and France. Detectives from the respective countries are sent to investigate but at the crime scene comes a shocking discovery, forcing the French and British police into an uneasy partnership.  As the serial killer uses ever more elaborate and ingenious methods to highlight the moral bankruptcy of modern society, the detectives are drawn deeper into his increasingly personal agenda.

The series is a Sky Atlantic HD and CANAL+ co-production from Kudos Film and TV and Shine France Films in association with Filmlance and was adapted by an Anglo-French writing team led by Ben Richards (Spooks, Outcasts, Party Animals).

The series stars many famous faces including Stephen Dillane (Game of Thrones), Clémence Poésy (Harry Potter series), Joseph Mawle (Game of Thrones), Tom Bateman (Da Vinci’s Demons), Keeley Hawes (Ashes to Ashes), Liz Smith (The Royal Family), Tobi Bakare (Silent Witness), Jeanne Balibar (The Invisible Woman), Thibault de Montalembert (Days of Glory), Mathieu Carrièrre (High Speed), Angel Coulby (Merlin) and Jack Lowden (Mrs Biggs).

In November 2012, Kent welcomed The Tunnel’s production team who based themselves at Discovery Park in Sandwich.  Filming took place at a variety of East Kent locations between February 2013 and August 2013.

Many prominent Kent locations were used such as the Channel Tunnel, Connaught Barracks, Discovery Park, Folkestone Harbour, The Turner Contemporary, The Port of Dover, Westwood Cross Shopping Centre as well as the towns of Folkestone, Dover and Margate, and the production also made use of the Kent Film Office’s legal powers to close roads for filming.

East Kent has previously provided the back drop for many filming projects such as Dominic Savage’s True Love (2012), Ginger and Rosa (2012), My Week with Marilyn (2011), Son of Rambow (2008) and Venus (2007).

Don’t miss the start of The Tunnel which will be start on Wednesday 16th October 2013 on Sky Atlantic at 21:00.

 

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

Everyone’s Going To Die (2013)

Posted on by Kent Film Office

 

Everyone's Going to Die Movie - an animated man and woman with the title Everyone's going to die in white

Everyone’s Going to Die (2013) Movie Poster

Director: Jones
Starring: Nora Tschirner, Rob Knighton
Production Companies: Bobo Kaminski, Everyone’s Going To Die, Jones Film
Kent Location Used: Various streets in Folkestone, Rotunda and Sunny Sands beaches, St. Mary’s and St. Eanswythe Church, St. Peter’s Primary School, Georges House Gallery in the Old High Street, The Quarterhouse, The Leas, Folkestone Harbour, Dymchurch Amusements, The Grand, The Warren Country Park

Everyone’s Going To Die is a film set in a fictional English seaside town and centres around Melanie (Nora Tschirner), whose life is going nowhere. When a mysterious man, Ray (Rob Knighton), comes into town, she sees an opportunity to save herself. Attempting to leave their pasts behind and move on, the pair endeavours to change their lives for the better.

Collective Jones directs the film, with Nora Tschirner (Sternenfanger, Rabbit Without Ears) starring as Melanie and Rob Knighton (King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, Anti-Social) as Ray.

The production shot on location in and around Folkestone including various streets, Rotunda and Sunny Sands beaches, St.Mary’s and St. Eanswythe Church, St. Peter’s Primary School, Georges House Gallery in the Old High Street, The Quarterhouse, The Leas, as well as various shops and cafes.

Everyone's Going to Die Screenshot

Everyone’s Going to Die Screenshot at Folkestone Harbour Arm

Everyone's Going to Die Screenshot

Everyone’s Going to Die Screenshot at the old railway at Folkestone Harbour

Everyone's Going to Die Screenshot

Everyone’s Going to Die Screenshot – Melanie (Nora Tschirner) and Ray (Rob Knighton) at the beach

Additional locations include Folkestone Harbour where the old railway station and Harbour Arm feature as one of the locations where Melanie and Ray meet up. The Grand was the hotel that Ray stays at, Dymchurch Amusements was used for the scenes where Melanie bumps into Ray and the beach at The Warren Country Park was used for some of the beach scenes where Melanie and Ray join Laura (Madeline Duggan) and her friends.

Folkestone is a town in the district of Shepway and boasts a beach, Harbour, quaint streets, many studios and galleries at the Creative Quarter and The Leas, whose mile-long cliff-top promenade offers sea views to France. Folkestone has been used as a location for filming by productions such as The Tunnel (2013) and Is Anybody There? (2009).

Everyone’s Going To Die was released at film festivals in 2013 and is now available to buy 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. 

I Want You (1998)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
Dungeness estate houses with fields in front

I Want You Screenshot © Polygram Filmed Entertainment/Revolution Films

Director: Michael Winterbottom

Starring: Rachel Weisz, Alessandro Nivola, Luka Petrusic

Production Company: Polygram Filmed Entertainment, Revolution Films

Kent location used: Dungeness, Folkestone Harbour arm

I Want You is a film noir about a young boy, Honda (Luka Petrusic) and his sister Smokey (Labina Mitevska) who get drawn into the relentless pursuit of Helen (Rachel Weisz) by her former lover, Martin (Alessandro Nivola) after he is released from prison.

Michael Winterbottom (24 Hour Party People, A Mighty Heart, The Killer Inside Me) directs and Oscar winning actress Rachel Weisz (The Mummy, About A Boy, Enemy at the Gates) stars alongside Alessandro Nivola (Face/Off, American Hustle, Jurassic Park III) and Luka Petrusic (Bumerang, Sorry for Kung Fu).

The production chose Dungeness as the coastal town in the film.  The Folkestone Harbour arm is the location for Martin’s (Alessandro Nivola) argument with his colleague. Nearby Hastings was also used as a film location.

Folkestone Harbour Arm at night

I Want You Screenshot © Polygram Filmed Entertainment/Revolution Films

Dungeness is a large nature reserve in the Shepway district of Kent with a beautiful shingle beach, a mixture of old and modern homes, two lighthouses, a historic railway station and a Power Station. Dungeness is a popular film location previously been used by productions such as Ginger and Rosa (2012), The Inspector Lynley Mysteries – Natural Causes (2006) and The Garden (1990).

The town of Folkestone is in the Shepway district of Kent and has a harbour, beach, quaint streets and the Creative Quarter boasts many studios and galleries. The area has previously been used as a location for filming by productions such as The Tunnel (2013) and Is Anybody There? (2009).

I Want You was released in cinemas on 30th October 1998 and is now available to buy on DVD.

 

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

 

Moon and Son (1992)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
Civic Centre, Folkestone- concrete building with cast members being filmed by a crew in front of the building

Behind the scenes, Moon and Son at Civic Centre, Folkestone © Shepway District Council

Creator: Robert Banks Stewart
Directors: Ken Grieve, Robert Tronson, Paul Harrison, Roger Tucker
Writers: Michael Aitkens, Leslie Darbon
Cast: Millicent Martin, John Michie, Laure Killing, Ian Redford, Patrick Drury, John Fitzgerald Jay
Production Company: BBC
Kent locations Used: Folkestone, Kent and East Sussex Railway, Oare Marshes, Chilham Castle, Crabble Corn Mill, Deal, Folkestone Harbour, Dungeness Estate, The Grand Hotel in Folkestone, The Leas Cliff Hall and The Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway

Moon and Son (1992) is a 13-episode BBC series created by Robert Banks Stewart (Darling Buds of May (1991-1993), Doctor Who), which follows a professional fortune teller, Gladys Moon (Millicent Martin), and her son Trevor (John Michie) as they solve a multitude of mysteries.

The series stars Millicent Martin (Days of Our Lives, Grace and Frankie), John Michie (Coronation Street, Holby City), Laure Killing (Paris Criminal Investigations, Nouvelle Vague), Ian Redford (The Remains of the Day, Coronation Street), Patrick Drury (The Crown (2016-2020), Father Ted) and John Fitzgerald Jay (Roujin Z, Reign).

The production filmed at a variety of locations in Kent and in Nord-Pas-De-Calais across the Channel. Folkestone is the main UK setting and hometown of the Moons. Folkestone Harbour is also used frequently as the Moons travel between Folkestone and Boulogne. The Folkestone area has been used for previous productions including The Tunnel (2013) and Everyone’s Going to Die (2013).

Wittersham Road Station, which is part of Kent and East Sussex Railway, features as a hideout in Episode Two. It is a versatile historic railway that boasts an extensive list of production credits including Mapp and Lucia (2014) and Last Passenger (2013).

The Oare Marshes appear as the location for Mr Marsh’s (Gregory Floy) business in Episode Two and again as the quarry lake where his body is discovered. The Oare Marshes is a reserve consisting of one the few grazing marshes left in Kent. Other productions to have filmed there are A Taste of Britain (2014), Channel 4’s Southcliffe (2013) and Great Expectations (2012).

Chilham Castle, a historic building set in the Tudor village of Chilham features as Lady Doddington’s Estate in Episode Nine of the series. The village of Chilham has welcomed other productions including BBC’s Emma (2009), Miss Marple – The Moving Finger (2006) and Dempsey and Makepeace ‘Cry God for Harry’ (1985).

Crabble Corn Mill also features in Episode Nine as Denham’s Auction House. Recognised as one of Dover’s hidden treasures, Crabble Corn Mill is one of the most complete working Georgian watermills. Dover has often been seen on screen, in particular Dover Castle, in productions such as The Apprentice (2015), Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) and The Other Boleyn Girl (2008).

The Old Boatmen’s Room on Deal’s Marina doubled as Basil’s Chapel in Episode Ten. Deal boasts a stunning seafront and pier, as well as two Tudor castles and a thriving high street. Other productions to have filmed in Deal include Legacy (2013) and Ruby Blue (2007).

Other locations that appear in Moon and Son include the palm court at Folkestone’s The Grand, which features frequently as Gladys’ preferred haunt for tea. Additionally, The Leas Cliff Hall is home to the final showdown of Episode Two and The Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway features in Episode Twelve as the location of hidden diamonds.

Moon and Son aired in 1992.

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

Darling Buds of May (1991 – 1993)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
Catherine Zeta Jones as Mariette standing in front of a table of food with Oast House in the background © ITV

Catherine Zeta Jones as Mariette with Oast House in the background

 

Director : David Giles, Robert Tronson, Rodney Bennett, Steve Goldie

Writer: H. E Bates, Paul Wheeler, Stephen Bill

Production Company: Excelsior, Yorkshire Television

Kent Filming Locations: Pluckley, Folkestone,

Set in Kent in the 1950’s Darling Buds of May was filmed on location in Pluckley and Folkestone. The programme focused on the Larkin family who appeared to have the ideal family life living off the land.

Pop and Ma sat by the River with a picnic smiling at the camera

Pop and Ma by the River © ITV

Catherine Zeta Jones as Mariette with Oast House in the background © ITV

Catherine Zeta Jones as Mariette with Oast House in the background

Buss Farm Oast being worked on before filming- scaffolding with crew on surround it

Buss Farm Oast being worked on before filming © Roger Holmes

Behind the scenes on Folkestone seafront- cast and crew stood on the beach with filming equipment

Behind the scenes on Folkestone seafront © Shepway District Council

Amazingly, ‘Pop’ Larkin (David Jason) has managed to avoid the tax man. In the first six episodes, tax inspector Cedric (Philip Franks) comes to the farm to collect debts and ends up abandoning his career to live the dream of country living and marry ‘Pop’s’ daughter, Mariette (Catherine Zeta Jones). The programme has long been accredited with launching Catherine Zeta Jones’ career.

The series was hugely successful and achieved high viewing figures throughout its run. The effects are still felt in the lovely village of Pluckley, Kent which still welcomes those seeking a glimpse of the ‘perfick’ life.

For many, Darling Buds of May reflects the dream Kentish Life, involving living in an Oast House and enjoying the countryside that Kent has to offer with family and friends. It is perhaps this, which made the series so popular.

Pluckley to this day remains a sleepy countryside village but it is not only famous for its Darling Buds of May appearances, it is also renowned for its more ghostly inhabitants. Pluckley has earned the title of the most haunted village in Britain. It is said that 12 to 16 ghosts inhabit the village and every year on Halloween tourists inundate the village to see if they too can have a supernatural experience. The village however remains unspoilt and picturesque, reminding visitors of its Kentish beauty as depicted in the series.

The series aired between 1991 and 1993 and is now available to buy on DVD.

 

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

Someone Behind the Door (1972)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
Someone Behind the Door film poster- image of a mans face, underneath is a smoking gun. Someone Behind the Door written in white on a black background

Someone Behind the Door © GSF

Director: Nicholas Gessner
Starring: Anthony Perkins, Charles Bronson & Jill Ireland
Production Company: Comacico, Lira Films, Société Nouvelle de Cinématographie (SNC)
Kent Locations Used: Folkestone

Someone Behind the Door (1972) stars Charles Bronson (Death Wish, Once Upon a Time in the West) as the Stranger, a violent amnesiac caught in a dysfunctional relationship between husband and wife. Anthony Perkins (Psycho, The Black Hole) stars as Laurence, the cuckolded husband to cheating wife Frances (Jill Ireland (The Streetfighter, Assassination)). When the Stranger is found on the beach next to the body of a murdered girl, Laurence sees the perfect opportunity to wreak revenge by conditioning the Stranger to believe that Laurence’s wife is his own and that her supposed betrayal should be punished.

A chilling crime drama, Someone Behind the Door was shot almost entirely on location in Folkestone. The stunning vista of Folkestone’s beaches and sea views are the perfect backdrop to this dramatic tale. A residential property overlooking the sea from The Leas became home to cast and crew and featured as perkins’ home. The Folkestone beach features as the scene of the Stranger’s grisly crime and his inevitable capture by local police.

Folkestone and surrounding areas have been used by productions such as Sky Atlantic drama The Tunnel (2013), Is Anybody There? (2009) and Battle of Britain (1969).

Someone Behind the Door (1972) was released in cinemas on Friday 17th March 1972 and can now be purchased on DVD.

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

Battle of Britain (1969)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
Battle of Britain movie poster- montage of characters from the film in square boxes, Battle of Britain written in red on top with a sun set scene of a town skyline above

Battle of Britain © United Artists

Director: Guy Hamilton
Writer: James Kennaway, Wilfred Greatorex, Derek Dempster, Derek Wood.
Starring: Michael Caine, Trevor Howard , Harry Andrews, Christopher Plummer
Production Company: Spitfire Productions
Kent Locations Used: Denton, The Jackdaw Inn (Denton), Chilham, RAF Hawkinge

Set in 1940, Battle of Britain (1969) film tells the tale of the epic battle of Britain. Nazi Germany is attacking the airfields of the south east as part of Operation Sea Lion, and in order to stop the enemy from achieving their goals for invasion, the British Royal Air force must fight a desperate battle for control of the skies.

With death defying aerial acrobatics, this historical re-enactment takes the audience to the heart of World War II. With the Luftwaffe advancing onto London, the RAF must gather their destroyed resources and launch a critical attack.

Starring Michael Caine (The Dark Knight, The Prestige), this feature was not to be his last visit to the county: the actor returned in Is Anybody There? (2009), the touching story of the friendship between a young boy and a retired magician, which was filmed in Folkestone and Hythe.

Battle of Britain featured some of the best of Kent’s locations. The village of Chilham was mentioned on fictional signs at the control centre at the end of the film. A popular filming location in the county, Chilham is most famous for appearing in Agatha Christie adaptations. Miss Marple: The Moving Finger (2005) was filmed almost entirely in the village and it was also home for a special Christmas episode of Poirot (1995).

Another Kent Village, Denton, appeared in the film. The local pub, The Jackdaw Inn, had a cameo as the scene for Christopher Plummer (The Sound of Music, Beginners) and his on-screen wife, giving the audience an insight into the personal effects of war. The Jackdaw Inn has a room devoted to RAF World War II memorabilia and is a must see for any history buff.

RAF Hawkinge was the obvious choice as a location for the film. With a rich military history, the site is now a museum with the largest collection of Battle of Britain artefacts on show in the country.

Battle of Britain (1969) was released on Monday 15th September 1969 and is now available to buy on DVD.

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

Lady Godiva Rides Again (1951)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
Black and white image of a beauty pageant - girls on the stage with an audience watching

Lady Godiva Rides Again screenshot © London Film Productions

Director: Frank Launder
Writer: Frank Launder, Val Valentine
Starring: Pauline Stroud, Dennis Price, John McCallum, Stanley Holloway, Diana Dors
Production Company: ZSA
Kent Locations Used: The Leas Cliff Hall, The Metropole, Rotunda Amusement Park, Folkestone West Train Station

Lady Godiva Rides Again (1951) is a British comedy film about a small town girl who wins a local beauty pageant and finds herself unprepared for the cutthroat world of fame when she competes in a rigged Fascination Soap beauty competition.

The film was inspired by the 1950 Miss Kent beauty pageant which was held at The Leas Cliff Hall where director and writer Frank Launder was one of the judges in the competition.

The film was directed by Frank Launder (The Lady Vanishes, The Blue Lagoon) who also co-wrote alongside Val Valentine (The Constant Husband, The Rake’s Progress).

The cast includes Pauline Stroud (Dead of Night, Harpers West One), John McCallum (The Loves of Joanna Godden (1947), Trent’s Last Case), Dennis Price (Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949), The Rebel), Stanley Holloway (My Fair Lady, Brief Encounter) and Diana Dors (Oliver Twist, The Long Hall).

Cast members arriving at the Metropole Hotel Folkestone for the filming of Lady Godiva Rides Again July 1951

Cast members arriving at the Metropole Hotel Folkestone for the filming of Lady Godiva Rides Again July 1951 © Kent Photo Archive
 

Diana Dors and Dennis Hamilton arriving at the Metropole Hotel Folkestone for the filming of Lady Godiva Rides Again July 1951

Diana Dors and Dennis Hamilton arriving at the Metropole Hotel Folkestone for the filming of Lady Godiva Rides Again July 1951 © Kent Photo Archive

Parade on the Leas during filming of Lady Godiva Rides Again Folkestone July 1951- row of cars driving along the road

Parade on the Leas during filming of Lady Godiva Rides Again Folkestone July 1951 © Kent Photo Archive

Pauline Stroud arriving at the Metropole Hotel Folkestone for the filming of Lady Godiva Rides Again July 1951

Pauline Stroud arriving at the Metropole Hotel Folkestone for the filming of Lady Godiva Rides Again July 1951 © Kent Photo Archive

Diana Dors and Dennis Hamilton arriving at the Metropole Hotel Folkestone for the filming of Lady Godiva Rides Again July 1951 Pauline Stroud arriving at the Metropole Hotel Folkestone for the filming of Lady Godiva Rides Again July 1951

Diana Dors and Dennis Hamilton arriving at the Metropole Hotel Folkestone for the filming of Lady Godiva Rides Again July 1951 Pauline Stroud arriving at the Metropole Hotel Folkestone for the filming of Lady Godiva Rides Again July 1951 © Kent Photo Archive
exterior of The Metropole hotel and pavement in front

Lady Godiva Rides Again screenshot at The Metropole © London Film Productions

The production visited Folkestone where they filmed at The Leas Cliff Hall, which was used as the location for the beauty competition and The Metropole, which was the setting for the seaside hotel hosting the Fascination Soap Pageant. Folkestone West Train Station features in the film for the scenes where Marjorie Clark (Pauline Stroud), arrives and meets Dolores August (Diana Dors). The now closed Rotunda Amusement Park was also used for the scenes where Larry (John McCallum) and Marjorie visit and go on rides.

Folkestone is a town in the Shepway district of Kent and boasts a beach, quaint streets and many studios and galleries at the Creative Quarter. The Leas Cliff Hall is a theatre and entertainment venue offering splendid views across the channel. The Metropole is an old spa hotel which has been redeveloped into flats. The area has used for filming by productions such as The Tunnel (2013), Is Anybody There? (2009) and The Darling Buds of May (1991 – 1993).

Lady Godiva Rides Again (1951) was released in cinemas on Thursday 25th October 1951 and is now available to buy on DVD.

With kind thanks to Kent Photo Archive for allowing us to share their images.

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