Historical Film

Living (2022)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
Bill Nighy, as Williams, stands in front of a large, grey, historic courthouse building. He is wearing a black pinstripe suit, polka dot tie, and black bowler hat. He carries an umbrella in his hand and is looking at a watch on his wrist.

Bill Nighy in Living (2022) © Ross Ferguson

Director: Oliver Hermanus
Starring: Bill Nighy, Aimee Lou Wood, Alex Sharp
Production Company: County Hall, Film4, Filmgate Films, Ingenious, Kurosawa Production Co., Lipsync Productions, Number 9 Films
Kent Locations Used: The Historic Dockyard Chatham, King’s Theatre – Chatham

Living (2022) is an English-language adaptation of Akira Kurosawa’s classic film Ikiru by Kazuo Ishiguro, set in 1950s London.

Directed by Oliver Hermanus (Moffie, Beauty), Living stars Bill Nighy (The Boat that Rocked (2009), Pokémon: Detective Pikachu (2019)) as Williams, Aimee Lou Wood (Sex Education (2021), The Electrical Life of Louis Wain (2022)) as Margaret Harris and Alex Sharp (The Trial of the Chicago 7, The Hustle) as Peter Wakeling.

In June and July 2021, production visited The Historic Dockyard Chatham to film various scenes. The exterior of the Lead and Paint Mill doubles as the bomb site which Williams later transforms into a playground, the Ropery alley doubles for the streets of London, and the Commissioner’s House Gardens doubles for St James’s Park in London.

A historic 17th-Century dockyard spanning over 80 acres, Chatham Dockyard contains over 100 buildings dating from the Georgian and Victorian Periods. It is the most popular filming location in Kent, having played host to many high-profile films and TV shows. Most recently, Operation Mincemeat (2022), The Nevers (2021) and The Phantom of the Open (2022) shot various scenes on the site.

A group of people sit in an old-fashioned cinema.

Behind the scenes at King’s Theatre, Chatham. Alex Sharp, Bill Nighy and Aimee Lou Wood with Spotlites staff © Spotlites

Filming also took place at King’s Theatre in Chatham, where Bill Nighy and Aimee Lou Wood’s characters watch a film at the cinema. Chatham is a historic town situated in Medway, North Kent and is known for its historic dockyard, army barracks and high street. The Last Rite (2021) also filmed a short scene in Chatham town.

Living was released in UK cinemas on Friday 4th November 2022.

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

Peterloo (2018)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
Various actors in film 'Peterloo' standing on a stage, surrounded by a cheering crowd

Peterloo 2018 ©IMDb

Writer / Director: Mike Leigh
Starring: Rory Kinnear, Maxine Peake, Pearce Quigley
Production Company: BFI Film Fund
Kent Locations Used: The Historic Dockyard Chatham and St Mary’s Marshes

Oscar nominated filmmaker Mike Leigh (Mr Turner) portrays one of England’s bloodiest episodes, the Peterloo Massacre of 1819. Government guards charged and attacked a peaceful protest held by 80,000 people in Manchester demanding democratic reform.

Peterloo (2018) stars Rory Kinnear (Spectre, The Imitation Game) as Henry Hunt, Maxine Peake (The Theory of Everything, The Village) as Nellie, Pearce Quigley (The Rovers) as Joshua.

The Historic Dockyard Chatham is a well-known film location in Kent and has been used on many projects. Production used the Tarred Yarn Store and the exterior of the Ropery to double as a Cotton Mill in Manchester.

With its Victorian and Georgian architecture, the Dockyards provides many varied locations and has also appeared in Victoria and Abdul (2017), Mr Turner (2014) and Downton Abbey (2013) among others.

St Mary’s Marshes on the Isle of Grain appears in a short scene at the beginning of the film, a lonely figure walking along the marshes. The marshes are on the Isle of Grain, between the River Thames and the River Medway. The Medway area has been used in various TV Series and films such as Black Sea (2014).

The film will be released in the UK on 2nd November 2018.

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

Hurricane (2018)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
Official Hurricane Movie Poster- Crashed plane at the bottom of the poster, three main characters at the centre of the poster in period clothing, planes and london skyline in background. Hurricane reads in the centre

Official Hurricane Movie Poster ©IMDb

 

Writers: Robert Ryan and Alastair Galbraith

Director: David Blair

Starring: Iwan Rheon, Milo Gibson, Stefanie Martini

Production Company: Head Gear Films

Kent Locations Used: Victoria Gardens & Stone Bay, Thanet

Hurricane is the story of Squadron 303, a group of courageous Polish soldiers who fought with British troops in the skies to defend England in WWII. The story is told through the eyes of Polish flying ace Jan Zumbach (Iwan Rheon), whose hope it is, that Britain can defeat the Nazis and free his own country.

Starring Iwan Rheon (Game of Thrones, Our Girl) as Jan Zumbach, Milo Gibson (Hacksaw Ridge, Gangster Land) as John Kent and Stefanie Martini (Prime Suspect, Endeavour) as Phyllis Lambert.

Victoria Gardens was used in one of the scenes scene with a bus where Josef Frantisek (Krystof Hádek) meets Jan Zumbach (Iwan Rheon) and Ziggy (Matt Malecki). Victoria Gardens, Broadstairs is situated in Thanet which is home to some of the most beautiful Georgian, Victorian and Regency buildings. Broadstairs has a is a sandy beach with sea-carved chalk cliffs with the scenery being used in the film when a character parachutes onto the beach from a war plane.

There was also a beach scene at Stone Bay, Broadstairs, where Jan Zumbach (Iwan Rheon) is seen walking off a beach (this follows him stealing a plane in France to fly to England).

Broadstairs is situated in Thanet which is home to many beautiful Georgian, Victorian and Regency buildings. The area is a popular location for a variety of films and TV series including Liar (2017), The Lady in the Van (2015), The Calling (2009,  Mr Selfridge Series 4 (2016).

The film is due to be released in the UK on 7th September 2018.

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