Una (2017)

Una (Rooney Mara) standing in warehouse looking forward

Una (C) WestEnd Films

Writer: David Harrower

Director: Benedict Andrews

Starring: Rooney Mara, Riz Ahmed, Ben Mendelsohn, Tobias Menzies, Indira Varma, Tara Fitzgerald

Production Company: Bron Studios, Film4 Productions, Jean Doumanian Productions, WestEnd Films

Kent Locations Used: Dungeness, Greatstone, Lydd

Looking to resolve her past, Una (Rooney Mara) confronts Ray (Ben Mendelsohn ), her former neighbour, at his work place, seeking answers. As buried secrets and forbidden desires start to surface, they begin to threaten the stability they have found in their new lives.

Una (Rooney Mara) and Ray (Ben Mendelsohn) staring at each other

Una (C) WestEnd Films

The film is based on the play “Blackbird” that was written by David Harrower. Benedict Andrews (National Theatre Live: A Streetcar Named Desire) directed and Rooney Mara (A Nightmare on Elm Street, The Social Network) takes the lead role alongside  Riz Ahmed (Jason Bourne, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story), Ben Mendelsohn (The Dark Knight Rises, Bloodline) Tobias Menzies (Casino Royale, Atonement), Indira Varma (Game of Thrones, Hunted) and Tara Fitzgerald (Legend, Brassed Off).

The production chose to film in Kent in June 2015, using Dungeness, Greatstone and Lydd which feature as a remote hideaway location.

The Dungeness, Greatstone and Lydd coastal area boasts a unique and large expanse of sandy beach backed by dunes and the largest shingle desert in Europe. Ginger and Rosa (2012), The Poison Tree (2012) and Parade’s End (2012) have previously used the area for filming.

Una is released in cinemas from Friday 1st September 2017.

 

 

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


Churchill’s Secret (2016)

Churchill's Secret - Michael Gambon as Winston Churchill holding a cigar

Churchill’s Secret – Michael Gambon as Winston Churchill © ITV

Director: Charles Sturridge

Writer: Jonathan Smith (Novel), Stewart Harcourt (Adaption)

Starring: Michael Gambon, Lindsay Duncan, Romola Garai, Matthew Macfadyen, Daisy Lewis, Daisy Lewis, Rachael Stirling, Tara Fitzgerald

Production Company: Daybreak Pictures, Masterpiece

Kent Locations: Chartwell, Westerham

Set in 1953, ITV’s Churchill’s Secret is a feature length drama which tells the little known story of Winston Churchill’s (Michael Gambon) second time as Prime Minister when he suffered a life-threatening stroke, which is kept from the public.

Based on Jonathan Smith’s book, The Churchill Secret: KBO, the drama is told from the perspective of Churchill’s family, his doctor and young Nurse, Millie Appleyard (Romola Garai). Whilst his political peers plot his succession, family tensions surface when his long suffering wife, Clemmie (Lindsay Duncan) calls his children to visit him at his  Chartwell home in Kent, unsure if he will survive.

Michael Gambon (Harry Potter series, Gosford Park) plays Sir Winston Churchill with a supporting cast including Lindsay Duncan (Birdman, Alice in Wonderland), Romola Garai (The Hour, Emma), Matthew Macfadyen (Ripper Street, Anna Karenina), Daisy Lewis (Downton Abbey, Pusher), Rachael Stirling (Snow White and the Huntsman, Salmon Fishing in the Yemen) and Tara Fitzgerald (Game of Thrones, Legend).

The film is adapted by Stewart Harcourt (Treasure Island, Dracula) and directed by Charles Sturridge (Gulliver’s Travels, Lassie).

Chartwell was the real life Churchill family home from 1924 until Winston Churchill’s death in 1965 and was naturally chosen by the production to feature as the Churchill homeExteriors of the house and garden were filmed on location at Chartwell, whilst the interiors were recreated at West London Film Studios.

Set in delightful gardens, Chartwell is a National Trust property in Westerham and the rooms remain much as they were when Churchill lived there. Chartwell has previously been used as a film location by productions such as Flog It! (2014) and The Gathering Storm (2002).

Churchill’s Secret will be shown on ITV1 on Sunday 28th February 2016 at 20:00.

 

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