true story

Sajjan Singh Rangroot (2018)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
Movie poster showing WW1 Indian soldier carrying a comrade on his back. Rangroot is written in white underneath.

©Flame Visuals


Director: Pankaj Batra

Starring: Diljit Dosanjh, Yograj Singh, Darren Tassell

Production Company: Colour 9 Productions

Kent Locations Used: Faversham Market

Based on a true story, the upcoming movie follows British Indian Army officer Sajjan Singh (Diljit Dosanjh), who served on the Western Front during World War I. It centres on the Sikh regiments who were sent to fight for Britain during the war, and pays tribute to the sacrifice that the Indian Army made for Britain, fuelled by Sikh pride and appreciation.

The film was directed by Pankaj Batra (Virsa, Channa Mereya), and features actors Diljit Dosanjh (Udta Punjab, Welcome to New York, Super Singh), Yograi Singh (Tiger, Baaz) and Darren Tassell (The Mummy, Autopsy: The Last Hours Of).

Faversham Market was used in multiple scenes, in which WWI soldiers are marching through town.

Located in the heart of Faversham’s historic town centre, Faversham Market has the esteemed status of Kent’s oldest town market.  Southcliffe (2013) was a Channel 4 mini-series that was filmed primarily in Faversham town centre. The surrounding areas of Faversham are often used as locations for productions such as Great Expectations (2012) and Waterland (1992).

Rangroot will be released in UK cinemas on 23 March 2018.

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

The Mercy (2018)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
Colin Firth and Rachel Weisz in The Mercy Official Poster close up of faces looking into distance. The Mercy written in white

Colin Firth and Rachel Weisz in The Mercy (2018) ©Studio Canal

Writer: Scott Z. Burns

Director: James Marsh

Starring: Colin Firth, Rachel Weisz, David Thewlis, Mark Gatiss

Production Company: Blueprint Pictures

Kent Locations Used: Chatham Dockyard and Bewl Water

Colin Firth in The Mercy standing on boat with mast behind. He wears a pale blue shirt and cream trousers.

Colin Firth in The Mercy (2018 ) ©Studio Canal

The film tells the true story of Donald Crowhurst (Colin Firth), a yachtsman who went missing during his attempt to win the 1968 Golden Globe Race when he decided to turn his attempt into a disastrous attempt of travelling the world alone by sea.

Directed by James Marsh (The Theory of Everything, Shadow Dancer) and written by Scott Z. Burns (Contagion, The Bourne Ultimatum). The film stars Colin Firth (Kingsman: The Secret Service, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy),  Rachel Weisz (The Mummy, Oz the Great and Powerful), David Thewlis (Wonder Woman, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban,) and Mark Gatiss (The League of Gentlemen, Sherlock).

Rachel Weisz in The Mercy 2018. Rachel and 3 children stand against a harbour wall looking out to see.

Rachel Weisz in The Mercy 2018 ©Studio Canal

 

 

Some scenes were filmed at The Historic Dockyard Chatham, where the HMS Gannet was used as the port where the wives of the competition sailors posed for the press. As well as filming at Bewl Water reservoir in Kent, which features as the Teignmouth inlet where Donald Crowhurst (Colin Firth) sails locally alone and with his family. The Historic Dockyard with its Victorian and Georgian architecture has featured in films such as Victoria and Abdul (2017) and Guy Ritchies’ Mr Holmes (2015). Bewl Water is the largest body of inland water in the South East and situated within the High Weald, an area of outstanding natural beauty.

 

 

The Mercy will be in theatres in the UK from the 9th February 2018.

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

 

The Monuments Men (2014)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
The Monuments Men movie poster- 6 cast members in seperate boxes, with their surnames written next to them. Monuments Men is written in red underneath,

The Monuments Men movie poster © Columbia Pictures and 20th Century Fox

Director: George Clooney

Writers: George Clooney, Grant Heslov

Starring: George Clooney, Matt Damon, Cate Blanchett, Bill Murray, John Goodman, Hugh Bonneville, Jean Dujardin, Bob Balaban

Production company Fox 2000 Pictures, Smokehouse Pictures, Studio Babelsberg

Kent Filming Locations: Farm in High Halden, Ashford

Frank Stokes (George Clooney), James Granger (Matt Damon) and Donald Jeffries (Hugh Bonneville) walking in front of an airplane wing

Frank Stokes (George Clooney), James Granger (Matt Damon) and Donald Jeffries (Hugh Bonneville) © Columbia Pictures and 20th Century Fox

 

The Monuments Men is an action drama film based on the true story of one of the greatest treasure hunts in history, where an unlikely team are tasked to go to Germany during World War II and rescue art masterpieces from Nazi thieves and return them to their rightful owners.

With the German Army under instructions to destroy all of the artwork, the Monuments Men as they were known, consisting of museum directors, curators, and art historians are tasked to go behind enemy lines and retrieve the art and are willing to risk their lives to protect and defend mankind’s greatest achievements.

Frank Stokes (George Clooney) and James Granger (Matt Damon) sitting at a bar having a drink

Frank Stokes (George Clooney) and James Granger (Matt Damon) © Columbia Pictures and 20th Century Fox

Directed, co-written and starring George Clooney (Up In The Air, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind) the film also stars a wealth of talent including Matt Damon (Bourne Trilogy, The Departed) , Cate Blanchett (Blue Jasmine, Lord of the Rings series), Bill Murray (Lost in Translation, Ghostbusters), John Goodman (The Big Lebowski, Argo), Hugh Bonneville (Downton Abbey, Burke and Hare), Jean Dujardin (The Wolf of Wall Street, The Artist) and Bob Balaban (Girls, Gosford Park).

In June 2013, the production visited a farm in High Halden, Ashford where they filmed establishing shots of the farmland. A number of the production team also chose to stay in Ashford whilst filming scenes in Camber Sands in neighbouring East Sussex.

Ashford is a lively town with tremendous rail links, both to Europe via the Eurostar and to the capital via the High Speed Javelin. The town boasts many shops, eateries, and a designer outlet shopping centre and only a short drive away is a glorious Kent countryside. This isn’t the first time that Ashford and surrounding areas has been used for filming with previous visiting productions including Emma (2009).

Don’t miss The Monuments Men which is released in cinemas on 14 February 2014.

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