Above the Clouds (2020)

Above the Clouds movie poster- Two characters sat and leant up against a yellow car with clouds in the background. Animated style image.

Above the Clouds (2020) © Leon Chambers – Third Light Films

Director: Leon Chambers
Writers: Simon Lord (screenplay), Leon Chambers, Simon Lord, James Godden
Starring: Naomi Morris, Andrew Murton, Philip Jackson
Production Company: Third Light Films
Kent Locations Used: Margate – Turner Contemporary, Seafront and The Harbour Arm, Marine Drive and The Parade, Thanet Way

Above the Clouds (2020) is an offbeat coming-of-age comedy of one girl’s marathon quest to find her real father. When headstrong Charlie (Naomi Morris) discovers her parents have been keeping her biological father secret from her, she recruits a rough sleeper (Andrew Murton) to be her ‘responsible adult’ and sets off for Scotland on her provisional driving licence to go and find him.

Above the Clouds is a feature film directed by Kent filmmaker Leon Chambers who has directed a number of film shorts including Stolen Youth, Lonely Hearts and The Long Lonely Walk, which won five Film Festival awards. Above The Clouds was written by Simon Lord from a story by Leon Chambers, Simon Lord and James Godden.

Above the Clouds, starring Naomi Morris (Pennyworth, Back), Andrew Murton (Let Me Go), Philip Jackson (Peterloo, The Good Karma Hospital), has screened at major international festivals including Austin Film Festival 2018, Naples International Film Festival 2019 and Margate Film Festival 2019 and has won seven awards including Austin Film Festival 2018 Best Narrative Feature – Audience Award, Oxford Film Festival 2019 Best Actress Award & Best Director Award and Naples International Film Festival 2019 Indie Spirit Award. For the full list of festival screenings and awards see here.

Leon Chambers and Simon Lord are currently in development with their next collaboration, sci-fi satire A Certain Tomorrow.

The film makes use of multiple filming locations in Margate including the Turner Contemporary gallery, Margate Seafront and The Harbour Arm, Marine Drive and The Parade and Thanet Way.

Two characters sitting on a white bench in front of a white wall and window at the Turner Contemporary Gallery. Sea can be seen through the window.

Above the Line (2020) production still – Turner Contemporary © Leon Chambers – Third Light Films

Margate is a seaside town complete with sandy beach, harbour, amusement park, period housing and the ultra-modern art gallery Turner Contemporary which offers exhibitions, events and various educational opportunities.

Margate seafront in the district of Thanet is a popular film location and has been used as in various productions such as in feature films King of Thieves (2018) and King Lear (2018). Ramsgate is also a popular location in Thanet and has featured in several productions such as Baptise (2019), Hurricane (2018) and The Tunnel: Sabotage (2016).

Two characters wearing casual clothes standing and talking in front of Margate beach leant against the railing.

Above the Line (2020) – Margate Seafront © Leon Chambers – Third Light Films

The film was released on Tuesday 28th January 2020 and is available to view via iTunes, Amazon Prime and various other on demand channels.

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


This Is Our Family (2020)

This Is Our Family 2017 cast standing in a row on the front patio of a house, smiling into the camera. The lady in the middle is sat on a pink chair.

This Is Our Family 2017 ©Sky UK ltd

Director: Ellena Wood
Production Company: Little Gem
Kent Locations Used: Margate

This Is Our Family (2020) follows four families from across the UK, to tell the stories of their lives over a three year period. This ambitious docu-series began filming four years ago and is split into four 60-minute episodes.

The episode directed by Ellena Wood (Louis Theroux: Talking to Anorexia) and co-directed by Holly Moy, follows three generations of strong women living under one roof in Margate. Maree Miles lives with her three daughters, Ellie, Lily and Dolce in her mum Irene’s house. 86 year-old Irene has dementia and her condition seems to be getting worse.

Executive Producers are Ben Gale and Helen Littleboy for Little Gem, with Natasha Bondy as Creative Director. Marvyn Benoit is Executive Producer for Sky.

Production visited Margate to film at the participants’ home as well as the seafront, including wide aerial drone shots that show the true scale of the town.  Scenes were also filmed at The Rodney Pub, Margate Hospital, Margate Crematorium, Margate High street and a local hairdresser.

Margate is a seaside town complete with sandy beach, harbour, amusement park, period housing and the ultra-modern art gallery Turner Contemporary  which offers exhibitions, events and various educational opportunities.

Other productions to visit Margate include Interior Design Masters (2019), The Empty Housing Scandal (2019) and George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces – Series 8 (2018).

The ‘The Miles Family’ episode will debut on Sky Atlantic at 10PM on Tuesday 14th January 2020.

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


King of Thieves (2018)

 

King of Thieves Movie Poster with pink background and main actors faces in the shape of a diamond.

King of Thieves Movie Poster ©IMDb

 

Writer: Joe Penhall

Director: James Marsh

Starring: Michael Caine, Michael Gambon, Tom Courtenay

Production Company: Working Title Films

Kent Locations Used: The Harbour Arm, Turner Contemporary, Wig and Pen Pub, Nayland Rock Hotel, Margate train station, and Dover

Feature film King of Thieves is based on the infamous Hatton Garden Robbery, in which a crew of retired crooks pull off a major heist in London’s jewelry district. The thieves, most of them in their 60s and 70s, employ their old-school tricks of the trade to plan the heist over the Easter holiday weekend of 2015. After taking over £200 million worth of jewels, arguments erupt in the group as the police start to move in on the group.

Starring Michael Cain (The Dark Knight, the quiet American, The Prestige) as widower Brian Reader, Michael Gambon  (The Kings speech, Harry Potter) as Billy ‘The Fish’ Lincoln. Tom Courtenay (45 years, Nicholas Nickleby) as John Kenny Collins.

A short scene was filmed at the footbridge that leads to Shakespeare’s Beach in Aycliffe, Dover, but the main bulk of the scenes were filmed in and around Margate, including scenes at the Wig and Pen Pub, the Nayland Rock Hotel, Harbour Arm in Margate, outside the Turner Contemporary, and a scene at Margate Train Station.

Margate is a popular film location for films and has recently featured in film productions such as King Lear (2018), The Carer (2016) and True Love (2012).

Dover, where production filmed a small scene, is the site of the famous white cliffs of Dover and has been used in films such as Sherlock Holmes (2011).

The film will be released in cinemas on Friday 14th September 2018.

 

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


Sky Arts Landscape Artist of the Year (2016)

Sky Arts Landscape Artist of the Year in Margate - Joan Bakewell and Frank Skinner standing at the harbour arm in Margate

Sky Arts Landscape Artist of the Year in Margate © Storyvault Films Limited

Production Company: Storyvault Films Limited

Kent Locations Used:  Scotney Castle, Margate 

Sky Arts Landscape Artist of the Year is the annual competition searching for the nation’s best landscape painter. The artists compete for the chance to win the acclaimed title, win a £10,000 commission for the National Trust’s art collection and £500 of art materials from Cass Art.

The series is presented by Joan Bakewell and Frank Skinner and the judges are award-winning artist Tai Shan Schierenberg, independent curator Kathleen Soriano and art historian Kate Bryan.

Sky Arts Landscape Artist of the Year at Scotney Castle - artist painting in the grounds

Sky Arts Landscape Artist of the Year at Scotney Castle © Storyvault Films Limited

In June and July 2016, the Sky Arts Landscape Artist of the Year production team visited Kent where they filmed the first heat at Scotney Castle. The semi-final in Margate at the Harbour Arm by the Turner Contemporary gallery. Filming in Margate was the first time the production had filmed on location at a non-National Trust property.

Scotney Castle is a National Trust property set in beautiful Tunbridge Wells countryside. The location boasts a spectacular country house, romantic garden and 14th century moated castle. Scotney Castle has previously welcomed filming from BBC drama Hunted (2012).

The seaside town of Margate has a sandy beach, arcades, Dreamland amusement park, shops and restaurants, a cutting edge creative scene plus the renowned Turner Contemporary gallery. Margate has been used as a film location by productions including  The Carer (2016), The Tunnel: Sabotage (2016) and Coast (2014).

Episode 4 of Sky Arts Landscape Artist of the Year was filmed at Scotney Castle and will air on Tuesday November 1st 2016 at 20:00 on Sky Arts channel 121.

The semi-final was filmed in Margate and can be seen on Tuesday November 22nd 2016 at 20:00 on Sky Arts channel 121.

Turner Contemporary have an exhibition with the semi-finalists Margate paintings from 6 December 2016 – 8 January 2017, find out more here.

 

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


True Love (2012)

True Love cast L - R Adrian (DAVID MORRISEY), Nick (DAVID TENNANT), Holly (BILLIE PIPER), Paul (ASHLEY WALTERS), Sandra (JANE HORROCKS) standing in a row with the sky behind them

True Love cast L – R Adrian (DAVID MORRISEY), Nick (DAVID TENNANT), Holly (BILLIE PIPER), Paul (ASHLEY WALTERS), Sandra (JANE HORROCKS) © BBC and Working Title

Two lovers holding hands on the beach with the sea in the background

True Love L – R Stella (JAMIE WINSTONE) and Paul (ASHLEY WALTERS) © BBC and Working Title

Writer/director: Dominic Savage

Starring: David Tenant, Billie Piper, David Morrissey, Joanne Froggatt, Kaya Scodelario, Lacey Turner, Jane Horrocks, Ashley Walters, Jaime Winstone, Vicky McClure

Production company: Working Title Television, BBC

Kent Locations: Thanet – Margate – Beach, promenade, High Street, train station, various hotels and bars, Thanet District Council Offices, Turner Contemporary, Westgate-On-Sea, Cliftonville, Pegwell Bay, Botany Bay, and Broadstairs

True Love has many familiar faces including David Tenant (Doctor Who) Billie Piper (Secret Diary of a Call Girl), Jane Horrocks (Absolutely Fabulous), Vicky McClure (This is England), Lacey Turner (Eastenders), Ashley Walters (Inside Men), Jamie Winstone (Kidulthood), and David Morrissey (The Other Boleyn Girl).

The series explores love in the modern day and the many different dilemmas and situations along the way. Each story has links with the previous, either through connecting story lines or character connections and all have plenty of drama, heartbreak passion and some surprising outcomes.

The five stories that take place during the week-long serial include a married man whose life is turned upside down due to the reappearance of his first love, a school teacher who is drawn to a female pupil, a married woman who takes revenge on her cheating husband by starting an affair, a father unable to connect with his baby and a divorcee on a desperate search for new love.

David Morrissey as Adrian at Margate train station with the sign behind him

David Morrissey as Adrian at Margate train station © BBC and Working Title

In 2011, Kent welcomed the crew and stars of True Love. The production based it self in Margate, the director Savage’s home town, and used many Thanet locations including Margate Beach and promenade, Margate High Street, train station, various hotels and bars and even Thanet District Council Offices.  They also used the Turner Contemporary, as well as nearby Westgate-On-Sea, Cliftonville, Pegwell Bay, Botany Bay and Broadstairs.

Thanet has an astonishing 9 Blue Flag beaches and is a very popular filming location, due to its beautiful bustling seaside towns. It previously welcomed many TV and film productions, including Hancock and Joan (2008), Last Orders (2002) and a McDonald’s Happy Meal Commercial.

It is also home to the Turner Contemporary art gallery, adjacent to Margate harbour, which was built to contribute to the regeneration of the town and is fast becoming a highlight of the British visual arts scene. It also hosted the first public screening of the opening episode of True Love on 29th March 2012.

True Love will air every night on BBC One at 22.25pm from Sunday 17th – Thursday 21st June 2012.

 

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