Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
Cancelled filming costs Kent £2.5m
The cost of the global coronavirus pandemic on the film industry in Kent can be revealed as around £2.5 million in just 14 weeks.
More than 20 productions that were due to be shot in the county between the middle of March and the end of June have been cancelled.
Among them was True Things About Me, a book adaptation starring Ruth Wilson, with Jude Law among the producers. Actors and crew were due to spend five weeks in Thanet from mid-march but had only managed three days of filming when it had to be stopped. A large American sci-fi feature film was also due to be filmed on the White Cliffs of Dover. While the government has given the green light for production companies to start filming again, it’s feared many won’t be back in Kent again this year as they were relying on the county looking its best in the spring sunshine.
Kent Film Officer, Gabrielle Lindemann, said: “A couple of the productions are really, really season dependent - they are set in May and they’re set in early
June and they need to be during the strawberry season or when there are wild flowers. “There’s a lot of external filming, we’ve had something that needs the lavender in flower, so it really is a great, great shame. But hopefully, I’m just crossing fingers, that they will come back next year and we’ll just get delayed by a year but it is really sad.”
Kent is no stranger to being a location for many big budget
Hollywood blockbusters and ratings winner TV shows. In recent years it’s been the backdrop to Disney’s Christopher Robin, starring Ewan Mcgregor, which used Dover Cruise Terminal as a railway station, while parts of Wonder Woman were shot on the banks of the Medway at Lower Halstow, near Sittingbourne. Ms Lindemann added: “I’m trying to get across to Kent now saying, in theory we could have these people back, but it largely depends on you guys, that you welcome them back and trust us that we will ensure that new government guidelines will be adhered to.”
The Kent Film Office, which helps companies find and manage film locations in the county, has previously reported the industry has contributed around £30 million to the Kent economy in five years.
While it’s unlikely large productions will be able to set up in town centre locations until early next year, it’s hoped some filming will be able to resume at large private houses or beaches and country parks if they are made available.