Production has commenced this week at The Bottle Yard Studios on brand new British heist movie Golden Years. Featuring an all-star cast of some of the UK’s most established and respected actors, the MoliFilms Entertainment production is filming at The Bottle Yard Studios and on location across Bristol throughout March.
Filming is taking place in sets built in The Bottle Yard’s Tank House 2 space, and the full shoot is being coordinated from the Studios’ production offices. The feature is also filming with the support of Bristol Film Office, at locations across the city. A number of bank buildings surrounding St Nicholas Market will feature, including the former Bank of England on Broad Street, as well as banks on Clare Street and Corn Street. The film’s bowling club scenes are being shot at The Ardagh Sports Club at Horfield Common, whilst unit bases have been set up at Redcliffe Wharf and Horfield Common. Bristol Film Office has also used social media to recruit more than 100 local people to appear in the film as extras.
Fiona Francombe, Site Director of The Bottle Yard Studios, said: “We are delighted to welcome MoliFilm Entertainment to The Bottle Yard Studios for the making of Golden Years. After a string of high profile TV productions, it’s fantastic to be able to host an independent homegrown movie, filmed right here in Bristol, starring such an impressive cast of well-known talented British actors. The Bottle Yard Studios is now firmly embedded in Bristol’s filmmaking infrastructure and it’s great to work with our partners across the city to help bring locally shot features like this to the screen.”
Natalie Moore of Bristol Film Office said: “We’re always happy to help filmmakers looking to use Bristol as a beautiful backdrop to tell their story. Golden Years is using a range of locations from our historic centre, which we know will look really impressive on screen. We’ve also been delighted to help the production recruit extras by putting a call out locally. We’ve had a fantastic response from the Bristol public, which is not surprising – after all it’s not every day you get offered the chance to star on the big screen alongside the likes of Bernard Hill and Una Stubbs!”
Golden Years is a British heist film with a comedic core and a Great British cast. Written by TV Presenter Nick Knowles, Jeremy Sheldon and writer/director John Miller, the film brings alive an ensemble of characters played by some of Britain’s best-loved actors: Bernard Hill (Wolf Hall, Lord of the Rings) and Virginia McKenna (Born Free, Sliding Doors), Sue Johnston (Downtown Abbey, Royle Family), Alun Armstrong (Braveheart, New Tricks), Simon Callow (Four Weddings and a Funeral, Amadeus), Brad Moore (The Rise, North V South) Una Stubbs (Sherlock), Phil Davies (Vera Drake, Notes on a Scandal), Ellen Thomas (Teachers) and Mark Williams (Harry Potter, Father Brown). A MoliFilms Entertainment production, Golden Years is produced by Mark Foligno (The Kings Speech, The Rise) and associate-produced by Lucy Selwood, Tanya Beadle and Jolien Buijs.
Fate, the pensions crisis and a steadfast refusal to accept the injustice of old age have contrived to force law abiding, retired couple Arthur and Martha Goode (played by Bernard Hill and Virginia McKenna) into a life of crime. Refusing to take the loss of their pensions lying down and to fade away into their declining years, they decide to fight back. They realise that under the invisible cloak of old age they might be able to rob banks in order to help save their community and local bowls club and maybe get away with it?
Watch the teaser trailer here.