Filmlink assist in producing Hertforshire-based movie

Hertfordshire has received a boost following the recent production of the film 'Birthday Girl', starring Nicole Kidman and Ben Chaplin, which was set and filmed in the county.
The producer, director and writer, who are all brothers, set the story around the towns where they grew up, based on their memories of St Albans and Hemel Hempstead.
Ben Chaplin's character is a Hertfordshire boy who has bought a house in St Albans and got himself a job as a bank clerk in Hemel Hempstead. Ben Chaplin's character gets into trouble when he looks for a Russian bride – Nicole Kidman – on the internet and the girl he brings back is not what he expects.
Filmlink, Film & TV Commission for Hertfordshire, worked with the production company on 'Birthday Girl', closely assisting the location manager.
"Almost every part of the story that reflects this character's working life was shot in Hemel Hempstead and everything reflected as his home life was shot in St Albans. St Albans is a very old town and not the easiest of places to service but you can actually do some wonderful town centre shooting there," said Location Manager Jeremy Johns.
He added: "We used Ashridge Estate for dream footage of Russian meadows and country road scenes - and we got superb aerial shots of the A41 using a helicopter."
'Birthday Girl' goes out on theatrical release Friday June 28.
Filmlink, the Film & Television Commission Office for Hertfordshire, was established in 1996 and became a member of the UK Film Commission Network in 1997. The organisation promotes Hertfordshire as a major centre for film and television production and arranges location filming in the county.
Filmlink has two libraries, which record Hertfordshire locations and businesses that service the industry.
Filmlink, www.filmlink.org
(GMcG)