Rostrevor’s starring role in Bafta winning movie

SDLP South Down MLA Karen McKevitt has congratulated the film makers behind the Bafta winning ‘Philomena’, which was partly shot in County Down.

Dame Judi Dench filming in Rostrevor. (Photo courtesy of Karen Williamson)

The story of the Irish woman’s 50-year search for her son, starring Judi Dench, won the award for best adapted screenplay at the star studded awards ceremony in London this week.

The movie, called ‘Philomena’, is based on a book written by Martin Sixsmith, a former BBC TV foreign correspondent and government communications director. The film is based on a true story and tells the tale of an unmarried Irish woman who gives birth to a son, Anthony, in 1952.

According to Martin Sixsmith, who wrote the book the movie is based on, Catholic nuns “whisked away” the baby and sold it to an American couple. Philomena spent decades trying to find the son, who was renamed Michael Hess and served as chief legal counsel to former president George H.W. Bush.

Karen McKevitt described the news as fantastic. “To have this stunning part of the world feature in a movie seen by so many people is fantastic. It’s priceless publicity.

“I want to congratulate writers Steve Coogan and Jeff Pope, and all those involved in the film for choosing Rostrevor as a location for some of the scenes.

“It has made everyone in Rostrevor very proud to think the area and all its beauty played a starring role in an award-winning movie.

McKevitt added, “We hope it will entice fans of the film, and tourists to come and see the real thing for themselves, and experience all Rostrevor and County Down has to offer.”

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Posted by Newry Times News on Feb 18 2014. Filed under Community. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry