www.isleofmanfilm.com
Since 1995, Isle of Man Film has been producing feature films and
television dramas using the many locations of the Isle of Man.
Renowned for its beautiful countryside, sweeping coastlines and pretty
seaside towns, the sheer range of locations on the Island have made a
great contribution to a successful film industry.
The wide diversity of locations have doubled as a Cornish fishing
village, the Scottish Lowlands, London and Ireland. Indeed, the Isle of
Man’s landscape has been the star of many great films; from romantic
comedies to action adventures; sci-fi thrillers to period dramas.
Sean Bean at The Sound in The Dark (2004)
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Baldwin
Lassie (2005)
Keeping Mum (2004)
Chromophobia (2004)
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Castle Rushen
I Capture the Castle (2001)
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Castletown
Lassie (2005)
Churchill: The Hollywood Years (2003)
Island at War (2003)
Five Children and IT (2003)
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Cornaa
Island at War (2003)
The Martins (2000)
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Cregneash
Lassie (2005)
Waking Ned (1997)
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Druidale
A Bunch of Amateurs (2007)
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Eary Cushlin
The Dark (2004)
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Gaiety Theatre, Douglas
Me and Orson Welles (2007)
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Glen Mooar Beach
Five Children and IT (2003)
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Island Studios
The Disappearance of Alice Creed (2009)
Wild Target (2008)
Mutant Chronicles (2006)
The Libertine (2005)
Stormbreaker (2005)
Mistress of Spices (2004)
On A Clear Day (2004)
Piccadilly Jim (2003)
Trauma (2003)
Suzie Gold (2002)
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Isle of Man Steam Railway
Legend of the Tamworth Two (2003)
5 Children and IT (2003)
Thomas and the Magic Railroad (1999)
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Kerroodhoo Plantation
The Cottage (2007)
Severance (2005)
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Laxey
Island at War (2003)
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Marine Drive
Stormbreaker
On a Clear Day (2004)
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21
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Niarbyl
Keeping Mum (2004)
The Heart of Me (2001)
Waking Ned (1997)
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The Nunnery
Stormbreaker (2005)
Relative Values (1999)
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Peel Castle
I Capture the Castle (2001)
Severance (2005)
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Port Erin
Stormbreaker (2005)
On a Clear Day (2004)
The Dark (2004)
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St Johns
Keeping Mum (2004)
Thomas and the Magic Railroad (1999)
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The Sound
Keeping Mum (2004)
21
Ramsey
Sparkle (2006)
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www.isleofmanfilm.com
Baldwin
The Baldwin valley is one of the most picturesque locations on the
Island. Its resemblance to the Scottish Lowlands has seen it used on
several films including Lassie (2005) and Keeping Mum (2005).
Castle Rushen
Castle Rushen sits at the heart of Castletown, the ancient capital of
Mann, and is one of Europe’s most finely preserved medieval castles.
The interiors were used in 2001 for the filming of Dodie Smith’s classic
tale I Capture the Castle. The castle is now operated by Manx National
Heritage and is open to visitors Monday to Sunday from 10am to 5pm,
Easter to October (closed during the winter months).
Castletown
Castletown’s charm as a film location lies in its ancient buildings. The
town has a port, harbour, market town, castle, narrow streets and period
buildings. It has featured extensively in films as a fictional Nazi-occupied
Channel Island in Island at War (2003), a country town during WWII in 5
Children and IT (2003), an east end street in Churchill: The Hollywood
Years (2003), and a Scottish town in Lassie.
Cornaa
Cornaa is a tiny inlet situated between Ramsey and Laxey. It was used
in The Martins (2000) starring Lee Evans and alsofeatured strongly in Island at War (2005) in an episode which saw the main characters having
to hide from Nazi soldiers in a saltmarsh.
Cregneash
Tucked away on a hillside of the Mull peninsula, is the lovely village of
Cregneash. The village is the oldest in the Isle of Man and its 19th Century
thatched crofter’s cottages provides a living, working illustration of lfe in a
typical Manx upland crofting community. It’s best known for its use in
Waking Ned (1997) as the fictional Irish Village Tullymore after the production company failed to find a village in Ireland that was Irish enough!
Druidale
Situated in the heart of the Island, Druidale is a beautiful stretch of moorlands popular with walkers and tourists. Its landscape doubled for sleepy
Suffolk in A Bunch of Amateurs (2007) starring Burt Reynolds, and was
the lanscape for the BBC’s Hound of The Baskervilles in 2002.
Eary Cushlin
Formerly an old isolated farmstead, Eary Cushlin has now been
transformed into an outdoor activity centre. It is accessible only by foot
and the coastal scenery is breathtaking. Eary Cushlin featured in The Dark
(2004) starring Sean Bean.
Gaiety Theatre, Douglas Promenade
The Gaiety Theatre was designed by Frank Matcham in and opened in
1900 as a Grand Opera House and Theatre. The Isle of Man Government
acquired the Theatre in 1971 and restoration work began in 1976. The Gaiety is at the centre of the Island’s Arts scene, staging performances and
events throughout the year. It starred as the New York Mercury
Theatre in Richard Linklater’s Me and Orson Welles starring Zac Efron.
Glen Mooar Beach
This beautiful stretch of white sand which runs down the North West coast
was the setting for 5 Children and IT in 2003. The sunsets on this side of
the Island are famous and well worth a visit towards the end of the day.
Island Studios
Island Studios opened in 2002 with its first film Suzie Gold. When the
Johnny Depp film The Libertine was nearly cancelled due to a change in
UK Film tax legislation, Isle of Man Film with the help of Island Studios were
able to rescue the film and it shot in the studio in 2005. The studios are privately owned and are not open to the general public.
Isle of Man Steam Railway
Running from Douglas to Port Erin, the Steam Railway passes through
beautiful unspoilt countryside and Victorian stations. The railway lines were
the hiding place of Butch and Sundance in The Legend of the
Tamworth Two (2003) whilst Port St Mary Station was better known as
Muffle Mountain in Thomas and the Magic Railroad (1999).
Kerroodhoo Plantation
The Island has nearly thirty plantations. Kerroodhoo’s dense woodland
features in horror films such as Severance (2005) starring Danny Dyer
and The Cottage (2007) starring Andy Serkis and Jennifer Ellison. The
plantation meets a reservoir which holds a variety of wildfowl in winter. Visitors are reminded to stay away from signed areas where works are being
carried out.
Laxey
The village of Laxey is one of the prettiest seaside resorts on the Island and
the picturesque beach was used in Island At War. Laxey has many
attractions to vist including the Laxey Wheel, Old Laxey and the Laxey Mine
Railway.
Marine Drive
The precarious cliff-side road was a former tramline between Port Soderick
and Douglas. The road was used for a high-speed motorcycle chase during
the opening sequence of Stormbreaker (2005) which saw Ewan Macgregor
being pursued by a gang of leather-clad villains.
Niarbyl
The tiny thatched cottages at Niarbyl bay make this fisherman’s hamlet
one of the most scenic on the Island. Niarbyl is famous for its role in
Waking Ned (1997)in which its traditional Manx cottage starred as Ned
Devine’s home. It was also used more recently in the films The Heart of Me
(2001) starring Helena Bonham-Carter and was the scene for the infamous
red thong scene in Keeping Mum (2005) starring Kristin Scott Thomas and
Patrick Swayze.
The Nunnery
Now an International Business School, The Nunnery in Douglas is one the
most imposing houses on the Island. In 1999, Relative Values used the
Nunnery for the majority of its shoot and more recently it was used as Darius
Sayle’s manor house in Stormbreaker (2005). The location is also home to
the Island’s annual ‘Under The Stars’ outdoor cinema screenings.
Peel Castle
Peel Castle, one of the Isle of Man’s principal historic monuments
occupies the important site of St Patrick’s Isle at Peel. The ruins of the
castle were the setting for I Capture The Castle (2001) starring Romola
Garai and Bill Nighy. The castle is administered by Manx National
Heritage and is open from Easter to October.
Port Erin
The beach at Port Erin is one of the most popular on the Island and the
fabulous views up to Milner’s tower have inspired many productions to
use Port Erin as a location. In On A Clear Day (2005) the beach became
the training ground for an ex-shipyard worker’s challenge to swim the
English channel, whilst in Stormbreaker (2005) the beach was used in a
high action speed chase at the start of the film.
St Johns
St Johns is a charming Island village set against the backdrop of Slieau
Whallian hill. It is also home to the world’s oldest continuous parliament,
at Tynwald Hill where the Manx people celebrate their national day on 5th
July. The village was known as ‘Shining Time Village’ in the children’s film
Thomas and the Magic Railroad, filmed in 1999. The most recent film
to use the village was Keeping Mum when it doubled up as the village
green to film Nether Poppleton’s football match.
The Sound
The views form the southern most tip of the Island are arguably the
most dramatic on the Isle of Man. Looking across from the Sound visitor
centre and café, the Calf of Man is home to seals, seabirds and many
more wildlife species. Keeping Mum took advantage of the 360 degree
panoramic views during a scene featuring Kristin Scott Thomas, Dame
Maggie Smith and Patrick Swayze.
Ramsey
Ramsey is the second largest town in the Island, set on the coast with a
magnificent backdrop of the North Barrule hills. The high street and shops
can be seen in Sparkle (2005) starring Stockard Channing and Bob Hoskins. Ramsey’s Victorian pier has featured in On A Clear Day (2005) and
Me Without You (2000); currently there is a local campaign to have the
pier restored to its former glory.
Other Useful Links
www.isleofmanfilm.com
Official Isle of Man Film Website wth details of all films plus latest news and events
www.visitisleofman.com
Isle of Man Tourism website with a guide to the Island, thiings to do and see, and a list of events.
www.gov.im/mnh
Manx National Heritage website with details on all MNH properties, opening times and events.
www.gov.im/airport
Ronaldsway airport website with details of all flights to and from the Island.
www.iombusandrail.com
Information and times for the Island’s bus and rail network.
www.steampacket.com
The Island’s ferry service’s website including timetables and online booking