The Irish Film Board and Hell's Kitchen International have announced Ireland has been chosen as the location for a major new German feature length TV drama, entitled ‘An Ocean Apart’, to be directed by Stefan Bartmann.
With the assistance of the Bord Scannán na hÉireann/the Irish Film Board (BSÉ/IFB), Irish co-producers Hell's Kitchen International and Tourism Ireland, the German producers scouted Ireland in June and July and opted to base the production in Kenmare, Co Kerry, with filming taking place on location in both Cork and Kerry.
Hotel and Self-Catering accommodation has been organised in Kenmare for 30 film crew and 15 actors. This represents approximately 1,296 bed night's worth of business to local accommodation providers and some of the crew is already on site. The project has a budget of €1.3M and the majority of this will be spent in the local economy during the five week shoot.
Actual filming will take place between 22nd August -23rd September and locations include Bantry House, Drumboy Castle, and a private period house at the Kenmare River as well Kenmare and Kinsale towns.
Welcoming the news, Arts, Sport and Tourism Minister, John O'Donoghue T.D., said that the decision by the German production company to film in Cork and Kerry was excellent news for tourism to the region. "The publicity value of a production of this nature is incalculable. The film is essentially a ninety minute advertisement for some of the most stunning locations that Ireland has to offer and will be seen in Germany by millions of potential visitors. This is a good example of the Bord Scannán na hÉireann/the Irish Film Board and Tourism Ireland working together to get results."
The movie is based on a novel by Robin Pilcher, son of the novelist Rosamunde and is a follow-on film to one of Germany's most successful and popular series, the ‘Rosamunde Pilcher’ films, which regularly attract between 6-8 million viewers at initial screening time and again when repeated for up to 3-4 years later. The producers are confident of replicating the success of the initial series.
The choice of Ireland as a location is something of a coup as until now the Pilcher stories always took place in Cornwall or Scotland, according to Naoise Barry, BSÉ/IFB Film Commissioner and Judith von Rauchhaupt of Tourism Ireland's German office, both of whom played a key role in persuading the production company to film here. "If this film is successful, we hope at least three more in the series will shoot in Ireland. This is good news for the Irish film industry and will undoubtedly impact positively on Irish tourism", said Naoise Barry.
