Last month saw Mike Leigh’s triumphant return to the big screen after a 7-year hiatus with his new feature – Hard Truths. Leigh once again worked without a finished script, developing the storyline collaboratively with his cast during rehearsals and filming on location to firmly ground the scenes in reality.
The film is about two sisters and their sharply contrasting home and family lives – Summerlee Avenue in Barnet serves as the home for the main character, Pansy, and the Highbury Quadrant Estate in Islington is the location of her sister Chantelle’s home (“There is a great crane shot of the Highbury Quadrant Estate in the final edit!” says Film Officer Oliver Guthrie)
Filming also took place at Barnet’s Hendon Town Hall and all around the High Road.
Huge thanks to Supervising Location Manager Duncan Laing and his crew, who were a pleasure to work with. We hope it won’t be quite such a long wait until Leigh’s next feature, and we’ll be ready to welcome him and his crew back to our locations whenever the day comes!