Wes Anderson’s film shot in Maidstone wins Oscar
‘The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar’ starred Ralph Fiennes, Benedict Cumberbatch, Dev Patel, Ben Kingsley and Richard Ayoade
Wes Anderson's latest film, ‘The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar’, which was shot at Maidstone Studios throughout 2022 took home a coveted Oscar.
This 39-minute adaption of Roald Dahl’s book, took home the Academy Award for Best Live-Action Short Film.
Directed by ‘Wes Anderson’ and is shot entirely in Kent, the short film is faithfully adapted from an anthology of short stories contained in the 1977 collection ‘The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Six More’.
Anderson, who also now lives in Kent, won his first-ever Academy Award but was unable to accept it in person as he is shooting his next film in Germany.
His statement read: “If I could have been there, I (along with [producer] Steven Rales) would have said ‘Thank You’ to: the family of Roald Dahl; the team at Netflix; Benedict [Cumberbatch] and Ralph [Fiennes] and Ben Kingsley and Dev [Patel] … and more [of the cast and crew].”
Filming in Maidstone Studios took place within the 12,000 sq. ft Studio 1—one of the largest independent, regional studio facilities in the UK - as well on several outdoor sets constructed within the backlot.
The production made use of many of Maidstone studios ancillary spaces for hair, make up, props and catering to create the perfect setting for the story of ‘The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar’ to be told.
Chairman and owner of Maidstone Studios, Geoff Miles said: “We are enormously proud and delighted to have worked with Wes Anderson and Indian Paintbrush on their latest short film for Netflix. It was an absolute pleasure to work with such a talented team across the year and on such an iconic Roald Dahl story.”
The team also took to sical media to say: “Well this was absolutely WONDERFUL news to wake up to this morning. Huge Congratulations to Wes Anderson and his team for his Oscar win last night for ‘The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar’. Filmed at Maidstone Studios.”
A beloved Roald Dahl short story about a rich man who learns about a guru who can see without using his eyes and then sets out to master the skill in order to cheat at gambling.
Back link – www.maidstonestudios.com
