Closing The Ring Starts Principal Photography

Belfast, Monday 27 March: filming began on Closing the Ring, starring Oscar®-winner Shirley MacLaine (In Her Shoes, Terms of Endearment), Christopher Plummer (A Beautiful Mind, The Insider), Mischa Barton (television’s The O.C.), Oscar®-winner Brenda Fricker (My Left Foot, The Field), and Oscar®-nominee Pete Postlethwaite (The Constant Gardener, In the Name of the Father).

Closing the Ring is directed by Oscar®-winner Richard Attenborough (Gandhi, Shadowlands), who marks his twelfth directorial outing with the film. Written by Peter Woodward, Closing the Ring is an epic love story that spans two continents and half a century and tells the story of an American woman who honours a wartime promise of love with a lifetime of heartache until the discovery of a gold ring reawakens her.

Closing the Ring is produced by Richard Attenborough and Jo Gilbert. The co-producer is Martin Katz. The film is a presentation of UK Film Council, Scion Films, the Northern Ireland Film and Television Commission and ContentFilm International. Closing the Ring will be shot on location in Belfast, Northern Ireland at the new Titanic Studios, and in Toronto, Canada.

"This landmark co-production with Canada marks an incredible opportunity for the film industry of Northern Ireland," says producer Jo Gilbert, who, along with Judy Gilbert is co-owner of Titanic Studios Ltd. "To have a British film icon like Richard Attenborough, and actors and filmmakers the calibre of Shirley MacLaine and Roger Pratt filming this movie here in Belfast with local crew and actors is a phenomenal achievement for this community. In addition to forging a new and strong link with Canada, it will show the rest of the world that Northern Ireland has a vibrant film industry and that we are indeed, open for business."

Closing the Ring features a supporting cast that includes Gregory Smith (television’s Everwood), Ian McElhinney (The Boxer), and newcomers Stephen Amell, David Alpay and Martin McCann.

The film’s behind-the-scenes team includes long-time Attenborough collaborators cinematographer Roger Pratt and editor Lesley Walker, whose previous outings with Attenborough include Shadowlands and Cry Freedom. The production designer is Tom McCullagh (Mickybo & Me) and the costume designer is Hazel Webb-Crozier (Mickybo & Me).