Written by on Feb 8, 2013. Posted in Production News

Lack of filming incentives may force Guernsey-set story to shoot elsewhere

A feature adaptation of popular novel The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society may have to shoot elsewhere if local authorities cannot offer filming incentives to reduce production costs. The story is set during the German occupation of the Channel Island in World War II.

Kenneth Branagh was originally set to direct Kate Winslet in the film and scouted Guernsey several times in late 2011. The lack of filming incentives on the island has been a persistent problem and Branagh and Winslet have now dropped out of the project, the BBC reports.

Producer Paula Mazur reiterated to the outlet the importance of a filming incentive on the island: “Otherwise the studio will say ‘We'll just shoot some place with cliffs and ocean and double it for Guernsey’. Guernsey will still need to come up with something ... otherwise we won't be able to shoot there.”

Guernsey is a British Crown dependency but is not part of the UK so productions cannot qualify for the UK’s filming tax credit.