Northern Ireland misses chance to host Attenborough film

Belfast has reportedly lost the chance to host what would have been the biggest film made in Northern Ireland, after financial pressures forced its director, Lord Attenborough, to move the £12m project to Canada.
'Closing the Ring' is a love story set in Belfast and North Carolina. Shooting had been expected to begin in Canada and in Belfast's grand new Paint Hall Studios in May, but with Lord Attenborough and his co-producer, Jo Gilbert, in the final rounds of raising finances, the whole production now looks likely to be made in Canada because of the extra expense caused by filming in two countries.
The Paint Hall Studios, set up to rival the Shepperton and Pinewood Studios in Britain, were regarded as a potential boon for regeneration and economic development.
(GB)