Filming begins on TESTAMENT OF YOUTH with Hayley Atwell and Kit Harington

Principal photography begins today on the Heyday Films and BBC Films production of Vera Brittain’s iconic and powerful, WW1 memoir, Testament Of Youth. The all star cast includes Alicia Vikander (A Royal Affair, Anna Karenina), Kit Harington, (Pompeii, Game Of Thrones) Taron Egerton, (The Secret Service, Inspector Lewis) Colin Morgan, (Merlin, Doctor Who) Dominic West, (300, The Wire), Emily Watson, (The Book Thief, War Horse), Joanna Scanlan, (The Invisible Woman, Death Comes To Pemberley), Hayley Atwell, (Cinderella, Restless), Jonathan Bailey, (Broadchurch, Leonardo), Alexandra Roach, (Utopia, The Iron Lady) and Anna Chancellor (Fleming, The Hour).

Testament of Youth is financed by BBC Films, Screen Yorkshire’s Yorkshire Content Fund, BFI, Ingenious, Nordisk Film Production and LipSync. Protagonist Pictures is handling international sales and Lionsgate UK is distributing in the UK and Australia.

Alicia Vikander plays the iconic writer, feminist and pacifist, Vera Brittain, and Kit Harington plays Roland Leighton, Brittain’s fiancé. Alicia Vikander recently completed Alex Garland’s Ex Machina and Guy Ritchie’s The Man From U.N.C.L.E. Testament Of Youth is directed by James Kent (The Thirteenth Tale, The White Queen) and produced by David Heyman (Gravity, Paddington) and Rosie Alison (Paddington, The Thirteenth Tale) for Heyday Films. The co- producer is Celia Duval (Turks & Caicos, Salting The Batttlefield).

The Executive Producers are Christine Langan (Philomena, Saving Mr. Banks) and Joe Oppenheimer (Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa, Broken) for BBC Films; Richard Mansell (Tiger House, Only Lovers Left Alive); Zygi Kamasa (The Railway Man, Salmon Fishing In The Yeman) for Lionsgate UK and Hugo Heppell (’71, Peaky Blinders) for Screen Yorkshire. Natascha Wharton is the lead executive for the BFI Film Fund. The film shoots in various locations around the UK including Yorkshire, Oxford and London.

Award-winning writer Juliette Towhidi adapted the screenplay from Brittain's searing story of love and war, which was first published in 1933. In Towhidi’s script Vera, irrepressible, intelligent and free-minded, overcomes the prejudices of her family and hometown to win a scholarship to Oxford. With everything to live for, she falls in love with her brother’s brilliant friend Roland Leighton as they go to University to pursue their literary dreams.

But the First World War is looming and as the boys leave for the front Vera realises she cannot sit idly by as her peers fight for their country, so volunteers as a nurse and sets off for France.

"I am thrilled and honoured to be bringing Vera Brittain's powerful and passionate memoir of war, love and remembrance to the screen," said David Heyman. "We needed a remarkable actress to capture Vera's range and complexity, so I'm completely delighted that the exceptional Alicia Vikander has taken on this role. And I am excited to be working with director James Kent whose sensibility is perfectly matched to Juliette Towhidi's deeply moving script."

"Testament of Youth is one of the most potent and moving war memoirs ever written,” said BBC Films head and Executive Producer, Christine Langan. “BBC Films is privileged to be working with Heyday, James Kent and the luminous Alicia Vikander on bringing this unforgettable story, brilliantly retold by Juliette Towhidi, to the big screen. In this centenary year, there can be few more significant ways of examining the First World War and its phenomenal impact on twentieth century life and beyond'."

David Heyman’s London-based Heyday Films has a string of hit credits including the eight film Harry Potter franchise, I Am Legend, Yes Man, We're The Millers, The Boy In The Striped Pajamas and Gravity which was nominated for 10 Academy Awards and won seven including Best Director. The company is currently in post-production on Paddington, the first live action film based on the popular children’s character.

James Kent is a BAFTA and Emmy award winning film-maker who previously directed the critically acclaimed TV film The Thirteenth Tale for Heyday. The film, which screened in December on BBC2 in the UK, was written by Christopher Hampton and starred Vanessa Redgrave and Olivia Colman. He previously directed the pilot and a further two episodes of Golden Globe nominated series The White Queen for BBC and Starz.

BBC FILMS
BBC Films is at the forefront of independent filmmaking in the UK, developing and co-producing around eight films a year. Christine Langan is the Head of BBC Films.

Recent releases include BAFTA, Golden Globe and Academy Award® nominated Saving Mr. Banks from director John Lee Hancock; Stephen Frears’s BAFTA winning and Golden Globe and Academy Award® nominated Philomena; BAFTA and Academy Award® nominated Ralph Fiennes’s The Invisible Woman; no.1 hit comedy Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa from director Declan Lowney; Dustin Hoffman’s directorial debut Quartet; Rufus Norris’s BIFA award-winning directorial debut Broken. Pascal Chaumeil’s A Long Way Down opens in March; Joanna Hogg’s Exhibition will be released in April, and Ben Kellett’s Mrs Brown’s Boys D’Movie - based on the hit BBC TV series - will be in cinemas summer 2014.

BBC Films has an impressive back catalogue, which includes titles such as Simon Curtis’s Academy Award® nominated My Week with Marilyn; Lynne Ramsay’s intense thriller We Need to Talk About Kevin; Lasse Hallström’s Golden Globe nominated romantic comedy Salmon Fishing in the Yemen; Cary Fukunaga’s gothic romance Jane Eyre; Nigel Cole’s compelling true-life drama Made in Dagenham; Lone Scherfig’s Academy Award® nominated and BAFTA award-winning An Education; Armando Iannucci’s Academy Award® and BAFTA award- nominated In the Loop; Jane Campion’s Academy Award® nominated Bright Star; and Andrea Arnold’s BAFTA award-winning Fish Tank.

Twitter @BBCFilms

BFI
The BFI is the lead organisation for film in the UK with the ambition to create a flourishing film environment in which innovation, opportunity and creativity can thrive by: Connecting audiences to the widest choice of British and World cinema Reserving and restoring the most significant film collection in the world for today and future generations

Investing in creative, distinctive and entertaining work Promoting British film and talent to the world Growing the next generation of film makers and audiences

BFI Film Fund
With over £26m to invest in 2013, the BFI Film Fund is the UK's largest public investor in film - supporting first-class filmmaking through development and production, to distribution and international sales.

Recent and upcoming films backed by the BFI Film Fund include Andrew Haigh’s 45 Years, Yann Demange’s 71, Declan Lowney’s Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa, Amma Asante’s Belle, Richard Bracewell’s Bill, Duane Hopkins’ Bypass, John Michael McDonagh’s Calvary, Daniel Wolfe’s Catch Me Daddy, James Griffiths’ Cuban Fury, Louise Osmond’s Dark Horse, Richard Ayoade’s The Double, Peter Strickland’s The Duke Of Burgundy, Joanna Hogg’s Exhibition, Carol Morley’s The Falling, Lenny Abrahamson’s Frank, Destiny Ekaragha’s Gone Too Far, Kevin Macdonald’s How I Live Now, Beeban Kidron’s INREALLIFE, Ralph Fiennes’ The Invisible Woman, Ken Loach’s Jimmy’s Hall, Ruairi Robinson’s The Last Days On Mars, Roger Michell’s Le Week-End, Jon Wright’s Our Robot Overlords, Stephen Frears’ Philomena, Lone Scherfig’s Posh, Matthew Warchus’ Pride, John Maclean’s Slow West, Terence Davies’ Sunset Song, Dexter Fletcher’s Sunshine on Leith, James Kent’s Testament of Youth, Brian Hill’s Thomas Quick, Jonathan Glazer’s Under the Skin, Morgan Matthews’ X Plus Y.

SCREEN YORKSHIRE
Screen Yorkshire's Yorkshire Content Fund is the biggest regional investment fund for production in the UK and is open to content producers working in film, TV, games and digital based in Yorkshire or from outside but looking to establish a base in the region. It has attracted £15m from the European Regional Development Fund as part of Europe’s support for the region’s economic development through the Yorkshire and Humber ERDF Programme 2007-13. Since the launch of its Yorkshire Content Fund nearly two years ago, Screen Yorkshire has invested nearly £7 million in 18 projects, including TV dramas Peaky Blinders, The Great Train Robbery, Death Comes to Pemberley, Jamaica Inn, Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell and Hank Zipzer. Feature films in which the fund has invested include ’71, Catch Me Daddy, X Plus Y, Get Santa, Bill and Residue.

LIPSYNC PRODUCTIONS
LipSync Productions has provided investment and equity services for over 50 independent feature films and TV productions, offering financial, creative and technical support to filmmakers and producers. In its capacity as Executive Producer/Co-producer on numerous productions, LipSync’s experienced staff are able to advise on all aspects of production, from concept to completion, ensuring the client can be completely confident that every possible penny makes it into the image onscreen. LipSync’s productions include Starred Up, The Look Of Love, Great Expectations, Desert Dancer, Byzantium, Broken, Lay the Favorite, Shame, We Need to Talk about Kevin.

PROTAGANIST PICTURES
Commercially-minded and creatively-spirited, Protagonist Pictures is an international sales company committed to strong relationships with film-makers, investors and distributors. Company shareholders include Film4, Vertigo Films and Ingenious Media. Launched in spring 2008, Protagonist has forged a major presence in the international marketplace with a diverse slate of films from both its shareholders and third-party producers.

Protagonist’s current slate includes Yann Demange’s feature debut ’71 which screened in competition in Berlin; Peter Strickland’s The Duke Of Burgundy, currently in post production; Frank, Lenny Abrahamson’s comedy featuring Michael Fassbender, Domhnall Gleeson and Maggie Gyllenhaal; John Michael McDonagh (The Guard)’s Calvary, with Brendan Gleeson; and Richard Ayoade’s The Double starring Jesse Eisenberg and Mia Wasikowska.

LIONSGATE UK
Lionsgate U.K. is the diversified U.K.-based filmed entertainment arm of Lionsgate (NYSE:LGF), the leading independent filmed entertainment studio. The company (formerly Redbus Film Distributors) was acquired by Lionsgate in October 2005 and has since established a reputation in the U.K. as a leading producer and distributor and acquirer of commercially successful and critically acclaimed product, recently releasing The Railway Man, starring Colin Firth and Nicole Kidman, Out Of The Furnace, starring Christian Bale, Zoe Saldana and Woody Harrelson and the BAFTA and Academy Award nominated The Invisible Woman starring Ralph Fiennes and Felicity Jones. In 2013 the company’s diverse slate included the second instalment of the blockbuster franchise The Hunger Games: Catching Fire starring Jennifer Lawrence, Liam Hemsworth and Josh Hutcherson as well as Ariel Vromen’s The Iceman, Nicholas Winding Refn’s Only God Forgives and Jon S. Baird’s Filth starring BIFA award winning James McAvoy. Upcoming releases include Locke starring Tom Hardy, The Expendables 3, Sin City 2 and the third instalment of The Hunger Games franchise Mockingjay Pt1.

Its prestigious and prolific library of nearly 13,000 motion picture titles and television episodes – including Mad Men, Anger Management, Nurse Jackie and Weeds – is a valuable source of recurring revenue and a foundation for the growth of the Company’s core businesses – film production and distribution, TV programming, home entertainment, family entertainment and video- on-demand content. The Lionsgate U.K. brand is synonymous with original, daring, quality entertainment in markets around the globe.

NORDISK FILM PRODUCTION
Nordisk Film was founded in 1906 and is one of the oldest, continuously operating film companies in the world. Nordisk Film is the leading developer, producer and distributor of films in the Nordic region and the leading cinema operator in Denmark and Norway. Furthermore Nordisk Film holds the Nordic distribution rights to Sony PlayStation. The production subsidiary Nordisk Film Production A/S is one of the biggest production companies in Scandinavia and have recently produced films by Tobias Lindholm, A Hijacking, Michael Noer, Northwest, Nils Malmros, Sorrow and Joy, Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg, Kon-Tiki, Niels Arden Oplev, Racewalking and co- productions with Christoffer Boe, Sex, Drugs & Taxation and Jonas Arnby, When Animals Dream. The general manager/executive producer for Nordisk Film Production A/S is Henrik Zein.

INGENIOUS
Ingenious is a market-leading financial services group providing investment and advisory expertise and is the UK’s largest independent investor in the country’s creative industries. Films and television productions supported by Ingenious in the past include: Avatar, Life of Pi, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Doc Martin and Foyle’s War, The Fall (BBC 2’s most watched drama) and The Heat (starring Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy). Most recently along with Film4 and the BFI, Ingenious backed Carol, which has just started production and stars two times Academy Award® winner Cate Blanchett and Academy Award® nominee Rooney Mara.