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::: TRANSMISSION DETAILS ::: UK release date TBC

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A jewel in the crown of Hotshot Films is its involvement in the feature film, The Secret Life Of Words.
With Titanic already among its credits, Harland & Wolff is branching out further into the film business. The shipyard played host to a major motion picture starring Oscar-winner Tim Robbins (The Shawshank Redemption, Mystic River etc), Sarah Polley (Go, Dawn of the Dead) and cinema icon Julie Christie (Dr Zhivago, Don't Look Now, etc). The film, 'The Secret Life of Words', was shot in December 2004 on an oil rig parked in the yard.

The film is produced by European heavyweight Pedro Almodovar's company El Deseo, with Hotshot Films as the production service provider in Northern Ireland. Brendan Byrne is the Northern Ireland production executive and Colin McKeown is the line producer.

Hotshot Films was responsible for providing the crew, locations and facilities while the production was in town for the three week shoot. The production involved a one week shoot in locations around Belfast, Donaghadee and Carrickfergus before moving to the oil rig for a two week shoot.

Hotshot Films managing director Brendan Byrne says: "The Secret Life of Words is perhaps the most exciting film to come to Belfast since Odd Man Out. It combines the European storytelling talents of director Isabel Coixet, Pedro Almodovar’s production company and a serious Hollywood heavyweight, both in terms of talent and box office clout, in the shape of Tim Robbins. We're delighted to be acting as Irish line producers."

The production was attracted to Belfast by the availability of an oil rig being re-fitted in the city's docks and by the professionalism of the local film community, supported by the Northern Ireland Film and Television Commission.

The script tells the story of Hannah (Sarah Polley), a woman deeply scarred by experience who has retreated into a silent and obsessive world. She finds herself nursing burns victim Tim Robbins, who is stranded on an oil rig. As the couple grow closer, both are finally healed, but not until the full extent of Hannah's traumatic past is revealed.

The film is directed by Isabel Coixet from her own script and also stars Sarah Polley, whose compelling performance in Coixet's 'My Life Without Me' beguiled critics.