Production wrapped last week (Friday, Dec 17) in Belfast onIsabel Coixet's The Secret Life of Words, an El Deseo production starring Tim Robbins which shot for threeweeks in Madrid before coming to Northern Ireland.

The El Deseo located in Northern Ireland because parts of the story areset on an oil rig and Belfast was the only place they found one they could use.

The producers had scouted the North Sea, Miami and Dublinbefore finding a rig that was in the Harland & Wolff deep-water dock inBelfast for a refit.

The Harland & Wolff shipyard has previously collaboratedwith the industry in making available their now little-used but physicallyenormous paint hall buildings as a studio facility. The buildings have been mooted as a realistic prospect for a permanent studio complex in NorthernIreland.

Locations on dry land at Carrickfergus, Donaghadee, and inBelfast City centre were also used for the Coixet film, in addition to the twoweeks spent on the rig.

Andrew Reid, Head of Production at the NIFTC said,"Harland & Wolff, Fred Olsen Energy and Dolphin Drilling wereexemplary hosts. They provided key access, equipment and personnel on time,every time they were needed. Without the support of companies such as these thework of the NIFTC would be impossible."

Shooting in Northern Ireland was facilitated by the NIFTCand local production company Hotshot Features, a joint venture between Colin McKeown, Brendan Byrne and David Collins who are themselves planning to shootScott Morgan's Baby Baby in early2005.

The NIFTC estimates that approximately 15% of thefilm's Euros 4m budget was spent in Northern Ireland.