Actors Lily James, Sir Tom Courtenay and Glen Powell were joined by director Mike Newell, producer Paula Mazur and writer Thomas Bezucha as they attended the showing, eight days before it is released to cinemas worldwide.
The premiere followed a day of touring the island’s scenery, accompanied by the Lt-Governor Vice Admiral Sir Ian Corder and his wife Lady Corder, and a question and answer session with members of the Arts Foundation Guernsey.
Leading actor Lily James said she hoped the spirit of the book, written by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows, came across in the film because it was ‘so strong and precious’.
‘I think the film carries you away, away into Guernsey and this world of literature and I think that is a special thing in the world of cinema, that is something I love anyway,’ she said.
The history of the Occupation of Guernsey was something she had learnt as her character, Juliet Ashton, continued her journey.
‘I had no idea Guernsey was occupied,’ she added.
‘My character was finding it out as I was.
‘Looking back at the old newspaper clippings and seeing the children being shipped off – it was harrowing and untold.’
It was very rare to get a script where her character was so multi-dimensional.
Juliet was a strong and successful woman, she added.
‘I just loved it,’ she said.
‘It meant so much to be a part of it. It is a great cast and we had so much fun didn’t we?’
Miss James, whose stylist is from Guernsey, also told of how she was delighted that the title of the book had been kept for the film.
‘I hope people like it,’ she added.
You need to be logged in to comment. If you had an account on our previous site, you can migrate your old account and comment profile to this site by visiting this page and entering the email address for your old account. We'll then send you an email with a link to follow to complete the process.