Lumiere team get set for filming in Margate and Cliftonville and predict economic and tourism boost for isle

Filming for Sam Mendes movie Lumiere (Empire of Light) will begin in Margate on February 28 and run through to May 21.

The site known as ‘Godden’s Gap’ on Margate seafront has been transformed with the temporary build of an Art Deco style cinema to be used for the love story starring star award-winning The Crown actress Olivia Colman and Micheal Ward, of Top Boy fame, Colin Firth, Toby Jones, Tanya Moodie and Crystal Clarke. The film will be set in the 1980s.

Dreamland’s neon sign on the fin of the Grade II* listed cinema has been replaced with Empire Cinema signs and the 20,000ft set at Godden’s Gap contains a replica of Dreamland’s old cinema, including the staircase and chandeliers, with a ticket booth outside.

Margate seafront has also had festoon lights installed going up to the Old Town.

Mr Mendes is known for works including  James Bond films Skyfall and Spectre and the war film 1917 as well as numerous West End stage shows. He has written Empire of Light, making it his first original solo screenplay. He will also direct and produce with Pippa Harris of Neal Street. Cinematographer Roger Deakins, who won an Oscar for best cinematography at the Academy Awards for his work on 1917, is also involved.

Some 1,600 people responded to a call from casting company Two 10 Casting to be extras in the film with 800 of those being successful.

The Lumiere location team has been liaising with schools, traders and other organisations ahead of the production to try and keep disruption to a minimum.

The team say direct benefits will include employment for set creation work but also income to restaurants, shops and local businesses while indirect benefits will include an expected boost to tourism.

They said: “After a long search around the South coast of England, our producers and director chose Margate as the central location for this film. The town has a wealth of wonderful locations, which include the cinematic seafront and iconic Dreamland buildings. In addition, we have scenes set within the heritage streets in the Old Town, and inside local shops and cafes.

“Our project is set in the 1980s, which creates a number of challenges for us in camera, especially for all our exterior scenes. We are working very closely with the Highways team and the Kent Film Office in proposing a limited number of road closures, and a number of days where we hope to implement intermittent traffic control on various roads within the town.

“As well as intermittent traffic holds around the filming locations we would also look to ask pedestrians to hold for short periods of time while we are filming. These will only  last a maximum of a couple of minutes at a time as we want to be as little of an inconvenience to daily life as possible.”

The film industry is a valuable source of income for Thanet. In 2020/21 Thanet council estimates the value was in excess of £770,000.

Productions on the isle are wide-ranging and include photoshoots for magazines, music videos for a whole range of musicians, television dramas, comedy programmes, short films and feature films.

These have included films Lady in the Van with Dame Maggie Smith and King of Thieves with Sir Michael Caine as well as TV series Eastenders, Top Boy, The Tunnel, The Larkins and Killing Eve.

A Lumiere production spokesperson said: “Having a film come to an area has a direct and indirect economic benefit to the local economy. During production, the immediate direct economic benefits include the crew staying in local accommodation, eating out in local establishments, hiring local labour, sourcing local fresh produce, using local equipment, vehicles, trades, materials, all to create the temporary sets required.

“The indirect benefit is often discrete and not often considered, but the British Film Commission has data showing the indirect effects are often in the form of tourism. Attractions, hotels and restaurants experience higher income and employment on account of tourism visits, stimulated by the desire to visit filming locations or settings once a film has been released to a general audience. Not only in the UK but potentially worldwide.

“Our primary focus is not only achieving a successful shoot, but leaving a positive ‘tourism’ legacy for the town, for years to come.”

As part of the shoot there will be a number of road closures, some intermittent traffic holds and the team may ask pedestrians to hold for short periods of time while they are filming. The team is also expected to film inside the Old Town Hall on March 1-2.

ROAD CLOSURES

As a contingency, the location team has applied for 2 additional weather back up dates for Marine Terrace on May 19-20..