Empire of Light: Eastbourne appears in film starring Olivia Colman and Colin Firth

A film starring Olivia Colman and Colin Firth is in cinemas now and Eastbourne appears in one of the scenes.
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Empire of Light, directed by Sam Mendes, is about an old cinema in the early 1980s.

According to the Sussex Film Office (SFO), Brighton and Eastbourne were considered for primary filming but it went to Kent’s coastal town of Margate in the end. Despite this, Sussex was used for some scenes. SFO helped facilitate filming at Worthing’s Pavilion Theatre and on Beachy Head Road.

Empire of Light: Eastbourne appears in film starring Olivia Colman and Colin Firth (Photo by Jeff Spicer/Getty Images for Disney)Empire of Light: Eastbourne appears in film starring Olivia Colman and Colin Firth (Photo by Jeff Spicer/Getty Images for Disney)
Empire of Light: Eastbourne appears in film starring Olivia Colman and Colin Firth (Photo by Jeff Spicer/Getty Images for Disney)
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Beachy Head Road was used for a scene where the two leads, Hilary (Olivia Colman) and Stephen (Michael Ward), take a trip to the beach on a double decker bus shown as heading for Hastings.

An SFO spokesperson said this was a one-day shoot which started at Coach Bay near the Beachy Head pub. Traffic control points were set up past the bend near Beachy Head West car park and at Birling Gap (one of two end and turning points).

The spokesperson said: “It was fantastic to support the production on Empire of Light – managing the film permit process, organising logistics and recommending local crew and suppliers throughout. Worthing and Beachy Head are two of our most popular filming locations that are used for feature films, music videos, TV and photography.”

Empire of Light is in cinemas now (January 10).

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