MP calls for new university for film industry

The new Conservative MP for Spelthorne has called for a college or university for the film industry to be based in the constituency.

Shepperton Studios, which claims to be the second biggest film studio in the world, is located in the area.

Former army office, Lincoln Jopp, replaced Kwasi Kwarteng as the member of parliament at the general election in July.

He told BBC Radio Surrey that he wanted Spelthorne to become a place where skills could be developed.

“Everything from electrician to lighting engineer to scaffolder to food services to hair and make up to high-end AI and very complex computer graphics…that is a vast range of skills,” he said.

“That is a very demanding industry and I would love to see, as well as it being the home of British filmmaking, it to become where we breed those skills in order to do that.”

Shepperton Studios, part of the Pinewood Group, has been involved in projects including Mary Poppins Returns, Golden Globe-winning 1917 and the film adaptation of Matilda the Musical, among many others.

Companies like Amazon MGM Studios and Netflix are using purpose-built sound stages

An expansion of the site, which now covers 1.5m sq ft (139,354 sq m) was approved by Spelthorne Borough Council in 2019.

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