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Actress Olivia Colman seen filming on Margate seafront

Steven Collis Olivia Colman in MargateSteven Collis
Olivia Colman was seen filming on Margate seafront on Friday night

Academy Award winner Olivia Colman has been spotted filming in a seaside town.

She is starring alongside Colin Firth and Toby Jones in Empire of Light, which is written and directed by Sam Mendes.

Filming took place on Friday night in Margate, Kent, with artificial snow along the pavements, Neal Street Productions confirmed.

The film is a love story, set in and around an old cinema on the south coast of England in the 1980s.

Dreamland theme park, Margate
The exterior of Dreamland theme park has been transformed for the film

The exterior of Dreamland theme park in the town has been transformed into the foyer of a 1980s cinema for the movie and a stage set has been built on the town's seafront.

Film set for Empire of Light, Margate
A set built for the film houses the cinema's lobby

Director Sam Mendes said: "I'm really thrilled to be working with so many wonderful collaborators across both cast and crew on such a personal project.

"It's a particular thrill to be working for the first time with Olivia Colman."

Filming will continue in Margate and along the Kent coastline until May.

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