With the movie already out, fans are curious about Empire of Light filming locations. The movie throws light on a plot with romance and drama where we witness human connections and emotions. Sam Mendes directed the film. The story is set in a coastal town back in the early 1980s.
In the lead, we see Hilary Small who is working in the form of a duty manager at the Empire Cinema. It is located on the north side of Kent. Her life is slow and messy. She is suffering from bipolar disorder and thus, is prescribed lithium as a medicine for the same by her general practitioner. She is in an affair with her boss named Donald Ellis.
The cinema soon welcomes some new members inside the building. It is a Black British man named Stephen who is living with his mother Delia. The mother is a nurse and they both are new to the cinema house. Hilary and Stephen truly take a liking to each other and start bonding over random conversations and laughs.
She even shows him the upper floor of the cinema which is not used but looks really beautiful. Although, her happy days are short-lived because soon, Stephen starts hanging out more with a girl named Janine who also works at the cinema and is younger than her. But later, when the two are on the rooftop of the cinema during the New Year’s Eve celebrations, she kisses Stephen in a hurry and the two sleep together.
Because now her heart lies with Stephen, Hilary cuts off Donald and his advances. Also, she is pretty happy about her relationship with Stephen and thus, stops taking her medications. The film then also adds the elements of racism in the form of hate that Stephen faces and how he confides about it all to Hilary.
Later, the duo goes to enjoy the day at the beach and here talk about their past lovers. He tells her about him but when asks about Hilary, she becomes frustrated and destroys the sand castle which they were building all this time and walks away. Coming to the filming bits of the movie, it was majorly shot at Margate which is a small coastal town as described in the movie as well. Here are the detailed locations for you guys.
Empire of Light Filming Locations
1. Dreamland Cinema
This cinema served as a backdrop for the exterior shots of the film. The cinema that was seen in the film called “Empire” is actually this. It happens to be an amusement park located in Margate. The building was erected in 1930 and is currently listed as a Grade II building by the officials. This is where the majority of the cinema shots from the movie have been shot as well.
2. Nayland Rock Shelter
It is a shelter located on the seafront in Margate. The spot is very famous among tourists and even the civilians of the city who take pride in describing that TS Eliot wrote a section of his poem called The Waste Land here. As for the scene in the movie, we see that Hilary comes here to meet with her friend Violet in order to discuss their future plans in life.
3. Marine Drive
This is a beautiful road in Margate that runs along the lines of the seafront. There are various scenes in the film that were shot here including the one where Hilary and her lover take a long walk at the sunset.
4. Sands Cafe
This is a beautiful cafe located at Marine Drive in Margate. It is one of the best spots for locals and tourists to hang out and relax after a long day on the drive. In the movie, we see Hilary and her lover meet here for a cup of coffee and they bond.
5. Marina Cafe
This cafe is also located at Marina Drive and is very popular for aesthetic reasons. We saw that Hilary and her friends came in here to celebrate her birthday.
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