Film industry gives Suffolk a major boost

4 March 2019, 10:11 | Updated: 4 March 2019, 10:15

The film industry has helped grow Suffolk's economy by nearly £4 million since 2016.

Research by Screen Suffolk has looked at spend by film production companies and crews during shoots. 

It estimates that an average filming day will generate at least £11,500 of spend in the local community - equivalent to £3,864,000 in the first 24 months of operation. Creative England, the government body for film locations in the UK, estimates that crews spend three times this figure - £35,000 a day.

Two major movies were shot in the Suffolk in 2018, including a Richard Curtis/Danny Boyle production in Halesworth and 'The Personal History of David Copperfield', with scenes shot in Bury St Edmunds. 

£82,000 was spent by crews in Bury St Edmunds, including in hotels, on food and drink and other local services. Both films will be released in 2019 and a significant boost to screen-related tourism in Suffolk is expected.

Jennie Jenkins, the independent chair of Suffolk Public Sector Leaders Group, said:

"The filmmaking industry is clearly booming and highly competitive, so it's vital that we make sure directors and producers know what Suffolk has to offer when they're looking for locations. Screen Suffolk has delivered some fantastic work in just two years, and we welcome their continued work to bring big hitting names and titles to Suffolk.

"The impact on Suffolk's economy and local businesses is very clear and we will be looking at options to invest more in this work to benefit Suffolk further."

336 filming days have been undertaken in the first 24 months of Screen Suffolk's work. It is estimated that Suffolk attracted an average of 30 days of filmmaking a year, before this Screen Suffolk was set up.