Portsmouth film office progress

Portsmouth is moving forwards with plans for a regional film office that will serve the city as well as the wider areas of Hampshire and the Solent.

The film office has been established and funded through the Solent Growth Partnership, a strategic alliance between the councils of Portsmouth, Southampton and The Isle of Wight.

Film offices support and promote television and film production in a defined area, offering location scouting, permitting and logistical services. 

They provide a single point of contact for studios and production companies, helping projects run smoothly while generating economic and cultural benefits for local communities.

During a Portsmouth City Council cabinet decision meeting, officers explained that the new office would not only attract larger productions to the area but also help nurture the grassroots filming industry.

In the last full financial year, 2024 to 2025, Portsmouth City Council reviewed and assessed 105 filming applications, of which 76 proceeded. Of these, 45 per cent were commercial requests, generating £8,555 for the council. 

The remaining 55 per cent came from students, mostly from the University of Portsmouth, who are not charged for the use of council spaces. This arrangement will continue under the new film office.

Cllr Matthew Cordy welcomed the inclusion of grassroots filming, noting that Portsmouth “can be a really good location for all ranges of budgets”.

Councillor Steve Pitt, leader of Portsmouth City Council, reminded the chamber that the partnership is regional and is “open to any Hampshire authority who wishes to join”.

He thanked Fareham Borough Council for its enthusiastic support of the proposal.

“I know having spoken to all the other leaders across the county there’s lots of enthusiasm for this,” he added.

“It is an opportunity for economic growth and development, film is a really important industry to this country and we need to make sure that we’re not missing out on those opportunities when they present themselves.”

In May this year, following a procurement process led by the council, FilmFixer was appointed to deliver the service. The company already manages more than 8,000 shoots a year across fifteen London boroughs.

Hampshire has already hosted a range of well known productions, including The Crown in Winchester, Napoleon in Portsmouth and Tenet in Southampton.

Other notable titles include Downton Abbey in Newbury and The Beast Must Die on the Isle of Wight.

In Portsmouth, Les Misérables was filmed in the Historic Dockyard, while Ryan Gosling was recently seen on South Parade Pier shooting the forthcoming Project Hail Mary.

Elsewhere, Transformers The Last Knight filmed scenes in Gosport, Gladiator featured Alice Holt Forest near Farnham, and Avengers Age of Ultron made use of Hawley Woods.