British investors are set to build a €60 million film production complex in Loulé, creating at least 300 direct jobs.
The project has been announced by Loulé Council which says that the complex will become an important film and audiovisual entertainment hub on a “national, European and global scale”.
The complex will be built near Loulé’s industrial area in the same spot as the old Unicer factory and will feature several film and television studios.
A new streaming platform will also be created with “new content” while the complex will be the home of many independent producers who will promote their work to the world directly from the complex.
The money is being invested by two British entities, MovieBox and Lansdowne Capital Partners – this is a project that the local council and the Loulé Film Office have been helping to develop for the last 18 months.
“It is a global-scale project that will put Loulé on the map of big movie and TV productions, which is why we have supported the investors from the start,” said Loulé Mayor Vítor Aleixo.
“We believe that the creation of this complex will represent a turning point for the diversification and dynamisation of the region’s economy, along with other projects, such as ABC Loulé Active Life Health and Research in terms of health, and Quarteirão Cultural in terms of culture.”
Aleixo also pointed out that the film production complex will create “at least 300 new direct jobs” as well as thousands of indirect jobs over time.
“Many Loulé citizens will immediately benefit from the project, an aspect that makes us very happy,” said the mayor.
He added that Loulé is proving, once again, that it is capable of attracting investment and “is a pioneer when it comes to creative and entertainment industries”.
Loulé has been trying to establish itself as a top film location for many years, with the local council even creating the Loulé Film Office in 2014 to “promote the municipality as a prime destination for film, TV, advertising and photographic productions”.
Last year, the streets of Loulé were chosen as the setting for several shoots of the film ‘Miss Willoughby and Bentley’. The 17th century Convento de Santo António, described by the local council as “one of the Algarve’s most important convents” and boasting the status of a property of public interest, was one of the main spots where filming took place.
In 2017, a large part of ‘That Good Night’, a film which featured Sir John Hurt in his last starring role, was shot in Loulé.
