The Kent Film Office has described 2022 as an "exceptional" year for film and TV in Kent, with productions including Mission: Impossible and The Beekeeper creating a buzz among locals and movie fans alike.

People across the county have likely been aware of some of the production crews filming in Kent throughout the year, or may have even noticed familiar locations like the Chatham Historic Dockyard or the Thanet coast feature in TV and film.

Sometimes producers approach the office far in advance of filming with a brief of the locations they are looking for or the scene they want to film, to get advice about Kent locations which fit the brief.

Other times, productions have already found a location, and reach out to the film office for additional permits like police consent, road closures, and other highway filming.

2022 was certainly a busy year for the Kent Film Office, with Kent County Council film officer Gabrielle Lindemann revealing film and TV this year have brought in “excess of £10 million spend" into the Kent economy.

She added: "This has been most welcome during a year when businesses are still recovering from Covid.

"It has also put Kent firmly on the map as a first-class filming destination and we are continually grateful that the residents and businesses in Kent are so welcoming to productions wishing to film here.”

The Kent Film Office has certainly received some unusual requests in recent years, including a scene in BBC's Pandemonium, released in 2020 and filmed in Margate, which involved a car rolling off the edge of a cliff and landing on the promenade below because the handbrake was left on.

While filming Danny Boyle's Pistol last year - which shot in Dover, Folkestone, Sandgate and Deal - the office facilitated filming along the Dover seafront as Maisie Williams' character cycled along in a completely see-through mackintosh.

With the help of the Kent Film Office we have compiled a list of productions filmed in the county this year, including some that have already hit our screens and some whose release dates are yet to be announced.

Here are the films shot in the county in 2022:

Empire of Light - Margate

The latest movie from 1917 director Sir Sam Mendes, starring Olivia Colman, was filmed in Margate earlier this year.

Transforming Dreamland's former cinema into a stylish retro picturehouse, production took place between January and March.

Empire of Light follows the relationship between Colman's Hilary, a cinema manager, and Micheal Ward's Stephen, a new employee, against the backdrop of a 1980s coastal cinema.

Despite premiering to poor reviews at the London Film Festival in October, the film has bagged its lead actress a Golden Globe best actress nomination.

The film's official world premiere was at the Telluride Film Festival on September 3, and its official UK release date is Monday, January 9, 2023.

Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One - Chatham Dockyard

After Tom Cruise was spotted arriving in his private helicopter outside the Medway Council building in October, fans quickly speculated that the Hollywood star was in Chatham to film for the seventh instalment of Mission: Impossible.

The speculation was proven true, as the Kent Film Office has confirmed that a scene in the upcoming production was filmed at Medway's Chatham Dockyard.

The action spy film, which follows Impossible Missions Force (IMF) agent Ethan Hunt leading a team of operatives, is set to be released on July 14, 2023.

It had previously been scheduled for release in July 2021 but faced several pushbacks when production was shut down due to the pandemic.

Kraven the Hunter - Dover

The upcoming fourth instalment in Sony's Spider-man Universe, starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson as the titular Marvel Comics supervillain, filmed scenes in Dover across several days earlier this year.

The film's 450-strong crew set up on the historic Citadel site to shoot for the film which follows big-game hunter Sergei Kravinoff, also known as Kraven.

Also starring Ariana DeBose as Calypso, Kraven's love interest, and Fred Hechinger as Chameleon, Kraven's half-brother, the film is expected to be released to audiences on October 6, 2023.

The Beekeeper - Kingsferry Bridge

Isle of Sheppey residents will certainly be aware of filming for this movie, after the crew took over the Kingsferry Bridge between Sheppey and Sittingbourne in October.

Filming for the production, starring Jason Statham, left the bridge off-limits to the public from the evening of Friday 28 until the morning of Monday 31.

Expected to be released sometime in 2023, the film follows a man's campaign for vengeance after he is revealed to be a former operative of a powerful organisation known as The Beekeepers.

The star-studded cast includes Jeremy Irons, Josh Hutcherson, and Emmy Raver-Lampman.

The Great Escaper - Port of Dover

Starring Michael Caine and Glenda Jackson, this film, directed by BAFTA-nominee Oliver Parker, follows a World War II veteran in the summer of 2014 as he sneaks out of his care home to attend the 70th anniversary commemoration of the D-Day landings in Normandy.

The movie, which is inspired by the true story of veteran Bernard Jordan, features a scene filmed at the Port of Dover this year.

The production sees the two Oscar winners, Caine and Jackson, reunite onscreen for the first time in nearly five decades after appearing together in The Romantic Englishwoman 47 years ago.

No release date has yet been announced.

Luther - Port of Dover

Fans of the psychological crime thriller starring Idris Elba may be excited to hear Kent features in the upcoming feature film, which will continue on the story from the BBC series which ended in 2019.

The Netflix production, which will see Elba reprise his role as the titular DCI, also features Andy Serkis and Cynthia Erivo.

Crews shot a scene for the movie at the Port of Dover earlier this year, with release scheduled for March 2023.

Better Man - Canterbury

This big budget biopic features Robbie Williams starring as himself, covering his rise to fame.

British actor Jonno Davies, 29, will play a younger version of the former Take That star.

The biopic, which is being made by Australian filmmaker Michael Gracey, is mainly filming in Melbourne, however at least one scene was filmed at a private estate in Canterbury, according to the Kent Film Office.

Seize Them! - Maidstone

This upcoming film set in the dark ages stars Nicola Coughlan, Aimee Lou Wood, and Lolly Adefope.

The comedy was shot over six weeks in Wales and Kent, with some filming taking place on a private estate in Maidstone.

It follows Wood's Queen Dagan, who is toppled by a revolution led by Coughlan's Humble Joan.

Red, White & Royal Blue - unknown locations

The Amazon Prime Video adaptation of the 2019 romance novel of the same name, by Casey McQuiston, follows the love story between Alex Claremont-Diaz, the First Son of the United States, and the British Prince Henry.

The star-studded cast includes Uma Thurman and Stephen Fry, with Taylor Zakhar Perez and Nicholas Galitzine playing the star-crossed lovers.

Although the specific location has not been revealed, the Kent Film Office confirmed that scenes from the upcoming movie were filmed in Kent.

While Amazon has not yet announced the release date, the film is likely to premiere in 2023.