Filming for a Hollywood blockbuster is well under way along a Kent seafront which has been transformed into a winter wonderland.

Actors and crew are in Margate where they are shooting new movie Empire of Light.

Filming is well under way for the festive feature

Written and directed by Sam Mendes - the Oscar-winner behind blockbusters including 1917, American Beauty, and Bond films Skyfall and Spectre - it is believed to be a love story set in and around a cinema during the 1980s.

It is the first script written solely by the director, whose films have collectively been nominated for 33 Academy Awards, winning 12.

The star-studded cast including Academy Award-winner Olivia Colman have been out in the coastal town as they begin the initial shooting including some overnight scenes.

Gary Evans who lives in Canterbury Road which is about half a mile away from the set has been regularly walking past to watch the developments.

The 63-year-old said: "It is quite exciting. Margate has been a bit run down for years and it is nice to have something happen like this. There is a bit of a buzz around the town.

"They have put all these lights up and it is quite festive. The whole town was lit up, it was wonderful.

"On Friday night, Olivia Colman was there filming a couple of scenes. They have been filming all week."

Fort Paragon, Marine Terrace and Marine Drive were shut on March 4 at alternating times during the evening to allow for late night shooting and there will be further road closures until mid-May.

Margate's iconic Dreamland building has also been transformed into a stylish retro cinema named the Empire, while outside Marine Terrace has been strewn with fake snow and hung with Christmas lights, turning it into a picture postcard.

The film will be released by Searchlight Pictures.

Along with Olivia Colman and Colin Firth, it will star Toby Jones, Michael Ward, Crystal Clarke, Tom Brooke and Hannah Onslow.