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Date Published: 01/09/2022

Ukrainian refugees at Alicante reception centre to be relocated to make room for film shoots

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The Ciudad de la Luz in Alicante city will cease to be a reception centre to allow for filming to restart at the complex

Ukrainian refugees at Alicante reception centre to be relocated to make room for film shoots

Ukrainian refugees offered shelter at Ciudad de la Luz – one of the four reception areas in Spain set up to receive those fleeing the war in their home country – will be relocated in three phases between now and December so that the complex can be freed up for the filming of several productions due to start next year.

Since March 11, the Ciudad de la Luz has taken in more than 400 men, women and children.

But now, starting from today (Thursday September 1) the staggered departure of the residents will begin as planned.

Unit number three (actually film set 3), which housed up to 180 people from the Russian-invaded republic, will be the first to be cleared.

In November, refugees in unit four, around 135 people, are expected to leave.

According to Radio Alicante, the refugees are being relocated to inland towns in Alicante province or to municipalities in neighbouring provinces such as Valencia and Castellón.

And if all goes to plan, following an agreement between the Generalitat Valenciana and the Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration, December will see the closure of the remaining shelters.

In the meantime, the centre will continue to provide care and logistics services for the refugees who temporarily live there.

Not all of the complex has been adapted to care for Ukrainians who have fled their war-torn home country. The Valencian Government has film sets 1 and 2, which were never occupied, at the disposal of any production company interesting in shooting at the Ciudad de la Luz, together with 5 and 6, which are the smallest offering 1,650m2.

With the release of sets 3 and 4, the complex will recover the largest spaces, with a surface area of 2,300m2 each.

Few details are known about the imminent filming, only what the head of the Consell revealed in July when he confirmed that the first project is being promoted by a national production company with international involvement. He added that the next two productions will be filmed by American companies.

The public company managing Ciudad de la Luz has reportedly already begun adapting the facilities and the Sociedad Proyectos para la Transformación Digital (formerly SPTCV) plans to invest 2.4 million euros updating the complex.

Also of interest: Alicante court orders airline to reimburse passenger for cancelled flight due to Covid

Image: Generalitat Valenciana

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