Britain's House of Commons will open its doors to a commercial film crew for the first time next month in a bid to raise cash, welcoming Meryl Streep for a movie about the suffragettes, officials said today.
The Oscar-winning actress is appearing alongside Carey Mulligan and Helena Bonham Carter in the British film "Suffragette", the fictional tale of one woman's fight for the right to vote.
Parliamentary authorities decided last year to try to boost their coffers by renting out parts of the Palace of Westminster when lawmakers are not sitting.
Alan Haselhurst, chairman of the Commons administration committee, said a film about the fight for women's suffrage a century ago was a perfect way to start.
"As a British film which clearly relates to parliament's history and heritage, this is an ideal pilot for the House of Commons to identify the opportunities for location filming and income generation," he said.
Adrian Wootton, chief executive of the British Film Commission, commented: "Opening up such an iconic location as the House of Commons for filming is fantastic news.
