Gov. Phil Murphy , Newark Mayor Ras J. Baraka and a builder of film and television production facilities came together on Thursday to announce the start of construction on a $125 million studio in the city’s South Ward.

“This is a big day,” said Murphy, making one of his last appearances as New Jersey’s biggest booster for film and TV production, before he steps down at the end of his second term next month.

Celluloid film was invented in Newark, and the first movie studio, Thomas Edison’s Black Maria , was built in nearby West Orange. And Murphy, who once contemplated an acting career, made it a priority of his administration to revitalize film and television production in the Garden State.

And while other studios have sprung up in converted spaces under his watch, Murphy said N

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