2001: A Space Odyssey was financed and distributed by a company.
2001: A Space Odyssey (film) . 2001 : A Space Odyssey was financed and distributed by American studio Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer , but it was filmed and edited almost entirely in England using the studio facilities of the MGM-British Studios and those of Shepperton Studios , mostly because of the availability of much larger sound stages than in the United States . Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. ( abbreviated as MGM or M-G-M , also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures , Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer or simply Metro , and for a former interval known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/United Artists , or MGM/UA ) is an American media company , involved primarily in the production and distribution of feature films and television programs .