Hollywood backs Yorkshire’s City of Film
Top talent from Hollywood, Britain and around the world are descending on Bradford in March for the movie-mad city’s first International Film Summit.
The event, celebrating Bradford’s coveted title of the world’s first UNESCO City of Film, will bring experts together from March 4th-6th to discuss and share ideas during three days of big and small screen-related events.
The summit was officially launched at Westminster by Bradford South MP Gerry Sutcliffe and Philip Davies MP with representatives from Bradford UNESCO City of Film. Guests included actor Michael Palin and members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the organisation behind the Oscars.
Steve Abbott, chairman of Bradford UNESCO City of Film said: ‘The summit is a first for Bradford and a first for the UNESCO Creative Cities Network. We look forward to welcoming international guests and experts from the film and television industry to share and build on the work we are doing in Bradford to use film for cultural and economic benefit.’
Carola Ash, director of Europe for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, said: ‘We visited Bradford in 2013 to look at the excellent National Media Museum and met the team at Bradford City of Film. The work around film and TV in Bradford is outstanding and we are very supportive of the 2015 summit.’
Sheffield’s favourite acting son Michael Palin took the opportunity to big-up the whole county: ‘There are lots of advantages to filming in Yorkshire. It’s a beautiful part of the world and has provided the backdrop to some great films. There is a real momentum around film and TV in Yorkshire and especially in Bradford.’
Summit organisers are working in partnership with the BBC, the British Film Institute, Screen Yorkshire and Yorkshire Film Archive on a programme of film and TV inspired events. Speakers already confirmed include Mark Reid, head of education at the BFI, who helped develop the Bradford Film Literacy Programme, and Anne Morrison, chair of BAFTA. It’s hoped the event will raise the international profile of Bradford and form new alliances and collaborations, which will benefit all the UNESCO Creative Cities.
For more information, visit bradford-city-of-film.com or follow them on twitter at @bfdcityoffilm
