UNESCO City of Film moves to the University of Bradford

UNESCO City of Film colleagues will be making the short move to the University of Bradford’s city campus to work even closer with the University on ensuring Bradford stays in the picture.

Film Office at Uni

The two organisations have always worked closely together, with students from the University’s School of Media, Design and Technology gaining valuable experience from the partnerships and filming opportunities that UNESCO bring to the city. The partnership between the two organisations has ensured that many filmmakers come to Bradford for the fantastic locations and the pool of talent available.

Director of Bradford UNESCO City of Film, David Wilson, said: “The UNESCO Creative Cities network has grown massively in recent years. There are now 116 cities across 52 countries in the network. The University of Bradford also has an incredible reach internationally and a lot of expertise in areas of technology and health. These are all factors that contribute towards the cities future as a creative city. One example is the work we are currently doing using archive film to work in a dementia setting, but there are many others. This is a really exciting time for Bradford City of Film to forge a positive future in the City.”

Mark Garratt, Director of External Affairs, University of Bradford said: “As a leading technology university, we embrace our role in creating film makers of the future. To have David and his colleagues on campus is a fantastic opportunity for our students and staff.

“Through close partnerships across the city, Bradford continues to be one of the most exciting places for aspiring film makers and filming locations across the UK.”

The UNESCO team will be moving into the Horton Building on the city campus.

Bradford was the world’s first UNESCO City of Film. This permanent title bestows international recognition on Bradford as a world centre for film because of the city’s rich film heritage, its inspirational movie locations and its many celebrations of the moving image through the city’s film festivals, filmed related events and unique approach to learning about film and learning with film.

Bradford is a key location for film and TV production. In addition to its film heritage credentials Bradford also boasts a number of key film festivals and film related events and masterclasses. David and his team continue to develop more opportunities for people to enjoy film and celebrate the City’s diversity through film.