Bristol named a UNESCO Creative City of Film

Bristol is now unlikely to become European City of Culture, but we have been recognised on the international cultural stage by being named as a UNESCO Creative City of Film.

The accolade is due to Bristol being a global hub of wildlife filmmaking, having Oscar-winning Aardman in our midst (whose new film Early Man is released early next year), producing drama seen on television screens around the world, hosting numerous festivals dedicated to film, being home to cinemas such as the Watershed, and the film-related degrees on offer from our two universities.

In practice, the city’s new status will hopefully “enhance (its) reputation around the world and help forge strong partnerships with other nations” according to the parliamentary under secretary of state for arts, heritage and tourism, John Glen.

Bristol now joins a global UNESCO Creative Cities Network,  “working towards the joint mission of placing creativity and cultural industries at the core of their urban development to make their cities safe, resilient, inclusive and sustainable”.

The Bristol bid began in 2016 and was put together by a management group which included representatives from the city council, Bristol Film Office, UWE, the University of Bristol, Destination Bristol and the Bottle Yard Studios – a former bottling plant in Whitchurch which in recent years has hosted productions such as Poldark, Wolf Hall and The Crystal Maze.

Mayor of Bristol Marvin Rees said: “This is fantastic news and a ringing endorsement of Bristol’s position as a world leader in film culture.

“Our reputation as a diverse and creative city has long helped to attract productions across film, TV drama, animation and of course natural history.

“I hope this recognition will be a catalyst for bigger opportunities for the city and Bristolians to showcase Bristol as a centre for film.”

UWE’s associate professor of filmmaking, Dr Charlotte Crofts, added: “As a filmmaker, educator and passionate Bristolian, it’s great that the city has been recognised not only for its strong production base, its vibrant film culture and strong educational provision, but also for our ambition in making film a vehicle to enhance the future development of the city.

“We can’t wait to get going on our action plan and for Bristol to collaborate with and learn from other cities in the network.”

James McAvoy starred in Starter For Ten – filmed across Bristol

Films recently made in Bristol include the upcoming The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society directed by Mike Newell – which saw Downton Abbey actress Lily James film scenes next to the M Shed – and Stan & Ollie directed by Jon S Baird featuring Steve Coogan as Stan Laurel and John C Reilly as Oliver Hardy.

In the last financial year, Bristol Film Office registered a total of £18.3m inward investment generated by film and television production, and a 30 per cent rise in the number of productions assisted to shoot in the city.

Read more: These are all 27 films made in Bristol

Main photo: Sherlock filming on King Street – courtesy of Bristol Film Office