Bradford opens office in Qingdao to promote film industry opportunities

The UK city of Bradford is to open a film office in Qingdao, China, as part of a developing relationship between the countries' film industries.

The office will launch as part of the Qingdao Film Trade and Domestic Film Promotion Festival, which takes place between Sept 18 and Sept 22 and showcases Qingdao as a fast-growing hub of the film industry.

The event attracts around 500 delegates, including industry experts, actors, directors, screen writers and production teams. It will feature a series of talks about Chinese and international films.

In a reciprocal arrangement, Qingdao will also open a UK China Film Bureau in Bradford in the coming months.

Bradford City of Film said it is working closely with Qingdao to encourage greater collaboration on a number of levels, from culture and heritage to business and education.

Qingdao University of Science and Technology and the University of Bradford are also cooperating in the areas of science and technology as well as film and TV production.

The eastern Chinese city is home to China's largest state-of-the-art film production studio complex, owned by Wanda Studio.

Bradford, in Yorkshire, is the world's first UNESCO City of Film because of its festivals and heritage.

David Wilson, director of Bradford UNESCO City of Film, said: "We've been working with Qingdao for some time now and I was very fortunate to have visited the city earlier this year and see first-hand the scale of ambition for film."

Wilson added, "The establishment of a Bradford Film Office in Qingdao will enable the UK to have a portal to promote UK co-production opportunities, and wider business opportunities particularly in Leeds City Region and the North of England."

Roger Marsh, chairman of Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership, said Bradford is leading the way in creating film and business opportunities in China.

"This international presence further showcases the strengths of the screen industries in both the City Region highlighting the talent, locations and ambition which is garnering national and international attention, including that of Channel 4," Marsh said.

The Bradford office will develop co-production projects between UK and Chinese filmmakers and offer advice on film and TV production studies in Britain.

A number of initiatives to promote Sino-British cultural exchange through film are currently in development with the China Film Association.