Bradford is set to open its seventh film festival next month with the UK premiere of a star-studded Hollywood blockbuster.

The Bradford Film Festival will open on March 1 with the premiere of wartime drama Enemy At The Gates. starring Jude Law and Bob Hoskins.

Festival organisers believe that Bradford is now firmly established as a major draw on the movie industry calendar.

Other firsts lined up for the festival include a exclusive UK showing for Kevin Costner's new epic 13 Days, about the events surrounding the Cuban missile crisis, and the premiere of Robert De Niro's new movie Men Of Honour.

Film fans are also expected to descend on the city in their thousands for the first showing of the new 70mm print of Stanley Kubrick's classic film 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Festival programmer Tony Earnshaw, said "Over the last couple of years we have established a very fruitful relationship with the major Hollywood distributors which means that now they're now willing to give us the big blockbusters.

"But we won't show dross, we'll only pick the best mix of Hollywood films and other films from around the world. Films with a pedigree.

"People are actually asking their film companies to come and show their films in Bradford, which shows how the festival's reputation has spread.

"There are only two other festivals in the UK that are bigger than Bradford now - Edinburgh and London."

Mr Earnshaw said his highlights of the festival include a showing of Amores Perros, described as a Mexican Pulp Fiction, a swashbuckling tale called With Fire And Sword which is being touted as Poland's answer to Gone With The Wind, and a retrospective of the work of Jacques Tati.

Mr Earnshaw said he was also expecting a huge turnout for the festival widescreen weekend on March 10 and 11.

He said: "They come from all over the world to see the wide screen season. We've had people ringing up since November asking when the wide screen films are on so they can book their holidays and come to Bradford. I hope the festival will be as good as last year's but I've got a felling it's going to be a lot more successful."