THE arrival of a Hollywood film crew on Ilkley Moor caused quite a stir on social media.

Onlookers spotted movie A-listers Drew Barrymore and Toni Collette on the moor, and in Haworth, over the weekend, shooting scenes for new film Missing You Already.

As reported in the Telegraph & Argus yesterday, the film is about two women whose friendship is tested when one falls ill and the other struggles to have a baby. With cast and crew staying at local hotels, including the Cow and Calf Hotel, and farmers providing sheep and trailers for location filming, the shoot has proved lucrative for local businesses.

The film, due for a cinema release next year, is the latest of many big-screen productions made in the district over the past year or so.

Historic Saltaire and Little Germany, Bradford’s contemporary City Park, bleak moorland and urban streets have all had starring roles in films and TV dramas, from atmospheric period pieces to gritty thrillers.

Among them have been big-budget productions such as Peaky Blinders, The Great Train Robbery and Jamaica Inn, which all received investment from Screen Yorkshire’s £7.5m Content Fund. Set up in 2012 with European Regional Development cash, the fund has boosted the growth in film and TV production in the region.

Bafta-nominated gangster drama Peaky Blinders – a second series is currently on BBC2 – was partly filmed at Undercliffe Cemetery, Peel Park and the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway. Scenes for The Great Train Robbery were also shot on the railway, and at city-centre locations including the Bradford Club, while Haworth Moor doubled up as the Cornish coast in the BBC’s lavish adaptation of Jamaica Inn. The Selfish Giant, a film about young copper thieves starring two Bradford schoolboys, was shot largely in the city, and during the three-month shoot the production team rented offices in Little Germany and cast and crew stayed at Bradford’s Great Victoria Hotel.

More recent productions include Welcome to Karachi, a Bollywood film currently being shot at various Bradford locations, and Testament of Youth, based on Vera Brittan’s First World War memoirs, partly filmed in Little Germany. The film will premiere at London Film Festival on Sunday as the Mayor of London’s Centerpiece Gala screening before a nationwide release.

“It adds to the other Screen Yorkshire-funded projects firmly putting Bradford and Yorkshire on the global production map,” said Bradford City of Film director David Wilson. “All of us in the City of Film team look forward to seeing the finished result and a small piece of Bradford on the big screen. It will also be one of the latest additions to the Bradford Film Heritage interactive app which highlights film and TV production in Bradford over the past 100 years.”

The City of Film team deals with a variety of location enquiries every week. For the Testament of Youth shoot the initial call came from Creative England, which supports film and digital creative industries outside London, then came a call from the film’s locations manager who was keen to visit Little Germany.

The district is reaping the benefits of both Screen Yorkshire’s Content Fund and the Government’s tax credit, applied to high-end TV dramas, which provides more incentives to make productions in the UK.

Mr Wilson said since 2012 there had been a significant increase in enquiries about making films and television in Bradford. This year City of Film launched a new website, bradfordfilmoffice, promoting the district to film-makers globally and streamlining queries from industry professionals. The City of Film team, based in Little Germany, provides assistance and advice on locations, crew, liaison with highways and traffic control and local services such as hotels and catering. The team also promotes the economic benefits of film-making to local businesses.

“The UK film and TV sector is enjoying a golden era of production,” said Mr Wilson. “City of Film has close connections with businesses and property owners, and we want to attract more interest from them. When you get a big shoot in town, as we have seen this weekend, cast and crew spend time and money in hotels and restaurants but also on things such as taxis, hair and make-up. We’re encouraging Bradford businesses to adopt a film-friendly approach.”

For more on Bradford City of Film see bradfordcityoffilm.com