THE Director of Bradford UNESCO City of Film has been honoured by the Beijing Film Academy in recognition of his work promoting links between the UK and China.

David Wilson, who has been working with China for six years developing collaborations in film and TV production, is appointed the Academy’s Guest Professor. He supported Qingdao, eastern China, in its bid to become China’s first UNESCO designated City of Film. In 2017 Bradford was the first European city to open a film office in Qingdao.

As a result of the growing relationship between the two cities, Qingdao University of Science and Technology and the University of Bradford are developing collaborations in science and technology, as well as film and TV production.

Bradford City of Film hosted the Secretary-General of the China Film Association along with a delegation of Chinese film producers and directors to events in London and Bradford in 2018, and a delegation from Bradford attended the Golden Rooster Film Festival, China’s largest film gala. Bradford City of Film also plans to work with the Chinese film industry on a re-working of Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre.

Mr Wilson has now been asked to contribute to China’s Blue Book of Film, an annual report on the development of the global film industry, by chairing the international editing committee for the 2019 edition. He is at the Beijing Film Academy this week to deliver a lecture to students on the Bradford Film Office and its links with UK film and TV sectors.

Professor Lu Bin of the Beijing Film Academy and Editor in Chief of the China Blue Book of Film said: “I met Mr Wilson recently but already knew a lot about Bradford and the support given to Qingdao to become a City of Film. We are very pleased to have Mr Wilson on the editing team and welcome him to discuss future collaboration with Bradford.”

The UK Government has signed film and TV co production treaties with China, the world’s fastest-growing film industry.

James Bridge, Chief Executive to the UK Commission for UNESCO said Bradford’s collaborative work brings benefits such as film education and tourism.

“Bradford’s work as a UNESCO Creative City of Film has an impact not only for the sustainable development of Bradford as a UK city but also contributes towards the global conversation on the wider use of culture in this area,” he said. “The film heritage of Bradford and Qingdao creates ideal conditions for further co-operation in skills development to support film and TV in UK and China, and looks to future collaboration as part of the co-production treaty.”

Professor Martin Priest, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Informatics, University of Bradford said: “Hosting the Bradford Film Office on campus has brought the film and TV production sector and skills development closer together, literally. We’ve had a number of large-scale productions using university facilities in recent years and we continue to see developing opportunities for people wanting to study film and TV here. David is Honorary Fellow in Film here, it is a huge credit to his determination to extend international collaboration that the Beijing Film Academy appoints him as Guest Professor.”