Black and white image of a group of people in a pub. A man sitting close to us is drinking a pint of beer.

Bradford: A City of Film

Celebrate cinema in the world’s first UNESCO City of Film.

Check out new work from Bradford filmmakers – and find out how we’re developing new talent across the district.

Bradford District is steeped in cinematic history. From the sweeping vistas of the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway, backdrop to countless films and TV dramas, to the Gothic architecture of Undercliffe Cemetery in Billy Liar and the streets of Holme Wood in Ali & Ava, our district has played a key role in cinema history – and in 2009, Bradford became the first ever UNESCO City of Film.

We’re building on Bradford’s treasured movie heritage by supporting a wealth of new productions in 2025. Find out more about the projects we’re helping bring to life – and look out for updates on screenings near you.

Book now for Northern Soul

A celebration of northern women in cinema, curated by Clio Barnard.

From a ’60s British New Wave classic to the latest feature from one of our most exciting directors, the films picked for Northern Soul transport us everywhere from the Yorkshire Moors to the Wigan Casino, Blackpool Beach to the North East. And together, they showcase the diversity of perspective, experience and imagination that defines the northern female voice in film.

Presented at Pictureville Cinema in the newly reopened National Science & Media Museum, the season is curated for Bradford 2025 by Clio Barnard.

Book now →

A group of people raise their fists in the air in celebration. A still from the film Northern Soul.

In development

Discover these new homegrown productions – all supported by Bradford 2025.

The Local (working title)

Kim Hopkins

Jacobs Well is a Bradford landmark, but it’s not one you’ll find in any guidebook. Fast approaching its 200th birthday, this storied city-centre pub has watched Bradford change and grow around it. But time stands still in the Well, as it does in all the best pubs, and the regulars aren’t in any hurry to face the future…

A Bunch of Amateurs, Kim Hopkins’ previous film, followed the members of Bradford Movie Makers as they fought to keep their cherished club from collapse. Now, Hopkins is turning her lens to another band of Bradfordians outside the mainstream in a film that pays affectionate tribute to community, humanity and the great British pub.

The Local is supported by Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture. The film is currently in development – check back next year for news of screenings in Bradford and beyond.

A black and white image of a man in a car. He wears a determined expression.

The Ceremony

Jack King

Bradford 2025 is hugely proud to be supporting the debut feature by Bradford-born writer–director Jack King. The Ceremony is a powerfully atmospheric road drama that received its world premiere in August 2024 at the Edinburgh International Film Festival – where it won the inaugural Sean Connery Prize for Feature Filmmaking Excellence.

When young asylum-seeker Nassar (Mo’min Swaitat) commits suicide on car wash grounds, two migrant workers (Tudor Cucu-Dumitrescu and Erdal Yıldız) agree to bury his body in the nearby hills. Conflicted by their different opinions on the man’s death, the two men head out on a journey like no other – a spiritual reckoning with their lives, with each other and with the mystery of the landscape.

Beautifully shot in black-and-white, The Ceremony is set for further screenings in Bradford and beyond during 2025. Check back for more details – and visit ceremonyfilm.co.uk.

A person wearing a large powdered wig covered in pearls. They wear white make up and hold a fan, giving us a sultry look.

Flesh and Flamingos (working title)

Dominic Leclerc

Bradford 2025 is supporting the first feature film by Dominic Leclerc, the Bradford-born and Bradford-based director of Sex Education, Skins, The Teacher and other acclaimed TV dramas. Flesh and Flamingos reveals the hidden history of northern queer culture through the photographers who bravely caught it on camera – particularly the pioneering work of Yorkshire photographer Stuart Linden Rhodes, who celebrated northern queer life in all its glory.

Persecuted, demonised, criminalised – the ’80s and ’90s was a turbulent era for the UK’s gay community. Homophobia was not only prevalent across society: it was also legitimised by Section 28, government legislation to outlaw the so-called ‘promotion of homosexuality’ by local councils. The queer community faced constant discrimination – but they also faced it down with defiance, solidarity and pride.

Flesh and Flamingos sees director Dominic Leclerc explore this world, which shaped him as a young queer man: the prejudice he faced, the community he found, and the photographers whose work documented and celebrated the thrilling northern queer culture that thrived against the odds.

Produced by the BAFTA-nominated, BIFA-winning Ameenah Ayub Allen (Rocks, Ali & Ava, The Arbor), Flesh and Flamingos is scheduled to go into production during 2025 – and we’ll bring you updates as the work progresses.

Writer–Director: Dominic Leclerc
Producer: Ameenah Ayub Allen