BRADFORD'S International Film Festival looks set to be revived next year the city's film supremo has pledged.

David Wilson, director of Bradford UNESCO City of Film, revealed he is in preliminary talks with several interested parties and venues to relaunch the event in 2017.

A row broke out after the National Media Museum last week said it was abandoning the festival after 20 years.

Mr Wilson said he had been inundated with telephone calls and e-mails from people angry at the decision.

"A region and indeed a city like Bradford, with such a thriving film culture deserves to celebrate in style and Bradford UNESCO City of Film are in discussions with a range of partners to see how we can develop a brilliant and truly diverse international film festival in 2017," he said.

Mr Wilson was speaking after the announcement of a significant boost for the region’s film, TV and games industries.

The British Film Institute announced that Yorkshire is the first region in its national plan for creative industry development and economic growth.

The Yorkshire Screen Industries Hub bid has been awarded National Lottery funding from the BFI through its Creative Clusters Challenge Fund to support the growth of emerging screen sector centres outside London and the South-East.

Matched by funding from Screen Yorkshire, in partnership with Game Republic and Sheffield Doc/Fest, it will spearhead a drive to build sustainable, long-term growth in the region’s film, TV and games industries and maintain their global competitiveness.

The Yorkshire Screen Industries Hub will receive £127,000 through the BFI’s Creative Clusters Fund as seed funding for a plan to expand the region’s creative sector and skills base.

A nine-month programme will begin in March to identify the investment required for skills, training, infrastructure and the BFI money is matched by regional partners to create a total investment of £254,000.

Mr Wilson said: "The Yorkshire region already has a great reputation as a place for film and TV production and this has been built over many years of hard work and great results.

"What is missing is the means to pull all of this expertise together and ensure that we have a dynamic and diverse workforce with the right skills to sustain and further develop our screen industries.

"The Yorkshire Screen Industries Hub provides an opportunity to ensure that there is a golden thread running through everything we do and will bring more opportunities to compete in a very competitive world market.

"Creative industries are the fastest growing sector in the UK and we are supporting that growth as a UNESCO City of Film with some of the courses already available at the University of Bradford and Bradford College.

The Bradford Film Office continues to support a wide range of professional productions and the whole region is able to take advantage of the high media profile that films and TV dramas attract. This inevitably can lead to an increase in tourism and inward investment."

Amanda Nevill, BFI chief executive and former National Media Museum boss, said it was vital that more areas outside London become international creative hubs.