Our columnist this week is Simon Cunningham, from Bradford who is studying to be a journalist at Lincoln University.

In the near future, don't be too surprised if you see Council workmen erecting massive letters which spell out the word BRADFORD' on the big hill next to Carr Lane. You can also expect to see some Hollywood A' listers swapping their pads in Beverly Hills for something a little more modest in Lister Hills.

I hear there might even be our own answer to the walk of fame' on Market Street (although no doubt some scally street trader will try and nick the gold' stars to melt down and sell on as fool's gold jewellery).

The reason for all this? Well the city seems to have gone film-crazy for 2007. It seems someone in City Hall has been spending far too long staring at the big screen in Centenary Square, and been inspired to turn the district into a movie Mecca. First came the Bollywood Oscars, then the announcement that we are to bid to be the world's first official City of Film'. Even Radio One got in on the action when they presented their Big Movie Weekend from the Media Museum, complete with loudmouth Leeds DJ Chris Moyles using the day to slag off Bradford at every available opportunity.

On the face of it, this Film City' business is all very exciting- what with the prospect of major productions being filmed here and glitzy award ceremonies coming live from Bradford.

But, and here comes the dampener, aren't we deluding ourselves a little here? Bradford's been straining for years to promote itself as Film City, and the evidence is everywhere. The subways are covered in murals depicting various film-making activities, there's a little pavement film trail up by the Leisure Exchange, and then there's that clever piece of art in Glydegate that puts passers-by into a film set - although in the years it has been there I have never once seen it work (probably because its covered in vomit from all the under-age drinkers who frequent the West End.) So ask your average Joe to name some Bradford films and you may well get a muted response. There are some well-known films such as Billy Liar, which featured Bradford heavily, but more recent years have seen productions such as Band of Gold and Rita, Sue and Bob to put Bradford on the map' in a less-than-favourable light.

The sad truth is that Bradford is popular with film-makers, but often for the wrong reasons. There may well have been some classics filmed here in the past, but recent years have seen the city made a destination for directors who are simply looking for a gritty Northern town or your odd bit of an ethnic ghetto.

The attempt to make Bradford a City of Film could be seen as a way of actually channelling our terrible national image into something positive, and might explain why the regeneration process is taking so long (keep it looking as scruffy as possible, or you might scare off the film-makers).

However the likelihood is that the panel behind the bid genuinely thinks that Bradford is something that it is not. Places like Liverpool, Manchester and even Leeds have probably been the backdrop for many more films than our fair city, and all used in a more favourable light.

Bradford has a lot to offer, and deserves to be seen in a better light. If being a City of Film leads to this, then it has to be encouraged and supported. However, I feel that this town has already been typecast.