Should Bradford twin with the Australian city of Sydney?

Peg Alexander, the departing director of Bradford City of Film, thinks it is an idea worth considering now that Sydney has been declared UNESCO’s second City of Film.

She said: “We could link up with students and learning institutions. We might think about whether we could do activities simultaneously in Sydney and Bradford.

“One idea I’d like to pose for the longer term is whether we should think about approaching Sydney for possible twinning.”

Bradford Council leader Councillor Ian Greenwood, who has already said the City of Film brand is important to the district’s future, especially during these times of public spending cuts, welcomed the idea in principle.

“It might be a good idea, something to look at in future,” he said.

“But I wouldn’t want to comment on it for a while because it will be seen as councillors trotting off to Sydney on junkets at a time when people are threatened with redundancy.”

After Peg Alexander’s departure as director of City of Film, Gideon Seymour, currently director of the arts group Fabric, will take over part-time until the end of March at least.

Peg said: “We are funded up until then. We have a number of projects planned that will go ahead.

“There will be training courses delivered over the first three months of 2011, and some City of Film activity to celebrate our link to the Bradford International Film Festival in March.

“A workshop is being organised in February where representatives from key agencies will come together to look at what needs to happen in terms of policies, practices and infrastructure to make Bradford as film-friendly a place as possible for film-makers.

“The workshop will also address how film-makers might provide business and regeneration opportunities in the district for catering, set-building, electricians, hospitality and accommodation.”

The Welcome to Yorkshire tourist agency is interested in working with City of Film to promote film and television tourism using the idea of the Bradford Movie Trail.

“This is likely to come to a conclusion early in 2011,” Peg said.

As to the future of the City of Film brand, Councillor Greenwood reiterated his belief in its importance to the future of the district.

“It symbolises our heritage and our future,” he said. “It is something we can use with the general Bradford brand.”