• Swindon & Wiltshire Culture
• Wednesday May 22 2024
• Author Name: Peter Davison

Bristol beats international city rivals to win Cannes Film Festival award

Bristol has seen off competition from cities across the globe to win the prestigious City of Film Award at the Cannes Film Festival.

The city beat Limerick in Ireland, Sofia in Bulgaria, Tulsa in the US, and Zagreb in Croatia to win the accolade at the 2024 Global Production Awards at the Mademoiselle Gray d’Albion Plage, Cannes.

Judges said that Bristol had “ticked the boxes for significance to film and TV in all forms from the past to the present day”, citing in its pitch Stephen Merchant’s crime comedy TV series The Outlaws, the BBC Natural History unit, Sir David Attenborough, Aardman Animations, Bristol-born actor Cary Grant, and 19th-century motion-picture pioneer William Friese-Greene.

The combined work of Bristol Film Office, which was established in 2003, and The Bottle Yard Studios, established in 2010, was noted by judges for an ability to attract a steady flow of film and high-end television productions to the city.

One judge heralded Bristol as being “deliberate in its efforts to growing the screen industries for social and economic value, as demonstrated through its offering.” Another judge said Bristol flagged “future growth and sustainability for emerging areas of global focus”.

“Bristol is doing all the right things,” said one judge. “While it remains a destination for lower budget or regional projects and there is room for crew and infrastructure to expand, the work at Bottle Yard is a high point.”

Collecting the award on behalf of the city, Laura Aviles, head of film at Bristol City Council, said: “Bristol has long been a city that’s home to an exceptional film & TV production sector. With success stories in animation, unscripted and, of course, the world’s best natural history producers, it’s little wonder we were named a UNESCO City of Film in 2017.

“For the past decade and a half, the work of The Bottle Yard Studios, alongside Bristol Film Office which turned 20 last year, has elevated scripted high-end TV and film production to an entirely new level.

“Today we’re a leading regional hub for production, a tried and trusted filming destination for producers with an incredible local crew base.

“And with clear objectives set out in our City of Film Action Plan, Bristol is making sure that film and the business of filming remains at the heart of the city’s future growth, with a focus on local skills development and employment, sustainability initiatives and supporting storytelling from regional voices.”

Natalie Moore, Bristol UNESCO City of Film manager, said: “What an incredible achievement for the many companies, organisations and individuals working in different screen sector fields across the city.

“We were already a designated UNESCO City of Film, now we are proud to be an award-winning City of Film.

“Our work continues to strengthen the local sector, focusing on skills and workforce development, regional storytelling and on-screen representation, environmental action and climate content and international engagement and collaboration.”

Film and TV production at The Bottle Yard Studios or supported by Bristol Film Office was worth £20.1 million to the city’s economy in 2022-23, the second consecutive year that this value exceeded £20 million.

The 2022 Go West! 2 report from UWE Bristol’s Digital Cultures Research Centre showed that the turnover of Bristol’s wider screen industry increased by more than 100 per cent between 2016 and 2021, from £147.7 million to £288 million.

The report found that Bristol is home to the largest independent television production sector outside London.

Pictured: Katherine Nash, business & operations manager at The Bottle Yard Studios and Laura Aviles, head of film at Bristol City Council with Bristol’s City of Film Global Production Award