City of Film
UNESCO City of Film is a designation awarded by UNESCO under the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) to cities that demonstrate a significant contribution to the development of film as a creative industry and as a driver of sustainable urban development. Established in 2009, the designation recognises cities with a strong tradition of filmmaking, film education, preservation of cinematic heritage, and support for the audiovisual industry[1].
Cities of Film cooperate internationally by exchanging expertise, promoting cultural diversity, supporting filmmakers and creative professionals, and developing projects that strengthen the role of cinema in education, tourism, economic development, and public life[1][2].
Film is one of eight creative fields in the UNESCO Creative Cities Network, the others are: Architecture, Crafts and Folk Art, Design, Gastronomy, Literature, Media Arts, and Music.[3]
Criteria
[edit]
To be approved as a City of Film, cities need to meet a number of criteria set by UNESCO.[4]
Designated UNESCO Cities of Film share similar characteristics:
- important infrastructure related to cinema, e.g. film studios and film landscapes/environments
- continuous or proven links to the production, distribution, and commercialisation of films
- experience in hosting film festivals, screenings, and other film-related events
- collaborative initiatives at a local, regional, and international level
- film heritage in the form of archives, museums, private collections, and/or film institutes
- film making schools and training centres
- effort in disseminating films produced and/or directed locally or nationally
- initiatives to encourage knowledge-sharing on foreign films
About the cities
[edit]
Bradford became the first City of Film in 2009, with Sydney joining in 2010.[5][6] Sydney is home to Fox Studios Australia, the studio that brought The Matrix trilogy, The Great Gatsby, and The Wolverine to life. Its "pristine beaches" and "lush mountains" can also provide a backdrop for location shooting.[7]
Busan hosts an annual International Film Festival and is a "standard-setter" in the film world.[8]
Bristol is home to the Academy award-winning Aardman Animations. It is also home to The Bottle Yard Studios and the BBC Natural History Unit.[9][10] Bristol is "packed with history and full of character," Yamagata is a "pleasant, bustling rural capital."[11][12]
Yamagata hosts every two years an International Documentary Film Festival.
Potsdam is home to Babelsberg Studio, the largest film studio in Germany. It is also home to Film Park of Babelsberg and Film University of Babelsberg.
Mumbai is home to Hindi cinema.
Cities of Film
[edit]
As of 2025[update], four countries have multiple Cities of Film: Brazil has three Cities of Film; Poland, Spain and the United Kingdom (specifically England) have two each.
| City | Country | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Asaba |  Nigeria |
2023[13] |
| Bitola |  North Macedonia |
2015[14] |
| Bradford |  United Kingdom |
2009[15] |
| Bristol | United Kingdom |
2017[9] |
| Busan |  South Korea |
2014[8] |
| Cannes |  France |
2021[16] |
| Cluj-Napoca |  Romania |
2021[17] |
| Galway |  Ireland |
2014[18] |
| Gdynia |  Poland |
2021[19] |
| Giza |  Egypt |
2025[20] |
| Ho Chi Minh City |  Vietnam |
2025[20] |
| Kathmandu |  Nepal |
2023[13] |
| Łódź | Poland |
2017[21] |
| Mumbai |  India |
2019[22] |
| Ouarzazate |  Morocco |
2023[13] |
| Penedo |  Brazil |
2023[13] |
| Potsdam |  Germany |
2019[23] |
| Qingdao |  China |
2017[24] |
| Quezon City |  Philippines |
2025[20] |
| Rome |  Italy |
2015[25] |
| Santos | Brazil |
2015[26] |
| São Paulo | Brazil |
2025[20] |
| Sarajevo |  Bosnia and Herzegovina |
2019[27] |
| Sofia |  Bulgaria |
2014[28] |
| Sydney |  Australia |
2010[7] |
| Terrassa |  Spain |
2017[29] |
| Valladolid | Spain |
2019[30] |
| Vicente López |  Argentina |
2023[13] |
| Wellington |  New Zealand |
2019[31] |
| Yamagata |  Japan |
2017[32] |
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- 1 2 "UNESCO Cities of Film". UNESCO Cities of Film. Retrieved 2026-06-27.
- ↑ "Galway bids to become UNESCO City of Film". Cineuropa - the best of european cinema. 2013-07-05. Retrieved 2026-06-27.
- ↑ "Cities Join the UNESCO Creative Cities Network".
- ↑ "The Creative Cities Network" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-12-12. Retrieved 2018-07-31.
- ↑ Barnett, David (2019-03-15). "100 years of film in Bradford: How the West Yorkshire city became the Hollywood of the UK". The Independent. Retrieved 2019-05-09.
- ↑ "UNESCO Creative Cities: Membership Monitoring Report" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on May 6, 2019.
- 1 2 "Sydney". Creative Cities Network. UNESCO. Archived from the original on Nov 24, 2022.
- 1 2 "Busan". Creative Cities Network. UNESCO. Archived from the original on Nov 24, 2022.
- 1 2 "Bristol". Creative Cities Network. UNESCO. Archived from the original on Mar 23, 2023.
- ↑ "Bristol named UNESCO City of Film". UWE Bristol. 1 November 2017. Archived from the original on Nov 24, 2022.
- ↑ "Bristol". Lonely Planet. Archived from the original on Nov 20, 2023.
- ↑ "Yamagata". Lonely Planet. Archived from the original on May 9, 2019.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "55 new cities join the UNESCO Creative Cities Network on World Cities Day". UNESCO. 31 October 2023. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
- ↑ "Bitola". Creative Cities Network. UNESCO. Archived from the original on Dec 2, 2023.
- ↑ "Bradford". Creative Cities Network. UNESCO. Archived from the original on May 22, 2023.
- ↑ "Cannes". Creative Cities Network. UNESCO. Archived from the original on Oct 27, 2023.
- ↑ "Cluj-Napoca".
- ↑ "Galway".
- ↑ "Gdynia".
- 1 2 3 4 "On World Cities Day 2025, the UNESCO Creative Cities Network welcomes 58 new member cities". UNESCO. 31 October 2025. Retrieved 31 October 2025.
- ↑ "Łódź".
- ↑ "Mumbai".
- ↑ "Potsdam".
- ↑ "Qingdao".
- ↑ "Rome".
- ↑ "Santos".
- ↑ "Sarajevo".
- ↑ "Sofia".
- ↑ "Terrassa".
- ↑ "Valladolid".
- ↑ "Wellington".
- ↑ "Yamagata".
External links
[edit]- The Creative Cities Network: Film (unesco.org)