University backs bid to relocate Channel 4 to Leeds

Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership is coordinating campaign to raise awareness of the opportunities for Channel 4 in the region.

At Leeds Beckett we are proud of our Northern Film School - one of the best-known film and television schools in the UK - which has been making innovative and award-winning films for over 25 years.

Becky Rogers, BA (Hons) Journalism student, is throwing her support behind the campaign, and said: �Channel 4 would bring even more creative and media jobs to the north, making Yorkshire the creative hub it can and should be.�

Annabelle Pangborn, Director of the Northern Film School, added: �At a time when the creative industries are thriving in Leeds, the potential for moving image and screen design development sits right at the heart of the cultural life of the city.

�As technology continues to present different approaches to working with moving image, Channel 4 would offer a dynamic and responsive hub for research, development and screen design, leading the way in new programme making.�

Robert Shail, Professor of Film in the Northern Film School, added: �Channel 4 in Leeds would be a welcome boost to the rapidly-growing media economy of the city. Their cutting-edge approach is a perfect match for the cultural diversity and creative innovation of Leeds.�

  • This year, students and staff in the Northern Film School and School of Film, Music and Performing Arts collaborated on the Hollywood film, Mansfield 66/67, which has been nominated for a prestigious Women�s Image Award.
  • A team of students, graduates and staff have just produced a new action-packed horror feature film, Book of Monsters.
  • MA Filmmaking graduates Lia Hayes and Ben G. Brown scooped the Leeds International Film Festival (LIFF) Yorkshire Short Film Competition for their documentary, STAN, about a chip shop in Leeds� Harehills and its owner, Stan.
  • An animated film, I am Vader, by three Northern Film School students, was selected to be shown at the CineYouth Film Festival in Chicago, USA, in May.
  • The Northern Film School also recently announced a new annual UK-wide prize to create an experimental film at the University.

Follow the conversation on Twitter at #4sparks and visit the website to read stories from supporters from across the region.