UNESCO

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Galway UNESCO City of Film

In December 2014, it was announced that Galway has been designated a UNESCO City of Film.  Under the UNESCO Creative Cities Network, Galway is now one of only five cities in the world to achieve this much sought-after status.  Galway joins Sydney, Australia and Galway’s twin city of Bradford in the UK as a designated City of Film.  This is a permanent global designation. This status brings the highest internationally recognised standard of excellence in the creative industries to Galway.  The title of Creative City of Film also includes membership of UNESCO’s Creative Cities Network.

Galway Film Centre in association with Galway City and County Councils drove the bid process which started two years ago.  The final bid submission on behalf of the consortium of over 50 organisations drawn from across Galway city and county was submitted in March 2014.  Following a fiercely competitive evaluation process, sixty three cities worldwide were shortlisted by UNESCO to fifty cities with twenty making the final selection, one of which was Galway, which won the highly prestigious and permanent title of UNESCO City of Film.

Galway, now formally joins the UNESCO’s Creative Cities Network as a designated UNESCO City of Film.  This permanent status and designation gives Galway immediate access to a global platform, joining over sixty cities worldwide including major metropolitan and cultural centres such as Sydney, Seoul, Shanghai, Montreal, Buenos Aires, Berlin and Edinburgh.  Galway’s twin city of Bradford in the UK was the first city to be awarded the title of UNESCO City of Film in 2009.

The UNESCO Creative cities network seeks to develop international cooperation amongst cities that have identified creativity as a strategic factor for sustainable development.  Galway city and county already boast an impressive, healthy and growing film and TV industry, worth in the region of €72m to the local economy and employing over 600 people full time.  Such international recognition, propels Galway into an impressive worldwide network, opening new opportunities in the world of film and TV.  UNESCO city of film presents Galway with hugely positive economic, creative and artistic opportunities, sharing in a vast international resource while fostering worldwide cooperation for sustainable urban development.