Digital films are at risk!  The Yorkshire Film Archive have launched a new project to create a moving image legacy for Bradford – and what better time than this landmark year to save and celebrate your screen heritage?  This is YOUR Screen Time!

Bradford UK City of Culture 2025 is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. This year of celebration and creativity presents a perfect opportunity to launch our first contemporary collecting campaign. But it’s not just images of spectacular events; we aim to collect a people’s perspective, a window onto the community, a broader, inclusive and equitable visual record of Bradford: a combination of material made in the run up to and during 2025.

From flickering black and white images made on a hand cranked camera in Bradford’s Town Hall Square to mobile phone footage of City Park's ‘mirror pool’ nearly 130 years later, Bradford has a rich film history.

Those early films are safely stored in the vaults at the Yorkshire Film Archive, and will last for centuries, but today’s footage is at risk … we’re facing a digital black hole. In the cloud, on hard drives, memory sticks, or uploaded to video sharing platforms; moving images made now, on a multitude of devices, need preserving too before it’s too late.

Graham Relton, Yorkshire Film Archive Co-Director | Head of Access, said:

“Our aspiration is to collect born-digital content that is representative of the people of Bradford, reflecting how they live, work, play and celebrate their cultural identity during a landmark year. Together with our existing collections, dating back as far as the 1890s, and with the support of the BFI Screen Heritage Fund, awarding National Lottery funding, these contemporary films will create a moving image legacy for Bradford. We’re delighted to have brought on board Alexandra Stockdale-Haley, a Bradford archivist and filmmaker, to lead the project.”

Over the coming months, YFA will be popping up at venues and events across the district, from neighbourhood community centres, Heritage Open Days at Darley Street Market and City Park, to film festivals such as Drunken Film Fest Bradford and BradIFF. We’ve already travelled the length and breadth of the region, from screenings in the city at the National Science and Media Museum’s Epic Yorkshire season and Bradford Heritage Festival in the Mechanics Institute, to community events in Woodside, Keighley, Leeds Road and Odsal. Keep an eye on our social media to find out how you can get involved – we’ll also be posting clips from our diverse Bradford collections to showcase Bradford’s rich film heritage and explain how you can continue the story.

Alexandra Stockdale-Haley, Yorkshire Film Archive Engagement and Legacy Officer, said:

“Often people today don’t appreciate the cultural value of their footage in the moment, and when they do, in decades to come, it can be too late. Unfortunately, digital files do not last forever, and technology is changing very fast. We need to preserve the digital footage of today, ready for the future, before it disappears. In 100 years’ time, people could be watching your films of Bradford in the same way we currently watch archive films of Bradford from a century ago. We want to collect films that are authentic and diverse, which showcase Bradford’s vibrant people and culture, so that they can be a part of history.”

How can you be part of Screen Time?  We’re searching for contemporary footage made in the last 20 years, that is representative of the people, communities, landscapes and cityscapes of Bradford and district.  We’re looking for submissions from a cross-section of the community, even if you don't consider yourself a filmmaker, that can help tell the story of this incredible place in the heart of West Yorkshire!

Pishdaad Modaressi Chahardehi, Bradford-based filmmaker, expressed support for the project:

“I have personally experienced the profound impact of the YFA's work through submitting some of my own work to the YFA. These films are now available to view and access via the YFA website. Not only does this cement my own legacy but it also continues the story of Bradford which historically has been told from one perspective only, due to access to film equipment in the past. Now filmmakers like myself have the responsibility to share a more complete and a more diverse perspective of our region for future audiences.”

For more information about how to be a part of Bradford’s Moving Image Legacy, including the collecting remit and how to submit your films, visit: www.screentimebradford.co.uk