KEIGHLEY'S reputation as a mecca for film makers is set to receive a further boost.

The Bradford City of Film team has revealed it is opening an office in China, to develop co-production projects between UK and Chinese movie makers.

City of Film director David Wilson said the move had potential investment opportunities for the whole district, not just in film but for other businesses too.

In the last fortnight alone, two films both shot in Keighley have been released.

Dalton Mills in Keighley doubled as the backstreets of Victorian London in The Limehouse Golem, starring Bill Nighy, Daniel Mays and Eddie Marsan.

And love story God's Own Country, shot near Keighley, picked up the prestigious Michael Powell Award for Best British Feature Film at this summer's Edinburgh Film Festival.

The new China film office is in Qingdao, a coastal city in the southeast of Shandong Province, which has the largest film production studio complex in the country.

The office will be launched as part of the Qingdao Film Trade and Domestic Film Promotion Festival next week.

Mr Wilson will attend the event, set to attract 500 delegates including Chinese government officials and representatives of its State Administration of Radio, Film and Television.

He said: “We’ve been working with Qingdao for some time now. I was fortunate to visit the city earlier this year and see first-hand the scale of ambition for film.

“I’m delighted to be invited to the conference to communicate with high-ranking members of the Chinese film industry and give an opening speech for the Qingdao Film Museum.

“The establishment of a Bradford Film Office in Qingdao will enable the UK to have a portal to promote British co-production opportunities, and wider business opportunities, particularly in Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership and the north of England."

In a reciprocal arrangement, Qingdao will open a UK China Film Bureau in Bradford in the coming months.