About the UNESCO Designation
Galway City of Film / Ceantar Scannán (meaning Region of Film in Irish) is a UNESCO designation held by Galway City and County Council since 2014 and managed on their behalf by Ardán. This means that Galway is recognised at an international level for its unique creative spirit, and for its past and ongoing contribution to film.
Galway is unique in that it’s not just about a city, it’s about the people that have come together in different clusters and built and grown a film industry here in Galway County and the West or Ireland, in this Ceantar Scannán, this Region of Film.
The designation is also a vision of what Ireland is through the Irish language, which has all come together in this area, through the various efforts of individuals and organisations over the years.
The Galway City of Film annual programme of activities is administered by Ardán on behalf of Galway City Council and Galway County Council, in partnership with the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media and Screen Ireland.
History of the Designation Process
Galway was the fifth city in the world to be awarded the permanent status of UNESCO City of Film.
Galway Film Centre (now Ardán) and Galway City and County Councils drove the bid process. The final submission on behalf of the consortium of over 50 organisations drawn from across Galway city and county was submitted in March 2014. Some 63 cities worldwide were shortlisted by UNESCO. Bradford in the UK, Galway’s twin city, was the first city to be awarded the title of UNESCO City of Film in 2009.
As of 2024, the 26 designated Cities of Film worldwide include: Asaba (Nigeria), Bitola (Macedonia), Bradford (UK), Bristol (UK), Busan(South Korea), Cannes (France), Cluj-Napoca (Romania), Galway (Ireland), Gdynia (Poland), Kathmandu (Nepal), Lódz (Poland), Mumbai (India), Ouarzazate (Morocco), Penedo (Brazil), Potsdam (Germany), Qingdao (China), Rome (Italy), Santos (Brazil), Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Sofia (Bulgaria), Sydney (Australia), Terassa (Spain), Valladolid (Spain), Vicente Lopez (Argentina), Wellington (New Zealand), Yamagata (Japan).
The title of UNESCO City of Film also includes membership to the Creative Cities Network. There are now 350+ Creative Cities in the UNESCO Creative Cities Network. For more info on the network see here. Learn more at www.citiesoffilm.org
Objectives of the Network
Galway City of Film’s objective is to develop talent in the film industry in Galway City and County as a key part of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN). The UCCN was created in 2004 to promote cooperation with and among cities that have identified creativity as a strategic factor for sustainable urban development.
The designation means that Galway can establish important partnerships at a global level, and it gives us the opportunity to showcase our strong talent base to the world.
All Cities of Film pledge to make creativity in this sector central to the sustainable development of their local areas, meaning that film, and the interconnected audio-visual industry, will remain the beating heart of economic and cultural growth in Galway and the surrounding regions.
It is a lifelong designation, securing the audio-visual sector as a top priority in development plans for the West, and ensuring that long-term funding and training opportunities will be brought to talented individuals and businesses in our area.
Meet the Team
Alan Duggan -
Director
CEO at Ardán, Alan Duggan came on board in 2018 as the Manager of (what was) the Galway Film Centre. Prior to joining GFC, Alan had gained a wealth of experience in the games industry in Ireland and abroad. He took the film resource centre, and led it through a successful repositioning and rebranding, into what is now known as a key talent development hub for the audiovisual industry in the West of Ireland and beyond.
Alan leads several initiatives that are operated out of the Ardán office; he is currently the Director of Galway City of Film, the Manager of WRAP, and he chairs the Western AV Forum. He is also on the CREW Board of Directors, and a board alumni of IMIRT.
Eoin Butler-Thornton -
Programme Co-ordinator
Eoin Butler Thornton has been a Project Co-ordinator & Cultural Producer at Ardán since 2018. He currently manages several of the Galway City of Film and Wild Galway Games Initiative projects. Eoin previously worked at Galway Film Fleadh from 2014-2017 as Venue & Events Coordinator. He has also worked in event management and marketing for Galway Games Gathering and Tribal City Interactive.
Eoin has studied film, game design and programming. He also likes gaming, writing, and is currently completing a part-time Master's in Creative Writing in University of Limerick.
Kathryn Reynolds -
Comms and Marketing Executive
Kathryn Reynolds is the Comms and Marketing Executive for Ardán, Galway City of Film, and WRAP. She got into content marketing in 2017 in Barcelona, when she was looking for work where she could write and travel and get paid for it. With a background in teaching English, Drama, and Art to different ages, in Ireland, Spain, and China, and several years studying & working in performing arts as a writer, director, and actor, she continues to work and play in the creative arts, including management and marketing for local and social projects.
Kathryn holds a Master’s in Drama & Theatre, a BA in Performing Arts, a PG Cert in Creative Arts Management, a Diploma in Copywriting, and a Certificate in Digital & Social Media Marketing.
Galway City of Film / Ceantar Scannán
Partners:
For regular City of Film updates
Subscribe to the Ardán Newsletter
