A filmmaker’s guide to Leeds

Leeds is a city with a rich film heritage, a growing screen industry, and a vibrant creative community. Home to our MetFilm School Leeds campus, it offers an exciting environment for you to develop your craft, collaborate with other creatives, and find inspiration.

Here’s our guide to filmmaking in Leeds.

A city with a rich film history

Leeds has a long-standing connection to film. Cinema pioneer Louis Le Prince shot some of the world’s earliest moving images in the city, helping establish Leeds as an important part of film history.

Yorkshire Television opened its Leeds studios in 1968, and ITV’s Leeds studios remain home to Emmerdale, which has been made in Yorkshire since 1972 and now films at a purpose-built village on the Harewood estate. That gives Leeds more than 50 years of continuous television production.

Today, that legacy continues through a thriving independent film scene and production spaces such as Prime Studios, one of the largest independent film and TV studios in the North of England, and home to MetFilm School Leeds.

Screen Yorkshire also supports film and TV productions across the region, bringing more projects and opportunities to Yorkshire.

Key filming locations

Leeds has plenty of filming locations to choose from, with historic buildings, modern developments, green spaces, and waterfronts across the city.

Some standout locations include:

• Leeds Dock: A modern waterfront development that has featured in The Duke.
• Harewood House: An 18th-century country house that featured in the 2019 Downton Abbey film.
• Kirkstall Abbey: A medieval ruin that has featured in productions including Gunpowder and Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell.
• Roundhay Park: A large green space with lakes, woodland and gardens that has also featured on screen, including in Official Secrets.

The wider Yorkshire region also offers a huge variety of urban, rural and historic settings for filmmakers. With the BA Filmmaking degree at MetFilm Leeds, students will be able to draw on this diverse landscape as a backdrop for practical filmmaking projects, alongside the city’s established screen production community.

Getting involved in Leeds’ film scene

There are plenty of opportunities to watch films, meet filmmakers, and discover new work in Leeds.

Leeds International Film Festival brings films from around the world to the city, while Leeds Young Film Festival celebrates young filmmakers through screenings, workshops, and events.

You can also visit Hyde Park Picture House, one of the UK’s oldest cinemas, for regular screenings, Q&As, and special events. MetFilm School Leeds also regularly holds student screenings there, giving you the chance to see your work on the big screen.

Study at MetFilm School Leeds

MetFilm School Leeds is based within Prime Studios, a state-of-the-art media production facility in the heart of the city. With recently updated facilities, you’ll study in a working production environment surrounded by the activity of the professional screen industry.

The school’s courses are closely connected with the local film industry, helping you gain real-world experience alongside your studies.

The wider Yorkshire region is also home to broadcasters, studios, and creative organisations including Channel 4, whose national headquarters is in Leeds, and ITV, alongside production facilities such as The Leeds Studios and VERSA Leeds Studios, a 130,000+ sq ft facility whose credits include Netflix’s Bodies, BBC’s Boat Story and Marvel’s Secret Invasion.

Near Wakefield, Production Park was the base for Netflix’s Adolescence. Recent years have also seen major productions such as The Choral and Happy Valley, filmed across Calderdale and West Yorkshire.

Life in Leeds

Leeds has a big student population and a lively music, arts and cultural scene, with plenty of places to discover. The city’s independent cinemas, galleries, and music venues give you plenty of opportunities to find inspiration and connect with other creatives.

There are also lots of green spaces and interesting places to explore, including Roundhay Park, Woodhouse Moor, and Kirkstall Abbey, all of which offer different settings to explore with a camera.

Student success

MetFilm School Leeds students and graduates are already building experience across the screen industries. Recent examples include Patrick Gilmore, who plays Pete Best in BBC drama Hamburg Days, and Indigo Kamal Poole, who plays newcomer Xander in Hollyoaks.

MetFilm School Leeds graduate Oliver Briscombe also appears alongside Ralph Fiennes in The Choral, a feature film written by Alan Bennett and directed by Nicholas Hytner.

Study BA Filmmaking in Leeds

From next year, BA (Hons) Filmmaking will be available to study at MetFilm School Leeds, alongside existing courses including BA (Hons) Content, Media and Film Production, and BA (Hons) Acting for Screen.

You’ll have the chance to develop your filmmaking skills while collaborating with students across different courses, bringing different roles and skills together on your projects. You’ll also study in a working production environment, surrounded by the wider screen industry. With diverse filming locations and a thriving creative scene on your doorstep, Leeds gives you plenty of opportunities to learn, create, and find inspiration.

Join us at one of our upcoming Open Days to explore our campuses, meet our community and BA (Hons) Filmmaking team, and get a feel for what studying filmmaking could be like for you.