'Planet Earth-style' documentary film on Yorkshire narrated by A-list actor to be released this year

Film-makers from the likes of Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation and Netflix's I Am Bolt have been working on the film over the past year, which will feature shots showcasing stunning scenery and profile people such as those working in the fishing industry.

Titled 'Project Yorkshire it is hoped the short film, which is still in production, will encourage more tourists to visit and people to invest in the region - showing all that it has to offer.

It has been produced in conjunction with the region's tourist board, Welcome to Yorkshire, as well as local authorities and businesses.

Sid Sadowskyi, who has produced the film along with Scott Elliott, said he went about looking for support for the project last year when he realised there would be long term financial ramifications of the pandemic for Yorkshire, and wanted to make a film that showed the world its prospects as a place to live, work and study in looking to the future.

From dramatic drone shots looking over Aysgarth Falls and coastline scenery filmed from a helicopter, to snapshots of the everyday lives of the people of Yorkshire, the film will show the true grit, passion and determination of this region's residents.

Mr Sadowskyi, who has previously worked on award-winning film Scott and Sid, said the piece would be "story-telling at its finest" and was looking forward to the piece being premiered in October alongside music from the London Symphony Orchestra.

Speaking exclusively to The Yorkshire Post, he described the film as a "full-colour showreel showcasing what Yorkshire has got to offer for the future".

"There's a full narrative to it and themes of the film will be things like sustainability, our educational facilities, our manufacturing strengths, our architecture and so on.

"But the actual narrative is told by this narrator, and it's very much told in a way like the Planet Earth series is.

"So we see the different perspectives of the stories. For example, we've got a scene off the coast of Scarborough with fishermen, and this is where we pay homage to Covid as they're out in a storm in the sea, and Yorkshire back on land is like their saviour. Where they come home to.

"The main metaphor is that we've just come out of the midst of this incredible storm and then we enter Yorkshire and there's the sun rise."

Project Yorkshire is narrated by an A-list celebrity, although film-makers are currently unable to disclose their identity.

"It's very carefully constructed," added Mr Sadowskyi. "It's not just random montage which we have stuck together. It's from a targeted point of view showing everything that is going on.

"We also wanted to show people Yorkshire as a centre for investment. There's a lot of stuff going on at the Humber estuary where you've got the whole energy centre that's booming over there. There's obviously the professional service industry, which is a real credit to our area. And then there's the screen industry.

"There are just so many things going on in Yorkshire and we wanted to get people excited again about all of that."

Mr Sadowskyi added that the thousands of reels and images taken from around the region during filming for Project Yorkshire - which remains ongoing - will eventually be collated in one image bank accessible to the public.

Some £250,000 has been raised for the project from various sponsors, with local companies such as Masons Gin getting cameos.

Filming is continuing through to August before plans to premiere the piece at Leeds' first direct Arena.

"When I was trying to get investment, a lot of people said, 'so why Yorkshire? Why is Yorkshire so great?'," sai Mr Sadowksyi.

"It will be great with the help of this film to say, 'well, there you go'."