An impressive collection of the world’s milestone innovations have been, and continue to be, pioneered in Manchester. The first public library, passenger railway, football league and first life through IVF are included in that group. The project driving the city’s development, CityVerve, is highlighting these achievements in a film, directed by Sweetshop’s David Petch.
The cast includes Helen Pankhurst, great-granddaughter of suffragette movement leader Emmeline Pankhurst; University of Manchester engineering students, Alex Agboola-Dobson and Sebastian Preston-Jensen; and seven times gold medal-winning Paralympian, Jody Cundy.
David Petch commented, “The star of this film is the city, and what better way to bring it to life than with the residents and people who have a strong affinity to it. The film is a celebration of Manchester, of all it has and continues to achieve. Be it engineers, athletes or political activists, this city relentlessly challenges the status quo, innovates and changes our world for the better.”
Rowena Burns, chair of Manchester science partnerships, noted, “The City of Firsts film is not only a reminder of what Manchester has given – and continues to give – to the world, but the city’s great spirit of collaboration which has made these things possible. This is incredibly important when we’re talking about building future cities that work for everyone, and that has been at the heart of the CityVerve project. With a rich consortium of public, private and academic partners we have come together to explore new and interesting ways to use the Internet of Things across Manchester’s innovation district. Our demonstrator has helped us explore new avenues, from connecting buildings to healthcare, and these learnings can help inform City-scale tech strategy in Manchester and beyond.”
The film, Manchester: City of Firsts, is running online and on the CityVerve website, where further information on the inspirational characters in the film and their connection to the CityVerve project can be found.
CityVerve was established in July 2016 to turn Manchester a world-leading smart city using IoT applications and overcoming barriers such as city governance, network security, user trust and adoption, interoperability, scalability and justifying investment. It aims to provide learning for other aspiring smart cities around the world.
Credits:
Agency: Chime Tech
Creative Director: Marc Allenby
Client Director: Phil Szomszor
Producer & Lead: Galen Driver
Copywriter: Jack Simpson
Planner: Lee Menzies-Pearson
PR: Hollie Bridgland & Alix Vonk
Production Company: Sweetshop
Director: David Petch
DOP: Rik Burnell
Producer: Theo Youngstein
Managing Director: Spencer Dodd
Post Production: The Mill
Sound: 750 Mph
Editor: Kev Palmer @ Ten Three
