CHAGFORD Film Festival is launching a showcase which aims to encourage young people to explore filmmaking.

Emerging Talent 2016 will be open for entries from May 1 and school children in primary and secondary schools in years 5- 13 are invited to take part. Films can be in any genre from documentary to animation and any length up to five minutes. Entry is free and online via the festival website at www.chagfordfilmfestival.com.

Entries will be viewed by a panel of film professionals including Sara Bennett, visual effects supervisor for The Martian and an Oscar winner for acclaimed sci-fi film Ex Machina; Nick Goldsmith, producer of The Hitchhikers’ Guide to the Galaxy; Russell Maclean, producer of the ComparetheMarket.com meerkat adverts and Richard Roberts, set decorator for Guardians of the Galaxy and Avengers: Age of Ultron.

The best entries, selected from all age groups, will be screened to a live audience at the festival this autumn and receive a certificate.

Mary French, founder of Chagford Film Festival comments: ‘Mobile phones and apps have now made movie-making very accessible to everyone and even with limited experience it is possible to achieve impressive production values involving editing, sound tracks and special effects. Kids will have the Summer term and most of the Summer holidays to make and submit their movie before the deadline of August 22. They are the next generation of filmmakers and we are really looking forward to seeing what they can do.’