A BUDDING director hopes to raise the curtain on a film industry in Swindon with his short film.

Stephen Ware, 21, has produced a short film in a bid to inspire a new generation of film makers after he realised the town lacked a film industry compared to Bristol and London.

Stephen, from Highworth, graduated from Staffordshire University last year and has teamed up with Firebird Films, a Swindon-based film production company.

The film named after the lead character Aimee, follows a 19-year-old who is struggling to find herself with a father holding her back from her ambitions, Aimee tries to break free, making her dreams reality.

The film is produced entirely by people in Swindon including the cast and all of the crew in a bid to highlight the talent the town has. Stephen said: “The reason why we are doing this is because we are looking to help the media and film industry grow in Swindon.

“We started the project a year ago when nothing was really going on in Swindon film wise.

“I wanted to create a short film which would be massive and nothing like Swindon has ever seen.

“If we could inspire other people in Swindon to create something and produce more and more films then maybe we can help to organise an industry of our own in Swindon.”

The project which has taken almost a year would never have got off the ground if it was not for the sponsorship from local businesses Holiday Inn Express, Domino’s Pizza, Jazzbones Creative Ltd and JJ’s Hair Group, and the help of Firebird Films.

Stephen said: “It was tough to get it off the ground.

“People were very cautious about putting money in but as soon as one company started sponsoring us a lot got on board.

“It’s great to have a film produced entirely by Swindon it showcases the town and we do have the talent to create a film industry as big as Bristol or even London.”

The film is now in its last stages of production Dreambase Studios producing the sound and Stephen expects it to be ready by January 24.

When the film is complete Stephen hopes to take the film to national and international film festivals.