Entries are open for the town’s first-ever short film festival.

SilkFest Independent Film Festival aims to gives local actors, writers and directors the opportunity to showcase their talent.

It is running a competition to find the 12 best short films which will all be screened at a special event at Macclesfield town hall on Saturday August 13.

The overall winner will be decided on the night.

To take part in SilkFest all you have to do is create an original seven-minute film, inspired by the theme: home.

SilkFest is the idea of film-lover Laura Genders, 34, who lives in the town centre.

She said: “I always thought that there is so much talent in Macclesfield and in the North West which is under the radar, and a film festival would be a great way of celebrating that.

“A few years ago I spent some time living in Australia and worked on a few films.

“I attended a successful short film festival called Tropfest which started as a screening for 200 people and has since become an international event.

“I would love to see SilkFest have a successful first year and go on to bigger and better things like Tropfest.”

Laura said creating a short-film is harder than it sounds.

She said: “Your typical film runs from 90 to 120 minutes, so there is plenty of space to create a story or stories. It takes real skill to be able to tell a story in seven minutes and to get an emotional reaction from the audience in such a short time.”

Laura now plans to visit local schools and Macclesfield College to encourage budding filmmakers to take part.

She said: “These days you can make a film using a mobile phone and don’t need a lot of expensive equipment, so I am really hoping a lot of young people feel confident to enter.

“There are a few basic rules which have to be followed: firstly that it can only be seven minutes long, including the titles and credits; you have to be 16 or older to enter and all filming must be done in the North West of England.”

For the full rules of entry visit the website www.silkfest.co.uk .

Film-makers have until July 1 to enter.

The entry fee for the festival is £15.

The festival is a non-profit event which aims to raise money for Echoes, the childhood bereavement service at East Cheshire Hospice.