AWARD winning directors and writers are to star at a forthcoming film festival.

Colchester and Tendring film fanatics will be thrilled by the announcement of free festive events alongside the Colchester Film Festival and interactive Christmas trail.

Held at Firstsite, the Colchester Film Festival will show screenings of iconic films for a week as well as a guest speaking panel featuring Oscar and BAFTA award winners and nominees.

The guest panel will discuss how to create an award-winning film and will include Mike Leigh, a Palm d’Or winner and nominee for several Oscars.

Academy award-winning writer and director of The Silent Child, Chris Overton, will also be on the panel, alongside BAFTA award-winning writer and director from Colchester, Caroline Bartleet.

Film lovers will also be able to enjoy a festive experience of a reimagined classic.

A free, digitally accessible Christmas Carol Festive Trail will take residents on a 12-stop journey around the city centre with disused retail areas transformed into magical landscapes.

Followers can scan a QR code and listen to an acted narration, bringing the well-known, much-loved classic tale to life.

Artists and community groups from across the city will lend their hand to produce immersive installations which will showcase the stories, themes and characters of the classic novel.

The festive trail will bring together interactive digital animation, mosaic and textile weaving, oil and glass painting, and multidimensional illustrations.

At each stopping point along the trail, followers can engage with each chapter, with musical accompaniment from the Christmas Carol close-harmony vocal group.

The full narration of Charles Dickens' Christmas Carol will be made available, so those with reduced mobility can engage with the festive activity at home.

The Christmas Carol interactive trail will run in Colchester city centre from November 16 until January 8.

The film festival will show screenings of iconic films from November 7 to 11 from 7pm. The guest talk will run on Saturday  November 12, from 11am, both taking place at Firstsite.

Due to funding from Essex County Council’s Arts and Cultural fund, ticket prices have been heavily subsidised. To purchase your tickets, visit bit.ly/3enzmkL.