TWO filmmakers are to host a special charity movie night in Cirencester for up-and-coming auteurs to screen their work.

Phil Cook, 51, and George Collings, 22, both from the town, came up with the idea for the Cotswold Charity Film Night when looking for a suitable venue to screen their acclaimed short film Cold Colder and their latest unseen effort Testing Times.

The film night will be held at Cirencester Baptist Church on Friday, July 28 from 7.30pm to 9.30pm, with the pair still on the lookout for more high quality entries to put on the bill.

The proceeds will go to Signpost, a Cirencester-based charity run by Graham and Juliette Harris.

The organisation offers support to those who are lonely, experiencing financial hardship, vulnerable or marginalised.

“For a while we’ve been looking for somewhere to show this film [Cold Caller],” said Phil, who, along with George, also founded Lucky Feather Productions.

He said a neighbour had suggested contacting Matt Frost, senior pastor at the church – which has just moved to a multi-million pound new home on Chesterton Lane.

“When I got there and I realised that they had projection equipment, I thought, wow, this could be it,” said Phil.

Over the last two years Cold Caller has taken the pair on a whirlwind festival tour, including being named the Best Suspenseful Short at the 2016 NEO International Film Festival.

It was also selected as a finalist at Misty Moon International Film Festival 2016, as well as achieving official selections at UK Screen One, NEO and Short Stop international film festivals, as well #TOFF Online Film Festival 2015.

"Often film festivals can have as many as five to eight thousand entries,” said Phil. “That's how competitive it is.

“So even if you get in you're doing bloody well," he added.

In February 2015, Phil and George raised £2,700 through crowdfunding site Kickstarter to fund Cold Caller, shooting it later that spring over just two-and-a-half days.

“I say two days, but it's two extremely long days,” said Phil, who wrote, directed and acted in the film.

“You start at seven o'clock in the morning and finish at 11 o'clock at night. They kill you.”

The shoot, done partly in Sapperton, required outdoor filming as well as a portion on water, which only added to the stress levels of the two filmmakers and their actors.

“Filming outside, it can have its draw backs,” said Phil. “People mowing their lawns, cutting their hedge, school playgrounds, you do become attuned to every single sound after a while.

“What we didn’t realise was, Sapperton seems to be under a flight path. There were so many planes going over.”

“You do need a while to get over it afterwards, I've got to say. But it’s the post production that takes the longest,” he said. “During the whole period, it is a job turning off, it really is.”

As part of the post production process, former Mayor of Cirencester, Mark Harris, created the soundtrack for this film and Testing Times in his home studio.

“He did the editing of all the audio, the sound design, everything,” said George, who studied Media at Cirencester College. “He did a terrific job.”

Cold Caller is around 15 minutes long, which isn't necessarily ideal for festival submission.

“Ideally, the perfect length for a short film is about seven minutes,” said Phil. “The longer a short film is, the less festivals you get it into. With these programmes, they get more in per hour, the shorter the length.”

However, he said they felt they needed to take the gamble because “we couldn’t do that story in such a short time”.

In contrast, Testing Times, shot recently in Frampton Mansell, is about seven minutes, and while their previous film was more of a traditional thriller, this one is “more about the message”, according to George, who produced both films.

Other filmmakers from the area, including Mitch Kendall-Smith from South Cerney, have already been selected for the film night.

Mitch’s award-winning film Into the Storm is a combination of live action and animation, which he made when he was just 17, along with assistant director Jason Cleaver, producer Alex Pugh and composer Gabriel Stone, and featuring actor James Rose.

Production company Zebrafish’s film Emily will also be shown.

“Local filmmakers, that's what we're really going for,” said George. “The local aspect, produced and shot in the Cotswolds with local actors, local people. It's a way of showcasing local talent.”

Tickets cost £4 for adults and £3 for concessions.

Search for Cotswold Charity Film Night on Facebook for more information.

Visit luckyfeatherproductions.co.uk to watch the trailer for Cold Caller.

For more on Signpost, see: cirencester-signpost.org.uk