An international film festival is coming to Worcester.

The city will host the Realtime International Film Festival (RTF), which is moving to Worcester for its ninth edition.

Last year, the event was held in Kent, however this year the organisers aim to establish a vibrant hub for independent films in Worcester.

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The festival attracts a global audience and participants, with award-winning filmmakers from international festivals in Cannes, Toronto and Berlin expected to attend.

RTF is a bridge linking film lovers to the industry, enabling filmmakers from Africa, Asia, America and the Caribbean to collaborate with UK-based filmmakers.

Attendees will start arriving in Worcester tomorrow (Thursday, August 22), taking part in the Worcester Show/Carnival before the inauguration ceremony the following day.

The opening ceremony will be at the Mockingbird Cinema in Birmingham on Friday (August 23), and the festival will run until Sunday (August 25), when it will be drawn to a close with a red-carpet event at The Swan Theatre attended by over 70 international filmmakers.

Over the festival, 124 films will be showcased at different venues, including The Hive and Huntingdon Hall, from 9.30am to 9.30pm each day.

The festival also invites collaborative opportunities and potential investment, particularly from international industries like Nollywood, Nigeria's flourishing independent film sector.

The deputy mayor of Worcester, Matt Lamb, will represent the mayor, Mel Allcott, at the closing ceremony, who will be giving out prizes and supporting the launch of the Midlands Indie Collective initiative, which aims to give the independent film sector in the Midlands a boost.

The event also features the Realtime 20-hour Filmmaking Challenge, inviting amateur and experienced filmmakers alike to create short films over a 20 hours period, the best of which will be screened at the grand finale.