A FESTIVAL that aims to put Worcester on the map is returning for its fourth year after attendance jumped by more than 400 per cent.

Worcester Film Festival is returning to the city and will take place across four days, six venues and consist of more than 86 films.

Along with screenings of well-known favourites such as Shaun of the Dead and The Wizard of Oz, the festival will screen independent as well as local projects and Q&A sessions.

Hendrik Harms, Worcester Film Festival director, said: "The festival is running from September 25 to September 28 and it should be a blast. 

"There will be lots of things going on but we will be kicking off with a presentation with Create Central which will be aimed at helping people to get into the film industry and teaching them how to start a career in the industry.

"We will have Q&As with various filmmakers and screenings of new and old films.

 "There's also a screening of a film that was shot in and around Malvern by youths which I'm looking forward to."

The festival will have an event on September 27 called Pitch your Project where aspiring filmmakers will be able to pitch their ideas to a panel of judges. 

One of the highlights of the event is a screening of Shaun of the Dead for its 20th anniversary followed by a talk with Stuart Conran, the film's prosthetics effects designer. 

Mr Harms continued: "We want to put Worcester on the map for filmmakers. 

"We had around 250 guests in our second year and that number jumped to 1,100 last year and we are already matching that number in our pre-sales so we are still growing. 

"I wouldn't be surprised if we had closer to 2,000 people over the four days. 

"The festival is for filmmakers and film lovers alike. 

"I can't wait, I'm incredibly excited because we have such a great community of returning filmmakers and audience members. 

"This is the first year where we have run out of programmes and we have had to print some more.

"It has a different structure to other festivals so it's quite hard to get the word out there but it's for the betterment of the city and the people that work and live here."

For the full schedule, visit the film festival website.