Bolton Film Festival (BFF), which begins on Tuesday, has already been rated as one of the top 100 film festivals in the world.

Today, we look at the town’s cinema heritage and how the festival acts as a magnet for local, national and international film-making talent.

MADE Up North is the title for an afternoon of industry talks and screenings of short films with a northern connection that BFF is running.

Held at The Light Cinema on Wednesday between 1pm and 4pm, it will feature talks by Aaron Dunleavy and Colin O’Toole, as well as five other industry talents.

From here to Hollywood - Bolton's long legacy in cinema

International appeal of film festival

Aaron, from Blackburn, casts community members from social housing areas to make gritty, hyper real dramas.

Screening his latest film, Landsharks, Aaron will talk about his methodology, his funding methods and why “shooting what you know” remains at the heart of his work.

Director Colin O’Toole will be sharing his BAFTA winning film, Cowboy Dave, and revealing how the film came into development, how it was structured and filmed and to talk about how a BAFTA award can affect a film.

The others are Katie Cullough, Ian Bignell, Duncan Cowles, Tessa Hoffe and Sol Papalopoulos.

They will be discussing their experiences, giving advice and sharing ideas. Film fans with a particular interest in Bolton will enjoy Made in Bolton, six short films/documentaries with a very local flavour.

Showing at Neo Artist Gallery, the free screenings will run between 5.20pm and 6.40pm on Thursday, October 4.

The films are: Getting the Miles in the Legs by Tim Baxter and Jack Leigh; Mum is Done by Natasha Hawthornthwaite; Fellaz by Paul Blinkhorn; Souls Migrated by Gulnaz Brennan; Damien by Holly Leece; Bill Naughton Biography by Georgia Bond & Johnathon Burden.

Visit www.boltonfilmfestival.com