PALS from Bolton have been nominated for an award for their first short film- which is to be released later this month.

‘Joel’, directed and produced by Matt Green and Marcus Johnson, will be released online this Sunday on Amazon Prime, YouTube and Facebook.

The film – shot in Westhoughton at the director’s house – has been nominated in the ‘Best Short Film’ category at the Worcester Film Festival, set to take place in April in its inaugural year.

Marcus told the Bolton News: “We were thrilled to find out we had been nominated for the award. It’s something we’ve always wanted to do.”

The film is a story of internal exploration around gender identity, unforeseen loss and how the two elements struggle to find harmony in the form of family relationships, according to Marcus.

He added: “We know it’s an issue a lot of people are focussing on at the moment, and rather than express our opinions, we wanted to portray the issue from a more accessible viewpoint.

“It’s something that we got to learn about ourselves.”

One of Marcus’ favourite parts about producing the film was converting an office space into a teenager’s bedroom.

Matt and Marcus grew up together, attending school together in Westhoughton before setting up production company Glacé Media together in 2017.

The production company works mainly in the private sector producing promotional video and film content for brands and businesses.

The company also develops its own productions, including documentaries and short films.

They hope that the online release will expand the reach of the film following its award nomination and bring the ideas it explores to a wider audience.

The film features rising talents and experienced industry veterans, including Max Sandiford, Ben Hanley and Sophia Talbot, as well as its own original score.