MORE than 200 film fanatics gathered in the Top of The Town last Saturday to enjoy the inaugural Exit 6 Film Festival.

A diverse range of short films were on display at a range of venues including the Red Lion Hotel, Vue cinema, The Anvil and The Tea Bar.

Supported by Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council, the event featured 41 short films from countries as diverse as Iran, Ireland, America and Argentina screened throughout the day, while the top six films were shown at The Forge within the Anvil, later in the evening.

The top six contenders for the Best Film Award demonstrated their virtuoso skills in filmmaking to a level which would sit well on the world stage.

The award was presented by assistant director and BAFTA member Terry Bamber, whose films include World War Z, 101 Dalmatians and Tomb Raider. Mr Bamber said: “The Exit 6 Film Festival gave me a chance to reunite with the inspiration for my love of the arts. I studied at Basingstoke’s Queen Mary’s College between 1972-74.

“QMC always led the way for creativity, and this Saturday I was honoured to watch six films with the much harder task of choosing a ‘best of’ winner.

“Each film was technically superb with originality and excellent script development.”

The film selected from the top six was Apparition, directed by Denis Dobrovoda.