A FILMMAKER who captured his home town in his debut feature-length film will be offering residents a special preview in a bid to raise the final funds needed to complete it.

Producer and commercial filmmaker, Oliver William Smith, first had the idea for his coming-of-age film about ten years ago but cast difficulties meant he had to put the project on hold.

However, after running the Turrets Youth Theatre, in Barnard Castle, he decided to cast some of its members instead and the film has now been shot over the last two summers at several different locations throughout the town.

Mr Smith, along with his partner Libby Harding, cast four local students, Ella Blackburn, Owen Carter, Elliot Bevan and Katherine Harding for the film, named Verve.

"It's a coming-of-age tale about four teenagers in No Mans Land between college and university and finding themselves figuring out what they are going to do with their lives," Mr Smith said.

"It was fun to shoot because we got to see Barnard Castle in a new light."

And while the largely self-financed film is 99 per cent complete with the help of a grant from the Teesdale Action Partnership; the couple, who run Ambitious Motion Pictures, still need funds to complete its score.

Mr Smith, 28, said he hoped the film would be officially released at the Slamdance Film Festival in Utah, in spring 2017.

The preview will be shown at The Witham, in Barnard Castle, tonight, from 7.30pm.

Tickets for the preview cost £10 which includes a Q&A session afterwards.