THE hunt is on for budding Steven Spielbergs to join a new network of film-makers across Worcestershire and Herefordshire in a bid to get their work on the big screen.

Malvern Hills District Council and the University of Worcester is planning to set up a group to pull together the wealth of artistic talent in the region. It follows on from the success of the first West Midlands Film-Makers showcase, which was held in Malvern's Coach House Studio Theatre, Grange Road.

The day was organised by the university's media department, Screen West Midlands and the council and saw a total of 18 film-makers from across Worcestershire and Herefordshire attend.

During the morning, representatives from Screen West Midlands gave a talk on making films in the two counties and 20 short films were screened in the afternoon. Now the council's arts development officer Manda Graham said they were keen to establish a group of film-makers from the two counties to build on that success.

A further short-film showcase has already been pencilled in for August at a venue to be fixed, where it is hoped there will be a screening of films from makers in Worcestershire and Herefordshire. The idea is the network would then meet regularly to organise future events in the area and discuss ideas.

Miss Graham said: "The festival was very exciting to bring so many successful film-makers here together in Malvern. Now we want to hear from film-makers to continue from that. They can be anybody, from students to professionals - they may have been making films for 50 minutes or 50 years.

Anyone interested in joining the film-makers can contact Manda Graham on 01684 862312 or e-mail her at: manda. graham@malvernhills.gov.uk