The countdown is under way to the first Mansfield Town Film Festival, which promises three days of short films, music videos, documentaries, and animation — as well as international shorts.

Festival creator Jay Martin aims to raise the town’s cultural profile and celebrate the silver screen.

Now the award-winning writer, producer and director is inviting small businesses and any other interested groups to find out more about the festival at a reception, where he hopes to create partnerships with local businesses who might be interested in joining the list of sponsors.

The reception will also give small business owners and others an opportunity to hear from Jay and the festival’s sponsors, as well as take a look behind the scenes at Mansfield Palace Theatre.

The theatre, which is hosting the the festival from Friday 14th to Sunday, 16th July, is also the venue for the small business reception — held in conjunction with the Federation of Small Businesses — on Thursday, 18th May, from 6pm to 8pm.

Jay (pictured) said: “We would like to spread the word across Mansfield that this reception event is happening — and that it’s open to all businesses and organisations in the area who are interested in learning more about the first-ever Mansfield Town Film Festival.

“The festival should be a massive culture boost for the town.

“It will bring together a stunning mix of film-makers, with a strong focus on diverse, working-class talent from across the country and internationally.

“There will be an array of short films, music videos, documentaries, and animation over three days of unique programming, entertainment, and fresh perspectives.”

The festival will also include talks, workshops, Q&A sessions, and an awards evening, culminating in the presentation of the Mansfield Film Award (Manny).

Former Mansfield Brunts School student Jay is a filmmaker with a passion for visual storytelling.

Jay began studying at the Confetti Institute of Creative Technologies in September 2015, and from there developed Catharsis, his directorial debut. The film was made over a year, in and around the greater Nottinghamshire area.

In 2019 he launched pre-production for a political documentary-short, REDt’BLUE. The film was released in 2022, following a sold-out cinema premiere.

It told the story of how his home town, a rock solid Labour ‘safe’ seat from a strong mining background, switched to the Conservatives for the first time at the 2017 General Election — and remained Blue two years later.

The film won awards and Jay also received good reviews for a trilogy of short documentaries for the BBC about how the coronavirus pandemic affected Mansfield and Ashfield.

Now he is hoping the festival will become a major cultural event in the town.

To find out more about the reception and to book a place, go to www.fsb.org.uk/event-calendar/mansfield-town-film-festival-small-business-reception.html

The full programme of events for the festival will be released shortly. Tickets can be bought — priced £10 for each day or £25 for all three days — from the Palace Theatre or at www.gigantic.com/mansfield-town-film-festival-tickets