STROUD filmmaker Darren Ring is to screen five movies from his back catalogue this weekend.

An Exeter University media studies graduate, Darren enjoys experimental filmmaking and takes inspiration from directors David Lynch and Lars von Trier.

Four of the five films to be shown were shot in the Five Valleys, and feature some long-gone landmarks.

“I shot part of my film, The Edgemoor Retreat in Stroud on a Sunday and a lot of the shops were closed down at the time,” said Darren.

“People might find it interesting because it shows the town as it was in the 1990s.

“You can see the old bus station, for example, before it became the cinema.

“Wild Wood, that’s quite a dark, mysterious film, with a lot of hand-held camera work. It’s shot against the backdrop of Whiteshill, where I grew up.

“Visions of the Future is a short time travel story, and The Duel is based on the true story of the last pistol duel on English soil, which is believed to have taken place in Folly Lane in 1807.

“Everything in its Right Place is a short film about somebody with OCD – a little like myself – and the rituals he has to go through and how it impacts on his job.

“We’ll be following that with a short discussion about OCD.”

OCD stands for obsessive compulsive disorder, a condition where people feel the need to check things repeatedly, perform certain routines repeatedly, or have certain thoughts repeatedly.

Darren says filmmaking has helped him to deal with the anxieties he experiences as part of the condition.

“It gives me a chance to express myself creatively,” he said.

“It opens my mind and gives me a chance to delve into a world that otherwise I wouldn’t be part of.”

The screenings will take place at the Trinity Rooms (opposite Stroud Maternity Hospital) on Saturday, at 7.30pm.

Entry is free, but donations are welcome.

Any profits will go towards future filmmaking projects.