A NEW film showing original unique 1930s Burnham footage and edited by a Highbridge moviemaker will be launched on Sunday, March 11.

The screening of Norman Gobey - Burnham's Movie Maker at The Ritz Cinema in Burnham marks the launch of the film on DVD.

Bank clerk Norman Gobey captured the original black and white footage on a 9.5mm camera and made it into mini-movies, which he narrated or accompanied with music.

His daughter, Anne Gobey, donated his films to the North Sedgemoor Local History Group and in 2005 these were given to Somerset Film and Video, a charity that runs the Engine Room in Bridgwater where the film was made.

The 40-minute film is the result of 18-months of hard work, during which time producer Deborah Richardson interviewed Mr Gobey's family, friends and members of the community who shared their memories.

By appealing through the Weekly News, contributors Tom Bennett, Doreen Hauser and Edna Lockren, who all appear in the original films, came forward.

The appeal also unearthed footage of the Great Western Railway at Edithmead, a film documenting the building and opening of the Ritz Cinema and Cobham's Air Circus at Weston-Super-Mare.

Deborah said: "I was working at The Engine Room, a filmmaking organisation, but was one of the only people there who had never made a film.

"All of the film's contributors were so generous with their time and knowledge. I live locally so it was very much a personal project."

After successfully completing the documentary in her spare time, Deborah is now anxiously waiting to see if her funding application for her second film will be granted.

"This inspired me to do more and I have submitted a funding application for a film about a D-Day veteran returning to a battlefield in France.

"I bought a 9.5mm camera on E-Bay and the filmmaker I will hopefully work with suggested we should shoot some of the next film with it, like it would have been seen at the time."

Norman Gobey - Burnham's Movie Maker will be screened at 11am at the Ritz Cinema in Burnham and for ticket information call the box office on 01278-794123.

The DVD will be on sale at the Engine Room, 52 High Street, Bridgwater (for postal orders call 01278-433187) and Burnham Tourist Information Centre priced £10.

Proceeds will benefit Somerset Film and Video and the North Sedgemoor Local History Group.