A FORMER Aberystwyth soldier turned award-winning filmmaker will launch the first-ever UK International Veterans Film Festival in the town next month.

Sean Langton, who turned to film as an “outlet for stress” after leaving the army, founded Veteran Films to help retrain former service personnel in media.

Now Mr Langton has announced that the first festival, showcasing the work of veterans and from film-makers across the world, will be held at the National Library of Wales in Aberystwyth in November,

Mr Langton said: “The festival is the first of its kind in the UK and only the third in the world to concentrate solely on raising awareness about our serving and ex-serving Armed Forces community, their families, the unique set of difficulties they face and the impact war has on our society.

“Veteran Films is a not-for-profit company aimed at helping veterans with mental or physical disabilities to train to use multimedia and creative filmmaking as a form of art therapy to enable them to tell their stories.

“The Veteran Film Festival has been set-up to showcase not only their work, but also the work of filmmakers from around the world.

“Our aim is to bring to life veterans’ stories whilst showcasing talent through compelling, moving, sometimes disturbing and funny stories."

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