Halstead Film Festival to take place in memory of Colchester tutor

Film tutor Tom Welham, 38, died just after Christmas in 2023.

Freddie Penrose, 22, attended Colchester Institute from 2021 to 2023 studying a film, TV, and creative media level 3 course.

Last year, with permission from Tom’s wife Abby, Freddie started to think about events which could take place to honour Tom.

Remembered - Colchester Institute film tutor Tom Welham, 38, died from cancer shortly after Christmas 2023 and now has an annual film festival in his honour (Image: Family)

Freddie created the first ever Pantherfest in Tom’s honour which took place in Great Dunmow in April 2025.

Freddie said: “The festival has sort of doubled in scope from the first year of us occupying a new venue, the Halstead Empire Theatre.

“To the partners we are involved in this year, Raindance Festival and Bridge Studios. This will lead to the film makers earning much larger prizes.”

Freddie himself got in contact with the partners who then offered placements and short courses saying these types of prizes would be highly beneficial for young film makers to win as they would help them develop substantially.

The night itself consists of 18 shorts films and an awards ceremony where the audience votes across six categories.

After the votes are cast, everyone is free to network, drink and eat food from mobile caterer Britten’s Bites.

This year PantherFest 2 is hoping to reach the cinema's 277-people maximum capacity, more than double its previous attendance.

Freddie said: “It has invoked a real sense of competition this year, as the festival has gotten better so are the films we have received.”

Growth - Freddie hopes to more than double the attendance for this year's festival (Image: Submitted)

Last year money was raised in honour of Tom, with Freddie now saying each year different charities will be chosen but it will still in Tom’s memory.

This year’s fundraiser is for the Halstead Dementia Friendly Project, which supports the dementia-friendly cinema screenings at the Empire Theatre and a dementia-friendly choir.

In two weeks, more than £1000 has been fundraised, as much as was collected in 2025, with Freddie adding though last year was great, a lot of effort is being put in to make this year better.

The festival will take place on May 16 and to donate visit https://tinyurl.com/hvzm8uyu.