A FESTIVAL dedicated to celebrating the best in animation, visual effects and computer games has drawn to a close.

The 2016 BFX Festival featured workshops, film screenings, industry insights and behind-the-scenes highlights from some of the year's biggest movies and games.

Now in its fourth year, the event was attended by professionals from around the world.

Oscar-winning Bournemouth University graduate Mark Ardington also returned to the south coast to share his work on the film Ex Machina, which won the Academy Award for Visual Effects at the 2016 Hollywood ceremony.

There were also talks on Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Forza Horizon 3, and an illuminating presentation on the use of pyrotechnics in films.

Sofronis Efstathiou, BFX festival director, said, “Every year this festival keeps getting bigger and bigger.

"This year, for the first time, we actually had an Oscar on stage during one of the presentations.

"This really is being seen as one of the biggest weeks in the UK visual effects calendar now, where pros and students can come together, learn about the latest techniques and technologies, and learn from one another to ensure that the British film and gaming industry continues to go from strength to strength."

The festival is the flagship project of the International VFX Hub, a collaboration between the award-winning National Centre for Computer Animation at Bournemouth University and the Faculty of Media and Performance at the Arts University Bournemouth.

Mark Ardington, who works at Double Negative, said: “It’s really nice to be back in Bournemouth, it’s great to come along to a festival like this and to be able to talk and inspire other people who are perhaps on the same journey.

"I hope that people enjoy it and it shows them a little bit of the behind the scenes about the process of making movies.”

Peter Truckel, director of the VFX Hub, said: “It has been so great to see so many people attend the festival this year and engage with speakers and workshops.

"We’ve had some of 2016’s biggest games and films on show and it is a testament to the reputation of the festival that we are getting this calibre of speaker.

"We are already looking forward to the festival next year - watch this space as we continue to grow and grow.”

For more information, visit bfxfestival.com