Northampton Film Festival 2020 has opened for submissions

After a successful pilot last year, social enterprise film company Screen Northants has just opened submissions to 2020’s Northampton Film Festival.

Taking on the heavyweights of the film festival world, this year’s festival clashes with Cannes and will be held between 13 and 20 May.

For the first time this year there is also a free competition for Northamptonshire schools where young people are challenged to make a short film on the theme of 'Mavericks and Misfits'.

Screen Northants are offering free support and are encouraging schools to get in touch in advance.

Like last year, there will be a 48 hour film challenge, screenings of feature films with Q&As from the filmmakers, an evening where filmmakers can share their first films for fun and a closing ceremony at the Royal Theatre.

Screen Northants director Becky Adams said: “Northampton has taken a bit of a beating recently but with 2019’s pilot film festival we found, actually, the young people we were working with weren’t that negative.

"They just wanted to be shown that there is opportunity, excitement and positivity out there, so that’s what we did.

"2020 is about saying 'yeah, Northampton is kind of a big deal' because we need to start believing it to realise it. And, well, it is in our eyes...!"

The festival aims to celebrate Northampton, the county and its creative industries, and help residents to feel more empowered to be part of the creative and cultural footprint of the UK.

Screen Northants is a non-profit feature film production company, which, alongside its production work, aims to give Northamptonshire residents access to film and to promote the county to the film Industry.

To submit a film click here and if you have any further questions or need support to enter a film, contact [email protected] or visit Screen Northants in the Grosvenor Centre next to HMV.