This week marks the opening of the Northampton Film Festival's (NFF) newest edition, which promises "striking, strong, and brilliant" films, including stories made by Daventry filmmakers.
The independent non-profit organisation has been providing “inspiration” and access to the film and creative industries to people for a few years now – including Daventry directors and producers Laurence Maybury and Luke Tom Worrall, among others.
Starting tomorrow (March 8), the public will be able to watch a selection of films from across the country, including directorial and film debuts, well-known filmmakers and actors, such as Celia Imrie, and films with distribution deals.
Northamptonshire filmmaker and NFF director Becky Carrier said: “The film festival is about inspiration. The festival doesn't start until Friday, but we've already sold more tickets this year than we did last year. It's obviously growing and is growing in the right direction.
“The quality of work we've got this year is really outstanding, and that's from people with local connections and people you know from around the country.”
NFF began as a pilot project in 2019 and has since grown to feature films from all across Britain. In the fall of 2022, it became a non-profit organisation.
Becky said: “It’s great. In 2019, we didn't really know what to expect or what people really wanted, but we ended up with a really long festival after asking for people’s opinions.
“It was all about trying to give Northamptonshire people access to the film industry. I think film is a really good way to shout about the talent that we have here. I believe Northamptonshire is a great place to be making films.”
The festival aims to empower individuals, provide a platform for underrepresented voices, and introduce outstanding work from throughout the nation to local audiences.
The launch of the third in-person festival since the pandemic is hosted by the University of Northampton. Before the festival's first showing of short films, there will be a networking opportunity.
NFF has also partnered up with Delapré Abbey to honour the remarkable women in our community and to commemorate the festival's opening.
Becky said: “What was really great this year is that we had so many films that came from female directors and female producers with strong female leads, and you know, traditionally, it's still played out that the film industry is still dominated by white older men.
“I love Delapré Abbey and celebrating Northamptonshire heritage. It's a brilliant place. I just thought this was perfect; we’ve got all these women making really striking, strong, and brilliant films, and then we’ve got this venue that’s all about women not taking no for an answer, and we should definitely put the two things together.”
On Saturday, the audience can view a variety of short films, such as Chrysalis, Bedroom Light, Fifty-Four Days, Supervision, Fishing, and Beautiful Things, which feature women's voices or showcase female actors.
From dramas and comedies to documentaries and music videos, several films will then screen over the next few days, including the short films Benji and The Darkling Fox and the feature films Mr Doom, Much Ado About Dying, Straight Through Crew, Fabulous Femininities, and All Roads Lead To Home.
Becky said: “The film festivals are so invaluable. What I love about my journey in the film industry is that you just find this fire in your belly that makes you want to do stuff and create things, and I just really want to help people find whatever it is that's going to put fire in their bellies.”
The esteemed awards ceremony is set to take place on Saturday, March 16, at Cineworld Northampton, though the screenings will continue.
Since several of the short film events had sold out ahead of time, the popularity of the festival motivated Becky to add more screenings to the event.
The festival will now continue through March 20.
There will be many Q&As with different directors following some of the films so that audiences may learn more about their work.
To see the complete schedule, learn about the judges, view the film trailers, and purchase tickets, click here.
Becky said: “I think just coming and watching the type of films that we show, which are independent films with unusual stories, lots of which are very short, but they tackle some big subjects, I think that's just really important to people to get different viewpoints and see what else is going on in the world.”
Take a look below at some of the film previews compiled by your Daventry Express reporter, courtesy of NFF director Becky, which feature the Daventry filmmakers' work, among others.
5. Car Sick
Inspired by true events, a woman living in her car on hospital grounds during the harshest Scottish winter in years must embrace what is keeping her there or face the inevitable consequences. Photo: NFF director Becky Carrier
6. Fifty-Four Days
Life and death. Family and support. Grief and healing. When tragedy strikes out of the blue, a courageous young woman turns to wild swimming in search of answers in the wake of an unexpected tragedy. By swimming every day and forming an unlikely friendship, she learns to accept her grief as well as that of those around her.Starring Celia Imrie, Northamptonian actor, writer, and director Cat White, who also stars in the film, is sharing a part of her own experience with grief, as she was blindsided by the news that a close friend died and she started swimming herself.Since suicide is still a taboo issue and men are more likely to attempt it than women, Cat is bringing attention to this type of loss and how to process and get past it while illustrating the various ways that each of us may grieve with extraordinary attention to the little details in the film. Photo: NFF director Becky Carrier
7. Supervision
Bea, an isolated and psychologically abused young woman, decides to become a spider rather than turn into her mother. Her choice to change into a spider is what keeps her going through an otherwise meaningless life — until she learns that her mother attempted the same transformation when she was younger. The mother and daughter are bound together by this transgenerational wound beneath the shadow of the spider and everything that could have been.Sophie Colquhoun’s debut film as a writer and director presents generational pain, evolution, and family legacies.Sophie is a successful actress, starring in shows such as Plebs, The Royals, Blandings, and Some Girls and in films such as Captain America, The Inbetweeners, and Thomas the Tank Engine.She said: “Here is a film about a spider that no longer represents a monster from the depths of our nightmares but instead carries all the components of hope for the future.” Photo: NFF director Becky Carrier
8. Fishing
In this dark comedy directed by Josie Charles, young female sexuality and the effects of pornography are explored through a surprising twist that combines the reality, joy, and fragility of adolescent femininity.Writer, producer, and actor Esme Allen, from Northampton, plays Lola’s character, who keeps us close as she slowly reveals the truth of her situation.The narrative captures the essence of youth in the 2000s, taking us through different corners of her room and life—with first love and lost virginity confessions—before finally revealing the delightful and startling secret keeping her locked inside.Shot in one take on a camcorder, the film was produced with less than £500. Photo: NFF director Becky Carrier