Northampton Film Festival's 'ambitious' film-making aim

The organisers of the first Northampton Film Festival say they have an aim to get 5% of feature films in the UK to be made in the county.

Becky Adams, director of organisers Screen Northants, said they had not put a timescale on the target and admitted that it was "ambitious".

She said they want filmmakers to "realise the potential" of Northamptonshire for film-making.

"We want to increase people making stuff, getting it out there," she said.

The two-week festival has included workshops, film screenings, a short film competition and closes later with an awards evening at The Royal theatre.

It is hoped that Northampton writer Alan Moore's soon-to-be released movie The Show will boost interest in using the county for location shooting.

Paul Hill, director at Screen Northants, said: "We need to start shouting [about Northamptonshire]."

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Being close to London and film studios such as Pinewood and Warner Bros. Northamptonshire is "ideally placed" for the film industry, according to Ms Adams.

The film festival to part of a drive to bring film-makers to the county to achieve the 5% which would equate to twelve-and-half films a year.

Screen Northants also has its own locally-shot feature film, Macbeth, in production and has set up an agency to actively promote movie talent and locations in Northamptonshire to other production companies.

Locations cited range from shops and schools to industrial units and county houses, including Boughton House which was used in the film adaptation of Les Misérables.

"We are so close to realising our potential. It blows my mind. If we join the dots we are going to explode," said Mr Hill.

The British Film Institute (BFI) says the UK film and TV industry generated a record £7.9bn in 2016.