Northampton Film Festival claims it 'intimidated Cannes to change date'

The Northampton Film Festival had to be cancelled in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic

A film festival which had hoped to go head-to-head with Cannes has joked the French event may have changed its dates as it "felt a little intimidated".

Northampton Film Festival will take place online between 12 and 19 May.

It had originally been planned at the same time as the Cannes Film Festival, but the famous event on the French Riviera has been moved back to July.

Organisers Screen Northants said they had planned to take on Cannes as people "would rather be in Northampton".

The 2020 festival, which had been due to coincide with Cannes, was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The first ever Northampton Film Festival took place in 2019

'Northampton Film Festival 2021: Kind of a Big Deal' will feature film screenings, and question and answer sessions with writers, producers and directors.

The online-only event will also include three competitions featuring more than 30 short films with a link to Northamptonshire.

Actor Colin Salmon, comedian Hugh Dennis and actor Julie Hesmondhalgh will judge a schools competition, a 48hr Film Challenge and a main short film contest.

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Screen Northants, a non-profit film company, will also be streaming its feature film, Nene, and a short film called The Operator.

The 2019 debut festival was hailed by local novelist Alan Moore as "inspiring the next generation" by giving them a "voice".

Screen Northants is a social enterprise film studio

Screen Northants said it had picked the festival dates of 12-19 May "to go head-to-head with the world-renowned Cannes Film Festival" because "#iwouldratherbeinNorthampton with the Misfits and Mavericks, the Radical and Revolting, the Traitors and Trailblazers of our weird and wonderful town".

"The Cannes Film Festival have since changed their dates which we hope is because the French Riviera felt a little intimidated by the mighty Nene River Area and the festival's line-up," it added.