Famous Northampton faces join the judging panel for Northampton Film Festival 2023

Broadcaster and Writer Andrew Collins, and 'Knives Out' Producer Leopold Hughes, both from Northampton, have joined the Northampton Film Festival 2023 judging panel for the Drama category alongside Head of Development at B-Side Productions Dionne Farrell.

Shortlisted films in the Drama category will be watched by Andrew, Leopold and Dionne who will pick their Best Northamptonshire and Best British short and feature-length films. The winners will be announced at the awards ceremony for the festival at the Northampton Royal Theatre on 1st June 2023.

Andrew Collins, who grew up in and had his first cinema experience at the Odeon on Northampton’s Market Square, has been working in TV, radio and print for over 25 years. He has honed his experience and expertise in these fields via music journalism, magazine publishing, live radio, and live and scripted comedy. Andrew can be heard every Saturday on Classic FM with his show 'Saturday At The Movies'.

Andrew has worked on both sides of the camera on countless TV programmes, hosting ITV film review show 'Collins & Maconie’s Movie Club'; hosting 'Friday Night Film Club' on Great! Movies; guesting on 'The One Show'; fronting BBC Four documentary 'The Making of Life On Mars'; appearing as a contestant on 'Celebrity Mastermind'; and anchoring BBC Radio 1’s live coverage of the Brits and the Mercury Prize.

Leopold Hughes, who was born in Northampton, worked as an Assistant to the Producer on a number of high-profile films before joining T-Street, the indie studio run by 'Knives Out' Director Rian Johnson, in 2020 as a Producer. With T-Street he was a Producer on 'Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi', 'Knives Out' and 'Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery'.

Dionne Farrell is Head of Development at B-Side Productions, working across film and TV. She began her career working on a magazine youth show 'What’s Up' then worked in factual before moving into script development, working for the likes of the BFI and BBC Film.

They join the already announced 16 and Under category judges - Kuljinder Khaila, Chair of the Royal Television Society Midlands and Executive Producer at BBC Academy, Northampton-born Liza Rhea, Environment Modelling Supervisor at Walt Disney Animation Studios, Vancouver and Northampton Film Festival 2022's Main Competition winner, Northampton Director Marcus Anthony Thomas.

Documentaries and drama films on any subject with a connection to Northamptonshire can be entered now into Northampton Film Festival 2023. And for the first time ever Northampton Film Festival is also accepting films from British filmmakers that reflect Northamptonshire’s unique independent spirit.

Becky Carrier, Festival Director, says, "We’re thrilled to have these wonderful judges on board, covering a film’s journey from Development to Production and finally Exhibition. What filmmaker wouldn’t want people of this level of experience to be watching their work?! Within the panel there’s great local links and also a passion for finding and developing new talent, so we couldn’t think of a better fit.”

Filmmakers can submit their short and feature length films – drama and documentaries - now via FilmFreeway.com. There are separate categories and prizes for 16 years and under, Northants films and films from around Great Britain.

The submission link is filmfreeway.com/NorthamptonFilmFestivalUK and you can read about the festival at www.northamptonfilmfestival.co.uk