“Northampton is a place of rare and mysterious beauty. Situated at the heart of English geography, English history and always, always at the heart of English trouble.”

Said by NFF 2019 judge and legendary Northampton Writer Alan Moore (Watchmen, From Hell, V for Vendetta). And we embody that spirit at NFF.

Northampton is a place of Rebels and Revolutionaries, Misfits and Mavericks, Creatives and Changemakers. We want to put on a great show for you but also make sure you leave feeling inspired, with fire in your belly or the spark for your next project.

As well as accepting submissions from around the UK which embody that spirit, we also want to show you that Northampton and Northamptonshire filmmakers are Kind of a Big Deal.

We've had some excellent judges over the years (see Awards) and put on social and industry events as well as screenings. This year we want to have a Q&A at each screening. We had 1104 admissions at NFF 2023.

Please read our reviews to get a sense of what we're all about.

Awards & Prizes

There are prizes for Best Film and Best Northamptonshire Film in shorts and features, narrative films and documentaries.

You win ALL the glory plus an amazing trophy. All shortlisted films will be screened at a Northampton festival venue and you get free tickets to that screening plus to our awards ceremony.

2024 judges are TBA. Previous judges have included legendary Northampton Writer Alan Moore (V for Vendetta), Editor Colin Goudie (Monsters, Rogue One), Producer Leopold Hughes (Glass Onion), Actor Julie Hesmondhalgh (Broadchurch), Development Exec Dionne Farrell (B-Side, BBC Films, BFI), Producer Jim Mooney (Small Axe), Comedian Hugh Dennis (Outnumbered), Aesthetica Short Film Festival Director Cherie Federico, BAFTA Breakthrough 2022 Director Paul Sng (Tish), Writer/Director Ella Glendining (Is Anybody Out There?), Actor Colin Salmon (Bond), Liza Rhea (Disney's The No 2 to Kettering), and BBC Exec and Royal Television Society Midlands Chair Kuljinder Khaila.

Rules & Terms

We accept entries of films which are:
• live action or animation
• narrative/fiction/dramas or non-fiction/documentaries (AND we have a new Misfits category for 2024 for short films which sit outside of those definitions)
• up to 20 minutes in length for shorts, or 40 to 110 minutes for features
• completed anytime in the last 3 years (from festival end date 17 March 2024) or 2 years for the 16yrs and Under and 17-23yrs categories
• submitted by a UK-based Writer/Director/Producer

There is no separate category for Northants entries but we will be in touch to identify which films have local links if it isn't clear from the submission as there are definitely special prizes for local entries!

Films that don't have a link to Northants must fit one of our themes in terms of how the film was made or the subject matter of the film: Rebels, Revolutionaries, Misfits, Mavericks, Creatives or Changemakers. We imagine most films might meet the Creative theme! And we are a bit more relaxed with these themes in the 16yrs + Under and 17-23yrs categories!

Northampton Film Festival Limited creates the longlist of films - this longlist is then submitted to our judges who draw up the nominees for each category. All decisions are final including what we feel meets our themes and what qualifies as a Northamptonshire film.
25 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Al Clark

    Such a great festival. It was an honour to screen our short film Safe as part of the 'Inspiring Women' programme at the opening night gala.

    March 2024
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  • Cat White

    This is one of the best festivals I’ve had the pleasure of screening at. Becky and the team are so passionate, brilliantly communicative and made the filmmaker experience one to treasure. Quality of films was excellent, as was the variety of venues they screened at. I was blown away that Fifty-Four Days won Best Northamptonshire Short - for this to happen at a festival in my home town is an honour I will carry forever! Can’t wait to submit films in future.

    March 2024
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  • Margaret Schmueck

    Great communication from the festival and a very warm welcome at the screening.

    March 2024
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  • Alan Halls

    At all points of the process of participating in the Festival their was great communication, passion and a all round welcoming air. With amazing hospitality and wonderful selection of films.

    A great festival, run by a great team - I look forward to attending and hopefully screening there again.

    Thank you to Festival Director Becky (and the whole team) for such a wonderful experience and screening "Who The F**k is Jacky Bumpers" as part of the Northampton Film Festival 2024.

    March 2024
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  • James Wren

    Great festival run by a fantastic team with excellent communication. Highly recommend!

    March 2024
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