Last Summer, BFI NETWORK teamed up with Northampton Film Festival to run a new talent development opportunity for aspiring Northamptonshire-based writers looking to develop a five-six minute short film idea.

Northampton Film Festival exists to support and champion Northamptonshire filmmakers as well as provide a platform for exceptional films from across Great Britain to be screened in the county. 

After a competitive application process, three writers were selected to work with BIFA and BAFTA-nominated Writer and professional Script Editor Laura Tunbridge to develop and refine their script for their short across Winter 2022 and Spring 2023.

We were thrilled that we were able to work with BFI NETWORK to support three Northants writers to take part in the programme and we’re excited to be running table-reads of these scripts as part of the 2023 film festival starting in May. The theme of this year’s festival is Show Us What You’ve Got and we’re looking forward to seeing the outcome of this investment in talent in the region.

Becky Carrier - Film Festival Director

Millie Marsh

Northant's Writer-Producer Millie Marsh

OUT OUT

Logline: A heartbroken Hannah goes out out for the first time in ages and connects with an aspect of her identity her circumstances have prevented her from exploring.

About Millie

Millie is a BAFTA-nominated producer trained at the National Film and Television School. Her short films have been in competition at Cannes and have won multiple awards at international festivals.

She was nominated for a BAFTA in 2017 for 'The Alan Dimension' and longlisted for a second BAFTA in 2020 for 'Dọlápọ̀ Is Fine' which was acquired by Netflix. Her latest short 'Knot' premiered at LA Shorts in 2021 and had its UK premiere in the international competition at Encounters Film Festival.

Millie established Kin Pictures in 2021, where she is developing feature projects, including 'Hitchhikers' with international sales by Bankside Films. This year she is producing the Pixar-style animation ‘Roots’ for animation studio SystemKind using cutting-edge motion capture technology to create a carbon-neutral film. She has been working with Framestore Animation and Inflammable Films on a pioneering Virtual Production project.

Most recently, she has also been turning her eye towards writing for both screen and prose, with a focus on female voices and LGBT-led ideas.

Subika Anwar-Khan

Writer Subika Anwar

BUDDHA, BABY

Logline: When Aditi starts a new job at a local yoga studio in her Midlands hometown, she channels ancient spirits to confront the appropriation of her culture.

About Subika

Subika is a Playwright and Actor who was a part of the Royal Court and Hampstead Theatres' writing programmes. She has developed scripts with Paines Plough, Curve Theatre, Tamasha, Belgrade Theatre, Birmingham Rep, The Roundhouse, Nabokov Theatre and DryWrite. Her plays have been produced by Kali Theatre (**** The Independent) and the Vault Festival (**** Exeunt Magazine). She was the Writer and Performer of solo show Divided, commissioned by Camden People’s Theatre and Echo, her second solo show, developed with Tara Theatre. Subika is published in Hear Me Now Vol.2 and was a contributing writer for audio drama Beneath our Feet (Spotify, Apple Podcast).

As an Actor, she has appeared in plays at Theatre503, Arcola Theatre, The Gate Theatre, The National Theatre, Royal and Derngate and English Touring Theatre. In TV, Subika has performed in shows for the BBC and Nickelodeon and appeared in a Bafta-winning feature film.

Her work critiques stereotypes and representations of specific cultures whilst exploiting and transgressing traditional racial and cultural taboos. Subika continues to create work to accurately represent the South Asian diaspora.

Tayla Halfacre

Untitled design (74)

PLAYGROUND

Logline: Grace is forced to come to terms with her sexuality once she is pressured into an uncomfortable situation by her friends.

About Tayla

Tayla Halfacre is a Writer-Director and Poet. She graduated with a BA in Creative Writing and English Literature from the University of Warwick in 2021. Her one-act play of interweaving monologues, Lesbian Line, which paid homage to the community support landline, was produced by Masque Theatre and shown at The Playhouse in Northampton in October 2022. She has poetry forthcoming in Cobra Milk. Tayla’s poetry background influences her screenwriting and playwriting style, and her work often tackles themes around nature, sexuality & gender. She seeks to tell authentic and sensitive stories.