How Repton Filmfest ‘22 Is Bringing the Best of Global Cinema to the East Midlands

There are plenty of exciting things for local filmmakers to get into at The Repton Filmfest ‘22, including networking opportunities and workshops. What are some highlights for those in the industry? 
If you’re a filmmaker, going to festivals is part and parcel of everyday life. They’re always fantastic fun, you get the chance to have conversations with others in the industry, and can often find yourself going on to work on new shoots as a result of them. So the very notion of these festivals should be exciting for filmmakers. 

Yet for Repton Filmfest more specifically, we’ve got a fantastic array of prizes on offer - the winners of each film category can get £250, and the winner of the Grand Prize walks away with £750 and a unique mentoring opportunity which they can utilise to take themselves to the next level. There are also some great speakers from across the generations - people like Deborah Hadfield, who’s just had her first big success, through to the likes of Anthony Thomas, who’s spent a lifetime making ground-breaking documentaries. So there is undoubtedly real value to visiting us. 

How was the response to your call for short films, and what can people expect from the final selection?
It’s been great because we’ve got quality local representation, but we’ve also got a real international appeal, with submissions from around the world. I think the student category is always the most interesting, though, because you have these people at the very start of their careers who are amazingly talented - they’re able to do stuff now that was unheard of when I was younger. 

Is this something that the general public can get a lot out of too? 
Definitely. You certainly don’t need to be a filmmaker to attend the festival. All of the short film screenings are free, so you can just look at whatever appeals to you, or watch all of them if you fancy it. And the chance to hear from iconic filmmakers, like Robin Vidgeon - the legendary cinematographer who worked on Indiana Jones and Hellraiser - is truly special. If you’re interested in movies at all, getting to learn about how they work behind the scenes is a must.

Why did you feel that Repton would make a suitable place for a film festival? 
The event actually started as a literary festival, and has now branched into three strands - including a kids’ festival - so the Filmfest grew out of that. There are some great cinematic links too, though. Deborah Hadfield used Repton as a location for her big feature film, We Too Together, and the Oscar-winning Goodbye Mr. Chips was shot here. A lot of younger people might not know that film, but it’s a fantastically poignant piece of British cinema that Repton’s a key part of. 

How have you found the response to the event so far? Are you expecting a good turnout? 
Yeah, absolutely. We've had a lot of submissions, and we’re getting a good vibe for the festival. We're going to create a real party atmosphere right here in the East Midlands, which is really exciting. Let’s just hope the weather’s good… 

The Repton Filmfest ‘22 is taking place from Friday 8 to Sunday 10 July. Find out more on their Facebook page