A DRAMATIC feature film produced by a Cambridgeshire director that was screened at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival is now to be shown in Huntingdon.

A DRAMATIC feature film produced by a Cambridgeshire director that was screened at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival is now to be shown in Huntingdon.

Television and film director, Brendan Sheppard of Chichester Way, Perry, spent five years making his latest masterpiece.

The Guilty follows a female Jewish solicitor called Orpha who is tasked with defending a Nazi war criminal, Erdmann King, who is not all he says he is.

Her family were massacred in the Holocaust and during the hour-long movie she goes from completely hating the man to forgiveness.

It was produced and shot in St Neots and Cambridge using a host of talented actors from across the county, although it is set in Israel in 1962.

Much of the film is set inside using a house in Shaftesbury Avenue, St Neots that was transformed to look like a 1960s property. Other scenes were shot in St Neots High Street (the alley beside Claires Accessories) and at Anglia Ruskin University.

Production was completed in March and the majority of the nine main actors are either existing or former St Neots Players members. Also about a quarter of the 30-strong crew are from Cambridgeshire.

The leads roles are played by Simon Ockenden (Erdmann King), Sian Francis (Orpha), Paul Riddy and Adam Hillier.

Having won praise at last month’s Cannes Film Festival the movie is to be launched during a free screening at Cineworld in Huntingdon on July 11 at 9am. Copies of the film will be available to buy.

He is encouraging budding film makers to attend the screening and help him work on his next film, which will be shot in Cambridgeshire in August 2011.

Although his film failed to win any awards in Cannes, he was given a �2,000 development fund towards his next movie which is entitled The Dare.

Mr Sheppard started his career as an actor and went on to work behind the scenes on television shows for the BBC, including Doctor Who, ITV and Channel 4.

He is a member of St Neots Players and will soon take up a teaching post in film-making at Sawtry Community College.

Speaking about The Guilty, he said: “The film explores forgiveness and looks at if you put a murderer and one of the family of his victim in the same room would forgiveness ever be possible. It’s a dramatic drama.”