TAMWORTH’S brush with the movies last week will not fade like a Hollywood cowboy riding OFF into the sunset – it’s set to gallop back bigger and better in 2010.

And Heart of England International Film Festival boss Nick Hudson has already booked next year’s event – and told the Herald about turning the town’s celluloid dreams into solid reality for the future.

Following the huge success of the 2009 event – when 200 films were screened in the town from film-makers representing 31 different countries – Hudson does not intend to waste one second in preparing for 2010.

And determined not to clash with the June 2010 World Cup, the festival will run next year from Sunday May 16 to Saturday May 22.

“The festival base will again be the Castle Hotel which did a magnificent job at such short notice this year,” said festival director Hudson.

And he’s already looking at using the hotel for most of the screenings – with films being shown at NIGHT as well as in the day.

“I accept if there was one disappointment for the Tamworth public this year, then it would be that many people were unable to attend because they were at work during the day,” he said.

“Next year I’m starting on a Sunday and looking at 10am-10pm screenings with possibly a marathon screening event to kick off the festival from 10am on the Sunday right through to 10pm on the Monday.

“That would be some special kind of launch for next year’s event.”

He is also in negotiations with the Odeon cinema to show some of the international moviemakers’ films from this year at the Tamworth picture house for FREE over the next 12 months.

“There will be plenty of people who missed seeing some sensational films – whether they were four minutes long or full feature length,” he added.

The Odeon will be the setting for another charity screening on Saturday May 22 next year – and this time it will be the Best In Festival film which will be shown.

“I’m determined that Tamworth will remain the cinematic centre of the universe for at least one week again next year – and who knows what may happen after that,” he added.

New Tory council leader Bruce Boughton has already committed the local authority to back the 2010 event.

“We definitely want the film festival to remain in Tamworth for 2010 and for many years to come,” he said.