A NORTH Yorkshire filmmaker has told of how she went into labour after finding out her film had made it to the Cannes Film Festival.

Director and screenwriter Katie Ross, 32, of Sherburn-in-Elmet, went into labour with her daughter Lola when she found out her new film, VIII, will be showcased at one of the most important film festivals in the world.

She is now proud mum to her six-week-old daughter Lola and 17-month-old Mollie Mae, and will this month travel out to see the short film screened in Cannes.

Screenwriter and director Katie and her producer husband Stewart - who own and run Leeds-based production company Rossi Pictures Ltd - made VIII together.

She said: "It has been fantastic - it's unbelievable to think we have had a baby and are in Cannes as well.

“I’m honoured to even be considered to feature our film at Cannes, it is after all the biggest, most prestigious film festival in the world.

"This is a huge platform where the film will be viewed by some of the most influential people in the industry, including Cannes representatives; furthermore financers and investors/buyers are able to consider the film for distribution rights and additional promotion."

Based around the Tudor period, VIII re-writes British history and was filmed in locations around Yorkshire.

It is a big achievement for the film to have been selected as there were over 100,000 entrants.

The film has been selected for the prestigious Short Film Corner, which is dedicated to short films. The Cannes Film Festival runs from May 14 to 25.

The film will be available on www.cannescourtmetrage.com and in the catalogue du court, www.cinando.com, the leading database for the film industry.

While in Cannes, Rossi Pictures Ltd have meetings set up in Cannes with investors and buyers with the ambition of seeing VIII move to audiences around the world or commissioned to create a feature length production.