Film director Deborah Hadfield

A former Express & Star reporter turned film director is in line for a top award.

Deborah Hadfield, who under her maiden name of Groves worked at the former Lichfield office in the early 1990s, is in the running for the best director award in the International Filmmakers Festival of World Cinema.

Her debut movie The Kindness of Strangers is nominated for six awards at the ceremony in Broadstairs, Kent, tonight.

Star Wars legend Dave Prowse, who played Darth Vader, is nominated for best supporting actor for the romantic thriller.

He will also be honoured with a lifetime achievement award at the festival.

Dave, aged 75, plays a father seeking justice following the death of his daughter in the independent movie which was screened at the Cannes Film Festival in May.

He first became a familiar face on TV screens as the Green Cross Code man in the 1970s road safety campaign and was awarded the MBE in 2000.

Deborah, 45, from Burton upon Trent, also wrote the movie, which was filmed in Italy, France and England last summer.

Its other nominations include best film and producer.

“The nominations are a real thrill for the whole team who worked so hard on the film,” she said.

“It is an honour to be recognised by the festival as we are competing with movies from all over the world,” added Deborah.

Queen Bee Films produced the movie, which also used locations in Staffordshire and Derbyshire.

At the Express & Star she won the national newspaper practice award, in her NCTJ exams. The Ted Bottomley Award is sponsored by the newspaper.

Mother-of-one Deborah then went on to a career in broadcasting, including working for ITV, before moving into films in 2005.

She said that finding the finances to make the movie was the “most difficult challenge I have ever undertaken”.

Deborah is already planning her next film.