A British actor has been praised for “chasing down and rugby tackling” a handbag robber while he was in France for a film festival.

Aneurin Barnard, known for appearing in Dunkirk and Peaky Blinders, was involved in the alleged incident before the premiere of his new film at Annecy International Animation Film Festival.

The film’s director Duncan Jones shared the incident, which happened in the centre of Annecy, on social media.

Jones told his Bluesky followers: “Aneurin Barnard, our Rogue Trooper, is out here in Annecy, to help promote the film at the festival and went proper HERO today, chasing down, rugby tackling and holding a bag snatcher who had robbed a little old lady in front of him.”

Jones said Barnard, from the village of Ogmore Vale, Bridgend county, held the culprit until police arrived “and then gave the handbag back to the traumatised granny”.

“Then, he jogs over to our film panel, sits down, calm as can be [and] regales the audience with tales from the film shoot. Folks, I swooned,” said Jones, who is the son of pop icon David Bowie.

Annecy festival said the incident occured in the city centre, not on the festival site, about one hour before the panel event.

Annecy Municipal Police has been contacted for comment.

Rogue Trooper is the latest project by Jones, whose previous work includes Source Code and Warcraft.

Barnard plays the title role in the new film, which premiered at the festival and will be released later this year.

Rogue Trooper, based on a popular UK sci-fi comic series, is an animated science fiction feature by Rebellion and Liberty Films, which tells the story of a “genetic infantryman” who finds himself the sole survivor of an invasion force.

Desperate to track down the traitor who sold him and his comrades out, the super soldier is accompanied by three killed-in-action squad mates, whose personalities have been stored in his gun, helmet and backpack.

Written and directed by Jones, the cast also features Jack Lowden of Slow Horses, Inside No 9’s Reece Shearsmith, comedian Diane Morgan, Game of Thrones’ Sean Bean and Sex Education star Asa Butterfield.