Movie Makers Scoop Awards!
Services for Young People’s E3+ students in Rhondda Cynon Taf have been showing off their movie making skills this month (Friday 5th March) at the Muni Arts Centre, Pontypridd and scooping top awards at the Zoom Young Filmmakers Awards 2010.
The E3+ programme forms an integral part of the Council’s newly created Services for Young People department, which is dedicated to ensuring young people in the County Borough are given the opportunities they are entitled to and deserve.
The students from Bryn Celynnog Comprehensive School have been busy over the last few months working with Hugh Griffiths from Lilly pad Films, who runs filmmaking workshops with E3+ to create their own movies.
The students from Bryn Celynnog Comprehensive - Zoe Williams yr 9, Tomos Gapper yr 11, Jade Williams yr 9, Josh Cole yr 9, Nicola Rodgers yr 10, Lyndsey Rodgers yr 11, Ellie Herbert yr 9, Stephanie Railton yr 11, Alex Knill yr 11, Hannah Davies yr 9, Cerys Evans yr 9, Olivia Brooks yr 9, Taylor Gardiner yr 7, and Daniel Malkin yr 11 set about creating an experimental murder mystery sci-fi horror, which was based on the stories written by two students – Zoe Williams and Nicola Rodgers.
The budding movie makers named their film “The Mystery of the Forgotten Soul” and scooped the Best Fiction Film Award during the ceremony. The students also scooped 2 awards back in 2009 for their Sci-fi film Buzz! Buzz Buzz! in the Zoom Young Filmmakers Awards and the annual Film Festival awards.
Nicola Rodgers aged 14 from Llantwit Fadre, who co-wrote the film and helped to create it, said: “E3+ is amazing and opportunities like this will really help us to get good careers in the media. We are all like one big family, it’s really good fun making films and its amazing to win the award for the second year, especially as we are doing something we all love.”
Hugh Griffiths, E3+ Film Workshop Tutor, said: “There’s not much to say really, as the films they have produced more than speak for themselves. All that’s left to do is to fall to my knees and praise their creativity and enthusiasm, which is so refreshing and encouraging. Through this programme the young people are beginning to get a leg up in a highly competitive industry.
The students totally dedicated themselves to their film, producing some slamming work, and they thoroughly deserve their awards. I always look forward to the E3+ filmmaking sessions. With the kids’ boundless imagination and energy, I find it easy to get caught up in the creative maelstrom and it is often hard to discern who was the teacher and who was the pupil.”
Councillor Eudine Hanagan, Cabinet Member for Education, Skills and Lifelong Learning, said: “It’s really good to see young people doing so well in activities like this and winning awards! I am pleased that they are able to have the opportunity to be involved in filmmaking and the creative industries, which could open opportunities to allow them to follow this career path. Well done!”
The film is also tipped to scoop another award at the Swansea Bay Film Festival later this year.
E3+ Film making sessions at Bryn Celynnog take place every Wednesday from 3.15pm until 5.15pm and are open to all students at the school.
If you would like to find out more about E3+ activities taking in place in your area or school call 01443 744010.
