The Best of the Cambridgeshire Young Peoples Film Festival: Friday 5th June 2009: Screening 16:00
On the evening of 4th July 2008 over 1000 children, parents, teachers and invited guests met in the Cambridge Corn exchange for an Oscars‐style ceremony. The event was the culmination of the first Cambridgeshire Young People?s Film Competition organised by the Education ICT Service. A panel of professional film makers had judged the 80 submitted films from 27 Secondary, Primary, and Special Schools and individuals and selected winners in a range of categories and age ranges from 5 ‐ 19 years. The awards were sponsored and presented by a range of local and national businesses.
Helen Whiter, Director of Learning, Cambridgeshire County Council opened the event as patron of the festival. Councillor Martin Curtis presented the award for overall best film. The star turn was Will Poulter, a 15 year old actor in the recent movie Son of Rambow. Apart from his very engaging personality when interviewed on stage and when signing hundreds of autographs for children on the night, Will was a most appropriate guest of honour as Son of Rambow is itself a film about young people making a film. Those who watched Look East that day will have also seen Sally Elding from the ICT Service being interviewed as well as footage of the winning school. In May 2008 Cambridgeshire pupils as young as five years old had submitted their two-minute films to a dedicated website and then eagerly awaited the word from the judges that their film had been nominated for an award
And the winner of the overall best film award was . . . Kings Hedges Primary School for The Time Adventures of Flittin Fred. Written, filmed and starring four Year 6 pupils at the school, the film took a humorous stance to warn of the effects of Global warming. It was in the opinion of the judges, a well framed thought out production. It was well edited, used costumes and sound effectively and maintained a comical tone throughout. It was a good short film.
But it doesn?t stop there. The Education ICT Service in collaboration with the Cambridgeshire Film Consortium has already begun planning for next year?s competition and awards as a major contribution to the new Cambridgeshire Culture strategy. Film and Media is one of the seven activity areas identified within the Cambridgeshire Culture Initiative. Launched this year, Cambridgeshire Culture takes a broad view to encompass traditional and popular performing and visual arts… For more information on this visit www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk
All of the films and the build up to the Oscars style Awards Ceremony at the Cambridge Corn Exchange on July 9th 2009 can be viewed online at www.filmstarz.org.uk
In this programme we will screen this selection of winning and nominated films:
- The Time Adventures of Flittin Fred
- Hansel and Gretel
- Polar Bears
- Dreadful Deforestation
- Life After Death
The programme will be introduced by Gareth Davie one of the organisers of The Cambridgeshire Young Peoples Film Festival, who will also take a Q&A after the screening.