Award Nominations For Young Filmmakers
Two films created by young people from Wales have been nominated for a National Film Award.
Chucks is a short film created by nine young people aged between 13 and 17 working with Llanbrynmair company Film 15. It has been nominated in the category Best Film By Over 13’s in the First Light Awards 2010.
The film tells the story of Chuck who runs a diner in the middle of nowhere and is used to interfering villagers poking their noses into his business. When local bad boy Ted and his gang decide to make Chuck’s diner their local hangout, Chuck is forced to reveal his sinister side.
Chucks has already won the Pink Snowball Film Awards 2008, Winner of Best Fiction at the ZOOM International Young Filmmakers Award, 2009 and Glastonbury 2012 Olympics Village Screen selection, 2009
The film was written and directed by Katy Ruffy from Dolgellau and is her first short film. It was filmed at the old Machynlleth Milk Bar and starred Tom Jones from Borth, Scott Wilson from Barmouth, Cara Braia from Porthmadog and James Lucas from Machynlleth.
The Film 15 project aims to help young people find a creative voice through film. Every year 15 young people are given the chance to work with them studying filmmaking for six months.
The awards category will be judged by producer and director Fred Schepisi (Empire Falls, Fierce Creatures), Kwame Kwei-Armah (Hotel Babylon, Casualty) and Robert Sheehan (Misfits). They are up against two films from Swindon and Leeds.
The second film, Mary And The Miners, was created by a group of 46 nine and ten year olds from Cantref Primary School in Abergavenny, Monmouthshire. Working with professional filmmakers Flycatcher Films they created the short film that has been nominated in the Best Animation category.
The film is set in 1841 and tells the tale of a young girl who works in a coal mine. The stories in the film are based on real life interviews with child miners in 1841. The film will be judged by producer and director Rob Minkoff (Stuart Little, The Lion King), production designer Terry Ackland-Snow (Batman, Superman) and director John Landis (Honey I Shrunk The Kids).
The First Light Awards 2010 will held at the ODEON Leicester Square, London, on 2 March and will be hosted by Dick and Dom. First Light provides funding and expertise to enable young people aged 5 to 19, from all backgrounds in the UK, to make their own short digital films and media projects. Young people get the chance to work with professionals from the industry.
Video credit: First Light
