SCOTTISH pupils have scooped national awards at the 2017 Into Film Awards for their “exceptional” achievements in filmmaking and film reviewing.
The pupils rubbed shoulders with Bond star Daniel Craig and Oscar-winner Eddie Redmayne at the red carpet ceremony in London where they received their awards.
Dylan-Starr Adams, a teenage film reviewer and programmer from Edinburgh, won a Ones To Watch award, presented by actor Charles Dance.
“I feel gobsmacked to win this award although it’s the culmination of years of hard work,” he said.
“Being in a room filled with so much raw talent, even at such a young age, is really inspiring.
It shows that everyone can get info film, of any age – it’s just an amazing experience.”
Children from Arbroath’s Timmergreens Primary were also invited on stage with actor Eddie Fox to pick up an award for their short animation film Tim And Sky’s Adventure.
Their film was made as part of a See It Make It primary project with filmmaker Andrew Low, and supported by National Lottery funding.
Other winners included excited pupils from John Paul Academy in Glasgow, who were presented with the Film Club of the Year award by Theory of Everything star Redmayne, who is an Into Film Ambassador.
The award, which recognises the club’s exceptional commitment to using film as an educational resource, was a special win for the club, who have been nominated three times previously.
The club, which is open to students from S1 to S6 and timetabled as classes within the school’s commitment to vocational studies, has been running for more than four years, and prides itself on its inclusive and student-led approach.
The members, many of whom have cognitive processing difficulties or English as a second language, find that film provides them with a universal language.
Redmayne said the enthusiasm of all the pupils was inspiring.
“I feel like ‘inspiring’ is a word that gets thrown around, but some of the films I’ve seen up there and some of the people, both the students and the teachers, it’s sent me off with a skip in my step," he said. "It’s been brilliant."
Schools, youth organisations and students from all over the UK entered the awards, with short film nominations exploring a wide range of topics including the environment, refugees, bullying, disability, gender, space exploration and growing up.
The non-filmmaking categories, such as film clubs of the year, reviewers of the year and teacher of the year, recognised creative use of film as an educational tool in school.
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