Upper Sixth A Level Film Studies students Jess Wood and Alex Warnham stepped onto the red carpet and into the limelight at Rich Mix Arts Centre on Saturday 30 January, when their films were premiered to an audience of over a hundred people. The premiere was to show the culmination of three months of filmmaking, and was followed by an awards ceremony, celebrating the achievements of the 22 young people aged 16-19 who have been honing their craft skills in film, working with Hackney based Eastside Educational Trust.
Jess picked up two awards, including the Audience choice of Best Film for her disturbing drama, Repressed. Alex won an award for Best use of a prop for his psychological thriller, The Key Within.
Throughout the three month course, which started in October, the participants worked with a range of professionals from every area of the film industry and participated in workshops and master classes to develop their skills including sound, editing, lighting and screenwriting. “It was a great experience,” enthuses Jess “we developed, scripted, shot and edited our own ideas to produce the films in a variety of genres. I’m very proud of the outcome.” Alex added “The Film Academy course has been a brilliant addition to the skills and knowledge we have gained on the A level course here at College. I’m now absolutely clear about my future career.”
Film Director, and Eastside Patron, Mo Ali, welcomed guests to Rich Mix and talked about how this is such a good opportunity, a fantastic way to showcase the creativity and talent of young people, and a great way for them to start their film making careers.
Jess and Alex, who both have been offered places at University to study Film Production, will complete their Silver Arts Award this term.
