Young Film Fund - Studio Grant

Studio Grant

  • Funding for between two and four films of up to 10 minutes in duration
  • Maximum grant – £30,000
  • 20% match funding requirement
  • Track record of filmmaking with young people necessary

Ready to apply? Click here

Movies

  • 23 Pieces

    First Light Movies Awards 2007 Winner of Best Screenplay

    Whilst growing up Gerald was unsure who his biological father was. Following a science lesson at school he decides to piece together an image of what his genetic father would look like. An image starts to appear using DNA research to create a picture of his genetic make-up.
    Length 09’ 02”
    Aged 14-16

  • A Single Trace

    The First Light Movies Award 2010 Nominee for Best Screenplay

    Through a series of flashbacks & intricate overlays, a young girl pieces together the day she last saw her friend, Danny. Today she is attending his wake. How do teenagers cope with death? Conflicting emotions from blame to denial rage; Feelings of devastation as friendships are torn apart by a mindless act of violence. This atmospheric short portrays the tender relationship between two young people and is set against a dark and dangerous gang culture.
    Length 07’ 56”
    Aged 12-14

  • Albana's Asylum

    Albana is a young asylum seeker, who is attempting to settle in at the local secondary school after a turbulent time back in Albania. Stephanie and Alex are two classmates who feel for her after hearing her sad story. Stephanie is happy to be friends with Albana, but Alex is worried about what others may think. Eventually he changes his mind but it’s too late.
    Length 10’ 13”
    Aged 12-18

  • And it's goodbye to care

    First Light Movies Awards 2008 Nominated for Best Documentary

    The young people of Islay face a tricky decision when they come of age; should they stay on their home island in western Scotland? or make that journey to the mainland to pursue an education or career? This heart felt documentary explores the young filmmakers aspirations and emotional attachments to the island alongside opportunities available to them on Islay.
    Length 09’ 40”
    Aged 11-16

  • Babes

    First Light Movies Awards 2006 Winner of Best Documentary

    This sensitive & touching documentary was produced by 11 young parents talk about the challenges and rewards of being young mums and dads. In this beautifully presented short, they candidly discuss the adverse reactions of others, their fears for their children’s health and the sheer joy of being a family unit.
    Length 10’ 55”
    Aged 15-18

  • Backfire

    The First Light Movies Award 2010 Nominee for Best Screenplay

    A small favour can turn into a big problem but when someone asks for a favour, how can you refuse? Ryan needs something hidden, Frankie should have said no. Frankie’s paranoia grows as he imagines the various outcomes of doing Ryan’s favour. It is just too hot to handle, someone could get hurt and the whole thing might backfire.
    Length 06’ 58”
    Aged 15-17

    This film contains strong language.

  • Banished

    Zed is a boy washed up on a desert island, his punishment by a wizard for breaking a magic globe. He experiences loneliness and hardship. Helped by the island’s Parrot Girl, he makes amends. This animation evokes powerful feelings of loneliness & abandonment. This is an allegorical story reflecting the isolation experienced in the filmmakers own lives.
    Length 06’ 52”
    Aged 9-14

  • Binderella

    The First Light Movies Award 2010 Nominee for Best Film by Under 12s

    Binderella wants to go to the ball and meet the handsome Prince. Her awful step-sisters have already gone. So she talks to the flowers and the birds and even the spiders, who all help her in her quest to impress her man. Who will the prince choose? Whose hand will fit the glove? Based on the fairytale Cinderella, this imaginative and colourful animation was adapted for a contemporary audience by a group of 10 year olds.
    Length 05’ 40”
    Aged 10

  • Broken Circle

    The First Light Movies Award 2010 Nominee for Best Drama

    This atmospheric and spellbinding thriller sees a group of friends gather a year after the death of their gang leader. Everyone seems to have a reason but will the real culprit ever be revealed? With a haunting soundtrack this thriller is a modern twist on noir classics.
    Length07’ 37”
    Aged 10-18

  • Chucks

    The First Light Movies Award 2010 Nominee for Best Film by Over 13s

    Chuck runs a diner in the middle of nowhere. He can cope with interfering villagers poking their noses into his business, but when Ted and his gang decide to make the diner their local hang out, Chuck is forced to reveal his more sinister side. This is a 1950s pastiche that will have you jumping out of your seat.
    Length 09’ 27”
    Aged 13-17

  • Cityscape

    First Light Movies Awards 2008 Nominated for Best Animation

    This short film is a textured multi-layered piece where three intertwining stories are explored and then converge on a small shop hidden between a vast animated cityscape. Using special effects that blur their identities, the gripping tales unfold as the animated world blurs with reality.
    Length 07’ 00”
    Aged 10-18

  • Dangerous Relations

    First Light Movies Awards 2004 Nominated for Best Film made by Over 13s

    This quirky animated tale is a humorous look at the trials and tribulations of teenage life between siblings. A nosy brother sneaks into his sister’s bedroom to steal her diary which is full her romantic hopes and dreams. The diary ends up being circulated at school with humiliating consequences. Taking her inspiration from other cartoon feuding duos, she exacts her revenge.
    Length 06’ 44”
    Aged 16-18

  • Darkness Visible

    First Light Movies Awards 2007 Winner of Best Documentary

    Addressing key issues about stereotyping and mental health, this sensitive documentary explores the effect of labeling young people with mental health problems. With insightful interviews alongside strong symbolism this well crafted documentary provides a platform for people to start talking more openly about mental health.
    Length 11’ 12”
    Aged 15-17

  • Dear Diary, Today I Had a Baby

    This touching documentary features several teenagers talking about becoming new mothers.The film dispells the many myths & stereo types about teenage parents and positively rejoices in the joys of motherhood.
    Length 10’ 37”
    Aged 14-18

  • Director's Cut

    First Light Movies Awards 2007 Nominated for Best Drama

    A surreal take on a film premiere where the director and producer try to capture the perfect scene. We are transported into the world of film within a film and get a fresh look at a film premiere from the Director’s point of view. The result is an interesting juxtaposition between his memories of shooting a scene and what the audience sees.
    Length 08’ 45”
    Aged 16-18

  • Dirty Secret

    First Light Movies Awards 2008 Winner of Best Comedy

    Brian suddenly finds that his clothes don’t fit and his bed is too small for him. What’s brought on this mysterious growth spurt? His landlady comes to his aid when he becomes too big to leave the house and rumbles his dirty secret!
    Length 10’ 09”
    Aged 14-18

  • Dogheart

    Dazed and confused a man staggers along with bloodied hands & face. Through stylised flash-backs, we piece together the nightmare ordeal he has been through. However he is not the only one to have suffered.
    Length 04’ 27”
    Aged 16-18

  • Donkey and Bob in Sweetland

    Donkey & Bob have run out of sweets but before you can say sugar rush, they are sucked into Sweetland. There, they see tons of sweets, jars of marshmallows, bags of jellies, boxes of chocolates and even a sweetie caterpillar. They stuff themselves full until they are catapulted back into the real world.
    Length 05’ 41”
    Aged 7-8

  • Double Take

    The First Light Movies Award 2010 Nominee for Best Drama

    This tense thriller follows a young man around the streets of London as he tries to shake off his pursuers. In desperation, he calls the police for help but is met with scepticism. As his paranoia increases, are we to believe this man is being hunted or is the whole scenario a figment of his imagination? This powerful depiction was filmed using a hand-held camera to create a strong sense of emotion.
    Length 04’ 54”
    Aged 17-19

  • Eochu's Lake

    An Activison First Light Movies Award 2009 Nominee for Best Fantasy Adventure

    This 2D drawn animation set in ancient Ireland, recounts the legend of Eochu, a spoiled prince whose stubbornness brought about the creation of Loch Neagh, the largest lake in the British Isles.
    Length 06’ 56”
    Aged 8-10

  • Every Street Dreams

    First Light Movies Awards 2007 Winner of Best Animation

    This quirky film journey’s through the dreams and nightmares of residents in a typical terraced street in Manchester. Using an imaginative range of animated techniques, including claymation and computer graphics, the audience is treated to the sometimes funny and sometimes scary unconscious minds of others.
    Length 06’ 11”
    Aged 14-18

  • Exposed

    This fast paced film is a modern morality tale with amusing consequences. Dorian is caught with his trousers down as he tries to justify the vanity which has driven his girlfriend to dump him. As his justification becomes more hypocritical, he imagines he’s losing his clothes but is he just losing his mind…
    Length 05’ 35”
    Aged 15-18

  • Fast Break

    First Light Movies Awards 2007 Winner of Best Drama

    The Nike representative for American Pro Basketball is scouting on the sideline of a local game. He recognises Theo’s skills and offers him an all expenses paid trip to the US to play ball. Will an incident with a knife and his younger brother, jeopardise Theo’s chances of basketball fame?
    Length 10’ 51”
    Aged 10-18

  • Father and Son

    First Light Movies Awards 2008 Nominated for Best Screenplay

    This drama explores the relationship between a father and son whilst focusing on modern-day slavery to coincide with the 2008 bicentenary of the abolition of slavery celebrations. As he learns more about slavery in school, the boy suspects his father’s business is not being run as it should. Willl he face up to the truth?
    Length 05’ 17”
    Aged 12-13

  • Freedom Ain't Free

    First Light Movies Awards 2008 Nominated for Best Film made by Over 13s

    Influenced by the work of artists Jennifer and Kevin McCoy, this powerful docu-drama, relays the troubling stories of various young people when their world entwine whilst ordering food in a chicken restaurant. From near-fatal stabbings and mistaken arrests to parents being deported, young people share their harrowing tales with the camera. The film is a powerful portrayal of civil liberties abuses against the younger population.
    Length 09’ 35”
    Aged 16-18

  • Happy

    First Light Movies Awards 2007 Nominated for Best Drama

    Happy is the story of the modern craze of happy-slapping whereby teenagers assault strangers for no reason and the attacks are captured by their friends using mobile phone cameras. These clips are then sent onto to other mobile users as a form of amusement. The film follows Rosie, who is regarded as Europe’s finest happy-slapper, and how her conscience intervened and she finally stopped happy-slapping.
    Length 08’40”
    Aged 15-18

  • Happy Cloud

    The First Light Movies Award 2010 Nominee for Best Comedy

    Kids TV show, Happy Cloud, is losing viewers. In an attempt to boost ratings, the director brings in Jiggy Bigwig to give his cast a makeover. As the show’s star, ‘Happy Cloud’ is not happy with the changes until he realizes change could mean the opportunity of winning some prestigious awards! However a bump on the head & a visit from the Awards Fairy shows him his future self & how the show hits the headlines for all the wrong reasons.
    Length 05’ 24”
    Aged 7-18

  • Hillfort - The Lost World of Ely

    First Light Movies Awards 2006 Nominated for Best Documentary

    This touching documentary was made by pupils from Trelai primary school using live action and animation. It explores the colourful history of the ancient fort in Ely, an area of Cardiff thought to be the oldest settlement in Wales. The area survived many changes from its beginnings as an Iron Age hillfort, through the Roman invasion, a Norman church was built and then was finally used as farmland to feed the growing population of Cardiff.
    Length 6’ 30”
    Aged 9-10

  • Horse Power

    First Light Movies Awards 2008 Nominated for Best Comedy

    This wacky documentary is both heart-warming & funny. It follows a group of young people as they attempt to break the world record for running 100m in a pantomime horse costume!
    Length 05’ 22”
    Aged 14-16

  • How the Draig Came to Fly for Wales

    A local myth is told to a class of children, they are taken back to a time when a village lives in fear of a dragon and anything that goes wrong, and villagers blame the dragon. With their firewood ruined and facing a long cold winter, the villagers hatch a plan to capture the dragon to keep it as a slave to light their fires. Nia, a young girl is selected to capture the dragon….
    Length 10’ 03”
    Age 5-6

  • Import Export

    This drama looks back through the ages of slavery as it celebrated the 200 anniversary of the abolition of slavery.
    Length 05’ 42”
    Aged 14-15

  • Innocent

    First Light Movies Awards 2006 Nominated for Best Film by Over 13s

    A little girl stands to the side of a country road. When cars stop, the occupants are lured out and off the beaten track to a nearby wood. The little girl is last seen entering a derelict shack. All she wants is some more friends to play with. This atmospheric & spooky short builds tension with some classic suspense techniques accompanied by a great soundtrack.
    Length 06’ 35”
    Aged 6-17

  • Just in a Days Work

    Two parallel worlds unwittingly collide when a young lad in Liverpool decides he needs a replacement pair of trainers. Illustrating the disposable culture of the west, his mum throws his repairable trainers away and replaces them with a brand new pair. The film contrasts the sadly modern day issue of child slavery in the developing world against the experience of a western child attending regular school.
    Length 05’ 00”
    Aged 13

  • Last Chance Final Rep

    An Activison First Light Movies Award 2009 Nominee for Best Drama

    This atmospheric drama explores the pressures in a young weightlifter’s life as he tries to conquer his fears and win a competition. Will the demands of his home & work life take their toll on his sporting chance? It was based on a story submitted to a script competition by a young person who had previously worked on a First Light film and who returned to make this film as a peer mentor.
    Length 08’ 33”
    Aged 12-19

  • Life Goes On

    Three young women discuss the difficulties facing them as teenage mothers using reinactments of those situations.
    Length 11’ 44”
    Aged 13-18

  • Life on the Edge

    An Activison First Light Movies Award 2009 Nominee for Best Screenplay

    This serious drama explores the complex issue of arranged marriage within the Asian community in Britain, entwining two different scenarios. Sixth formers Aleesha and Kashif are friends who have to deal with family pressure, social demands and true love. Both face questions about their culture and identity. However, whilst one accepts and embraces tradition, the other rails against it.
    Length 10’ 13”
    Aged 14-18

  • Loose Shoes

    First Light Movies Awards 2006 Nominated for Best Thriller

    A boy wakes up in a park where he appears to have crashed a car. Jim, a friendly stranger, takes him to his dilapidated cabin where he takes care of his cuts & bruises. As the boy’s strength returns, he finds himself the centre of some ghoulish feud. Will his purgatory end if he crosses over the bridge or continue if he stays with Jim?
    Length 9’ 25”
    Aged 14-18

  • Lost

    Made by 30 young filmmakers, this animated film is an inter-woven series of stories exploring the emotions, senses and experiences associated with being lost.
    Length 08’ 00”
    Aged 7

  • Luv Texty

    First Light Movies Awards 2007 Nominated for Best Comedy

    Echoing Cyrano de Bergerac, a young boy is bullied into wooing the hot girl on the block on behalf of his mate but ends up falling for her charms himself. He plagiarizes 19th century poetry to use in his text messages resulting in a surprising and entertaining collision.
    Length 06’ 30”
    Aged 15-18

  • Mary and the Miners

    The First Light Movies Award 2010 Nominee for Best Animation

    It’s 1841 and Mary Watkins is 10 years old and works in a coalmine. She takes us through her day, introducing us to her friend and three brothers who work in the mine alongside their father. This beautifully crafted animation was based on the real life testimonies of child miners in the 19th century.
    Length 05’ 56”
    Aged 10-11

  • Matrimonoids

    First Light Movies Awards 2007 Nominated for Best Animation

    This mesmerizing animation blends beautifully a simple style with an innovative soundtrack. The film’s effective black and white drawings transport us to a surreal world of a Martian invasion where space ships beam up cows and cars grow legs set against a background of rain and fire.
    Length 04’ 53”
    Aged 15-17

  • Meanwhile

    People become homeless for many reasons and always struggle to find their feet when rebuilding their lives. This film follows a group of people using gardening as a way through the difficulties they face.
    Length 05’ 52”
    Aged 15-17

  • Molly Moplegs

    An Activison First Light Movies Award 2009 Nominee for Best Horror

    This dark tale tells the story of Molly, a girl who pays the price for refusing to do her chores. Combining bleak visual imagery, a relentless and unsettling musical score and downright creepy characters, the result is an effective, accomplished and unnerving viewing experience.
    Length 10’07”
    Aged 11-16

  • Mothering Nature

    First Light Movies Awards 2007 Winner of Best Film by Over 13s

    Mitchell is a lonely man with learning difficulties trying to cope with his mother’s death. The strong influence she has had in his life leaves him with an instinctive kindness and maternal feeling often misinterpreted by modern society. One day he finds a baby… A controversial and thought-provoking film.

    Read what one of the filmmakers on this film are up to now.

    Length 11’ 30”
    Aged 14 – 18

  • Nitty Nora

    Growing up and getting through some tough times leaves a girl with an alter-ego who follows her everywhere she goes. Can she leave Nitty Nora behind?
    A young girl talks direct to camera of a moment from her childhood that defines and still effect’s her today. The film is the story of that moment and how she tries to move on from it.
    Length 05’ 01”
    Aged 14-18

  • Not Cricket

    Winner of The Activison First Light Award 2009 for Best Screenplay

    Young Aamir loves cricket. So does his father. Their passion for the game is the only thing that ties them together. Aamir is the greatest bowler on the street until a new player joins the team’s game of street cricket – a GIRL! With a bit of help from a magic cricket ball, Aamir hopes he can win his title back, but something is playing on his conscience. This film is definitely not about cricket.
    Length 10’ 00”
    Aged 11-16

  • One Man's Walk

    The First Light Movies Award 2010 Nominee for Best Film by Over 13s

    A boy walks down a street. We do not see his face. He is the event but we don’t know why. He tells us his likes and dislikes as he passes through the streets of his hometown. Finally we see his face and understand.
    Length 01’ 30”
    Aged 14-18

  • One Week Later

    An Activison First Light Movies Award 2009 Nominee for Best Drama

    This school based drama cleverly details intricate events that are played out in just one week of the school year. Told through the eyes of a younger pupil, he surveys the relationships his brother, Sonny, has with his peer group. As revelations and misunderstandings occur, due to the misuse of the ubiquitous mobile phone, the week’s events come to a climax on a Friday afternoon.
    Length 09’37”
    Aged 13-15

  • Out of Depth

    Danny says he loves Daisy & will support her when the baby comes. Sadly the strain of a new baby takes its toll on their relationship & we see Daisy struggling to cope as a single mum.
    Length 09’ 07”
    Aged 15-18

  • Outbreak

    The First Light Movies Award 2010 Nominee for Best Drama

    Trapped in a house with an infestation of the un-dead, four survivors are thrown together. They must help each other to escape. Will they make it out alive?
    Length 08’ 30”
    Aged 8-18

  • Past Caring Part One

    An Activison First Light Movies Award 2009 Nominee for Best Thriller

    This film, the first in a trilogy of fantasy films, brings teenagers Chris and Jenny together to foil the evil plans of a headmaster with a powerful instant camera.
    Length 05’ 02”
    Aged 10-14

  • Personal Demons

    First Light Movies Awards 2007 Nominated for Best Documentary

    Through this touching documentary, a group of young people give voice to their personal demons. All the participants of the documentary have frustrations in their life that they can’t control, whether it’s a peanut allergy, a physical disability or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Personal Demons was created and produced by 32 young people all of whom have disabilities.
    Length 09’ 58”
    Aged 12-18

  • Photo-Cyclist

    Sometimes it takes more than language to communicate how you feel. Whilst attempting to learn English Leo takes photographs and writes in his notebook anything that he notices whilst out and about on his paper-round. Through problems he faces from other young people and his growing affection for a strange girl, he finds other ways to communicate.
    Length 10’ 14”
    Aged 14-18

  • Pinnacle Man

    An Activison First Light Movies Award 2009 Nominee for Best Thriller

    Set in Liverpool in 2081, the sterile apartments of the rich are set high above the grim realities of life at ground level. This slick and gripping sci-fi drama explores the relationship between Lennon, a wealthy property mogul and Kaolin, a ground level girl.
    Length 09’ 59”
    Aged 7-18

  • Punk As!

    Matt sings and Luke is the drummer. They’re passionate about their band Gutfish. However Matt’s drinking starts to interfere with the band & it’s path to fame. By supporting Tiny Elvis, they may get the chance to go on tour to Sweden but Luke has had enough. Edith Bowman plays a part in the film.
    Length 12’ 40”
    Aged 14-18

  • Return of the Forgotten

    A group of mates dare one another to spend the night in a castle to see if there are such things as ghosts. The sceptics in the group soon realise there is more to the castle at night than in the day. Using scary special-effects & ghoulish make-up, this horror short tells of times gone by when ghosts & witches were a part of the real world.
    Length 09’ 10”
    Aged 14-15

  • Revenge of the Rubbish

    This environmental documentary investigates who is dropping rubbish on Brighton’s beach. Punctuated with some animated rubbish and an interview with Brighton celebrity Norman Cook AKA Fat Boy Slim on his own beach, the young people have provided a very insightful film.

  • Road

    A man and a woman wake up in the middle of a country road covered in blood; one has lost their sight and the other their hearing. The action is seen through the eyes of the onscreen characters creating a suffocating atmosphere of fear and uncertainty. As they both begin to realise their predicament, panic starts to set in.
    Length 04’ 38”
    Aged 15-18

  • Round and Round

    An Activison First Light Movies Award 2009 Nominee for Best Screenplay

    Alex is on probation and trying to go straight; he’s working in a bike shop and saving up for his dream bike. his friend, tee, thinks he’s a fool however, and steals the bike leaving Alex in turmoil as he knows he’ll get the blame.
    Length 11’ 40”
    Aged 16-18

  • Seaweed

    Roeroe is learning the ways of his tribe and is well on the way to earning respect. He is on the brink of becoming a man. One day he meets with a stranger who leads him down a path away from family, tribe and respect. This is a cautionary tale about life-style choices & addiction, cleverly crafted into an animated folk story.
    Length 07’ 56”
    Aged 14-18

  • Seeing is Believing

    First Light Movies Awards 2008 Nominated for Best Screenplay

    Gemma is spending too much time with her new university mates and is neglecting her boyfriend. It’s OK though as friend Sarah is on hand to help out – or is she! This classic love triangle drama tests the couples’ ultimate trust of one another on a night out down at the local pub.
    Length 09’ 59”
    Aged 14-18

  • Seeking

    First Light Movies Awards 2004 Nominated for Best Documentary

    Honest and well researched documentary about asylum seekers and refugees based in Milton Keynes, offering various sides to the argument, particularly the case for those under 18. Highlighting the general publics ignorance of what asylum means & the role the media plays in propogating these myths.
    Length 09’ 35”
    Aged 16-18

  • Seven Strokes

    This delightful animation is set in Beijing, London and a magical forest. A young boy is sucked down a sink while washing dishes in his family’s failing noodle bar, to find himself challenged by Sun Wu Kong, the Monkey King. Modern lateral thinking, determination and knowledge of noodle magic all helps to save the day.
    Length 07’ 32”
    Aged 5-18

  • Show and Tell

    The First Light Movies Award 2010 Nominee for Best Comedy

    Topaz lives with Grandma. An angel on the outside, she is a devil in disguise. Short skirts and attitude, and, when the teacher sets an exercise in Art class, Topaz delivers rather more than expected! Topaz is on a collision course with authority and the consequences resulting from her actions.
    Length 09’ 56”
    Aged 14-21

    This film contains strong language.

    All participants in First Light projects should be aged between five and 19 years old. However there are opportunities for organisations working with young people with learning difficulties and/or disabilities to increase the age range up to 25.

  • Silent Song

    A boy persists in trying to romance a girl who continually rejects him. Trapped in her world of repetitive behaviours, the film highlights the restraining factors of suffering with OCD, (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder). Using some spooky flash-backs, this atmospheric piece follows the girl’s journey to reconciliation with herself & now that the boy no longer visits.
    Length 07’ 32”
    Aged 15-18

  • Site Crew

    Honest documentary about the lives of young people from a travelling community based in Dorset.
    Length 09’ 59”
    Aged 5-18

  • Skool Daze

    An Activison First Light Movies Award 2009 Nominee for Best Film by Under 12’s

    A girl falls asleep in class and is transported back to Victorian times where education is cruelly administered with pupils frightened to speak their own language. The film deals in a humorous way with the nineteenth century attitude to the Welsh language and was made in a Welsh primary school in Cardiff.
    Length 09’ 10”
    Aged 9-10

  • Son and Heir

    A restorer discovers a ghost-image in a family portrait that reveals the sad tale of a mine owner who refused to install safety apparatus in his mine. He refuses because of cost, despite his son’s protests. His son sets out to prove him wrong but a tragedy costs him dear.
    Length 04’ 50”
    Age 14-18

  • Songs of Innocence

    First Light Movies Awards 2003 Nominated for Best Documentary

    What one piece of advice would you give to a new life? This charming film sees a nest containing an egg handed to members of the general public, in the hope they will enlighten this new life with the ways of the world.
    Length 05’ 00”
    Aged 17-18

  • Spying

    First Light Movies Awards 2007 Winner of Best Comedy

    This hilarious spoof detective documentary follows the slightly geeky, but very likable Stan. He relies on donuts and his mum to help him with his detective work, which essentially amounts to him stalking Sarah, but does she know he’s following her?
    Length 10’ 23”
    Aged 15-18

  • Sticks and Stones

    First Light Movies Awards 2006 Nominated for Best Documentary

    This powerful and moving documentary explores young people and violence through the stories of their victims and those of the perpetrators. There are victims of crime, victims of circumstance and victims of the system. How will this cycle of abuse be severed?
    Length 11’ 00”
    Aged 14-18

  • Street of Cafes

    The cafe is an institution as famous as the English breakfast. Yet in one street in south London we find over ten cafes serving Chinese, Thai, Greek and Italian food while all serving eggs, chips and beans. The people, the food they serve and eat and the street itself, are all evidence of just how multi-cultural London is.
    Length 05’ 25”
    Aged 15-17

  • Strings Attached

    Buy her a birthday present, collect her from the airport, make her happy; Johnny needs to get it right. He needs to do it all in a hurry, but has he bought her present with no strings attached?
    Length 09’ 59”
    Age 14-18

  • Tea Leaf

    A young waitress wiles away her hours of work by creating stories about the lives of her customers; Imagining what do they do? where do they live? Creating characters for herself that are just ordinary folk.
    Length 06’ 17”
    Aged 16-18

  • Teenager

    Sidney’s mother has been beaten again after a drunken row with his step-father. Looking for a way to escape, Sidney plans on leaving home to go to college. Can he leave his little sister with their parents alone? This is a powerful drama with some disturbing scenes.
    Length 10’ 10”
    Aged 14-18

  • The Amazing Adventure of the Plastic Bag

    First Light Movies Awards 2008 Nominated for Best Film made by Under 12s

    A group of young filmmakers investigate the problems that plastic bags cause to the environment. From interviews with the local vet and fishermen the young filmmakers chart the journey that a plastic bag can make and the harmful effects that it causes. They even capture some rare interview footage with one of the pesky plastic bags, which adds a welcomed light-hearted look at a very serious issue!
    Length 10’ 10”
    Aged 7-8

  • The Bacon Boy

    The First Light Movies Award 2010 Nominee for

    Best Screenplay & Best Original Music

    The date is 2013 and it is one year on from the introduction of a Europe-wide meat ban. In a small Scottish village, temptation from a mysterious stranger proves too much for some. Will the locals fall into a life of unlawful indulgence, or will the efforts of young Katie Goodheart be enough to overcome the Bacon Boy?
    Length 10’ 00”
    Aged 12-19

  • The Book

    First Light Movies Awards 2007 Nominated for Best Film by 12s & Under

    A group of children on a school outing to the local library discover spooky goings-on. This live action thriller is set in Bristol Central Library where a ghostly monk is said to haunt the galleries, but is he real?
    Length 08’ 49”
    Aged 10-11

  • The Caretakers

    First Light Movies Awards 2007 Nominated for Best Horror

    Charlie goes for a job as a cleaner in a local building but when she turns up for the interview she finds an empty, spooky old building. Furthermore a mysterious voice guides her to the office where the interview becomes deadly. Using classic suspense techniques, a zombie horror is created.
    Length 07’ 19”
    Aged 16-18

  • The Child and Me

    First Light Movies Awards 2008 Winner of Best Documentary

    This documentary charts a group of 11-year-olds as they prepare to make the journey from primary to secondary school. Through the film the young people explore what makes them childlike and what makes them more mature as they discuss their excitement of moving into a new school and the next stage of their lives.
    Length 07’ 09”
    Aged 11

  • The Dark at the Top of the Stairs

    This tense thriller sees two people that appear to be in a room as part of an experiment. One plays interrogator & the other his experiment. The debate is philosophical and begins to get more heated, each trying to out manoeuvre the other. As the discussion develops we are uncertain as to whose reality we are a part. Anthony Stewart Head plays oneof the main characters.
    Length 12’ 22”
    Aged 16-18

  • The Day The Lights Went Out

    A group of friends are playing on the beach when a storm breaks suddenly & they run for shelter. The Lighthouse is nearest to them & the elderly lighthouse keeper invites them in to take refuge. However all is not all what it seems…
    Length 06’ 54”
    Aged 10

  • The Greatest Football Match in the World

    The First Light Movies Award 2010 Nominee for Best Original Music

    Latin American footballers, the Music Blazers are in town. Resident team, the Black Diamonds, is feeling the pressure even though they have a sack full of trophies. Even so, the Black Diamonds invade the pitch & take on the Music Blazers. An insider tip-off reveals the Music Blazers Achilles’ heel. Will it be the music or the football that wins the day?
    Length 09’ 00”
    Aged 10-11

  • The Island

    An Activison First Light Movies Award 2009 Nominee for Best Animation

    This charming animation tells of a possessive polar bear bent on keeping his ice island to himself against the wishes of a very determined penguin! A full scale sparring match ensues whilst the ice island drifts off towards the Bahamas and rather more laid-back parrot.
    Length 04’ 28”
    Aged 9-16

  • The Power of Black Hair

    This creative documentary follows the history of black hair through the ages, using famous people or episodes from the time. Using mixed media techniques & an engaging soundtrack, the film uses re-enactments of key moments in the evolution of black hairdressing, illustrating that hairstyling is not simply a fashion trend but a reflection of cultural change.
    Length 07’ 38”
    Aged 11-12

  • The Reserve

    The Reserve is a place where a group of very different people come together. The reason for which is not certain, what is certain is The Reserve is familiar to none. A drug dealer with a moral dilemma, a smart but arrogant boffin with an attitude to match, an indie waster, an Irish girl with strong beliefs and a kidnapped Russian. The group has to decide who can leave to carry on with their life.
    Length 10’ 08”
    Aged 16-18

  • The Singing Banana Bomb

    First Light Movies Awards 2008 Nominated for Best Film made by Under 12s

    This is a charming and colourful animated tale of an inventor who creates a singing banana bomb that can shower civilians with food, music and money, bringing peace to war-torn countries like Iraq.
    Length 04’ 59”
    Aged 9

  • The Three Sisters

    An animated fable about the legend of the King’s three sisters and Lough Neagh, made by a group of eight to 10-year-olds.

  • This Was Forever

    An Activison First Light Movies Award 2009 Nominee for Best Film Over 13s

    Set in east london, the location of the 2012 olympics, this documentary follows a community’s battle to prevent their allotments being swallowed up in the development plans. This is a powerful film looks at what happens when a diverse group of people are united in despair about the effects of change.
    Length 10’ 06”
    Aged 15-17

  • Three Wishes

    An animated story, permeated with kindness, humour, innocence and pride in local identity. It follows a woodsman’s encounter with a lost fairy in a magical wood. Offered three, he is delighted, however what comes to pass is not exactly what the poor man had in mind.
    Length 03’ 30”
    Age 9-10

  • Underground High

    This documentary opens up the world of skaters & discusses the various cultural attributes of the scene. The hottest topic to debate is the legality of grafs or graffiti; Are these young people the talented future of Bristish art or willful crimminals with no respect for property?
    Length 08’ 56”
    Aged 15-18

  • W.I.L.D

    An Activison First Light Movies Award 2009 Nominee for Best Film by Over 13’s

    This sci-fi adventure chronicles the results of a scientist’s attempts to beat a deadly virus with the power of lucid dreams. With amazing special effects and acrobatic fight scenes this is an action packed and uncompromising work of the imagination. Working on this project made the young filmmakers realise the huge range of possibilities in their ideas. They gained a confidence in their abilities and learned to the value of taking risks and making mistakes in order to further develop their skills and understanding.

  • Walk This Way

    First Light Movies Awards 2007 Nominated for Best Comedy

    This spoof documentary follows a group of ramblers happy in their natural habitat of the scenic Derbyshire countryside. The film analyzes these strange creatures that appear in packs in the summer months with their rambling gear, walking sticks and hiking equipment ready to engage in the great outdoors!
    Length: 09’ 09”
    Aged 12-18

  • Ware U At?

    An Activison First Light Movies Award 2009 Nominee for Best Drama

    This is a contemporary film reflecting the emotions, stresses and decisions of two young people in urban South Wales. Set during a long, humid afternoon Ashleigh and Daniel struggle with peer pressure and the consequences of their actions.
    Length 09’35”
    Aged 12-18

  • What's in Store

    An Activison First Light Movies Award 2009 Nominee for Best Film by Under 12’s

    As a caretaker leaves a school, the contents of her store cupboard slowly come to life: mannequins start whispering, shuttlecocks leapfrog, toilet rolls unravel, toy cars race off and sweets escape. Driven by a musical soundtrack made up of real sounds this film brings inanimate objects to life.
    Length 05’ 46”
    Aged 9-10

  • Which Witch?

    First Light Movies Awards 2007 Nominated for Best Animation

    Two plasticine witches have been tidied away in their cardboard boxes, but once the door is closed they come alive for a magic duel. This is a charming and fun claymation film where spells are thrown back and forth between the rival witches, but are they being serious or is this just a typical night of entertainment between two friends?
    Length 07’ 38”
    Aged 8-10

  • Who Cares?

    Using a combination of live action & animation, a group of young carers reveal their frustrations & aspirations. This creative documentary is inspirational in that it acknowledges the difficulties of being a carer but also the rewards.
    Length 06’ 40”
    Aged 11-15

  • Wonderful World

    The First Light Movies Award 2010 Nominee for Best Animation

    Fir cone hedgehogs, pipe cleaner tadpoles and stickle brick flowers make up the shifting scenery in this charming animation. Created from objects found, this delightful short, journey’s through a year in the countryside, imaginatively animating nature and the changing seasons.
    Length 05’ 01”
    Aged 8-10

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