Students Honoured At Young Peoples’ Media Festival

The University of Sunderland has hosted the Royal Television Society (RTS) North East and Borders Centre, Young Peoples’ Media Festival (YPMF). The festival celebrates work from students, schools and colleges throughout the North East, North Yorkshire, and Cumbria at events for junior and senior pupils.

BBC TV’s Wolfblood star Rachel Teate and BBC senior producer and presenter Chris Jackson hosted the events. Tony Edwards, Festival Director and Joanna Makepeace, Chair of the Judges awarded the certificates to the winning teams and those commended. Fellow Wolfblood actor Bobby Lockwood presented the specially designed and RTS approved trophies to winning entrants at the Senior Event.
This showcase event for young filmmakers has been running in the region for more than two decades and has proved an important stepping stone for would-be producers and directors aged from five to 19. There were more than 40 entries which involved nearly 180 young people across both events and they were judged for their creativity, storytelling, craft skills, originality and the creativity shown by the entrants.
Benton Park Primary School won the Junior Event with their piece The Mask which centred on bullying.
The Senior Awards were split into separate categories. The Drama Category was won by the William Howard School, Brampton based in Cumbria, with their film The Lantern. Gone, an individual entry from Katie Stubbs and Emily Bowles was awarded an RTS Commendation Certificate.
We Will Know What It Is from Durham Sixth Form Centre was awarded a RTS Commendation Certificate in the Entertainment Category.
In the Factual Category the winner was Kitman, an individual entry from Alex Ayre, Joe Kroese and Adam Young. Just One Scratch from William Howard School was awarded a RTS Commendation Certificate.
The Professionally Supported Category is designed to attract entries from those courses run for young people, who have the benefit of support from professionals in the industry. This year there were a significant number of entries in this category, and the winner was Traveller from Northern Stars based in Newcastle.
The awards took place in the digital cinema of the prestigious David Puttnam Media Centre on the University’s Sir Tom Cowie Campus at St Peter’s on the banks of the River Wear.
Graeme Thompson, Dean of Arts Design and Media at the Universityof Sunderland, said: "I am delighted we were able to host more than 200 young people and their teachers at these events. As a university we are passionate about creativity and believe young people should be given every encouragement to grow their talent. Bringing together the students of the future with the professionals of the present was a real privilege."
Tony Edwards, Director of the Festival and member of the RTS Regional Committee, said: "During the past year we have seen media and media studies, in my view, wrongly downgraded in schools and colleges and this has seen many people now working independently. The process and product of media production encompasses a wide range of skills valuable for young people. These range from numeracy and literacy, to time keeping, team working and creativity. These are vital skills for young people to master in their adult life.
"This year’s work has seen the talent that the North East has and some of the work really has been truly exceptional.
"I think the most important thing about this competition is to give reward and encouragement to our young people’s creativity and commitment. An RTS Certificate is that recognition."
In addition to the University of Sunderland, other sponsors for the event were Gateshead College, Teesside University, Ubisoft Recollections and the RTS.
(MH/IT)