Young Scottish filmmakers nominated for First Light Film Awards

Young filmmakers from Edinburgh and Lanarkshire have been nominated for this month’s 2004 First Light Film Awards, which celebrate the best short films made by young people from across the UK.
Edinburgh is represented by a number of young filmmakers from Young People Speak Out, with two films nominated in the Horror category.
‘Cry Wolf’, produced by four 15-year-olds on a budget of £4600, is a tale of teenagers heading off into the woods to search for a werewolf. The second nomination, ‘The Soul Owner’, produced by fifteen young people aged between 14 and 16 on a budget of £4600, is described as “a psychological story of wishful thinking.”
Pete Gregson YPSO’s Co-ordinator is very pleased that two of their films are in the running for an award. He said: “We are all delighted. The films took a huge amount of planning and work, with not a little pain but also a lot of pleasure. We are very excited about going down to London for the awards ceremony and we have our fingers crossed for a prize.”
Lanarkshire also has two nominees, both from the group Frames Per Second Media. The first, ‘Dancing Danielle’, nominated for the Best Film Made by Under 12s, is an animation tale told in poetic pentameter about a girl who can’t stop dancing. It was made for £6000 by a dozen children aged between 10 and 11. The second film, ‘A Day in the Life of Class1b’, is nominated under the Best Comedy section and was made by nine young filmmakers aged between 15 and 17. This dark tale about an indifferent teacher was made for a budget of £6100.
Scottish young filmmakers have a great track record in this competition, taking four of the nine awards in last year’s ceremony, so hopes are high for success this time round.
The films have been judged this year by a panel of film luminaries including Kenneth Branagh, Ray Winstone, Jamie Bell, Samantha Morton, John Hannah, Joely Richardson, Rufus Sewell, Dougray Scott and Christopher Eccleston.
(GB)