NORTHERN Ireland has three nominations in this year's Into Film Awards which take place in London on March 18 at a ceremony hosted by comic actor, director and children's literature big cheese David Walliams.
The awards are organised by the Into Film charity, which provides educational resources and activities to schools and colleges in the UK. The awards discover and honour talented and innovative young film-makers, reviewers and Into Film Clubs, as well as recognising the dedication of educators who use film as an education tool.
This year 19-year-old Mercer MacWilliam Hughes from Lisburn is competing for the Best Film Award (16-19) for Bob's Your Uncle about a bickering brother and sister who embark on a treasure hunt left to them by their late uncle in his will.
Drelincourt Primary School from Armagh is one of three schools in the running for Film Club of the Year (11 and under). The club, which is run by the P3 children, will be going to London as part of a 16-strong party of pupils and staff. The tiny rural school has a current enrolment of 20 pupils, 80 per cent of whom are EAL (English as an Additional Language) children from countries including Latvia, Lithuania, Russia, Bulgaria and Poland.
"We are absolutely thrilled beyond words to be nominated for Film Club of the year," club leader Sharon Walker and principal Eileen Trew said. "Drelincourt is a small school with young children and we are so proud of all they can do. This nomination validates their outstanding achievements and I think is a real encouragement that even little schools can do big things through film."
Another small rural school, St John's Primary School at Dernaflaw, Dungiven, has been nominated for Best Film (11 and Under) for Change Starts With Us, a film about bullying. The film was made by the P6 class of 12 pupils.
Teacher Gary Lynch said the children were "a wonderful group to teach and have worked very hard together in creating their video".
"The children and staff are buzzing with excitement as we are taking the huge trip to London for the Into Film Awards with the possibility of meeting celebrities from the film industry," he said.
Best-selling author David Walliams, whose latest blockbuster for pre-teens is The Beast of Buckingham Palace, hosts this year's ceremony after being inspired by the wealth of talent on show when he attended as a guest presenter in 2019.
"I love the Into Film Awards because it gives the opportunity to young people, from all kinds of backgrounds, to be a part of the film industry," he said. "As an actor, these young people are the future, and you want them to give you a job one day."
:: For more information about the Into Film Awards Intofilm.org/awards
