Film Festival Success
May 4th saw our biennial NHEHS GDST Film Festival Gala night. Well done to Sophie L and Aliyyah T for taking the reigns and delivering an engaging panel of speakers and co-ordinating a fantastic screening of our Film Competition.
This year the festival put the theme `The Future’ in the spotlight and it was wonderful to see so many varied interpretations across our 25 GDST schools – praised by our panel of guests (B Welby Delimere, Mary Harrod, Mustafa Khalili and Gurinder Chadha OBE) for their authenticity and variety.
In explaining their journeys into the industry, the panel shared the common message: “If you love film, get involved – allow the freedom to experiment. But above all, get involved!”
It was wonderful to share the evening with our friends across the GDST, especially students, staff and families from all across the GDST.
Well done to our winning filmmakers:
Years 10-13 Category
Best Creativity Winner – Isobel S from NHEHS (Year 13) for “Step Outside.”
The judges said, “A stroke of genius. This filmmaker shows a clear ability to construct a message using all the creativity at her fingertips. Filmmakers with decades of experience would struggle to construct such a creative and accomplished film. A powerful and timely little gem that wouldn’t have been out of place in a moving image art exhibition.”
Best Cinematography Winner – Minnie D, Emily B with Emily S and Philippa R from Newcastle High School (Year 11) for “Smile You’re On Camera.”
The judges commented “This film genuinely conjures the chillingly deadened experience of drug-induced psychological states while working as a metaphor for societies’ wilfull blindness about certain realities and traumas. The performance by Emily Beckett is truly exceptional.”
Best Film Winner – Emma H from Newcastle High (Year 12) for “Creating My Future With Confidence.”
The judges said, “Gripping and engaging from the very first frame. Its use of self-docu style interviews was reminiscent of American Beauty and supported the themes of courage, vulnerability, hope, and dreams presented by the filmmaker. This filmmaker has a very bright future in film.”
Years 7-9 Category
Best Creativity Winner – Olivia B from NHEHS (Year 8) for “The Future of Information.”
The judges said, “A truly imaginative and boundary-pushing composition. It felt very contemporary. The use of editing, sound, colour and movement was very imaginative, visually stimulating and original.”
Best Cinematography Winner – Sienna S-K, Amelie G-B, Katherine G, Maija N from Portsmouth High School (Year 8) for “Change The Future.“
The judges commented “Based on a powerful visual storytelling premise, this film is tightly constructed, suggestively set to music and evocatively shot.”
Best Film Winner – Olivia S and Roxie R from Wimbledon High (Year 9) for “The Classroom.”
The judges said, “A very intimate portrayal of a bleak and stark dystopian future. The level of detail in the writing is to be commended. Very powerful storytelling and use of visuals to connect the different cuts and keep the viewer engaged.”
A big thank you to the GDST community for all your entries and support. We look forward to seeing you all in 2024!
