Winners 2018

POTTY THE PLANT

Middlesex University Director: Aeddan Sussex Producer: Taliah Lamont

A dark-comedy musical featuring Potty, the talking and singing potted plant. When a child goes missing on blood test day, it’s up to Potty and the rest of the staff at Little BooBoo’s children hospital to uncover the true identity of the mysterious Dr. Acula. Our jury were very impressed with the production design, level of energy and general technical expertise on display in this bold and funny film.

WRITING HOME

University of the West of Scotland Directors: Nagham Abboud, Alekson Dall Armelina, Miriam Valesco Producers: Mark Coffey, Jannik Ohlendieck

A film about Daniel Doran, an author enjoys a luxurious but vacuous London lifestyle who reluctantly returns home to his Irish village to face the far less glamorous reality of the community he left behind. Our judges praised the slick production, technical expertise and strong performances.

Sponsored by The Open University

BBC TEACH WEBSITE

BBC Learning Producer: Sam Datta-Paulin Executive/Series Producer: Andrew Tomlinson

This educational website is a collection of resources aimed at teachers throughout the UK and contains thousands of free, curriculum mapped classroom videos. The film submitted was: When I Worry About Things, which features the real testimony of young people who have suffered with mental illness, put to moving animated sequences. Our judging panel thought it would be a very suitable film to educate young people about mental illness.

WE ARE STORY

Falmouth University Director: Alex Falconer Producer: Christopher Morris

A 50-second promotional film designed to capture the essence of the Film and Television School at Falmouth University. Judges praised the high production values, strong branding and said it conveyed the school’s facilities very well.

SCREWBALL!

CTVC Ltd/TrueTube Director: Adam Tyler Producers: Bob Ayres, Adam Tyler, Kim Roden Executive/Series Producer: Caroline Matthews

Screwball! is a comedy drama about Ryan and Natalie – two young people struggling through their first sexual encounter, and having to deal with each other’s expectations. The judges felt this was a hard topic to tackle but that the production met its objectives and praised the tone and overall message.

A VISIT TO A FAMILY HOME

The Open University Director: Duska Zagorac Executive Producers: Sian Hamlett (Hamlett Films) and Emma Piquemal

This is a drama portraying a home visit to a family by a social worker. The scenario features a potential grooming case about a 16-year-old who has been seeing an older man. The judges praised the technical expertise and stated it would be an excellent learning tool, authentically tackling a challenging issue.

RAPED: MY STORY

Lambent Productions Director and Producer: Catey Sexton Executive/Series Producer: Emma Wakefield, Ollie Tait

A film about 10 people who have been raped and speak out for the first time. Only one of their stories will end with a guilty verdict. Their extraordinarily honest accounts reveal first-hand how a case is won or lost. The judges commented that the film’s objectives were clearly met in the first minutes and praise the brave and powerful contribution from the interviewees.

MEMORY ITN

Productions Education Director: Dan Mills Producer: Sonia Mullett Executive Producers: Stephen Haggard/Adam Salkeld

A three-minute English Language Teaching video on the topic ‘Memory’, creatively weaving a classic archive TV series featuring real life characters and authentic language. The judges commented that this would be a fun and engaging film for foreign language students praise the seamless integration of archive material.

Sponsored by The Open University

INTO THE LOOKING GLASS – How Selfie Culture is Preparing us to Meet our Future Selves

Aberystwyth University Directors: Greg Bevan, Glen Creeber

A 24-minute essay on selfie culture and screen technology. Rather than simply illustrate the script, the selected audio-visual materials attempt to offer a more engaging experience for the viewer by responding to and entering into dialogue with the spoken text. The judges praised the very high production value and pointed out the painstaking research that gone into it, with sources spanning over 100 years.

10% SERVICE CHARGE

Manchester Film School, The Manchester College Director: Alison Wenner Producer: Miguel Ramos Executive Producer: Jim Grainger

A short film that uses humour and romance to raise the issue of gratuities to people who work in the hospitality industry. The judging panel praised the slick production, excellent lighting and felt the level of humour was spot on.

ANIMAL

University of Westminster Director: Alexander Cole Producer: Polly Rosier

When pushed to breaking point, Rose makes a split decision to do something she knows will unleash the violence and animalistic nature ingrained in every human. Our jury praised the excellent cinematography and the sound design that captured the atmosphere of the eerie forest.

WRITING HOME

University of the West of Scotland Directors: Nagham Abboud, Alekson Dall Armelina, Miriam Valesco Producers: Mark Coffey, Jannik Ohlendieck

A film about Daniel Doran, an author enjoys a luxurious but vacuous London lifestyle who reluctantly returns home to his Irish village to face the far less glamorous reality of the community he left behind. Our judges praised the slick production, technical expertise and strong performances.

SELF MADE MAN

University of Westminster Director: Yasmin Afifi Producer: Harry Taylor

In this film Harry, a transgender filmmaker, has been watching Finn vlog about his gender transition, mental health and recovery from alcoholism for four years. He contacts Finn to suggest making a documentary about Finn’s process, using re-enactments, but the film ends up being more about Harry confronting issues around his own transition. Our judges commended the film’s authenticity and praised excellent handling of a very important subject matter.