Young people’s films win awards

Two short films created by young people and supported by the Police and Crime Commissioner for Gwent have received awards at the Blaenau Gwent Film Academy Festival.

Choice 21, a hard-hitting story of two brothers who face a difficult situation when a drug deal goes wrong, won Young People Awareness Award. The film focuses on how the simplest of choices can affect your entire life. It also won awards for Best Directors, Best Supporting Actress, Best Actor and the Blue Balloon Award at The Children's International Film Festival of Wales 2021 earlier in the year.

The Bully is inspired by a real life experience of a boy who overcame his school bullies, and took the award for Best Moral Message.

Children worked with Tredegar-based Cymru Creations as part of a Police and Crime Commissioner funded project to create the films, and were responsible for every part of the process, from developing the stories, writing the scripts, acting, filming and editing.

At the end of the project, they will receive a level one and two NVQ in film-making, and the films will be entered for an Arts Award at Trinity College London, which is seen as the equivalent to a GCSE.

Police and Crime Commissioner Jeff Cuthbert said: “As well as encouraging young people to explore serious issues such as crime and anti-social behaviour through the film making process, we are also giving them a fantastic opportunity to learn and develop skills that will benefit them in the future when they are looking for work.

“Both films are excellent, and everyone should be really proud of their hard work. I commend the young people tackling these difficult issues in a way that is both accessible and entertaining.”

Both films are available on the Blaenau Gwent Film Academy YouTube channel.