Film Council’s First Light initiative releases latest round of funding

Almost 900 young people from across the UK will get the opportunity to make digital short films about subjects including Cornish pasty warfare, ninjas with a secret motive and a medieval witch transported to the 21st century, thanks to Lottery funding of over £280,000 through the UK Film Council’s First Light scheme.
Over the forthcoming months, 28 projects in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will use grants of between £700 and £36,000 from First Light, the UK Film Council’s young people’s filmmaking initiative to make 60 films.
The money has been awarded to projects in Shoreham-by-Sea, Glasgow, Penzance, Edinburgh, Chorley, Hastings, Reading, Cambridge, Stroud, Fife, Newcastle-upon–Tyne, Birmingham, Bridport, Aberdeen, Belfast, Liverpool, Swansea, Colchester, Milton Keynes, Sheffield, London and Manchester.
The films include a comedy horror set in the catacombs beneath a school; a Cornish western featuring ‘pasty warfare;’ a documentary based entirely on a mobile phone conversation; a drama about a brief encounter between two men who meet on a train; an animation featuring two snails searching for the perfect place to live; a drama mystery set in a copy shop; a Jackie Chan martial arts-style romance; a time-travel tale of a medieval witch transported to the 21st Century; a comedic take on Dirty Dancing; a ghetto musical based on Grease; and a comedy starring a heroic boy and his superhaggis sidekick.
The budding filmmakers will learn skills such as directing, scripting, acting, shooting, producing and editing.
John Woodward, the UK Film Council’s Chief Executive Officer said: “First Light gives young people the chance to learn new skills and develop their creativity through filmmaking. This funding will enable young filmmakers to project their ideas and imagination on to the big screen and will also help to develop the next generation of UK film talent.”
Films Minister Estelle Morris said: "First Light offers talented young people invaluable first-hand experience of filmmaking. It enables them to stretch their creativity and develops their skills in a practical and focused way. Initiatives like this are essential if we are to develop the talent that will steer our film industry to future success."
Catherine O’Shea, First Light Director, said: “This has been one of our strongest rounds of funding to date. I’m especially excited to see so many scripts coming in from young people; such attention to detail and creativity bodes well for the excellence of future First Light films.”
This funding will also give these young filmmakers the chance to compete at the next First Light Film Awards ceremony, the star-studded event which celebrates the best of First Light filmmaking across the UK. Judges for this year’s event included Kenneth Branagh, Jamie Bell and Dougray Scott.
First Light was launched in May 2001 to fund and inspire the making of short films, reflecting the diversity of young people's lives.
To date First Light has enabled over 7,000 young people to work with organisations and filmmakers to write, act, shoot and produce over 450 films, covering a myriad of topics and genres, using digital film technology.
(GB)