Tuesday, July 08, 2008

The youth of today ...

... have so much potential.

Given the right opportunities and encouragement, they are capable of mindblowing achievements.

Here's an example.
Remember I told you about the films First Born was involved in at school with Cineclub?
(See here and here.)

Today saw us back at the British Film Institute on the South Bank -
- one of the most prestigious venues in the country.

The cinema was packed full for the Silver Star awards - Cineclub's version of the Oscars.
Films were nominated in 8 different categories.
FB & friends' film was chosen from a host of other entries to be one of 11 schools nominated for the Cineclub choice award.

Considering this was their first ever film, the nomination is a massive credit to their ingenuity, talent, creativity and hard work.
In fact ALL the films were amazing.
A combination of the skills imparted by the Cineclub professionals, the commitment of the teachers who had given their time freely out of school hours and - most of all - the sheer breadth of imagination of these kids resulted in some staggering work.

Cineclub started in 2004 and since then has helped over 3500 young people to script, shoot and edit over 350 films, with the proviso that the students themselves take control of the whole process.

This is no patronising, lowest-common-denominator initiative.
The films produced are of a very high standard by any reckoning.
Cineclub itself is partnered by BFI, Film London and Empire magazine and the workers who facilitate the schools are all professionals working in the film industry as directors, scriptwriters etc.

And the schools themselves are not exclusive bastions of wealth and privilege -
- in fact some are among the roughest and toughest in the country.

FB's film didn't win the award, though we were told they were in the final 3.
You can see all the winners on the Cineclub site.

And if you haven't seen it already, you can see Retribution here.

3 comments:

Sharon J said...

I recently had a rather heated discussion with somebody who insisted that we ought to tar all young people with the same brush because you just never know who's potentially dangerous. "See them all as villians" he said. "Poppycock" I replied (well... the word I used actually starts with a B and describes part of the male anatomy). Most young people are decent and I will not let the minority spoil my view of them.

Unknown said...

Retribution gave me goosebumps the first time around - this is what teaching is all about!
Somebody tell the government.

Debi said...

And someone should also tell that person Sharon was talking to and her ilk.

Said it before and I'll say it again - fear is the enemy. If you assume the worst about anyone, they have no incentive to behave differently. It's self-fulfilling ...