Stars come out for the launch of National Schools Film Week

Schoolchildren mingled with the stars of the big screen at the launch of National Schools Film Week yesterday in London – with film preview screenings in London’s Leicester Square, interviews with top film directors and actors and the presentation of the Young Film Critic Awards at BAFTA.

Lord David Puttnam, film director Danny Boyle, actors Bill Nighy and Tom Felton were among the stars showing their support for National Schools Film Week at a launch event in London’s Leicester Square yesterday.

The film week, which runs from 15 to 23 October, will see thousands of schoolchildren across England, Wales and Northern Ireland attending free film screenings and is the biggest event of its kind in the world.

Cutting the ribbon

Actor Bill Nighy, Oscar™ winning fllm director Danny Boyle, film producer Allison Abbate and Rick Sennet, Chair of Film Education, joined schoolchildren on the stage at the Odeon Leicester Square to cut the ribbon and officially open the film festival, before a packed audience was treated to a preview screening of the new stop-frame animation movie Fantastic Mr Fox – an adaptation of Roald Dahl’s book which features voices by George Clooney, Meryl Streep and Bill Murray.

After the screening, the children were given the opportunity to take part in a question and answer session with film directors and actors.

Young film critics

In the afternoon, the event moved to the British Academy of Film and Television Arts for a presentation ceremony for Film Education’s Young Film Critic of the Year Awards.

Hosted this year by Blue Peter presenter, Joel Defries, the competition invites children from age 4 upwards to submit a review (or, for younger entrants, a pictorial interpretation of) a film they have been to see in the cinema.

Rick Senat, Chair of Film Education, explained: “The competition represents all that is best about Film Education and all that we stand for – the notion of writing about film, understanding it, explaining it and enjoying it. Film is a part of our lives.”

Underlining how prestigious the awards have become, the winners were presented with their trophies by some powerful names in British cinema. Lord David Puttnam was there to present the award in the 15 to 19 Sensory Impaired category, and took the opportunity to explain to the young audience what inspired him to follow a career in the cinema.

“In 1948, I went to see ‘Pinocchio’,” he said, “and vividly remember walking out of the cinema across the foyer. The theme tune, ‘When you wish upon a star’ was swelling up from behind me. I consciously said to myself, ‘I don’t know what just happened to me in there, but I want to do that.’ I didn’t know what ‘doing that’ meant, but 20 years later I produced my first film…. and here we are, 40 years after that and I am still very much in love with cinema.”

A treat for Harry Potter fans

An audible gasp of delight went up from the young audience when Harry Potter star, Tom Felton (aka Draco Malfoy) arrived on stage to present the awards in two new categories – open to members of FILMCLUB. Founded in 2006, by BAFTA winning filmmaker Beeban Kidron (Bridget Jones’ Diary:

The Edge Of Reason) and educationalist and writer Lindsay Mackie, FILMCLUB is a network of after-school film clubs which gives children and teachers the chance to enjoy weekly film screenings and take part in online reviewing and industry events.

As he presented the FILMCLUB awards, Tom Felton said: “It’s a thrill to see such dedication going into getting young children into the cinema. I was blessed with going to the cinema at a young age, yet I am hearing today that there are children who have never been to a cinema before, or are not going on a regular basis. So it’s fantastic that this initiative is helping to address that.”

Commening on the inclusion of categories for children with sensory impairments, Jackie Ballard of the RNID, said, “Cinema has the power to excite and also to change minds and lives. I would like to thank Film Education for all they have done in improving access to cinema for people with sensory impairments.”

This year’s winners

The full list of Young Film Critic Awards winners is as follows:

Age 11 to 14 (award presented by Ian Wall, Founder and Managing Director, Film Education):

Hannah Pusey, for her review of Mamma Mia.

Age 7 to 11, Sensory Impaired (award presented by Jackie Ballard, Chief Executive RNID):

Olivia Ansah-Smith, for her review of Bridge to Terabithia.

Mini Film Fan – Age 4 to 7 (award presented by Quentin Falk, Film Critic):

Harry Keen.

Age 15 to 19 (award presented by Kate Allen, Director of Amnesty International UK):

David Ritchie, for his review of Quantum of Solace.

Age 7 to 11 (award presented by Steve Knibbs, Chief Operating Officer, VUE Cinemas):

Hammad Raza, for his review of Ratatouille.

Film Club Awards (presented by Tom Felton, actor):

Primary – Phoebe Lawrance; Secondary – Rosemary Collins.

Age 11 to 14, Sensory Impaired (award presented by Ian George, Managing Director of 20th Century Fox UK):

Jonny Hall, for his review of The Simpsons Movie.

Age 15 to 19, Sensory Impaired (award presented by Lord David Puttnam of Queensgate, CBE):

Abbie Donohoe, for her review of Be Kind Rewind.

All photos in this article by Andy Paradise.