Sunday, April 15, 2012

BBC TV News - Young Goole filmmakers win Hollywood awards

Thanks to BBC Look North for covering news of our recent Hollywood award success! You can view the report on the link below. This project was a real educational highlight for me and I'm incredibly proud of our young directors, actors and crew who came together to make these films. I was blessed to have a terrific team of professionals work of this project with me to create a mini film school for young people. Particular thanks must go to Nicola Dixon at Junction who initiated this project, Will and the others at Straight 8 for letting us join forces, and Screen Yorkshire & the UK Film Council for funding the programme and their invaluable support.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-humber-17559277

Saturday, April 14, 2012

April Film Festival buzz for Ecuador

We've are exited to be playing in some fantastic festivals in April.
So many in fact, I've set up a seperate blog to handle news for "I wish I went to Ecuador".
http://ecuadorfilm.blogspot.co.uk/

12-15 April 2012
Hurry! It's on now!
Screening at their opening gala! on 27th April along w another short film from the Field Museum of Natural History "Restoring Earth". I've been told a group of young cyclists will be there who are biking across the USA to raise funds to purchase rainforest land to protect! Wow!
5Point Film Festival, an adventure film
festival based in Aspen/Carbondale. 26-29th April



26 April - 1st May
One of the great European animation festivals.

Bradford International Film Festival, UK
Showing as part of the Widescreeen Weekend

We took the pupils who made this film to see "This is Cinerama" at the National Media Museum and inspire them about wide screen cinema, so it's fitting the film is screening on Europes only cinerma screen as part of the 60th anniversary of Cinerama! Treats and surprises from the world of widescreen cinema are promised, with clips, short documentaries and those special touches that make Sunday morning at the Widescreen Weekend so special. I will be there to present the film.

Hollywood award and a letter from Al Gore!!!

We are all celebrating after animated documentary, “I wish I went to Ecuador”, made by 360 children to raise awareness of deforestation in Ecuador and the work of their school teacher to preserve them has landed the award for Best Foreign Animation in the Youth Fest category of the prestigious Hollywood International Family Film Festival!

The film, which has been receiving awards from around the world caught the eye of Al Gore. He explained:


The film tells the story of the life changing expedition of their primary school teacher, Mrs Jones, to the Andes, the Cloud Forest and the Rain Forest and charts her realisation that she needed to do something to help preserve it.
Victoria says the experience has changed her life for the better.“Little did I think when I stepped onto that plane [to Ecuador] that it would turn out like this. I was just going to go away for two weeks, have a good time, find out a few bits about another country and it’s just changed my life, for the better, and hopefully it’s going to change loads of lives, it’s going to change the way we think about our role. It’s going to change the way that children, who live in an inner city area can make a difference to children right on the other side of the world.”

One Hull of a Rainforest aims to raise approximately£250,000 to purchase and protect 100 hectares of land which lie at the heart of the Maquipucuna reserve.

Natasha Banke from One Hull of Rainforest says the global attention is “absolutely incredible” and stresses the organizations message is vital for people outside across the world. “It isn’t just about people in Hull making a difference. It’s about people globally making a difference. “Hopefully people from all over the world will now look at our website and learn more about One Hull of Rainforest and maybe schools globally will start something similar to what we are doing in Hull.”
The film is now being shown at some of the leading environmental film festivals worldwide and can be viewed on YouTube.