Event Reviews

The Youth Film Festival Launch was a fantastic event. Not only was it a great chance for young people to see a blockbuster film for free but there was also a superhero fancy dress competition. There were many familiar superhero costumes and some original characters too.Everyone seemed to really enjoy the film. It was funny, smart and filled with geeky references which I particularly enjoyed.

The event was created and planned by the Youth Film Festival Committee along with the help and guidance of City Eye. It was the committee’s idea to have fancy dress and they themselves chose the winner. The winner (also known as the Incredible Hulk) was given a box of chocolate and a framed poster of Scott Pilgrim vs The World.

It was a well organised event with a good atmosphere and a great way to introduce the Youth Film Festival to Southampton Film Week. The Youth Film Festival was set up so that young people could have events created and planned for them by other young people, it is a great idea as it not only allows young people to have their own events but it allows them to really be a part of it.

by Rachel – Southampton Film Week Assistant

Just when you thought Southampton Film Week couldn’t get any better, the eagerly awaited award ceremony for the Youth Film Festival competition took centre stage at the Harbour Lights Picture House in Ocean Village. With an introduction from Sir Anthony Batchelor himself, the ceremony got underway with a screening of all competition entries. The Dolphin Class at Westover Primary School were the worthy winners of the primary competition with their charming short film, ‘There’s a Spider in Our Classroom’. Following this, Leif Phelps and his fellow filmmaker Rob Franks were awarded for their expertly executed short ‘Nintendo Emergency Service’ for the Secondary competition. The last of the judge’s awards went to ‘The G Team’ from The Gosport Motiv8 Group for the college competition. Previous winners The Dolphin Class won once again with the audience vote, clearly a popular short film. All winners were awarded with a goody bag, full of prizes including a prestigious book full of Southampton and its film week in previous years.  Overall, the Youth Film Festival was a great event, with well worthy winners.by Hannah – YFF Committee member 2010 and 2011

The student film challenge had a great premise and I think that’s what made it so successful. Although there was little competition, those who came benefited from a very creative and fun day. There was lots of friendly help on hand who presented the task to us clearly and efficiently so we were able to get on and start. It was great to be given the independence to go wherever we wanted to shoot our film and with a broad theme to come up with our own ideas. Overall, it was a really fun and memorable day with useful feedback.by Laura – YFF Committee member 2010