Big Screen Debuts

With a total of 40 film entries, this year's Film Festival debuted 19 shortlisted films on the big screen and showcased the impressive creativity of our Senior Harrodian filmmakers.

The work of our young filmmakers was celebrated on 21st March at Harrodian’s ninth annual Film Festival.  Pupils, parents and aspiring directors gathered in the School Theatre for a screening of short films created and produced by Senior and Sixth Form students and prizes were awarded for the best films by a distinguished trio of judges, two of whom were alumni – freelance producer Jack Bradley and film director Yoni Ben-Haim – and the third a Dutch filmmaker, Lisa Guerts, who lives in London.  Hosts for the evening were Head Girl Alex and last year's Head Mentor Sampson (above). 

The range of characters and genres tackled in the prizewinning films reflected the diversity of work on show at this year's festival. The winner of the Sixth Form category was Maddie (L6th), photographed above with the judges, for her film Cinematic Experience a witty take on editorial vanity which was described by the judges as 'a well written and well acted mockumentary with excellent structure and pacing. ' A satirical comedy, her film goes behind the scenes on a set to reveal the director's narcissistic behaviour and how it affects members of the film crew. To view Maddie's film please click on it below:

In the Senior category, Gabriel from the 14s (photographed above with the judges) was awarded first prize for his tongue-in-cheek drama Stranded. With a surprising twist at the end, the film was applauded by judges for keeping the audience 'gripped and captivated throughout.' An impressive opening drone sequence together with well paced story telling were just a few of the judges other commendations. To view Gabriel's film please click on it below:

The runners up were Charles (U6th) with Eden - a highly visual and intense drama  - and Felix (14s) for Do It YourSmelf - a creative and quirky comedy with a unique character - an elf who can summon up different smells, Special mentions were also given to Alex (U6th) and Gabriel (14s) for their films I am not a Psychopath and The Beast of Blacklands respectively. 

A purple carpet, popcorn,  and ice cream all added to the cinematic experience. Special Film Festival T-shirts featuring a logo designed by Upper Sixth former Alex were sold to raise money for children's charity React and were also modelled all evening by our student filmmakers and crew. A big thank you to our event sponsors - Wimbledon Brewery, London Breeze Film Festival and Olympic Studios.  A team of Senior Prefects was out in full force, helping out either by taking photos (thank you to Giulia in the Lower Sixth for the great photos), serving drinks and snacks, selling t-shirts or ushering guests to their seats.

The judges were particularly impressed with the high quality of the films and storytelling talents behind them. One member of the judging panel, Lisa Guerts, is keen to encourage all those who took part when she says, ' all the filmmakers, winners or not, should feel inspired and encouraged as each film showed such potential. Considering their young ages and the scale of their projects, what they achieved is impressive.'

Harrodian Head of Media Studies, Mr Sam Cullis, and Head of Film Studies, Mr Thomas Grey-Parkinson, below, were also delighted with the event: ‘The festival has become a really valuable way to introduce students to film, improving their imagination and creativity as well as their practical film production skills. We hope that participating in a live screening of their own films provides students with a unique experience. These days their lives are dominated by online streaming and consumption, so nothing compares to witnessing genuine reactions - from laughter to shock - directly from the audience, amplifying the impact of their work. '

Head of Film Studies Mr Thomas Grey-Parkinson is equally proud of what the students achieved when he says, 'another great set of entries, the overall standard continues to increase as the Harrodian Film Festival has become part of the school's DNA. All of the entrants should be proud of themselves for creating something and being shortlisted - this is months of work moving from concept, to production and editing.'

Sixth Form winner Maddie credits part of her film's success to her amazing friends who starred in it - Romilly, Giulia, Phoebe and Luci. 'We worked so well together as a team, I couldn't have done it without them, ' she enthuses. She is also glad that the judges appreciated the detail in the script.  'Writing the script was the hardest part, along with making sure the sound was good enough. My film was all about the storytelling, so it was really important that I got these elements right and I was so happy that the judges picked up on this,' she explains. In her Media Studies projects she tends to focus predominantly on making music videos rather than films and despite submitting a film a couple of years ago, it didn't get shortlisted. Reflecting on this she says, 'the Harrodian Film Festival is a great place to be creative and try things out - sometimes your ideas work and sometimes they don't.'

Both were extremely proud to win in their age relevant category and although they were very grateful to receive trophies, certificates and gift vouchers, it was the positive comments of the judges that they will remember above all.

This year's Film Festival was both a memorable and enjoyable evening for all those who attended or participated.

See some of the judges comments and follow the links below to watch the Harrodian Film Festival winners, runners up and special mentions:

6th Form winner:
Maddie C (L6th) - Cinematic Experience
"Great storytelling, used the mockumentary device brilliantly and amazing acting across one of the larger casts ."

6th Form runner up:

Charles (U6th) - Eden  
"Impressive lighting, purposeful colour palette, thoughtful sound design - well done for trying something different."

6th Form special mention:

Alex (U6th)  - I am not a Psychopath
"Well cut and edited with great stylistic choices, some clever shots and thoughtful colour grading."

Senior winner:

Gabriel (14s) - Stranded

"A good variety of shots - including an impressive drone sequence, well paced and a funny/clever twist at the end."

Senior runner up:

Felix (14s) - Do It YourSmelf
"A unique and original comedy with strong editing and excellent performances." 

Senior special mention:

Gabriel (14s) - The Beast of Blacklands
"The film achieved a lot and was very ambitious with enjoyable references to old school horror/monster films."