Filmmakers of the Future

 
With over 40 film entries, this year's Film Festival previewed 17 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 19th March at Harrodian’s tenth annual Film Festival.  Pupils, parents and aspiring directors gathered in the 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, actors Michael Sheen and Anna Lundberg, as well as former Harrodian pupils and filmmaker Will Darbyshire. Hosts for the evening were Upper Sixth students Chloe (Senior Prefect) and Harry (Head Mentor), below. 

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 Jamie (L6th), pictured at the very top with the judges, for his film Doors—a clever and funny sci-fi about a man who teleports through doors, only to repeatedly encounter a mysterious figure appearing in multiple places at once. The judges applauded Jamie's film as 'an epic journey, with a smoothly confident opening,' while it's ending was described as a powerful 'existential horror sequence.' Praised for its storytelling, editing, and impressive camera effects, Doors was even compared by Michael Sheen to the work of 1980s American screenwriter and director Charlie Kaufman for its offbeat style and ambition. To view Jamie's film please click on it below:

In the Senior category, Bertie from the 14s—who was unwell on the evening but is pictured above with Head of Film Studies Mr Tom Grey Parkinson and Head of Media Studies Mr Sam Cullis—was awarded first prize for his film The Replacement Program. The film was praised for its beautiful cinematography and clever use of music and effects. The judges also loved the concept and felt it had the potential to be developed beyond a short film into a full feature. To view Bertie's film please click on it below:

The runners-up were Celeste (L6th) with Song of My Father—an original and emotionally intelligent piece of cinema exploring grief, praised for its haunting use of music and sound design—and Olive (13s) with Forgive or Forget—a drama with sinister yet wryly comedic undertones praised for its simple but powerful closing message. 

A purple carpet, popcorn, and ice cream all added to the cinematic experience. Special Film Festival T-shirts featuring a logo designed by 14s pupil Robin were sold to raise money for children's charity React and were also modelled all evening by our student filmmakers and crew, above. A big thank you to our event sponsors - Olympic Studios, The Script Factory, The Story Works and London Breeze Film Festival for supporting the event and for providing amazing prizes and opportunities for our young filmmakers. A team of Senior Prefects was out in full force, helping out either by taking photos (thank you to Kristie in the Lower Sixth for these), serving drinks and snacks, selling T-shirts or ushering guests to their seats.

The judges were hugely impressed by the quality of the films and the storytelling talent behind them. Alumnus judge Will Darbyshire, passionate about supporting young creatives, shared his own experience, recalling how, at 13, he spent hours editing on his Sony Ericsson phone: 'It was tedious and frustrating, but it taught me so much—not just about filmmaking, but about my creative identity. Those early experiences were invaluable, and I’ll never have the same kind of breakthroughs again as I did then, as a teenager, piecing it all together for the first time.' He went on to praise the nominees’ maturity and skill, saying he was 'truly in awe' of their work and could only imagine 'how incredible it would have been to create even half of the films they produced at that age.'  He added that their achievements reflect both Harrodian’s commitment to nurturing talent and the students’ willingness to embrace creativity and tell unique stories.

Sixth Form winner Jamie, who hopes to study film after leaving school, says the inspiration for his film came from his love of the 60s/70s band The Doors and the ideas he’s had from their lyrics. He credits the success of his film to the extensive time and effort he invested in creating it. 'It’s definitely my most ambitious project yet, and I’m so grateful that the audience and judges appreciated all the work that went into it,' he says. Like any dedicated filmmaker, Jamie faced setbacks but came back stronger. 'My computer crashed after weeks of working on the first edit of the film. But the silver lining is that the second edit was even better than the first, and that kept me going,' he says with conviction. As for the highlight of the experience, he shares, 'Getting to share my work with my friends and teachers at school on the evening is very special, as well as seeing all the other films. I was very worried, in the best way, about Celeste’s film, and although she was awarded runner-up, I reckon she’s the one to watch next year!'

Bertie (14s) believes his film The Replacement Program stood out due to its unique concept and different genre – two identical people in a shot, with one suddenly replacing the other. He also credits some luck during the shoot in Scotland, saying, 'It was such a brilliant day to shoot a film – the mix of beautiful colours and clouds really brought my film to life.'

Both our winners will have their short film screened at the prestigious Olympic Studios, a luxurious independent cinema right in our community, and also won an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour of The Story Works - London’s largest film and television studio complex - located just a stones throw away in the historic Riverside Brewery, Mortlake.

Winners of our brand-new Screenplay Award – Emily P (Lower Sixth) and Lyla G (Seniors) – will receive expert guidance and support from The Script Factory, along with an immersive day at The Story Collective HQ, a UK-based global content studio, backing both script development and early stage production companies in scripted television

Harrodian Head of Media Studies, Mr Sam Cullis, is delighted with the event: 'The festival has become a valuable way to introduce students to film, helping them develop their imagination, creativity, and practical filmmaking skills. It was great to see some familiar faces return and exciting to witness so many new Harrodian voices making their mark, with high-quality work from the 13s to the Sixth Form.'

Mr Grey-Parkinson echoes his enthusiasm: 'Truly a wonderful night. This year's Harrodian Film Festival had the highest level of quality across the board that we've ever witnessed. The senior category was particularly competitive with several films pushing for a prize. I love seeing so many young filmmakers pushing themselves and taking risks in the pursuit of their craft.'

This year's Film Festival was both a memorable and enjoyable evening for all those who attended or participated and congratulations to all those whose films were shortlisted:

On the evening an audience poll was conducted and winners in different categories were awarded. They were:

Best Film (Comedy) - The Bus Stop by Orson (15s)

Best Film (Drama) - The Song of My Father by Celeste (L6)

Best Film (Other) - Doors by Jamie (L6)

Best Acting (Under 18s) - Otta (14s)

Best Cinematography - The Next Station is Ladbroke Grove by Inigo (14s)

Best Production Design - Doors by Jamie (L6)