Congratulations to The Learning Centre’s LensHeads Film School who saw off competition from across the UK to win the First Light Award for best screenplay for their short film BackFire.
The announcement was made on Tuesday 2 March at a ceremony in London’s Odeon Leicester Square, with UK director Sam Mendes and actor Ralph Fiennes among the judges.
Sir Alan Parker, Director of Evita, Bugsy Malone, The Commitments, Pink Floyd The Wall and Mississippi Burning said of Backfire: “It’s convincingly written with good, realistic dialogue. It’s a nicely constructed story between reality and paranoia on topical subject.”
BackFire was written, directed and acted by pupils from St Andrew’s and St Ambrose high schools, Coatbridge; Airdrie Academy and St Aiden’s High School, Wishaw.
The film school, based in the Bellshill Learning Centre, was started six years ago to encourage pupils to become involved in film and media studies.
The First Light Awards aren’t the LensHeads team’s first success. The group also scooped The Discovery Youth Screen Award 2009, Scotland’s top film-making prize for under 18s.
Willie Davidson, Head of Centre, said: “The standard of the competition was really high, so winning this national award is just amazing. It’s been a privilege working with these talented young people – they really do deserve this award.”