Into Film Awards 2016

An amazing time was had by all at the Into Film Awards at London's Leicester Square Odeon yesterday. The venue was packed with excited kids, teachers and film industry insiders as we settled down to see some of the best films and animations created by young people from around the country.

I was delighted to be nominated as 'Teacher of the Year' and it was great to be up there with other teachers using film to inspire their pupils' creativity. I didn't win, but I thought I'd share the poem I'd written as an acceptance speech just in case. Here it is...

Film School

Welcome to Film School

The school of the silver screen

Where lessons are taught by folks

From movies that you’ve seen

Art with Mr Disney

Home Ec with Remy the Rat

Design and Technology

With that man dressed as a bat

History with Dr Jones,

And hockey with St Trinians

And despicable school dinners

cooked up by a bunch of minions

At playtime you can play

With Jessie and Woody and Buzz

In English Professor Yoda

(Teaches backwards, it all, he does)

In PE, a certain panda

Teaches you to do Kung Fu

In Maths, it’s time for Algebra

With 007 + M + Q

And then there are school trips

to Middle Earth or Jurassic Park

In Year 5 we (der-dum) learn to swim

But (der-dum) watch out for the great white shark!

Chemistry with Dr Jekyll

(Let’s hope not Mr Hyde)

Then physics with Doc Brown

“Marty! Let’s go for a ride!”

But, alas, like life in Oz

Film school is just a dream

These far-off people, places

It’s all a bit extreme

But with film club in your school

You’re already half way there

Go on adventures, be creative

It could take you anywhere

One of the presenters was one of my all-time heroes - the one and only Simon Pegg (creator and star of Spaced, Shawn of the Dead and Hot Fuzz) - as well as the brilliant Michael Sheen and Stephen Mangham and the director of 'Belle', Amma Asante.

Perhaps the best part of the day was seeing the films created by children and young people from across the country - the variety and creativity on show opens your eyes to the scope and possibilities that film and film-making can offer in schools. So many skills are involved in making films and animation - it is truly collaborative and offers a 'level playing field' to children of different abilities and backgrounds. It also offers a real 'purpose for learning' and an end product to work towards that everyone can enjoy. Let's hope more schools cotton onto this!