Arts group bags £20,000 Lottery cash
JACK Drum Arts has landed £20,000 of Lottery cash to help aspiring young Wear Valley film-makers.Teams of local children will now begin working with professional film-makers to make four short digital films to be screened in March next year.
The groups of youngsters will include junior members of Jack Drum¹s youth theatre, Jackass, some of whom have just returned from an international film festival in Finland, following the screening of their short movie, Strange Dreams.
Other aspiring young film-makers will be able to participate in the First Light project which will give special consideration to children with disabilities and children from different ethnic backgrounds.
The four films will cover a range of genres including science fiction, comedy, thriller and musicals.
The films, all made using low-cost digital equipment, will also have a chance to be nominated at next year¹s First Light Movies Awards, an annual star-studded celebration of the best in young people¹s film-making held in London.
At this year¹s ceremony, children from Hartside Primary School in Crook received The People¹s Choice Award for their film The Princess and the Pendant, also made with Jack Drum Arts.
Jack Drum Arts worked with First Light Movies, a national organisation, to secure the funding which is a huge boost for budding young film enthusiasts.
Stephen Wiper, Art development officer for Wear Valley District Council,
said: ³This means a lot of young people will be having enjoyable experiences while acquiring lots of new skills that will help them in the future.² Jack Drum Arts film-maker Helen Ward, said: ³This is just fantastic for the children and has really come from the success of The Princess and the Pendant and Strange Dreams.
³The children can now see so many possibilities for their film-making which is wonderful.²
