Into film awards: Northern Irish pupils win big in London

BBC News

5 days ago

"Superheroes" from a Belfast Special School have struck gold at the prestigious UK-wide Into Film awards in London.Superhero School, made by pupils from Park School in Belfast, won the Best Film in the aged 12-15 prize.Meanwhile, St. Colmcille's High School in Crossgar were named Filmmaking Champions at the ceremony.The Into Film awards were held at the Odeon in London's Leicester Square, just yards away from where Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise appeared at the premiere of F1 the movie on Monday.
The awards promote film education in schools, and the award ceremonies attract hundreds of entries from across the UK every year.Hugh Grant, Geri Halliwell-Horner, Andy Serkis and Sharon Horgan were among the stars presenting at the ceremony, which was hosted by actress and former Strictly winner Rose Ayling-Ellis.
Park School's film, Superhero School, was filmed in the school on Belfast's Ravenhill Road and was written and filmed by staff and pupils, with help from Into Film experts Will McConnell and Michael MacBroom.The school was transformed into a superhero school where every pupil had a unique power, and the film portrays the rivalry between two pupils called Speedy and Quicklight.
'Pretty unbelievable'
The film featured 11 pupils in acting roles and teacher Jon McKinley as "Super Tea".Mr McKinley accompanied the pupils to the ceremony and told BBC News NI that it had been "a great experience for all the kids.""To think that we were just making a wee movie before Christmas and now they've just won an award, it's pretty unbelievable," he said.He said the pupils had brainstormed the story and then received help from Mr McConnell and Mr MacBroom to film and produce it."All the practical parts were done by all the children and all the acting as well," he said.
The Park School pupils were presented with their award by Sharon Horgan and also met Barbara Broccoli, the famous producer of the James Bond films.Park School's principal Bernie Davis, who also attended the awards, said she was "totally overjoyed for the children"."The children are just totally shocked, they're actually saying 'we can't believe this,'" she said."They've met so many stars today as well and they've actually been invited to Paramount studios."Meanwhile, St Colmcille's High School in Crossgar has had previous success at the Into Film Awards.In 2024 their comedy film Cereal Killers won the Audience Choice Award at the ceremony.The school also uses film in a range of subjects and teaches its pupils film skills.This work was rewarded with it being one of only three schools in the UK named as Filmmaking Champions.
In a statement released by Into Film, St Colmcille's teacher Victoria Polly said they were "absolutely delighted" with the award."Our young people have faced a range of challenges in recent years," she said."We have witnessed an increased number of pupils seeking support for anxiety and mental health concerns, which are exacerbated by the current economic and social climate.""Against the backdrop of dwindling budgets and a cost-of-living crisis, our young people have experienced a significant reduction in the provisions and opportunities for challenging creative skills," she added."It is inspirational to watch our young people letting their imaginations sing and we are privileged to work with them."