Pupils at two schools in Dagenham had their own movies premiered on the big screen.
Their productions were shown at Romford’s Vue cinema after winning the second annual Film Enterprise competition for schools.
Children at Beam Primary and Dagenham Park Secondary pitched their story ideas last term to a panel of movie professionals.
They had pre-production workshops, learning about locations, studios and lighting — then three days of filming with professional crews on location in Dagenham.
It was all part of Barking and Dagenham Council’s programme to turn the area into a ‘little Hollywood’ and get producers to “make it here” as a platform for future school-leavers to get into the industry.
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“The talent and passion displayed at the Vue Romford cinema has been absolutely spectacular,” the council’s education cabinet member Elizabeth Kangethe said.
“This competition shows how education and industry come together to inspire our young people, giving them real-world experience and a platform to shine.
“We encourage our pupils to pursue their dreams and make an impact on the world of film.”
The contest was run by the authority’s Film Barking & Dagenham wing as part of an education programme for creativity and cinematic storytelling.
The 20 schools taking part in this year’s contest put up 30 submissions, inspired by the theme Metamorphosis.
The winning films were One Moment by Beam Primary and Inter Demon by Dagenham Park Secondary.
Judges included Wild Indie Sci-Fi Festival founder and film director Gavin Saville, composer Bankey Ojo, TV presenter Jules Hardy, producer Daisy Ifama and British Film Institute’s Aleks Dimitrijevic.
Beam Primary came up with the story of a child who transforms into a teacher which captured the judges’ attention with its clarity.
The school in Oval Road North has been running activities since January exploring the film industry and learning about production roles, with the makings of “future directors and performers emerging right here”.
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