A group of talented young creatives from Acton have been crowned winners of a west London filmmaking competition.
The team from Bollo Brook youth centre, in Stratford Road, Acton, won the community award in the 2024 West London Creative Enterprize Zones film competition. The University of West London also received honourable mention for technical excellence.
The competition provides a platform for teams of young people to work with an industry specialist to learn film sector skills, create a film from scratch, and showcase their passion for west London.
The borough is part of the Mayor of London’s Creative Enterprise Zones programme and, in partnership with Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation (OPDC), has the potential to create thousands of jobs in related industries, along with affordable studio space.
A great place to be creative
13 teams from educational institutions and community groups across west London entered the competition, each creating a unique take on the theme ‘West London: a great place to be creative’.
For their competition entry, the Bollo Brook team, planned, scripted, acted, shot, and edited their own film called ‘The Hidden Sounds of South Acton,’ which uses a first-person narrative to share their experiences of living in South Acton and the opportunities that the youth centre has opened to them.
For some of the young creatives this was their first time using professional equipment. Megan O’Connor who regularly attends the youth centre and was part of the winning film-making team, said that the key highlight of the process was access to the professional editing software. She added: “The opportunity to edit, which I built upon through love of animation, and to colour grade using colour theory was a really enjoyable experience.”
Fostering creativity
The young people also shared their ambitions of pursuing their creative interests and to continue working within the industry -whether it be in animation, art, or film. While for some it was a natural process, having completed courses in animation, others told us that their creative flair was fostered by teachers and mentors.
For their prize, the team get to visit the virtual production centre at Sony Pinewood Studios and Arri in Uxbridge – the world’s largest provider of cameras to the screen industry.
Get into TV and film
Councillor Louise Brett, the council’s cabinet member for decent living incomes attended a screening of the films on Thursday 9 May, where the winners were announced. She said: ‘A big well done to Acton’s own Bollo Brook youth centre for their win in this exciting competition. I really enjoyed seeing the short films and meeting the young and promising filmmakers who created them.
“We are lucky to have a great amount of creative talent in the borough and are looking to nurture this talent and give locals more opportunities. If you are interested in a career, job, or training in the film and TV sector, save the date for the CEZ careers fair and skills festival on 15 July 2024 at Wembley Box Park.”
