Stamford Hill children become film directors

It was lights, camera, action for children at a Stamford Hill primary school as they put the finishing touches to their film before its screening this Friday (July 27).

Pupils at Springfield Community Primary School, Castlewood Road, wrote, directed and shot a film on the theme of Olympic heroes and heroines.

Helped by Hackney-based theatre company Fifth Word, 17 children aged nine to 11 took part in weekly sessions since February.

Laura Ford, joint artistic director at Fifth Word explained that the children learnt about athletes and how they might be seen as heroes or heroines.

“We looked at the challenges they might have had to overcome in their professional lives to get there,” she said. “Then we looked at what makes a hero and whether you always need to win.”

Their film follows a young girl from Hackney who dreams of becoming an Olympic athlete. Bullied at school, she has a difficult decision to make when the bully injures herself in a race.

Ms Ford added: “I can’t wait to see it after all their hard work. It’ll be lovely to see what they have achieved.

“I think the process of making the film is just as important as the end result. I don’t think any of them had had any experience of making a film before and they were really getting into the spirit of it.”

The film will be shown alongside a drama performance at Chat’s Palace Arts Centre, Brooksby’s Walk, Homerton on July 27 at 2pm. Entry is free and all are welcome.