Mirfield school movie makers enjoy stateside success

Battyeford Primary School pupils became award winners last year when their first animated film, The Pirates of Rabbit Doll Island, won at the Kids for Kids UK film festival held at London’s South Bank.

This led to the film which had been scripted, filmed and produced by seven and eight-year-olds from the Mirfield school, being screened at film festivals around the world including at the Sydney Opera House. Now they are set to repeat this success with their latest work: Copperbeard and the Legend of Pie.

Last month it won best animation’ at the Kids for Kids UK film festival and now it has been shortlisted for screening in the Seattle Children’s Film Festival which takes place in February next year.

Arts teacher Natalie Deane told The Yorkshire Post she hoped this would be the first of many international screenings for the pupils’ latest work.

The storyline, animations and voices in both short films has come from the children themselves. The second film has been produced using iPads with the help of Big Voice Media Collective. The firm is working with 40 young people from across Kirklees over four months to make four high-quality cinematic short films using only “tablet devices, apps and accessories”. It is a part of Shoot Smart, a mobile film making project run in schools.