Leeds students scoop award for filmmaking prowess

Fourteen youngsters from Sacred Heart Primary School came together to produce the ‘Magic Pencil’, which mixes live action with animation.

The production scooped the ‘Film of the Month’ which is ran by Into Film, an education organisation which is supported by the BFI through Lottery funding.

The scheme aims to put film at the heart of young people’s learning and personal development.

The Magic Pencil tells the story of a girl who doesn’t like doing her class work but discovers she has a magical way of getting around that.

However, when she starts progressing at the expense of everyone else, she has to 
find a way to help her classmates.

Film of the Month judge Andy Partington said: “It was brilliant!

“I could see this being a film of the year winner.

“It has everything; animation, rhyming narration, a good moral, a simple but original story to follow and high quality production values.

“What an utterly lovely, upbeat piece of filmmaking.”

Speaking about winning the title, Sacred Heart teacher Ashley Lund said: “It is a fantastic feeling and I cannot wait to see the children’s faces when I tell them we’ve won.

“It was an incredible experience to be a part of.”

The Magic Pencil will now be showcased to over 300,000 film club members online and will also be available on the Into Film YouTube channel.

It also secured the makers a £100 Amazon voucher plus an Into Film good bag.

To see the full version of the winning entry, head to www.intofilm.org.