The Nellies - Face to Face Premiere event
Local children from Stamshaw Junior School enjoyed a taste of Hollywood at a special film premiere to celebrate the fantastic documentaries they helped to create during Face to Face: Documenting Experiences of Conflict a Their Past, Your Future project.
above: The project participants
Glitz and glamour were the order of the day as the children came dressed to the nines and ready to walk the red carpet! As well as the first glimpse of the films the premiere also reunited them with the stars of the documentaries - veterans from World War Two, The Falklands and more recent conflicts such as the Gulf War. The excitement grew as the VIP guests picked up some popcorn and settled down to watch their documentaries.
above: The audience waits for the films to begin
A Hollywood event is never complete without glittering prizes and this premiere was no exception. After the screening, which was greeted with enthusiastic applause, the children were awarded Nellies – the museums own version of an Oscar! The prizes were presented by professional film maker Anna Farthing who had trained up the children during the project.
above: The Nellies
The Face to Face project gave these film makers of the future a real taste of the work and effort that goes into creating TV and cinema! During the project they not only became interviewers but also took on the roles of directors, lighting and sound engineers and camera operators learning some useful new skills along the way. The participants - veterans and children alike - had a thoroughly enjoyable experience during the project and got a lot out of being able to work together. Vic Walker, a D-Day veteran who took part, thought that ‘a rapport was built up in spite of the great age gap! Communication over a period of some 70 years has proved enjoyable and enlightening to children and veterans alike.’
The next step in the project will be to integrate the completed films into Remembrance Kitbags which will become a permanent resource available to schools, veterans and community groups. It will form the basis for workshops delivered in-house and as outreach across the region. They will also be accessible to a much wider audience through the museum’s website
The project's glittering finale was featured on ITV's Meridian Tonight programme. The video report can viewed below.
Their Past, Your Future is funded by the Big Lottery Fund and the MLA. You can also find out more about this initiative by visiting their website.
http://www.theirpast-yourfuture.org.uk/
