Into Film: Into Space - Tim Peake Announces Winning Films

Science, technology and creativity have all come together as part of our unique Into Film: Into Space initiative, in partnership with the UK Space Agency, which has given eight groups of young people the chance of a lifetime - to have their short films screened for British astronaut Tim Peake on board the International Space Station (ISS). 

This first-of-its-kind project called for young people across the UK to make a short film inspired by the theme of space and exploration, and was part of a year-long activity linking to Tim Peake's Principia mission.

Educating participants about the importance of science, technology and exploration through filmmaking, Into Film: Into Space saw groups from Norwich, Cambridge, Manchester, London, Chorley, Birmingham and Buckingham have their films selected by a panel of judges to make the trip up to the ISS as it orbits the Earth.

Hundreds of young people in schools, colleges and youth groups submitted entries, with the final eight short films being curated into a special Space Film Festival for Tim Peake to enjoy. Tim even recorded a very special video message for us, personally congratulating the winning participants for the quality of their films (see above). The eight films that were transmitted up and screened on-board the ISS were:

5 - 11 category

• 11-year-old Jude from North London, with his film Space to Imagine

• Columbia Primary School in East London, with their film Footsteps in Space

• Holy Trinity C of E Primary School in Manchester, with their film Out'a Space

• St. Joseph's Primary School in Chorley, Lancashire, with their film Stranded

Judges: Nicky Cox, editor First News; Nina Nannar, ITV news correspondent; Lisa Prime, producer and children's events programmer, BAFTA.

12 - 15 category

• Stowe School in Buckinghamshire, with their film To Infinity

• Sawston Village College in Cambridge, with their film Space Lift

Judges: Robin Ince, comedian and broadcaster; Libby Jackson, astronaut and flight education programme manager at UK Space Agency; Magda Wood, head of digital content at TES; Alok Jha, ITV science correspondent.

16 - 19 category

• Participants of the BFI Film Academy programme in Norfolk, with their film Cecil

• 16-year-old Kerri from Solihull, with her film Rays Me Up

Judges: Col Needham, Into Film Trustee and founder of IMDB; Lorraine Heggessey, chair of the Grierson Trust and advisor for C4 Growth Fund; Dr. Kevin Fong, broadcaster and co-director of the Centre for Altitude, Space and Extreme Environment Medicine.

Watch highlights from the celebratory screening of the films at Picturehouse Central below.

Into Film: Into Space tied in to Tim Peake's current Principia mission and is part of a wider campaign to capture the educational opportunities of space. Through the project, Into Film has supported the STEAM agenda, inspiring young people to mix arts and design with sciences, technology, engineering and maths, recognising that the future success of the UK film industry depends on skills that combine both creativity and science. From 2001: A Space Odyssey, to Star Wars, to more recent blockbusters like Interstellar and The Martian, space travel has been an enduringly popular subject in cinema, and one that never fails to capture the imaginations of young people.