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Our Film of the Month winner for February 2016 is Jessica's Wish, a stop-motion animation produced by Jude, a young filmmaker that attends Wren Academy, in North Finchley, London.
Jessica's Wish - produced single-handedly by Jude - is an impressive parable for the internet age, where issues around online popularity, information sharing and preventing cyber-bullying are cleverly tackled with snappy rhyming dialogue and charming Claymation.
Jude - aged just 11 - previously won a sci-fi filmmaking competition we ran back in early 2015 for his entry Planet Unknown (which you can watch further down the page), for which he was awarded £500 to invest in new filmmaking equipment. "Better equipment will allow me to make smoother, higher quality animations", said Jude at the time. "I'm so thrilled and can't wait to put my prize into use on my next film."
As a result of that previous competition win, Jude was approached by Childnet International to produce a film for Safer Internet Day 2016. Jessica's Wish was the brilliant result, and Jude decided to enter it into our Film of the Month competition - and he clearly meant what he said about putting that prize money to good use. "Considering this was made by one child... it's an astonishing achievement", said one of the judges.
We're thrilled that Jude's passion for film and his involvement with our program has led to him being able to take his skills in animation and filmmaking even further. His talent has developed brilliantly since making Planet Unknown, as a direct result of his engagement with our filmmaking program. You can watch Planet Unknown at the bottom of this page.
Jude spoke to us about winning this month's award:
It feels amazing to win Film of the Month. Having seen the standard of previous winners I am honoured to have won. I've been making films since I was six. My first animation was a LEGO one just using a camera. My first proper film was called Teen Talk and was a clay animation with a script and sound effects. I was inspired to start making films by watching the films of Ray Harryhausen and Aardman - they really inspired me to make stop motion films. I think Wallace and Gromit A Matter of Loaf and Death is my favourite film.
My advice to other young people who want to start making films is: Do it! Make as many films as you can and make sure you have a good story. When I started I didn't have a storyboard, but planning ahead with a good story helped me to make better films.
Jude, young filmmaker, Wren Academy, London
Jessica's Wish will now be showcased to over 300,000 film club members online and on the Into Film YouTube channel, and also secured Jude a £100 Amazon voucher plus an Into Film goodie bag with which to help further develop future films. If you've been inspired by February's winner, click here to find out how you can enter our ongoing Film of the Month competition.
If you liked Jessica's Wish, why not try these related films:
- Coraline (2009, PG, Suitable for 7+) In this spooky animation Coraline discovers a secret passageway that leads to an alternate version of her life that, at first, offers everything she could wish for and more - but at what cost?
- Harriet the Spy (1996, PG, Suitable for 7+) Harriet makes a habit of writing down everything she sees in her notebook - including what she thinks of other people. But when her notebook goes missing, Harriet begins to worry about who may be reading it, and what effect her words might have.
- Shaun the Sheep (2015, U, Suitable for 5+) When Shaun and the other sheep get bored of their normal routine they decide to play a trick on the farmer - but when things quickly get out of hand, they soon wish they hadn't meddled!
- Doctor Seuss - The Cat in the Hat (1974, U, Suitable for 5+) With rhyming narration, this faithfully-drawn animated version of the popular Dr. Seuss book investigates boredom and opens up issues around trust and safety through the character of the boisterous Cat in the Hat.
