Claire Meeghan reports from the BFI Film Festival 2010, where two of Ctrl.Alt.Shift's short films (War School and HIV: The Musical) won youth film awards...

Films funded by Ctrl.Alt.Shift, Christian Aid’s youth arm, have won accolades at the BFI Southbank ‘Young Film Makers for Development Day’ part of the ‘We The Peoples’ Film Festival that took place on November 27.

Ctrl.Alt.Shift launched a film competition back in 2008 inviting aspiring film makers to write a treatment for a short film based around one of three global issues – war & peace, gender & power or HIV & stigma. Winners went on to have their treatments made into films with the funding and support provided.

Two of these films, ‘HIV: The Musical’ and ‘War School’, were shown at the ‘Young Film Makers for Development Day’, part of the week-long ‘We the Peoples’ Film Festival at the BFI Southbank. Organised by the United Nations Association (UNA) Westminster, the free festival was put on for young film enthusiasts interested in global development issues. Young campaigners, film makers and media professionals gathered to explore, debate and raise awareness on a range of issues through films, photography, Q&As, workshops and performances.  Platform2, a project which sends 18-25 year old volunteers to developing countries, run by Christian Aid and funded by the Department for International Development (DFID), also invited volunteers to take to the stage.

Ctrl.Alt.Shift Film Competition Winner: War School from Ctrl.Alt.Shift on Vimeo.

Throughout the festival, audiences were asked to vote for their favourite film and winners were announced at an awards ceremony at the end of the day. In the Youth Film category, ‘War School’ came first and ’HIV: The Musical’ came second. 

Other films shown included a free showing of the feature film, ‘Africa United’ the extraordinary story of three Rwandan youngsters who walk 3,000 miles to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, and the world premiere of ‘Wembley to Soweto’, a documentary film charting the journey of eight young township photographers during the World Cup. ‘Wembley to Soweto’ was shown simultaneously in London and South Africa with a live link enabling the audience to talk directly to the filmmakers in Johannesburg.

For more details on Ctrl.Alt.Shift or to view the winning films, visit ctrlaltshift.co.uk/article/short-films-online

Words: Claire Meeghan

Ctrl.Alt.Shift Film Competition Winner: HIV - The Musical from Ctrl.Alt.Shift on Vimeo.