Steel City young film award winner celebrates

Liam Blackwell, a pupil at Wales High School, received the Best TV Extract award for his creation - The Real Slim Lady - a nail-biting and darkly comic police drama that involves the investigation of a murder of a young woman.

The Moving Image Awards, designed in partnership with the British Film Institute, recognises and rewards the UK's most talented student filmmakers and screenwriters, encouraging more young people to consider a career within the film industry.

The ceremony has gained recognition from teachers and lecturers of film and media courses at institutions across the UK, as well as leading figures in the film industry. This year’s star guest was Matt Charman, Oscar-nominated and award-winning British writer, who not only handed out an award but held a screenwriting masterclass to the guests.

He offered this piece of advice to aspiring young filmmakers:  "It's a marathon; you've got to be patient and take your time. People think if they haven't made it by 22 – it's over. Actually, for a lot of the people we really respect; novelists, authors, poets, it often happens a lot later in their life when they found that moment and broke through. Keeping going is the toughest thing for anyone." Students, teachers and parents from schools and colleges across the UK attended the ceremony to celebrate the success of talented young directors, screenwriters and producers whose work was shortlisted. WJEC Eduqas Film Studies Subject Officer, Rebecca Ellis, said it was  exciting to have the opportunity to showcase and reward work by such talented young people and added: “Each year we’re astounded by the high standard of creativity and talent, and this year was no exception. We received over 400 entries from 150 centres across the UK and the judges found it incredibly difficult to choose just one winner from each category.”