High sheriff honours city's young film makers

9th April 2024

Washington Young Film Makers Collective was awarded a Tyne and Wear High Sheriff's Award for Services to the Community at a ceremony at SAFC's Stadium of Light.

The award was presented by the High Sheriff of Tyne and Wear, Dame Irene Hays during a ceremony hosted by BBC Look North's Jeff Brown. SAFC midfielder Dan Neil, Michael Barrass from Sunderland Culture and Sunderland's Businesswoman of the Year, Louise Bradford, Managing Director of Creo Comms also attended the ceremony.

Young film makers Anderson Groves and Alice Brooks accepted the award on behalf of the group.

Washington Young Film Makers Collective is part of Arts Centre Washington's Creative You programme, which is supported by Sunderland City Council's Washington Area Committee.

The group writes, shoots and edits its own movies, learning about the equipment and techniques along the way.

The group hosted a short film screening event as part of Arts Centre Washington's Bright Lights Youth Arts Festival - screening all seven films they have made to date, alongside other short films they selected.  The Film Makers Collective meets at the Washington Millennium Centre on Mondays between 4.30pm and 6.30pm and is free to attend.

Matt Blyth, Culture and Heritage Officer at Arts Centre Washington, said: "The High Sheriff showed great interest in what the Young Film Makers Collective are doing. Members were thrilled to meet Dame Irene and the award recognises the group's hard work, talent and dedication.

"It's really exciting to think about the future of film making in the city and we hope that we are playing a small part in inspiring a new generation of film makers. The group has now produced seven short films to date from alien invasions to vampire detectives. They are in the middle of shooting an eighth, all of the groups films are available to view on Sunderland Culture's You Tube channel."

The annual Tyne & Wear High Sheriff Awards Fund was established as part of the Community Foundation in 1993 and awards tens of thousands to local community groups annually. The fund is open to organisations which work with young people aged between 10 and 25 years, helping them to develop new skills or overcome personal challenges.

To view some of the Collective's films, go to https://sunderlandculture.org.uk/our-venues/arts-centre-washington/washington-young-film-makers-collective/.