A young filmmaker from Scotland has won the publicly voted Audience Award at the annual star-studded film awards ceremony organised by leading film education charity, Into Film.
The prize was awarded to Edward Ryan (14) from Sanquhar, Dumfries and Galloway at today’s awards ceremony in London’s Leicester Square by actor Andy Serkis and presenter Edith Bowman.
Edward won the award voted for by the public sponsored by Universal Pictures International for his short film More Than One Way To Go Home The film was also nnominated for Best Story at the awards (Sponsored by Amazon MGM Studios).
Inspired by the filmmaker’s own personal experiences, this film follows a young autistic girl, who has to find her own way home when her brother leaves her to fend for herself. The well-shot film that conveys some of the difficulties that autistic people can face and demonstrates how the right support can be key to overcoming those challenges.
Edward wrote, directed, acted, edited and produced the film alone. Edward is autistic and he drew on personal experience when creating the film. He was particularly inspired by an event where he was bullied by an adult while out filming in the community. As he was scared to go near the person, he had to find a new way to get home. As an autistic person, it was challenging to him. This sparked Edward to make this short film to highlight how the event made him feel and to show others what in can be like inside his head.
Edward started filmmaking during lockdown. He loves creating with Lego and wanted a way to bring his creations to life, so he made short stop-motion animations. This evolved into him making short films starring him and his friends. As he developed his skills further, he became increasingly interested in the technical side of filmmaking, learning how to use various cameras and editing software.
Edward has a YouTube channel called Mr Porridge (he loves porridge!), which is run by his parents, and has created a variety of films including short reels, short films, reviews of equipment, and some documentary style films for local groups/businesses/schools.
He has also made a short film called “Forward to the Past” which premiered at a local community centre and a documentary for his local arts centre A’ the Airts when he was 12, which led to him winning Young Community Champion at the Dumfries and Galloway Life Awards.
Speaking at the awards this afternoon, Edward Ryan said:
“I put a lot of hard work and effort into this film but none of it would have been possible without the help of my friends and all the support from my parents and family. Especially from my Mum for entering me into this amazing competition. I would also like to thank the whole of my community in Sanquhar for their unwavering encouragement. I feel overwhelmed with joy and gratitude to have this opportunity and to receive this award.”
Fiona Evans, CEO of Into Film said:
“The Into Film Awards wouldn’t be possible without the unwavering support of our invaluable sponsors, the UK film industry. Their commitment allows us to provide real opportunities for young people to share their stories, develop their creativity and provide them with career pathways into the industry. These Awards are both a celebration of their talent and a clear statement of intent: that the UK film industry values, nurtures and believes in the voices of the next generation.”
The Into Film Awards, sponsored by the UK film industry and supported by the BFI awarding National Lottery Good Cause funding, celebrate young people’s creativity in film, showcasing and highlighting the wealth of tomorrow’s creative talent. Young people from across the UK whose short films have been nominated across the Awards categories will be recognised at a glitzy afternoon ceremony, which has previously been attended by some of the biggest stars in the industry including Daniel Craig, Lashana Lynch, Eddie Redmayne, Lily James, Luke Evans, Gemma Arterton, Charles Dance, Ruth Wilson, Bill Nighy, Simon Pegg, Martin Freeman and Naomie Harris.
This year’s nominated films cover a wide range of compelling and timely subjects for young people including mental health, the war in Ukraine, gender identity, neurodivergence, multiculturism, the potential harms of AI, feeling disconnected and isolated in modern society, nature conservation, immigration and identity, looking after an unwell parent, the need to stop scrolling on social media, and much more.
The nominees have been recognised across 11 awards categories in different age groups and the winners will be announced and presented with their awards by stars of the film and entertainment industry at the afternoon ceremony at Odeon Luxe, Leicester Square in London. The award ceremony was hosted by BAFTA Breakthrough Brit, BAFTA TV winner, actor, presenter and author Rose Ayling-Ellis MBE.
This year’s Into Film Awards received an unprecedented number of film entries from children and young people across the UK. Into Film believes that every child should be given the chance to learn hands-on filmmaking skills and be able to tell their own stories in film, which is the central aim of its Young Creatives programme, supported by the BFI awarding National Lottery Good Cause funding.
