UK’s emerging film professionals win awards in parliament ceremony

A host of MPs and Lords joined film experts and UK directors to raise a glass to the winners of this year’s Film the House competition at the House of Lords on Tuesday evening. Absolutely Fabulous star and comedian Helen Lederer hosted the champagne reception that celebrated the next generation of UK’s scriptwriters, directors and filmmakers.

Britain’s young and talented filmmakers met with parliamentarians to celebrate the winners for the annual competition, intended as a creative way of raising awareness around the importance of intellectual property (IP) rights and supporting the creative industries, which contribute over £115billion to the UK economy every year.

Deborah Armstrong, Senior Vice President of Disney, captured the essence of Film the House when she announced the winner of Best Short Film 19 and Over: “Storytelling is at the heart of everything we do, and we believe that great stories have the power to transform the world. We all deserve to be seen, heard, and understood, and that’s why we’re so excited to join our Members of Parliament and other partners to support you – the next generation of UK filmmakers – in telling your stories.”

Huge congratulations to the winners of this year’s Film the House competition:

Best Film Script Under 19

Charlotte Roberts – If you have been murdered please press 3 (David Rutley MP, Macclesfield)

The judges said: “An imaginative and highly original piece of writing, with impressive attention to character and a sense of place. A smart meditation on fate and mortality.”

Best Film Script Over 19

Taiyo Yoshida – Get in the Groove (Vicky Foxcroft MP, Lewisham Deptford)

The judges said: “Concise story-telling, powerful visuals and well-drawn characters make this script hard to forget. Taiyo takes us on an emotional journey, with heart and humour along the way.”

Directors UK Best Film Direction Under 19

Freya Hannan-Mills – I’ll Be Back Tomorrow…  (Dame Angela Eagle MP, Wallasey)

Directors UK judges said: “Freya has such a strong visual voice. I’ll Be Back Tomorrow is a really personal piece with great texture, a surrealist vibe and a poetic anxiety to the storytelling. We are bowled over by what Freya has achieved with this film.

Directors UK Best Film Direction Over 19

Ben Hector – 22. Anna Matthews (Michael Tomlinson MP, Mid Dorset and North Poole)

Directors UK judges said: “22. Anna Matthews delivers extraordinary emotional complexity and depth with immaculate precision. There isn’t a frame wasted in this beautifully spare and lean film – we all agree that Ben has conjured a mesmerising story.”

Specially commended

Cass Virdee – 51 States (Karen Buck MP, Westminster North)

Best Short Film Under 19

Saul Bell-West – Deserter (Selaine Saxby MP, North Devon)

The judges said: “Simple, but highly effective, production design and cinematography were used to capture shifts in time and emotion to create a poignant and memorable short film.”

Best Short Film Over 19

Rosie Westhoff – Our Sister (Stella Creasy MP, Walthamstow)

One of the judges said: “Our Sister explores the themes of love, isolation and heart-wrenching grief in one of the most intimate OVER 19 and powerfully emotional films of the shortlist. Tenderly shot, this film stopped me in my tracks, took my breath away and has stayed with me ever since.”

Parliamentary sponsors of this year’s competition were The Earl of Clancarty, Lord Clement-Jones, Jo Stevens MP and Giles Watling MP. The late MP and campaigner for the creative industries Mike Weatherley was remembered by his friend and former colleague David Austin for his key role in founding Film the House in 2012.

This year, the competition received entries from 136 constituencies across the UK in a range of categories including Best Script and Best Short Film, with both under and over 19 categories. The competition also features the Directors UK award for Best Film Direction for under and over 19s. Winners received Film the House trophies, cash prizes, a certificate of classification for their film from the British Board of Film Classification, as well as mentoring sessions from industry screenwriting professionals.

Film the House commented: “The creative industries are one of the UK’s biggest successes. Each year, the creative industries contribute over £115billion to the UK economy and employ over two million people, making them the UK’s fastest-growing sector. It’s our job to nurture that creativity, which means protecting copyright and enabling the UK’s homegrown talent to flourish.”

Helen Lederer, Absolutely Fabulous star, comedian and Film the House compere said: “It was such a pleasure helping to celebrate up-and-coming British film talent. Creative competitions like Film the House provide an opportunity for creators to get involved in the industry. They also highlight the real importance of IP to MPs and creatives alike. Huge congratulations to the winners and shortlist of this year’s competition. We look forward to seeing much more of you all in the future!”

Lord Tim Clement-Jones said: “Intellectual property (IP) is a vital way of making sure that creators are properly rewarded for the artistic works they produce. This is as true for film and other visual media as it is for books, fashion or music. Film the House is designed to highlight the importance we place in parliament on IP and on good IP protection and enforcement. We hope that for their part, creators will respond by taking part in future Film the House competitions and demonstrate the huge audiovisual and writing talent that we have in this country.”

An expert industry panel of leading figures from across Britain’s creative landscape chose the finalists, including Trevor Albery, Warner Bros; Mo Ali, director; Bill Anderson, director; Sasha Collington, scriptwriter; Caroline D’Silva, MPA; Ben King, Netflix; Line Langebek, scriptwriter; Jonathan Lewsley, Amazon; Paul Powell, scriptwriter; Brittany Taylor-Kirk, BBFC; Charlotte Tudor, Disney; Nigel Warner, MPA; Georgie Yukiko Donovan, director. Winners of the competition received prizes including a Scriptwriting and directorial mentoring, Film the House award trophy, cash prize and a BBFC certificate of classification.

The Film the House competition enjoys widespread industry support. It is proudly sponsored by ALCS, The Walt Disney Company, Paramount Global, The Motion Picture Association, Directors UK, Netflix, Prime Video, and WarnerMedia.