Revealing the 2022 Into Film Awards Nominees

04 May 2022 in Into Film Awards

10 mins
Daniel Craig at Into Film Awards 2017
Daniel Craig at Into Film Awards 2017

We're thrilled to reveal the sensational nominees for the 2022 Into Film Awards. From incredible Into Film Clubs, inspiring educators and talented young review writers to a host of remarkable films submitted across six filmmaking categories, the Into Film Awards celebrates the best the UK has to offer in filmmaking and the use of film in education.

We received hundreds of entries, and this year's film nominations are stronger than ever, showcasing an impressive range of unique stories and filmmaking talent, revealing themes that evidence the unprecedented challenges young people have faced over the past two years.

The diverse range of stories and topics covered include the impact of lockdown on mental health, the continued struggle to protect the environment and have climate change be treated seriously, and a film about coping with OCD. We also have nominees that explore timely and relevant issues such as Ukrainian cultural identity, the intersection of race and beauty standards in the UK, and the anniversary of integrated education being introduced in Northern Ireland.

Our nominees will be joining us at the prestigious and star-studded Into Film Awards ceremony, taking place at London's famous ODEON Luxe Leicester Square on Tuesday 28 June 2022, where a wealth of film industry talent will be on hand to present awards to the ultimate winners. We're also delighted that much-loved TV presenter, writer, actor and comedian Sue Perkins will join us to host this year's ceremony.

Find out about all of our nominees below, and be sure to watch the incredible nominated films.

The 2022 Into Film Awards nominees are...

  • Click the film titles below to watch the nominated films

Into Film Club of the Year (Sponsored by Lucasfilm Ltd.)

  • Beechlawn Sixth Form - Belfast, Northern Ireland
    This sixth form Into Film Club provides a safe and inclusive space for SEND students, who use film to relax, promote discussion, write reviews, and even practice mindfulness.
  • Hillside Primary School - Aberdeenshire, Scotland
    This primary school Into Film Club has allowed young people to build their self-confidence and make friends from other school years, even continuing to operate through the pandemic.
  • EGLAM (Eden Girls Leadership Academy) - Manchester, England
    This girls' secondary school Into Film Club uses film to discuss wider issues within society, often focusing on stories of female empowerment, particularly ones that allow their female members of colour to see themselves on screen.

Teacher of the Year (Sponsored by Working Title Films)

  • Michele McAlonan - Cliftonville Integrated Primary School, Belfast, Northern Ireland
    Michele has used film brilliantly to make media part of her school's development plan and create a successful Into Film Club, as well as engaging with a number of unique Into Film activities in Northern Ireland, from the Film Buff Challenge to using the Story Builder workbook
  • Jemma Evans - Penybont Primary School, Bridgend, Wales
    Jemma has truly embraced film learning in her 17 years of teaching at Penybont, from her extensive use of Into Film+ across the curriculum and her passion for stop-motion animation, to her regular attendance at the Into Film Festival.
  • Ashley Williams - Newton Longville CofE Primary, Buckinghamshire, England
    Ashley has successfully interwoven his longstanding passion for filmmaking into his teaching, producing everything from documentaries and LEGO animations to music videos and a brilliant short film riffing on the story of Frankenstein.

Ones to Watch (Sponsored by EON Productions)

In partnership with BFI Film Academy

These three phenomenal young people have already achieved an impressive amount in the world of film and we believe they will go on to even greater things. Each nominee will receive industry mentoring, with the overall winner receiving a cash prize of £1000 to help support their film journey.

  • Eden (age 17) - Powys, Wales
    Eden is a former Into Film Award winner for her film I'm the One in 2020, and has won further acclaim at film festivals across the world. She is about to begin studying Film Production at university.
  • Nathan Hall (age 19) - Preston, England
    Nathan has built his knowledge and passion for filmmaking at a number of prestigious organisations, including ScreenSkills, National Youth Film Academy and the BFI Film Academy. He attends as many Q&As as he can and takes on work as an extra on high-profile sets so he can learn more about the industry. 
  • Louise (age 17) - Falkirk, Scotland
    Louise is both an accomplished filmmaker and cinematographer. She was a member of our Youth Advisory Council and has taken part in multiple courses with the BFI.

Review of the Year (Sponsored by IMDb)

Out of the hundreds of reviews left on our website each year, we've selected the three nominees below as the pick of the bunch.

  • Ella (age 15) - Chichester, England - For her review of A Trip to the Moon
  • Angeline (age 10) - Devon, England - For her review of Big Hero 6
  • Joe Breuer (age 18) - Surrey, England - For his review of Ratcatcher

Best Animation - 11 and Under (Sponsored by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, UK)

  • The Lonely Polar Bear - Made by Alex with Screen Education Edinburgh - Edinburgh, Scotland
  • The Rocket - Made by Benjamin, aged 6 - London, England
  • Recycle Now - Made by Eco Warriors from Queensbridge Primary School - London, England

Best Animation - 12 and Over (Sponsored by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, UK)

  • Mia - Made by Zoe, aged 16 - Aberdeen, Scotland
  • Aggressive - Made by Sadie, aged 17, from Countesthorpe Academy - Leicestershire, England
  • Samosa in Space - Made by Rainbow Collective - London, England

Changes for a Better World

This special category asked young people to consider the environmental crisis, and to look ahead to the future and imagine the changes they want to see and create, whether big or small, personal or society wide.

  • Change Direction - Made by Greta and Nick from Portobello High School - Edinburgh, Scotland
  • Dear Future Generations - Made by a group of 16-18 year olds from MediaActive Projects - Shropshire, England
  • Paper Problem - Made by the Year 6 film club at Newton Longville School - Buckinghamshire, England

Best Film - 11 and Under (Sponsored by MGM Studios)

  • What Would You Do? - Made by a group of 11-year-old pupils at Williamsburgh Primary - Paisley, Scotland
  • Integrated Education Month - Made by a class of 30 at Cranmore Integrated Primary School - Belfast, Northern Ireland
  • The Year the World Changed - Made by Lucia, Olivia, Yvie, Olivier, Maisie, Sophie, and Bella from Bessacarr Primary - Doncaster, England

Best Film - 12-15 (Sponsored by Paramount Pictures)

  • Food Fight - Made by a group of 24 students at Pauline Quirke Academy, Wickford - Essex, England
  • Shades of Beauty - Made by Mia, Serena, Miyoko and Kieran from Skills 4 All Ltd - Oldham, England
  • To My Future Self - Made by Charlie - Wetherby, England

Best Film - 16-19 (Sponsored by Warner Bros. Discovery)

  • Sick Day - Made by Charlie - Hertfordshire, England
  • A Piece of Self - Made by Yeva from DLD College London - London, England
  • Driven to Despair - Made by Freya from Finham Park Sixth Form - Coventry, England

Our Audience Choice Award gives you the chance to decide which of our incredible nominated films deserves an Into Film Award. Simply head over to our Twitter and Retweet the post with your favourite film on it. The one with the most Retweets will win! 

The Audience Choice vote runs until midday on Wednesday 22 June.

The Lonely Polar Bear

Made by young people at Screen Education Edinburgh - Edinburgh, Scotland

A lonely polar bear is forced to head south in search of a new home, when the ice at the North Pole begins to melt.

The Rocket

Made by Ben, aged 6 - London, England

In this catchy musical round animation based on ‘Row, Row, Row Your Boat', a rocket travels to space, and encounters alien life.

Recycle Now

Made by Eco Warriors from Queensbridge Primary School - London, England

A stop-motion animation made to raise awareness about how important it is to recycle, reduce and reuse, including helpful tips for us all.

Mia

Made by Zoe, aged 16 - Aberdeen, Scotland

Mark is still recovering from the tragic passing of his wife, as he continues to be haunted by the car crash that took her away. A lovingly animated and mature stop-motion film that explores themes of death and grieving.

Aggressive

Made by Sadie, aged 17, from Countesthorpe Academy - Leicestershire, England

A beautifully line-drawn animation that sees a young girl's gentle wolf companion hunted by townspeople who wrongly assume it to be dangerous.

Samosa in Space

Made by Rainbow Collective - London, England

A colourful and catchy musical animation, based on the true story of a couple of guys from the Chai Walla takeaway in Bath, who sent a samosa into outer space.

Change Direction

Made by Greta and Nick from Portobello High School - Edinburgh, Scotland

Made and directed by a disabled young person through the use of an eyegaze communicator, this short film is a quietly impassioned call-to-action in the face of climate change apathy.

Dear Future Generations

Made by a group of 16-18 year olds from MediaActive Projects - Shropshire, England

Beautifully marrying spoken word with perfectly selected archive footage, this rousing film was created remotely during lockdown, and presents an evocative and poignant reflection on the world we inherit and will subsequently pass on to future generations.

Paper Problem

Made by the Year 6 film club at Newton Longville School - Buckinghamshire, England

When a class of children is wasteful with their use of paper, the paper comes back to haunt them! Meanwhile, the class address environmental concerns around the use of paper, and what can be done to combat these issues.

What Would You Do?

Made by a group of 11-year-old pupils from Williamsburgh Primary - Paisley, Scotland

When two children see a young girl being bullied and choose to walk away, the film stops to consider: what could they have done differently to help the situation? Drawing on the young filmmakers' own experiences, this is an anti-bullying film about how to help someone belong and feel valued.

Integrated Education Month

Made by a class of 30 at Cranmore Integrated Primary School - Belfast, Northern Ireland

This film was made to celebrate 40 years of Integrated Education in Northern Ireland, and sees a group of children examine the changes that have taken place in the country in the four decades since in their own creative way.

The Year the World Changed

Made by Lucia, Olivia, Yvie, Olivier, Maisie, Sophie, and Bella from Bessacarr Primary - Doncaster, England

As the first Lockdown hits in March 2020, we follow the lives of two girls. Maisie continues to attend school as a key worker child, while Olivia must learn from home. As lockdown continues, we see how this affects the children and their friendship with a few hilarious recreations of the news thrown in for good measure!

Food Fight

Made by a group of 24 students at Pauline Quirke Academy, Wickford - Essex, England

When a food fight breaks out in the school canteen, it's every child for themselves and if the snack-based weaponry doesn't get you, the deadly food puns surely will!

Shades of Beauty

Made by Mia, Serena, Miyoko and Kieran from Skills 4 All Ltd - Oldham, England

A short film that affectingly explores notions of beauty, representation, and race, as a young girl looks at a range of glossy magazines and doesn't see herself reflected in any of them.

To My Future Self

Made by Charlie - Wetherby, England

From the midst of lockdown, a young person speaks poetically to his future self, recounting his experiences during the pandemic, and sharing his hopes for what may come next.

Sick Day

Made by Charlie - Hertfordshire, England

A pitch-perfect recreation of a silent era comedy that also weaves in contemporary COVID themes, Sick Day sees a poorly teenager attempting to escape his house and attend a party, despite his mother's orders to stay home and recover.

A Piece of Self

Made by Yeva from DLD College London - London, England

A Ukrainian teenager finds her connection to her homeland reignited when she's given a gift by her mother in this spiritual, artistic and timely short film that celebrates ideas of country, culture and how we relate to where we come from.

Driven to Despair

Made by Freya from Finham Park Sixth Form - Coventry, England

A teenager with OCD works hard to stick to situations she can control, but finds herself thrown when she misses her bus stop, and must find a way to cope with the rising panic and stay calm. This short does an incredible job of conveying the anxiety that can be caused by OCD, and delivers a memorable depiction of the way a seemingly everyday inconvenience can be debilitating to those with mental health issues.

This Article is part of: Into Film Awards

Articles relating to our annual Into Film Awards, including all the nominees and winners from past years.

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