Films made by students from schools across Stevenage about the impact of knife crime were unveiled and judged at a red carpet screening yesterday.
As part of Herts police’s anti-knife crime initiative Operation Edge, The Barclay School, Barnwell School, Marriotts School, The Thomas Alleyne Academy and The John Henry Newman Catholic School all made films, which were screened at Stevenage’s Cineworld.
Students were given the task of making an educational film, no more than five minutes long, which could be shown at other schools to inform young people about the dangers of knife crime.
A panel of judges – which included film composer David Arnold and actor Kevin Whately of Inspector Morse fame – chose Marriotts as the winners, describing their film as: “A thought-provoking and dramatic film, cinematically shot with well introduced characters and a powerful ending – capturing the impact and unintended consequences of carrying a knife.”
Barnwell finished runner-up with their “visually gripping style of filmmaking, clear and well produced, telling the story in a contemporary fashion through the use of engaging on-screen graphics”.
Speaking after the event, Stevenage Neighbourhood Inspector Simon Tabert – who is behind the Operation Edge initiative – said: “We wanted to do something where the students were the ones spreading the message to their peers.
“Everyone has a part to play in keeping our communities safe and one of the most influential groups are the young people themselves.
“Their messages will be some of the strongest and I am delighted with the enthusiasm shown by the schools who embraced this project.
“The judges were impressed by the standard of all of the entries and I hope we will be able to use these films further as part of our ongoing work to tackle knife crime.”
Stevenage’s chief inspector, Alicia Shaw, added: “I would like to thank the schools for their enthusiasm, Cineworld for creating an amazing atmosphere through the use of their facilities, and the local councillors for their donations which funded the project.
“The standard of filmmaking was exceptionally high, and the students portrayed powerful on-screen messages.”
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