Two powerful short films created by young people on the Isle of Wight are giving children and students the opportunity to share their experiences and perspectives with adults.
Artswork, the charity that empowers children and young people through creativity, has released 2 new films co-created with Island youngsters and professional filmmaker Bruce Webb.
The productions are the first in a series of youth-led films titled LISTEN UP!, created as part of Creative Island’s CAN YOU HEAR US? programme in association with the Isle of Wight Council’s Virtual School.
Both projects began with a simple but thought-provoking question: “If adults were listening, what would you tell them?”
The first film, Do You Understand Care?, sees 5 children use their own experiences to challenge perceptions surrounding the foster care system. Through interviews with social workers and each other, alongside AI animation and puppetry, the film offers an honest insight into life in care.
Head of the Isle of Wight Virtual School, Rosie Lister, said:
“Providing the children we care for with the opportunity to shape the services that support them underpins Children’s Services on the Island.
Article continues below this advertisement “As a Virtual School we were thrilled to be able to collaborate with Artswork to give our young people a platform, whilst also developing skills and opportunities to enable and inspire.
“We are so proud of all the young people involved.”
The second film, Unheard, is a drama set in a fictional school and created with students from Medina College. The film encourages teachers and adults to look beyond behaviour and better understand the challenges young people face.
Students were involved in every aspect of production, including scriptwriting, acting, camera work, sound recording and composing original music.
Anna Mursell and Katie Sandiford, joint Heads of School at Medina College, said:
“We could not be more proud of the heart, creativity, and dedication our students poured into this project.
“Witnessing their courage to share such a raw, honest message has been incredibly humbling.
“Beyond the lifelong memories these students have made, they have crafted a message of profound depth: a reminder to always show kindness, because someone’s surface rarely tells their whole story. It is a powerful lesson for people of any age, in any walk of life.”
Filmmaker Bruce Webb said the experience had helped young people gain confidence and develop new skills.
Bruce said:
“Seeing young people change over the course of the development, production and post-production process and become more confident with the equipment, speaking in public and being able to express their feelings to adults was brilliant.
“Projects like this which give young people a voice are incredibly important in today’s society of increasing isolation.”
Peta Rainford, placemaking creative producer with Artswork, added that she was proud of the honesty and hard work shown by everyone involved and thanked the organisations and adults who supported the young filmmakers.
Both films are now available to watch online here and will also feature at the LISTEN UP! youth-led film festival later this year.
The festival forms part of Creative Island’s CAN YOU HEAR US? programme – a 6-week celebration of creativity and culture taking place across the Isle of Wight from 11th September to 24th October.
