Chichester Cinema at New Park hosts premiere to showcase films created by local children

On Saturday April 16, Chichester Cinema at New Park invited over 100 local primary school children and their families to an exclusive premiere of short films directed and created by the students themselves. SUS-220421-122443001

The premiere is part of the ‘Little People, Big Screen’ initiative in collaboration with STEM Innovation.

The independent cinema partnered with STEM Innovation to deliver the pioneering new project which provides children with a unique learning opportunity to gain practical experience in the film industry and develop new skills before seeing their finished work presented on the big screen.

The director and programmer of Chichester Cinema at New Park, Walter Francisco said: “As a charity one of our core aims is to support young people through education and invest in our surrounding community by making film education and cinema accessible to all.

“It’s a real honour to be able to welcome local children and families to enjoy the art of film and celebrate the work of the next generation of budding filmmakers, actors and directors, nurturing the talent of tomorrow.”

In partnership with Chichester Cinema at New Park who have funded the project, STEM Innovation Ali Khan worked with local primary schools across the Chichester district including; Portfield Primary Academy, St Joseph’s

Catholic Primary School, North Mundham Primary School, St. Richard’s Catholic Primary School and Kingsham Primary School.

Over five weekly sessions pupils aged 7-10 years old got the chance to explore a range of film-making skills and technologies using professional equipment, including directing and editing, lighting, music and camera techniques, green-screen effects and stock motion animation.

Alongside developing technical expertise and industry understanding the students also got the chance to learn about storytelling and teamwork, bringing to life stories from the children’s biography series Little People, BIG DREAMS by Maria Isabel Sánchez Vegara which inspired their films.

STEM Innovation founder and director Ali Khan said: “It’s been a privilege to watch the children grow in confidence as they learn new skills and step out of their comfort zone. I’m so grateful to Chichester Cinema at New Park for supporting the programme and providing the perfect platform to showcase the children’s hard work on the big screen.

“The premiere was a real highlight for pupils and their families and created a truly memorable learning experience which I hope will inspire the young people for years to come.”

Following the popularity of ‘Little People, Big Screen’ and the interest from local schools, STEM Innovation and Chichester Cinema at New Park hope to develop the initiative further and are currently exploring opportunities to expand this to other community groups including secondary schools in the coming months.

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