YOUNG FILM MAKERS CATCH FESTIVAL FEVER

Young film-makers studying Media (Film and TV) at Edge Hill are seeking funding for the production of a zombie film. Ashley Dean (20) and Tom Whyman (19) both from Northwich in Cheshire have already scripted the 45-minute film and are hoping to secure up to £200 funding to pay for special effects and makeup.

The first year undergraduates aim to take the completed film to national festivals and have already enjoyed success with their previous production,The Future, by reaching the shortlist stage of the Science Fiction Short Film competition supported by BBC2 Wales, as part of the Wrexham Science Festival. Their five minute short film was chosen for screening and was previewed at Yale College, Wrexham.

Claire Molloy is Lecturer in Film and TV at Edge Hill and she is delighted with the increasing number of students enjoying success on the film festival circuit.

"Many of our students are achieving success in reaching the final stages of festivals in the North West and beyond. Two other films were screened in Liverpool at FACT (Film, Art and Creative Technology) as part of the Microwave Film Festival of Moving Image. Mucky Mountain Morris Dancers and No Ball Games were chosen from around 150 international entries to join 17 other short listed films- it was a real thrill for the students to view their work on the big screen, alongside some of the very best international young film makers."

Students are also preparing to enter the 2004 Promax Student Awards with three-minute promotional videos for the Hallmark Competition. The broadcasting competition sets full-time college students the challenge of developing innovative ideas to create a broadcast feature combining programming with commercial messages.

If you are interested in supporting student film makers at Edge Hill contact Claire Molloy on 01695 584695 or 01695 584534. ENDS

EDITOR?S NOTES: For further information please contact: Roisin Rowley-Smith PR Manager Tel: 01695 584509 Fax: 01695 584355 E mail: rowlesr@edgehill.ac.uk or pressoffice@edgehill.ac.uk