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News story

21 Media wins Kickstart Award 

July 14, 2022

An innovative scheme set up to help young filmmakers with the first steps of their careers has won a national Kickstart Award. 

The Institute for Creative Enterprise (ICE) at Edge Hill University established 21 Media to create a route into the industry for 16- to 24-year-olds on Universal Credit who are at risk of long-term unemployment. 

Having been funded by the Government’s Kickstart scheme, 21 Media has now been chosen for an award out of thousands of entries in the Innovative Employment and Support for Young People category. 

Martin McQuillan, Director of ICE, said: “We are delighted to have won this award. It serves as a testament to the hard work that was done to provide opportunities for those on the programme, as well as the skills and talents of the young people themselves.  

“We can’t wait to see what the future holds for 21 Media and help even more people to establish a career in film and television.” 

Carl Hunter, Senior Fellow in Filmmaking for ICE, added: “21 Media gave unrepresented voices in film a voice, it showed working class young people shinning as they should. It’s excellent that the programme and the incredible efforts of everyone involved have been brought to national attention with this award win.”

Young people who came through the scheme have already begun to make their mark on the film industry. 

Among the success stories are a group who worked on Hamlet Within, which recently premiered at Cannes Film Festival. 

The Ferryman, a short film written and directed by a group of people on the 21 Media programme, has recently been selected to show at Oakville Film Festival in Ontario, Canada. 

They also worked on Stillness Rings, a short film reflecting on the second Covid-19 lockdown, which was shown at Keswick Film Festival earlier this year. 

21 Media was established to provide access to the film, television and media industry to young people whose careers have been impacted by the pandemic. 

It has provided opportunities to 21 young people from diverse and disadvantaged backgrounds who traditionally face barriers to entry to the film industry. 

July 14, 2022

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