How the Into Film scheme supports future filmmakers
Film production in the UK is booming and - as recent commitments by George Osborne demonstrate - it is quickly becoming an essential industry to look at for the Treasury.
It is important that we do not lose momentum in years to come and start now with educating the stars of tomorrow - both on-screen as well as off-screen.
The Into Film scheme stimulates and supports classroom learning using film and supports those who want to join the industry. It is a scheme that enables us to be confident that film will be an industry we can remain proud of in the years to come.
With their annual awards coming up, Hope Kemp - nominated in the 'Ones To Watch' category - tells us why Into Film is so important to her and other young people in the UK.
"When I look back at my childhood, I have always been enchanted by the cinema and fascinated by screen stories. One of the first films I recall being truly struck by was Bryan Forbes' adaptation of The Stepford Wives (1975). I must have been around 11 or 12 years old but I can remember that for days afterwards I kept re-watching that last scene in my head and thinking, "I wish I'd made that." It didn't occur to me until years later that I could start to make my own films - all I needed was a camera and someone to act (unfortunately for my little brother, at first this always meant him).
The first film I made that I ever showed anyone was entitled Junky, a short adaptation of how Beat author, William S. Burroughs, described his tumultuous childhood growing up in St Louis (my brother was the star, of course).
From then on, I was hooked; I began writing more and more of my own screenplays, producing films with new and old friends and in the meantime, diligently noting down each and every title anyone ever recommended to me. I adore watching, reading about, talking about and making films, so to be recognised by Into Film for doing something that I love feels incredible.
Organisations like Into Film are vital for the future of the film industry. From a personal perspective, as somebody who came into this industry without any familial connections whatsoever, Into Film have provided me with invaluable experiences and opportunities to help with my career.
Last year, I was lucky enough to be accepted onto their Talent Development programme, even being sent to interview one of my favourite actors of all time, Kevin Spacey. Having the chance to meet major players in the industry is inspiring and has definitely helped with giving me the impetus to pursue what I adore doing and what is important to me.
In the future, I hope to continue to write and direct my own films. I can only dream that one day I'll be able to make something half as powerful as that last scene in The Stepford Wives and the effect it had on me."
Hope Kemp has been nominated for an Into Film Award in the 'Ones To Watch' category'.
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