Into Film Clubs
Find out everything you need to know about starting an Into Film Club.
Congratulations to Ash Williams from Burnham Market Primary School in Norfolk, England, Ben Gregory from Yr Orsaf / Dyffryn Nantlle 2020 in Penygroes, Wales, and Sophie Barnard and Will Davies from The Bright Foundation in Hastings, England, who have all been named Filmmaking Champions (sponsored by Working Title Films) at the Into Film Awards 2026.
Our Filmmaking Champion category celebrates those individuals or groups that facilitate and support young filmmakers to find an outlet through filmmaking. Their passion and tireless work provides endless inspiration to young people across the UK, supporting them to gain the skills and confidence to tell their own stories through film. Find out more about these inspirational figures below, and watch the short films that we produced to get a taste of the work they do and why their impact is so highly regarded.
Ash Williams from Burnham Market Primary School
Norfolk, England
Working across rural north and west Norfolk over the past 15 years, Ash creates meaningful filmmaking opportunities for young people through curriculum-based learning and volunteer projects, all in an area that faces significant challenges linked to rural deprivation and geographic isolation.
As Senior Teacher at Burnham Market Primary School, Ash has worked to place filmmaking at the very heart of the school's ethos. Every class has regular opportunities to create and share their own films, not just within the classroom, but at school celebrations and on public platforms. He has overseen a culture change at the whole school and ensured a long-term legacy, leading staff training sessions to show colleagues how film can transform learning across the curriculum, and bringing in media experts to enhance learning. The school is now even developing a permanent film studio space.
Through embedding filmmaking across the curriculum in his school, as well as acting as Director of the Fakenham Film Festival, Ash is actively broadening horizons and showcasing the wide range of roles within the screen industries, raising aspirations for hundreds of young people in an area with limited access to cultural institutions.
Ben Gregory from Yr Orsaf / Dyffryn Nantlle 2020
Penygroes, Wales
Ben's film club works with young people who live in Dyffryn Nantlle, a rural area in northwest Wales where people face challenges with a lack of resources and creative opportunities in the Welsh language.
His relentless work to secure sustainable opportunities for young people is impressive. Since starting the club in 2013, Ben has helped run sessions to produce 18 films while working with over a hundred young people. The resulting films have been nominated and won awards at Pics Film Festival in Caernarfon, Zoom Cymru in South Wales, and the Into Film Awards. Over a decade of activity, he has made sure that there is a long-term platform for young people of the area to come together and create films in the Welsh Language, while also running clubs with all-female groups, in an effort to push more girls towards filmmaking.
Young people from the first group that Ben worked with over a decade ago have since gone on to achieve jobs in media, film and TV, and have credited the film club as the place that ignited their passion for the arts. They have also begun mentoring the next generation, ensuring that Ben's work has a lasting legacy.
Sophie Barnard and Will Davies from The Bright Foundation
Hastings, England
The Bright Foundation is an arts education charity founded by Academy and BAFTA Award winning costume designer, John Bright. Will is the Film Programme Learning Leader, and Sophie is the Foundation's Producer. They work in-and-around Hastings and East Sussex, and focus on programmes for disadvantaged children and young people, such as those in receipt of free school meals; neurodiverse young people; those with special educational needs, or those in case or at risk of school refusal.
At the Foundation's Benbow Arts Space (a youth arts centre dedicated to the art of filmmaking), Will and Sophie have engaged over 500 children and young people. They have built a warm and welcoming atmosphere and with passion, good humour and a can-do attitude they work tirelessly to allow individuals to grow and develop: finding their creative voices; learning new skills both on the technical side of filmmaking and the creative development; building their confidence; understanding the industry and career pathways; and most importantly, having fun!
Their unwavering commitment to young people and their ambition to give them the most amazing creative learning experiences possible makes them an invaluable part of their community.
