Film The House winners announced by ALCS

FILM THE HOUSE COMPETITION AIMED AT FINDING THE FILMMAKERS AND SCRIPTWRITERS OF TOMORROW ANNOUNCES WINNERS

• A host of MPs and Lords attended the parliamentary event, sponsored by Lord Clement-Jones, Ellie Reeves MP, and Giles Watling MP
• Prizes were awarded to the best films, directors and scriptwriters across different age groups

LONDON, July 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- MPs and Lords joined key members of the film and television industry to celebrate the Film the House winners at the House of Lords.

The next generation of UK's scriptwriters, directors and filmmakers were announced at the reception at parliament.

The annual competition is run in collaboration with MPs and industry professionals as a way of highlighting the importance of intellectual property (IP) rights to both creators and parliamentarians. The parliamentary sponsors of this year's competition were Lord Clement-Jones, Ellie Reeves MP and Giles Watling MP.

This year, the competition received entries from 117 constituencies across the UK in a range of categories, including Best Script and Best Short Film, for both Under and Over 19 years. The competition also features an award for Directors UK Best Film Direction.

Winners received Film the House trophies, cash prizes, a certificate of classification for their film from the British Board of Film Classification, and mentoring sessions from screenwriting professionals.

The judges of the competition were extremely impressed by the quality of entries this year, describing them as "breath-taking", "sophisticated" and "powerful".  

THE WINNERS OF THIS YEAR'S FILM THE HOUSE COMPETITION ARE:

Best Film Script – under 19

Lye – Miguel Mellinger

The judges said: "A story packed with ideas and emotion, driven by ambitious visuals and surprising twists. Characters leap from the page, pushing towards a dramatic and satisfying climax."

Best Film Script – 19 or over

Knaves – Laurie Barraclough

The judges said: "A breath-taking story that doesn't go where you expect it to, as we follow two young girls in Hemsby, a town falling into the sea along with their lives – Tamara and Henny's botched attempt at making everything better might just make everything worse. Sure-footed and moving."

Directors UK Best Film Direction

Harold & Mary – Stephen Gallacher

The judges said: "Pitch perfect – a moving and intimate film from an accomplished director. Inventive and surprising."

Specially commended: First Timers – Hector Bell

Best Short Film – under 19

Slay The Beast from A State of Peace – Miro Alleyne-McCarthy

The judges said: "Original and thought-provoking, with innovative visuals and an atmospheric soundtrack…an immersive and memorable film."

Best Short Film – 19 or over

Grace – Luke Bradford

The judges said: "Grace is an intimately filmed portrait of hope and acceptance, which humbles the viewer with its inspiring, hopeful and truly life affirming spirit."

Lord Timothy Clement-Jones said: "I am proud to sponsor Film the House, which is designed to highlight the importance we place in parliament on IP and on good IP protection and enforcement. We hope that for their part, creators will respond by taking part in future Film the House competitions and demonstrate the huge audiovisual and writing talent that we have in this country."

Film the House enjoys widespread industry support. It is proudly sponsored by Disney, the Authors' Licensing and Collecting Society, Directors UK, the Motion Picture Association, Netflix, Paramount Global, Prime Video and Warner Brothers Discovery.

For further information please visit filmthehouse.co.uk or contact info@filmthehouse.co.uk

Editor's Notes

About the Authors' Licensing and Collecting Society

The Authors' Licensing and Collecting Society (ALCS) is a not-for-profit organisation started by writers for the benefit of all types of writers. Owned by its members, ALCS collects money due for secondary uses of writers' work. It is designed to support authors and their creativity; ensure they receive fair payment and see their rights are respected. It promotes and teaches the principles of copyright and campaigns for a fair deal. It represents over 120,000 members, and since 1977 has paid over £650million to writers.

About Directors UK

Directors UK is the professional association of UK screen directors. It is a membership organisation representing the creative, economic and contractual interests of over 8,000 members – the majority of working TV and film directors in the UK. Directors UK negotiates rights deals and collects and distributes royalties to its members. It also campaigns and lobbies on its members' behalf and provides a range of services including legal advice, events and career development. Directors UK works closely with fellow organisations around the world to represent directors' rights and concerns, promotes excellence in the craft of direction and champions change to the current landscape to create an equal opportunity industry for all. 

About Disney

The Walt Disney Company, together with its subsidiaries and affiliates, is a leading diversified international family entertainment and media enterprise that includes Disney Parks, Experiences and Products; Disney Media & Entertainment Distribution; International Content and Operations and three content groups—Studios, General Entertainment and Sports--focused on developing and producing content for direct-to-consumer, theatrical and linear platforms. Disney is a Dow 30 company and had annual revenues of $65.4 billion in its Fiscal Year 2021. The Walt Disney Company has been in Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) for over 80 years and employs thousands across the region. Between Disneyland Paris and its other iconic brands, including Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic, 20th Century Studios and ESPN, The Walt Disney Company EMEA entertains, informs and inspires millions of consumers in more than 130 countries through the power of unparalleled storytelling. Disney+, the company's direct-to-consumer streaming service, is currently available in 60 markets across Europe.

About the Motion Picture Association

The Motion Picture Association, Inc. (MPA) serves as the global voice and advocate of the motion picture, home video, and television industries. It works in every corner of the globe to advance the creative industry, protect its members' content across all screens, defend the creative and artistic freedoms of storytellers, and support innovative distribution models that bring an expansion of viewing choices to audiences around the world. Its member studios are: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures; Netflix, Inc.; Paramount Pictures Corporation; Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc.; Universal City Studios LLC; and Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.

About Netflix   

Netflix is the world's leading streaming entertainment service with 220 million paid memberships in over 190 countries enjoying TV series, documentaries, feature films and mobile games across a wide variety of genres and languages. Members can watch as much as they want, anytime, anywhere, on any Internet-connected screen. Members can play, pause and resume watching, all without commitments.

About Paramount Global

Paramount loves the UK. We have been distributing films here for over 100 years, it is a home away from Hollywood for our many film productions. We have been providing television services to UK audiences since 1987 offering the very best in music, comedy, kids and general entertainment programming through Channel 5, MTV, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon and Pluto TV. In June this year our Paramount stars landed in London to celebrate the debut of our new streaming service Paramount+ across the UK and Ireland – A Mountain of Entertainment!

About Prime Video

Prime Video is one of the world's leading streaming and on-demand services, offering customers a vast collection of TV shows, movies, sport and more — all available to watch on practically any device. Now available in more than 240 countries and territories, Prime Video offers a broad selection of any on-demand video service, including critically acclaimed Amazon Originals Series such as the multi-award-winning The Marvellous Mrs. Maisel, Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan, The Boys; UK-produced hit Amazon Original series like Good Omens, The Grand Tour, Clarkson's Farm and forthcoming drama series The Power, Jungle and The Rig. Plus live sport including English Premier League football and the Autumn Nations Rugby Tournament. All available as part of a Prime membership for just £79 per year or £7.99 a month. New customers can find out more at www.amazon.co.uk/primevideo and subscribe to a free 30-day trial.

About Warner Bros. Discovery

Warner Bros. Discovery is a leading global media and entertainment company that creates and distributes the world's most differentiated and comprehensive portfolio of content and brands across television, film and streaming. Available in more than 220 countries and territories, and in 50 different languages, Warner Bros. Discovery inspires, informs and entertains audiences around the world through its iconic brands and products, including: Discovery Channel, discovery+, CNN, DC, Eurosport, HBO, HBO Max, HGTV, Food Network, OWN, Investigation Discovery, TLC, Magnolia Network, TNT, TBS, truTV, Travel Channel, MotorTrend, Animal Planet, Science Channel, Warner Bros. Pictures, Warner Bros. Television, WB Games, New Line Cinema, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, Turner Classic Movies, Discovery en Spanish, Hogar de HGTV, among others. More information: www.wbd.com

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