Ffresh Festival Part 4: It's My Shout

It's My Shout was without doubt my favourite part of the festival (excluding Jonathan Caouette time), as all the films were both brilliantly written and well executed. It's a testament to the It's My Shout scheme, which gives aspiring film-makers the chance to work with BBC Wales to turn their dreams into reality. I spoke to Victoria Stephens and Kate Samways from It's My Shout at the festival about how to get involved, and how to watch the films too.



As for the films themselves, they were all stories of children or young people in Wales told with real warmth and feeling. Films like ABC Dad (Director: Angharad Lee - Producer: Lisa Edwards -Writer: Bethan Marlow) and Sweet Sixteen (Director: Gavin Porter - Producer: Pip Broughton - Writer: David Davies-Llewellyn) are, in different ways, two moving stories of young people trying to improve their lives. Siblings are the focus of both Monster (Director: Jamie Adams - Producer: Lisa Edwards - Writer: Greg Glover), a really funny story of two boys trying to teach their ridiculously spoilt sister a lesson, and King of the Castle (Director: Jon Rennie - Producer: Pip Broughton - Writer: William Smith) a much more serious but sweet film about the relationship between two brothers after their fathers death.

Love Struck (Director: Leyla Pope - Producer: Lisa Edwards - Writer: Ali Blodwen-Jones) really stood out for me as a clever and charming way of telling a story. A modern reinvention of the Welsh fable ‘Llyn Y Fan Fach', according to which if you strike your lover three times you will lose her forever, the story is told through a poetic, rhyming narration over images of school children acting out the story.


However, is is Tentboy (Director: Ryan Owen - Producer: Pip Broughton - Writer: Michael Waters) that made the biggest impression on me. Tentboy was my favourite short of the festival, in a league of its own in terms of quality (they'd even somehow managed to get James Bolam in it). It's the story of an outsider whose parents start to worry about him when he takes to sleeping in a tent, but he has a plan all along. The main character is extremely likeable and very well acted. I know all these films will have been shown on TV (on BBC Wales in Autumn 2011), but this one really feels like it wouldn't be out of place in mainstream scheduling.

Make sure you check out www.itsmyshout.co.uk or @itsmyshoutltd on Twitter and watch these charming films which will soon be available on their website.