Children across Wales take part in the first Coram Shakespeare Schools Foundation Film Festival

Actors Hugh Dennis, Alfred Enoch and Jan Ravens celebrate Coram Shakespeare Schools Foundation’s inaugural Film Festival event 

Actors Hugh Dennis, Alfred Enoch and Jan Ravens hosted a digital event on 2 December to celebrate the achievements of over a thousand children who participated in the inaugural Coram Shakespeare Schools Foundation (CSSF) Film Festival.  

Children from 60 primary, secondary, and special schools nationwide took part in the project bringing together CSSF’s experience of working with schools on Shakespeare performances using the power of film, through a partnership with leading, education charity Into Film. Each school produced their own high-quality abridged Shakespeare film, developing confidence, creativity, and resilience in the process. Teachers were supported by CSSF to run the project confidently and empower their students to take on the challenge of developing creative technical skills in areas such as lighting, directing, editing and design to bring Shakespeare to life in an innovative new medium. 

Hosting the event, Hugh Dennis said: “Today we’re recognising the achievements of schools across the country who’ve been working hard creating and rehearsing their films. We’ve been so impressed by their imagination and innovation and we’re sure you will be too.” 

Alfred Enoch, who starred in the hit US series How to Get Away With Murder and played Romeo in a recent production of Romeo and Juliet at the Globe Theatre said: “You have wowed us with your imagination, your performances and your technical skills, proving how exciting and relevant these 400-year-old plays can be.” 

Spitting Image impressionist Jan Ravens emphasised both the immediate and longterm benefits children have gained from participating in the Film Festival: “The impact of the project will extend far beyond today. Along the way, they become better problem solvers, creative thinkers and team players. I’ve seen for myself how Shakespeare and performance can raise children’s confidence, resilience and ambition. And I know right now that children need these things more than ever.” 

CSSF supporter actress Dame Emma Thompson also sent her congratulations, adding: “I hope you’ve been given the confidence I was given as a child when I did Shakespeare.” 

Over the last 20 years, CSSF’s annual Shakespeare Schools Festival has seen 300,000 children and young people perform Shakespeare plays on professional stages. The CSSF Film Festival was developed out of the need to give children and young people the opportunity to reconnect, rebuild their confidence and collaborate creatively following an unprecedented 18 months due to the Covid-19 pandemic.  

Francesca Ellis, Head of Creative and Programmes at CSSF, said: “Last year the closure of theatres forced us to re-think how schools would share their work and many chose to film their shows. Teachers told us about the new possibilities this opened up for them, such as the SEND school that involved every pupil across the school in the film, the secondary school where media studies students led the film shoot, the teenager who is a whizz with editing software and the primary student who gets to call the shots from the director’s chair. This develops skills in innovation, problem solving and collaboration, and when their film is screened to the school, as well as to a national audience via our website, the sense of pride and resulting confidence boost is enormous.” 

Renuka Sivakumaran, a teacher at Colgrave primary school in East London said: “It was an honour and a privilege to see the children go on this journey together and to see the incredible impact engaging with the arts had upon their confidence, social skills and well-being. I couldn’t be prouder of the community of encouragement, kindness and support they built up amongst themselves. They approached the tragic story of Romeo and Juliet with real maturity but, perhaps more importantly, they were able to have lots of fun with it too! The support we received from Coram Shakespeare Schools Foundation was fantastic and I would urge any schools thinking about joining up for next year’s festival to do so!” 

Into Film said: “We are proud and delighted to be partnering with CSSF’s Shakespeare Schools Film Festival supporting educators to unlock their pupils’ potential using film to deliver transformative outcomes for children and young people.” 

Watch The Best of The Fest at shakespeareschoolsfilmfestival.org.