Northumbria Students and staff among nominees for prestigious film awards

Two Northumbria University filmmakers have been shortlisted by the Arts and Humanities Research Council for its Research in Film awards.

The awards, which have attracted nearly 200 entries across five different film categories, have been organised to celebrate the AHRC’s 10^th anniversary. The diverse range of entries include reconstructions and enactments, animations, installations and gallery pieces, music videos, documentaries, and co-produced collaborative work.

Each category highlights the creative and innovative work undertaken by filmmakers and academics, emphasising the strong connection between research and film in the arts and humanities community. The winner in each category will receive £2,000 to be invested in their future filmmaking activities.

Mark Chapman, Graduate Tutor in Media Production and part time PhD student at Northumbria, was nominated for his film, CAMREX, in the ‘Award for innovation in film – Best film in the last year’ category. The 15-minute film is part of his practice-based PhD project exploring documentary film. It is a multi-platform project set in a hostel, which examines the lives of its residents.

“It’s exciting that my project CAMREX has been nominated for such a prestigious award”, said Mark, whose film also received its world premiere at the 69^th Edinburgh International Film Festival in June.

CAMREX is a moving-image documentary about the notorious homeless hostel Camrex House located in Sunderland. It is based on a series of interviews with hostel residents – many of whom have very complex needs. “My aim was to reveal the complex personal stories of people who are too often marginalised in society through the creation of an expressive, visually-led film”, explains Mark. He also currently teaches film production at Northumbria University and is currently working towards a PhD exploring creative documentary. 

“We’re developing a highly innovative and accessible film production-based research culture here at Northumbria. It’s great to be a part of that,” he added.

Northumbria Arts PhD Student, Jacqueline Donachie, saw her short film Hazel shortlisted for ‘Best film by an AHRC funded doctoral student since 1998’. Her film features siblings from families affected by myotonic dystrophy, a subject in which Jacqueline can also relate with her own experiences living and caring for her sister who has the disease. The winners of the AHRC awards will be announced 12 November at a ceremony held at the British Film Institute (BFI) in London.

You can view an excerpt of Mark Chapman’s film here. For more information about the AHRC visit www.ahrc.ac.uk To find out more about studying Media and Arts at Northumbria University, sign up to one of our Open Days on 24 October or 28 November by visiting: www.northumbria.ac.uk/openday