The premier screening of Viola Films’ For the Fallen project took place in July at the Royal Engineers Museum, followed by the Golden Poppy Awards ceremony at Blue Town Heritage Centre.
These were a quite remarkable set of films, depicting the human suffering on both sides of the Great War. The use of fact in fiction once again proved to be a powerful tool in the telling of these human stories, all of them beautifully shot and extremely touching. There were set components appearing in each film, connecting them via a phrase or an item but these were never obvious, such was the range of original ideas and settings, including the quirkily animated yet still deeply moving Lost Within.
The public were tasked with choosing their favourite film, and deciding a top three was extremely difficult. From the juxtaposition of cuddly toys in war of Sincerely Soldier Bear to the short film of epic proportions that was Bang Snap; from the raw and powerful 2018 with modern spoken word war poetry to the ghostly nature and poignancy of Sleep Now – ultimately, the public’s number one – I’m sure I wasn’t the only one whose tears flowed freely from beginning to end of the entire screening.
Creative Enabler, Steph Fuller, who presented the award for Best Sound, said: “It was great to be at the event and to meet in person some of the talented film makers, actors, cinematographers etc, who had been involved. The work was really moving, and seeing all the films together really made a strong impact. Blue Town Heritage Centre was such a great venue, and featured in one of the films too, which was an added bonus!”
The full results:
Best Film – Shades of Time
Sponsored by The Rotary club Minster on Sea
The People’s Choice Award – Sleep Now
Sponsored by Action Plus Media
Best Sound – Sleep Now
Sponsored by Medway Council
Best Director – Into the War 1914-1945
Sponsored by Kent film Office
Best Screenplay – Every One of Them
Sponsored by Violafilms
Best Cinematography – Sincerely, Soldier Bear
Sponsored by Apache Rental
Best Actor – Jake Wheeldon(2018)
Sponsored by the Royal Engineers Museum
Best Actress – Ashley McKinney Taylor (Treffen)
Sponsored by the Royal Engineers Museum
The Heritage Award – Laurie
Sponsored by the Historic Dockyard, Chatham
Best Make-Up – Bang Snap
Sponsored by Kate Griffiths, Special Effects Make-Up Artist
Best Costume – The White Feather
Sponsored by Blue Town Heritage Centre
To read more about the For the Fallen project, visit their website here.