Mary Hare movie reaches national final
The fundraising movie is shortlisted in the Charity Film Awards
HOT on the heels of the Oscar-winning film ‘The Silent Child’, pupils from Newbury’s Mary Hare School for deaf children are celebrating their own movie success.
Mary Hare Primary School’s film has beaten hundreds of other entries from around the country to make it to the finals of the prestigious Charity Film Awards 2018.
Peter Gale, principal and CEO of Mary Hare, said: “We are delighted to have been shortlisted for the Charity Film Awards.
“I am very proud of the primary pupils who took part and of the confidence they showed throughout the filming process.
“As the only charity related to deafness through to the final round it would be lovely to be in with a chance of winning.”
The film was made for the Primary Appeal, which was launched last July with the help of its Ambassador, Pippa Middleton. The Appeal is aiming to raise money to relocate the primary school to the same site as the secondary school at Snelsmore Common.
The idea behind the film was a spoof on a boardroom scene, with the primary pupils helping to write the script and star in it themselves.
The school said it was really proud of the pupils, who were very excited to be involved and who rehearsed for weeks, learning their lines and perfecting their pronunciation, which is particularly challenging for the profoundly deaf youngsters.
The film was then shot in The Great Hall of the current primary school at Greenham “with a few takes needed”.
Mr Gale urged everyone to get behind his school’s entry and added: “I would welcome our local community getting behind us and voting for our film for The People’s Choice Award and would like to thank all those who have voted so far.”
The awards are split into eight categories depending on the organisation’s turnover, to ensure even the smallest charities have a chance of winning.
An overall winner will also be chosen by the panel of judges and a People’s Choice Award is up for grabs by the film that receives the highest number of public votes.
All of the winners will be announced at a gala awards ceremony in London in May.
To vote for Mary Hare click here.