Previously on Northern Stars...

what we got up to in 2008

This year’s academy have been busy making films to take to Liverpool as part of a high profile national project, Portrait of a Nation.The project has offered a unique opportunity for young people from seventeen cities across the UK to explore where they come from, their local culture, community and identity, funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund. Based at the Tyneside Studios, the Northern Stars worked in two crews over a six month period and have made three distinctive films. These were screened at Northern Lights Film Festival 2008 also at the finale of Liverpool’s Capital of Culture celebrations in December 2008.

Working in partnership with Tyne & Wear Museums, the young people were introduced to groups, experts and locations across the region for inspiration. After a process of discovery and development, each crew was assigned a mentor to help bring their ideas to fruition. Additional support and training was provided by a whole host of industry professionals, ranging from production and cinematography to animation and editing. The resulting films are wonderfully individual takes of young people on the North East.

Here is a flavour of their films:

Home

Over 800,000 people call Tyneside their home. This documentary explores what 'home' means to them, and how living in the North East region has helped to shape the people they are.

Flickrwall

In a dark alleyway in the heart of Newcastle thousands of chalk drawings and graffiti cover the Flickr wall; constantly changing as new parts are added and old ones wash away. This experimental documentary explores the graffiti and the stories behind them.

Shoetree

Hidden within Armstrong Park a tree stands adorned with hundreds of shoes. Known locally as ‘The Shoe Tree’, for the past 25 years the people of Newcastle have thrown their shoes in to its branches. This documentary is a poetic look at how a community can spontaneously create art in a hidden part of its city.