Harpenden Short Film Competition Celebrates Emerging Talent and Community Storytelling

At the Harpenden Short Film Competition Awards Evening, hosted by Harpenden Town Council, winners and runners up were treated to an exciting evening celebrating creative talent in the company of industry experts. The Awards evening took place at Park Hall and, appropriately with an Oscars-style theme, showcased competition entries from the aspiring storytellers and filmmakers.  

The Short Film Competition was launched earlier this year with the aim of providing a platform for filmmakers aged 5–25 to create engaging work within the theme “What’s Important to Me?”. This theme allowed entrants to demonstrate passion and insight, sharing observations and reflections. 

The Town Council was delighted that Howard Berry, Principal Lecturer and Head of Post - Production for Film and Television at the University of Hertfordshire, agreed to take the role as Head Judge, bringing his extensive experience in film education and production to the judging panel. During the evening Howard inspired a captive audience sharing insights and advice about the film industry. 

Additionally, the competition was supported by the University of Hertfordshire and the Hertfordshire Film Office. 

The Competition included various age and awards categories, including soundtrack and script. Films were short-listed and judged according to creativity, technical skill, and narrative impact.   

When judging the entries, Howard commented: “The under 13’s winner of the Best Film award was a very imaginative stop motion piece, which has a lot of charm. The animation was well done, and the little Sylvanian cats moved across the tabletop nicely! The narration was sweet and well recorded, and the story was nicely focused! Very fun. In contrast, the older age category (14- 25) winner ‘The Evening Rise’ showcased some very beautiful nature footage in this documentary, from professional looking drone shots to tight closeups of plans and the riverbank and fishing equipment. The documentary covers some interesting thoughts about the subject’s approach to fishing, and why it’s important to him.  With a few tweaks this could be broadcast on TV."

Cllr Kirsti Wenn, Harpenden Town Mayor, praised the participants and organisers for their contributions to the local creative community. She said “It was wonderful to see entries ranging from light-hearted and humorous pieces to more mature, thought-provoking work. Cllr Beth Fisher (the Deputy Mayor this year) and I thoroughly enjoyed watching them. The Competition encouraged young people to tell their stories through film and explore what truly matters to them, which was lovely to see."

Congratulations to the Winners: 

Cordelia Esberger, winner of the Under-13 category, was awarded Best Film for “What Matters to Me – in Sylvanians.” In the 14–25 category, Ellis Leal received Best Film for “The Evening Rise.” 

Other winners included: 

• “What’s Important to Us” by 10th Harpenden Rainbows and Brownies - Best Group Film 
• “Take Five” by Rhea Mitchell and Charlotte Colbert-Green - Judge’s Award for Best Social Message 
• “Short Film Competition” by Casper Megson - Best Soundtrack and Best Writing 
• “Hearts, Untied” by Bradley Cope - Best Director and Best Original Soundtrack  

The winning films can be found here: www.harpenden.gov.uk/whats-important-winners