Royal Television Society award

FILM students have won the Royal Television Society North West award for 'Best Student Drama' with a remarkable short about life in Britain's schools.

School Daze takes a humorous and positive look at suffering at the hands of others, as classmates inflict misery on 16-year-old outcast Polly.

However justice comes when she realises that others aren’t always what they seem.

The short-film was written and directed by Amy Hodgson with photographic direction by Amy Somers and production by Joanne Eibin.

British teen film

Amy, 23, a graduate from the BA (Hons) Contemporary Film and Video course, said: "The idea for School Daze came about when I studied the range of films that were made for teenagers and became aware that there were very few contemporary ones that weren’t either gritty, realist portrayals or typically Americanised Hollywood depictions of teen life.

"Looking at the messages these films revealed I also realised there were very few which held positive undertones and so I made it my mission to create a British teen film that fitted this bill."

Six nominations

Out of six nominations, MMU Contemporary Film and Video course has gained three for the North West Awards. Gloved Up, by Sam Derby-Cooper, Lee Kirby, and William Wilkinson (Factual) and two in the Drama Category, School Daze and Member of the British Empire, by Chris Gollop.

The students now go onto the Royal Television Society finals in London in the spring.

For more about film and video courses at MMU, go to www.media-arts.mmu.ac.uk/cfv