The Newport Film School production, which was funded by a grant from the Welsh Government, will be screened at 10pm on BBC 2 Wales on 6th March, as part of a homelessness campaign season running on the BBC. The film will then be distributed throughout all schools in Wales by The Homelessness Network to promote debate and awareness of the issue.
‘Loserville’ is the second film made at Newport in a unique student/staff professional collaboration.
“Throughout my career at the BBC and ITV in Wales, I developed a reputation for producing social action drama’, said writer/director Peter Watkins-Hughes, ‘ At Newport I’ve been able to carry on making these kinds of films by working with students. They won’t learn everything they need to know about filmmaking in lectures – they have to get out and actually make stuff!”
The film school nurtures the empowerment of their students through meaningful and sustained work in a professional environment.
To see a short behind the scenes documentary click here:
http://vimeo.com/26862333
Loserville is the team at Newport’s second success in this area. In 2009 the same team worked with Gwent police to produce the BAFTA nominated drama ‘
COW’. Commissioned to highlight the dangers of
texting whilst driving, the film went viral, achieving over 8 million You Tube hits. The film has been in demand ever since from television stations, road safety organisations and governments across the globe.
The success of the film led directly to the formation of
The Gwent Independent Film Trust (GIFT) a charity run jointly by the University of Wales, Newport and Gwent Police. GIFT is designed to support further film production.
Staff at Newport Film School have a further two dramas in the pipeline that will be made in collaboration with graduates and students over the couple of years.