Brothers aged nine and 11 up for film award

TALENTED young film-makers in the region are enjoying a share of the spotlight having been nominated for UK-wide awards which are set to be announced next month to an audience including movie stars including Daniel Craig and Lily James.

- BARBARA HODGSON

Brothers Fletcher, aged 11, and nine-year-old Jude Gore from Newcastle are 'thrilled' to receive a best film nomination in the Into Film Awards for their short work Ballet d'Or which is described as a "modern spiritual successor to Billy Elliott".

The film, their first, is about a young boy caught between two passions, ballet and football, and is inspired by Jude's own experience.

In the opposite to the award-winning 2000 film about Billy who skives off football lessons to pursue his love of ballet, the quandary faced by Ballet d'Or's lead character, Frankie, is whether to quit ballet to focus upon football, and the story was brought to life on screen with the help of a local independent production company and support from a performing arts academy and football coaches.

The resulting film is nominated in the best film category for five to 11 years of the Into Film Awards, a UK showcase for young filmmaking talent.