Young East Sussex filmmaker wins national competition

The competition encouraged any young person in the UK aged 18 and under to create 30-60 second video journals exploring personal moments in their lives across the summer. The theme also asked the filmmaker to explore mindfulness.

Judged by a panel of industry experts, Amelia beat more than 50 entries to take the prize in the 12 and Over age category.

The judges were impressed by the creative short film which captured Amelia’s anxious start to the summer holidays and how she became more outgoing as she enjoyed time with loved ones.

One of the judges of the competition, Nick Pilton, head of film and TV at PQA, said: “With research showing children spend up to seven hours daily on screens during school holidays, this filmmaking competition aimed to transform passive, digital consumption into active creativity through video journaling.

“Alongside winning a £100 voucher, Amelia’s film will be screened at the annual PQA Film Festival in London in November, where winners receive their awards formally in person.”

Amelia said: “Every time I went out this summer, I wanted to capture it on video. Whether it was going out on walks or filming daily hauls. This encouraged me to go out and make the most of my summer. I’m very happy with how perfectly it all came together. I genuinely treasure it so much and treasure being the 2025 PQA winner.”

Nick added “It was great to see such diverse talent across the competition with each and every filmmaker taking a different approach to the theme of mindfulness. Amelia should be immensely proud of her achievement.

“The Pauline Quirke Academy of Performing Arts is all about celebrating the individual characters and passions of each and every child, which was reflected in the films created by young people nationwide. I hope all of the young filmmakers will continue to grow in confidence and take on new creative challenges.”

You can see Amelia’s winning entry at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hl_7BpB7JU

For more information about the Pauline Quirke Academy of Performing Arts and how to enrol, visit www.pqacademy.com

“Pauline Quirke Academy of Performing Arts (PQA) is a family-owned nationwide performing arts academy for children aged 4-18. It offers training in comedy, drama, musical theatre, TV and filmmaking, focusing on nurturing individual talent and building self-belief.

“There are now more than 250 academies nationwide, teaching young people technical performing arts skills and life skills. A professional talent agency for PQA students, Quirky Kidz, launched in 2009 to help students develop a performing arts career whilst safeguarding welfare.”