On Thursday 20th March, we took an exciting journey to London for the Smiley Charity Film Awards. Hosted by Lisa Snowdon and other celebrity presenters at indigo at the O2, the night celebrated the power of storytelling for charities. The Smiley Awards are ‘the world’s largest cause-based film campaign’, with films voted on by the public and finalists judged by an expert panel.
Our film, “Cervical Screening As A Trauma Survivor”, was a finalist in the awards as a result of the public vote, so a big thank you if you voted for us! The film explores reasons why people who are living with the effects of trauma might not attend their cervical screening appointments, and shares ways that the experience can be made a bit more comfortable.
Communications Manager Chloe, CEO Sam, Trauma Ambassador Della and IAG Manager Sharon at the Charity Film Awards
The winning films were all incredible, but there were a few that stood out to us that we would like to highlight:
- “If Not Now, When?” by Younger People with Dementia – tells the story of a woman diagnosed with young onset Alzheimer’s disease.
- “This Counts As Care” by Carers UK – shows how people can become unpaid carers without realising it.
- “Our World, 2030” by Autistica – captures the challenges that autistic and neurodivergent people face.
- “Don’t Hold Back” by Scope – a film about creating an equal future, where disabled people have the same rights and opportunities as everyone.
- It was also great to see some other local Essex based charities nominated for awards, including Outhouse East for their film “Free To Be Me”.
Although we didn’t take home a win this year, we were proud to be nominated and shortlisted for a national award. It was so inspiring to see the excellent quality of charity filmmaking and we’ve brought back lots of ideas on how to use filmmaking to make even more impact in the future!