A film produced by students from the University of Portsmouth won Best Student Film in the Comedy/Entertainment category at the Royal Television Society (RTS) Southern Awards 2020, which took place at Winchester Guildhall on Friday 6 March.
The film, Third Wheeling, was praised by the judges for its originality, high production values and genuinely funny and well-written script.
The majority of the production team, attended the event along with the two lead actors from The Young Creatives as well as academic staff representing the University.
Ben Thompson, Principal Lecturer in the School of Film, Media and Communication, said: “We are extremely proud of our winning graduates and the quality of the work produced year-on-year by our Film Production students. This award is a true testament to our student’s ambition, creativity and talent, and the dedication of our staff team.”
Third Wheeling is a coming of age story centred on two disenfranchised kids, who learn what it means to be a true friend. One, Cal, who has a secret power that’s best explained as being ‘the third wheel’ where, ever since birth, his presence has caused the people around him to become great friends, but in doing so always end up forgetting about him. The other, an unpopular teenager named Simon who, discovering the potential of Cal’s ability, befriends the boy in a bid to improve both of their lives.
The film was produced in collaboration with TYCP, a drama school developing creativity within young people by providing skills, opportunities and experiences, while supporting them in producing their own exciting work. The BA Film Production has formed a strong relationship with TYCP, casting young acting talent to work alongside students. This has provided a vast number of opportunities for young actors to gain acting experience on short films, as well as student directors working alongside young performers.
The student production team was Edward Price, Ethan Wright, Elio Lopez, Michael Michailidies, Reece Palmer, Alex Piticas, and Joao In Ung.
