Year 6

Safer Streets
Working with convicted gang members as well as families, victims, community leaders and professionals, Film It are producing an interactive DVD aimed at educating young people about the realities of joining gangs and the dangers that accompany it.

Year 5

National Conference 'Using Video Messaging across the Criminal Justice System'
Workshops, talks and panel discussions on the use of video messaging as a tool to work with offenders, victims and their families. The conference was attended by representatives from prisons, young offenders' institutes, Youth Offending Teams, the police, Crown Prosecution Service, panel members, Public-Private Partnerships and the voluntary sector.

Read the 2008 Video Messaging Conference Report here

'Straight into Film'
Six groups of young offenders and those at risk of offending made their own films. Working with professionals in the film industry, the young people controlled the whole film making process, from deciding on the content to shooting and editing the final film and organising its distribution. Funded by Mediabox

Winner Best Broadcast Created By Young People For Young People, Children And Young People Now Awards 2008- Safestop, 'Hostel Life'

Read the Independent Evaluation of our 'Straight into Film' project here

'FIX'
An interactive DVD game for young people in the penal system experiencing or at risk of acute mental ill-health. Issues explored include coping with incarceration, understanding mental ill-health, changing destructive behaviour patterns and seeking help. Funded by Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Fund and the Department of Health.

'Don't Go Mad'
Women prisoners on the Film It workshops give advice to new prisoners on how to deal with 'bang up'. Drawing on their own experiences, the women encourage new prisoners to view custody as a positive time for reflection and change. Funded by Comic Relief, Awards for All, Allen Lane Foundation and Hilton in the Community Foundation.

'CAPs'
An film illustrating Belfast organisation CAPs' highly successful work with 'high risk' children and families. Funded by CAPs

'Changing Time'
A DVD resource pack giving young people in the secure estate coping strategies to deal with issues in a positive way. Funded by the Department of Health, Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Fund and Royal College of Psychiatrists

'A Christmas Wish'
For the first time in its history, HMP Holloway allowed women and their children to be reunited over the Christmas period to work on a pantomime within the prison walls. The project created a unique and lasting bond for the families involved. Funded by the Department for Children, Schools and Families

'Locked Up Love'
The women at HMP Bullwood Hall made toys and puppets, and wrote stories which they then recorded on film for their children and families outside. In turn, the families recorded personal messages on to DVD for the women. A powerful, permanent and emotional way of maintaining family relationships throughout incarceration. Funded by the Department for Children, Schools and Families

Windsor and Maidenhead Social Services
'Who Cares'
Teenagers in care reveal their feelings about life in the system.  They talk about how they are perceived by society and what needs to change in order to create a better support system. Funded by Windsor and Maidenhead Social Services

'Emine'
Seven girls on the Film It! course decided they wanted to make a drama about life as a young mum in London. The plot reflects how they feel about many aspects of teenage parental life in the city... Watch out for the surprising twist at the end! Funded by the Department for Children, Schools and Families and the Teenage Pregnancy Unit at the Home Office

'I Love My Family'
The young men in HMP Wormwood Scrubs made a film that charts the course of their lives from childhood to becoming a father and finally ending up inside. A moving tale of misfortune and regret. Funded by the Department for Children, Schools and Families and the Teenage Pregnancy Unit at the Home Office

'Stand Up for your Rights'
Arriving in prison for the first time can be a traumatic experience, especially when it's also the only time you've been away from your children. This film sees women from HMP Holloway that have been there and done it offer their advice on your rights inside and how to cope with the routine of prison life. Funded by HMP Holloway

'Full Time'
The young men in HMYOI Huntercombe decided to make a short film about their life of violence before they became fathers. They also created a documentary of the progress of the course, an eye-opening look at both the work of Film It and the lives of young men on the edge of society as they see it. Funded by the Department for Children, Schools and Families and YOI Huntercombe

'Bedtime Stories'
A collection of illustrated bedtime stories read by women in HMP Holloway for their children that has extra poignancy as it was filmed during the week of the London bombings. Funded by HMP Holloway

'John & Erica'
The 'before and after' take on being pregnant. John and Erica describe their hopes and fears as they get closer to the birth of their first baby. After the birth they recount the experience noting the misconceptions they had about the whole process, and expressing the joy they never knew would accompany it. (video...) Funded by the Department for Children, Schools and Families

'Daddies' Love'
It's hard enough to adapt to life in prison, but combined with not being able to see your family and children it can be overwhelming. Young fathers in HMP Wormwood Scrubs offer their advice and experience to new fathers in this touching short film. Funded by the Department for Children, Schools and Families

'It's Not Enough!'
A group of teenage parents from Coram Young Parents Group split into two teams and race around central London trying to get as many essential newborn baby items as they can, all within the Sure Start maternity grant of £500. A fast-paced and fun-filled film. (video...) Funded by the Department for Children, Schools and Families

'New Parents'
For every newly pregnant parent, young or old, the prospect of having a baby can be very daunting. In this short film a group of teenage parents from Enfield and Haringey offer their top tips for new parents.Funded by the Department for Children, Schools and Families

'Faraway Fathers'
In a second visit to HM Huntercombe YOI Film It! facilitated this highly moving film of parenting from jail. Explaining some of their biggest regrets along with their high hopes for the future the boys create a film that reveals some of the deepest feelings of a group often over-looked by society. Funded by the Department for Children, Schools and Families

'Try to Know How it Feels'
What do you do when there's no one there to help you raise your first child? This is the question these girls faced when they first became pregnant. But they found they weren't alone and support was at hand in a North London drop-in centre. (video...) Funded by the Department for Children, Schools and Families.

'Bishop Auckland'
Bishop Auckland in Durham has the highest teenage pregnancy rate in Europe. It's hard to raise a family at 18yrs old amongst the daily threat of drugs, violence and the bailiffs. We look at life as a teenage parent on one of the roughest estates in Britain. (video...) Funded by the Department for Children, Schools and Families.

'Babies and Me'
Life is always up and down for inner-city young parents. In this film a group of teenage girls from the Coram Young Parents Group show us how they overcame the daily obstacles to raising a child in London. (video...) Funded by the Department for Children, Schools and Families

'Boy Life Just Got Serious'
Teenage fathers serving sentences in HM Huntercombe Young Offenders Institution reveal how they've changed in the forced absence of their family and children. Winner: Koestler Prisons Video Trust Award.Funded by the Department for Children, Schools and Families

Winner Koestler Prisons Video Trust Award 2007

'Bumps 'n' Babes'
Young parents from the affluent Windsor area discuss the way they are labelled as bad parents simply because they are young. Funded by the Department for Children, Schools and Families

Selected DVDs of our productions are available to purchase.

For more information, or to request a copy of our showreel, please get in touch.