Nine films called compelling, artistic and thought-provoking by judges have been chosen as finalists in the Surrey Stop Bullying Film Contest.
The finalists in each category were announced last week at a special event held at SFU Surrey for the students and their families. The event celebrated the talented filmmakers and featured an interactive guest panel with anti-bullying experts, excellent resources, live entertainment, and prizes, including a pair of Canucks tickets.
“I want to congratulate all the students who participated in this important campaign designed to get people talking about the impact bullying has on people and the solutions available to this very serious problem,” said Surrey Mayor Dianne Watts. “We have some talented filmmakers in Surrey and they should be very proud of the videos they produced.”
“The videos were powerful and left a lasting impression,” said Coun. Barinder Rasode, chair of the Community Safety Committee. “The contest was a unique way for us to engage our students and reach out to the community to help raise awareness about the problem of bullying.”
This year’s finalists are:
Junior category
Ordinary Superheroes (Woodword Hill Elementary)
Bully No More (Woodword Hill Elementary)
Miserable Life (Maple Green Elementary)
Intermediate category
Words Can Harm (The Mustangs)
empowerment (Ready for Change)
Socks and Sandals (Illegitimate Change)
Senior category
Hidden Wounds Never Heal (Peaches and Bananas)
Life is Fragile (Smile Productions)
Do Something (The Fleetwood Kids)
Judges included Watts, Surrey RCMP Chief Superintendent Bill Fordy, Holly Conway, Jonny Staub, Nira Arora and Amy Beeman all from the Beat 94.5 morning show, popstar Elise Estrada and Johanna Ward, host of Shaw TV’s go! Vancouver.
The Stop Bullying Film contest is a partnership between the City of Surrey, Surrey RCMP, CUPE 402, and the Surrey School District. Students from Grades 6 to 12 were invited to submit a 30-second or 60-second film that identifies types of bullying, the impact that bullying has on people, and solutions to the problem.
The winning film in each category will be announced at an event being held at the Surrey RCMP’s main detachment at noon on Pink Shirt Day, Feb. 27.
For more information, visit www.surrey.ca/stopbullying, www.facebook.com/surreyyouth, or www.twitter.com/surreyyouth