Every month, Sparks Film School awards a new Film of the Month award to a production made by students.
Our judges have chosen a brand new film production to celebrate.
Every month, our judges assess films from across all Sparks Film School crews and select one as their Film of the Month.
January 2026:
Congratulations to the crews behind Liminal from Sparks Film School Balham
This month’s Film of The Month Award goes to Sparks Film School Balham for their conceptual and dark film Liminal.
The film was created by young filmmakers from Studio 5, produced during weekly filmmaking classes.
Liminal is a thrilling and mind-bending film. The film follows two students who drift off to sleep during class. When they wake up their school has turned into a very different place, full of talking toys, strange hooded figures, and more!
The film is brilliant conceptually, as the crew have asked the audience to doubt what is reality in the film. Is it a dream or is it real? It is a really fun exploration of thriller, horror, and mystery!
From the Judges…
Firstly our panel were very impressed by the crew’s camera work and cinematography. The crew have used some really interesting shots throughout the film, even down to the smaller moments such as when the students are running from the hooded figure.
They are shown running through the corridors using a variety of shots, from worms’ eye view, canted angles, and more. There is a great attention to detail and the smaller moments here, adding up to a great filmic language throughout.
The cinematography of the film is really strong, our panel loved the noticeable shift in tone when the students moved into the dream. The shots are darker, more centred on the characters and their perspective of the strange events happening around them, and have a very eerie atmosphere to them.
Our panel also loved the scene involving the talking bear. This is a really great and original idea from the crew here, and very effective at unsettling not only the characters, but the audience too.
The sound effects used, along with the colour grading and centred unmoving shot focused on the bear, really help bring this strange and mysterious scene to life. Our panel loved this scene and its scary reveal of the other hooded students.
Overall our panel were very impressed with the crew of Sparks Film School Balham’s work on Liminal. A very engaging film with some great cinematography and pacing.
Congratulations to the film crew for winning January’s Film Of The Month, the first of 2026.
About Sparks Film School’s Film of the Month
The Sparks Film of the Month Award shines a spotlight on a new film each month from the imaginative filmmaking talents of Sparks Film School students.
Each month, a film production made by Sparks Film School crew members is chosen as Film of the Month.
Our panel of judges – assembled from our team of filmmaking instructors – look at submissions from across Sparks Film Schools nationally and choose one film that they think stands out as an impressive piece of filmmaking.
They assess based on each film’s impact on screen and explore all its little details to uncover all the things we love about each film chosen.
Film of the Month: Selection Criteria
To be selected as Sparks Film of the Month, a film production needs to be…
Original:
We look for originality and imagination above all else when choosing the winner of Film of the Month. We looks for films that surprise us, offer some inventiveness and challenge convention.
Interesting:
To be chosen as Film of the Month, a production needs to be interesting. We want to see what happens next; we want to learn more about the characters. We should be invested in watching until the very end.
Well Made:
We need to be appreciate the technicality in how a film has been made for it to be awarded Film of the Month. It should feature a clear storyline, be well shot, well acted, well edited and put together.
Made by Students of Sparks Film School:
Film of the Month can be awarded to any film production made by students at any Sparks Film School across the UK. It can be made independently or during film school sessions.
About Sparks Film School’s Filmmaking Courses
Sparks Film School offers filmmaking, animation and photography workshops for ages 5-18, including term time classes and holiday camps.
We offer free taster classes and there are lots of opportunities to get involved. You can find out more about our filmmaking courses here >>>
