Film of the Month Award: Sparks Film School celebrates a new film from the imaginative filmmaking talents of its students every month.
Each month, a film production made by Sparks Film School crew members is chosen by our panel of judges and celebrated as the winners of the Film of the Month Award.
July 2025: Congratulations to the crews behind Demens Vox Populus from Sparks Film School Cardiff West
The Film of The Month Award for July 2025 goes to the crew behind Demens Vox Populus from Sparks Film School Cardiff West. The film was created by their very talented filmmakers as part of their weekly filmmaking workshops.
Demens Vox Populus is a really unique film with a compelling and mysterious story.
“What if you awake, but you don’t recognise where you are? A Nightmare fan stuck in a corridor? A Celery Farmer lost without their Celery? Prey that Demens doesn’t seek you in the dream world.“
From the Judges…
Firstly, our judges were so impressed with the film’s opening scene. The crew have created an intriguing opening with our main character waking up in a strange world they don’t recognise.
The camera work in this opening is really striking with some interesting angles and nicely focused shots happening. It immediately draws us in as an audience with its strange and unsettling tone.
The film’s crew have expertly used some moments of pausing the action to listen to characters’ inner thoughts as a narration. These moments are a breath of fresh air, with some really lovely comedy sprinkled into this otherwise mindbending film.
The crew clearly enjoyed themselves with this narration, and this really spreads to us as an audience and helps us connect to the characters more, well done!
Lastly, the crew have utilised special effects really well in this film. There are moments of jump scares where a character is suddenly pulled under a chair by an unseen force, or where a character crawls across the ceiling. Using some film trickery and green screen, the crew have pulled off some really striking and memorable moments here.
Overall, Demens Vox Populus is a brilliantly made film with some expert technical filmmaking. The filmmakers have clearly collaborated really well on this film, and have created something to be proud of. Well done and congratulations to the filmmakers from Sparks Film School Cardiff West for being selected as July’s Film of The Month!
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 >>>
