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.
September 2025: Congratulations to the crews behind Starving Activities from Sparks Film School Highgate
For September, we are celebrating one of Sparks Film School’s most recent films. Starving Activities was made as part of our summer term of weekly filmmaking classes at Sparks Film School Highgate.
The film was produced by filmmakers in Studio 4 (ages 11-14).
Starving Activities is set in a world where children are selected to compete in deadly games for the entertainment of a TV show. We meet our selection of competitors and see how through different misunderstandings in their lives, they have been entered into the fatal game Starving Activities…
From the Judges…
Firstly, our judges wanted to commend the crew on the fantastic opening sequence to the film. The introduction to the game’s host is snappy, fun, and dynamic with the crew’s use of the hosts’ costume design which is very colourful and outlandish.
This really shows us how the world these characters live in may operate, with the ruling class being very detached from the normal world of our characters with their own strange fashions and customs. The performance from the cast and in particular the game’s host is quirky and charismatic.
Our panel enjoyed the switch from the fun light-hearted host to the serious ‘arrest him’ moment during the intro. We felt that there was really great storytelling and world-building in such a short opening!
Our panel was also very impressed with the cinematography and camera work used in the film. The crew have adapted the sort of ‘mockumentary’ style at parts of the film where they follow the host addressing the camera directly.
This style really lends to the comedy edge the crew have given to the film, as the characters can play with breaking the fourth wall and small looks to camera which can create light hearted moments in an overall darker story. It also adds a suspenseful ‘edge’ to the work, where the audience are never quite at ease with the action on screen. We really enjoyed how the film balanced these fine lines of homage (to its clear inspirations of the Hunger Games and reality TV competition shows), pastiche, satire and also subversion into borderline horror. Whilst being both distinctly unoriginal in terms of source material, it also manages to be incredibly unique, brave and ambitious at the same time.
Finally, our panel really enjoyed the more action focused scenes at the finale where the children actually compete and fight in the games.
The crew have managed to create some really impressive longer single take shots, in which we follow character to character as they navigate a huge group fight with some amazing fight choreography. Really great work here crew, this finale is impactful and entertaining.
Overall, we found Starving Activities is a great action film that highlights some really impressive filmmaking and story telling from our young filmmakers, as well as hinting at a much larger world outside of the story we see. Really great character work and worldbuilding showcased here. Well done to the crew for being September’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 >>>
