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Congratulations to young people from Park School, in Belfast, Northern Ireland, whose film Superhero School has won Best Film - 12-15 (sponsored by Paramount Pictures) at the 2025 Into Film Awards. The award was presented by Sharon Horgan.
Set in a school for superheroes, their film follows the rivalry between Speedy and Quicklight, which usually ends with Speedy ahead. However, that all changes when Quicklight steals Speedy's superpowered trainers. Can the class of colourful heroes band together to help Speedy regain his powers?
Superhero School was made as part of our Every Child a Filmmaker initiative, and the filmmaking process saw 11 children aged 12-13 and four members of the school staff work with two professional filmmakers to support the production. The inspiration for this film came from the young people's real-life experiences - several students in the class had personal stories about bullying, and wanted to use film to turn something difficult into something positive and powerful.
"When it came to assigning roles, it was a real team effort", explained Park School teacher Jon McKinley. "Some students jumped at the chance to act, while others found their calling behind the camera, as directors, set designers, and even sound crew."
"Looking back, one of our favourite parts was seeing it all come together - watching our ideas go from paper to screen was amazing. Next time? We're going bigger, bolder, and maybe even adding some explosions (well... safe ones!)"
Filmmaking lets you turn ideas into something real, it lets everyone else get to see what you are thinking.
Carly, young filmmaker of 'Superhero School'
The group's filmmaking journey kicked off with making movie trailers on iMovie - but what started as a bit of fun quickly turned into a full-on creative obsession. One memorable project involved creating a dramatic trailer for an imaginary disaster movie set in the school, complete with slow-motion running and over-the-top sound effects. Another group made a hilarious mockumentary about a missing class toaster, which turned into a mini whodunnit full of twists and turns.
Through these projects, the students learned how to plan scenes, work with green screens, edit footage, and even add original music and voiceovers. Each project helped build their confidence and skills, giving them the perfect foundation for tackling a bigger, more meaningful short film as a team.
