'Turning Tides' is June's Film of the Month

15 Aug 2017 in Film of the Month

8 mins
'Turning Tides' is June's Film of the Month

We're pleased to announce that our Film of the Month winner for June 2017 is Turning Tides, a film made by home educated Freya, aged 13 (12 when the film was made), from Liverpool, in Northern England.

Engaging for those aged 7+, Turning Tides is a poignant portrayal of grief and friendship between two girls, aided by an evocative, piercing score, and some suitably grim English weather.

I thought the mood was established deftly at the start of the film, with the weather and the setting complementing it very well. The development of the melancholy tone was impressive.

Film of the Month judge on 'Turning Tides'

We got in touch with Freya to find out more about her winning film.

Your film deals with difficult issues. What inspired you to make a film that dealt with such strong topics?

I think the subject matter of Turning Tides is something that definitely is an inevitable part of life. I have gone through both grief and loss in the past year, the hardest probably being that my grandmother, who was terminally ill, passed away. I find it interesting though how things good or bad, eventually come to a end or conclusion.

How do you think film can help young people deal with difficult issues, like those in Turning Tides?

Films are whatever you need them to be. You can watch a movie a hundred times and it never be the same. They are two hours of your life when you can imagine yourself singing in a Macy's Thanksgiving Parade with Ferris Bueller or fighting sharks or hunting replicants. They're very cathartic too - sometimes when you are dealing with difficult issues, you can feel you are isolated in your own bubble, but then when you find a character in a film who you can relate to, it makes you feel less alone.

If you could make the film again, what would you do differently, and why?

If I was to make the film differently, I think I would have made it in the Summer! The weather was terribly cold and it was very hard to record - but that's England.

How long have you been making films and what inspired you to start?

I've been making films for about a year and I was inspired when I was cast in an advert with the amazing director, Gus Van Sant. I got to be around really creative people who worked with such intent and enthusiasm that I felt really mesmerised, especially as there are so many different moving parts that go into making one thing.

What inspired you to enter Film of the Month and how does it feel to win?

I was inspired to enter the contest as I love the Into Film site. I am home educated and we have used the Into Film resources to work on many different projects this year. It is a huge honour to win, I feel incredibly thankful and proud that something I created with my best friend Charlotte, who acts in the film with me, is going to have this opportunity to be watched by so many people. I love the fact it is going on a YouTube channel that I have watched and visited so often.

What advice would you give to other young people who want to start making films?

I think the most important thing of all is the story you want to tell, and to work hard and be nice. Oh, and to film somewhere warm!

What are your favourite films and why? 

My favourite movie is The Grand Budapest Hotel because I love how the set and music are as integrated and as quirky as the characters. In fact, I'm a huge Wes Anderson fan. I also love Moonrise Kingdom.

Freya's film will now be showcased to over 300,000 film club members online and all of our Film of the Month films for June are now on the Into Film YouTube channel, and she has also secured a £100 Amazon voucher plus an Into Film goodie bag with which to help further develop their future films. If you've been inspired by June's winner, find out more about how you can enter our ongoing Film of the Month competition.

If you liked Turning Tides, why not try these related films:

  • Girlhood (2014, 15, 110mins) Engaging for 14+
    A teenager growing up on the outskirts of Paris seeks to escape her difficult family life when she falls in with a new group of friends.
  • Whip It (2009, 12, 107mins) Engaging for 11+
    Drew Barrymore's directorial debut sees the friendship between two 17-year-olds take a turn when one of them joins the local roller derby team in this enjoyable sporting drama.
  • The Parent Trap (1998, PG, 129mins) Engaging for 7+
    This family-comedy remake is a classic of the genre, in which identical twin girls meet for the first time at a summer camp, where they decide to switch places.
  • When Marnie Was There (2014, U, 103mins) Suitable for 7+
    This tender Studio Ghibli anime explores a friendship between two young girls, and how it helps protagonist Anna through a difficult time in her life.
  • Inside Out (2015, U, 102mins) Suitable for 7+
    We follow the five dominant emotions inside an 11-year-old girl's head as two of them, Joy and Sadness, embark on an adventure where they form an unlikely team.

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