The ‘Nellies’ Celebrate ‘Their Past, Your Future’ Project at the Royal Naval Museum
Children from Stamshaw Junior School, Portsmouth, enjoyed a taste of Hollywood at a special film premiere at the Royal Naval Museum to celebrate the fantastic documentaries they helped to create during Face to Face: Documenting Experiences of Conflict a ‘Their Past, Your Future’ project.
Glitz and glamour were the order of the day as the children came dressed to the nines and ready to walk the red carpet! As well as the first glimpse of the films the premiere also reunited them with the stars of the documentaries - veterans from World War Two, The Falklands and more recent conflicts such as the Gulf War. The excitement grew as the VIP guests picked up some popcorn and settled down to watch their documentaries.
A Hollywood event is never complete without glittering prizes and this premiere was no exception. After the screening, which was greeted with enthusiastic applause, the children were awarded Nellies (named after Admiral Lord Nelson) – the museums own version of an Oscar! The prizes were presented by professional film maker Anna Farthing who had trained the children during the project.
The Face to Face project gave these film makers of the future a real taste of the work and effort that goes into creating TV and cinema. During the project they not only became interviewers but also took on the roles of directors, lighting and sound engineers and camera operators; learning some useful new skills along the way. The participants - veterans and children alike - had a thoroughly enjoyable experience during the project and got a lot out of being able to work together. Vic Walker, a D-Day veteran who took part, thought that ‘a rapport was built up in spite of the great age gap! Communication over a period of some 70 years has proved enjoyable and enlightening to children and veterans alike.’
The next step in the project will be to integrate the completed films into Remembrance Kitbags which will become a permanent resource available to schools, veterans and community groups. It will form the basis for workshops delivered in-house and as outreach across the region. They will also be accessible to a much wider audience through the museum’s website www.royalnavalmuseum.org
The ‘Their Past, Your Future’ initiative is funded by the Heritage Lottery (Big Lottery Fund) and Museums, Libraries and Archives Council, encouraging exploration of the impact and ongoing legacy of 20th Century conflict on people and places in the UK and around the world.
Photos courtesy of Stephen Courtney
