I Am Only Human After All film premiere

Portsmouth Film Society (PFS) continues to deliver on its mission to help break down social barriers and unite diverse cultures with the premieres of four short films on 30 May at the New Theatre Royal, Portsmouth.

Portsmouth citizens from all backgrounds have come together to tell their stories. Many people will be able to identify with the difficult subjects of these films; homelessness, substance misuse and recovery, disability and multiculturalism. Whether they have experience of these topics themselves, or only in passing, PFS hopes that projects like these will encourage discussion amongst their viewers.

These short films are the result of a 20-week course held at the University of Portsmouth where participants were introduced to all aspects of film-making including script writing, casting, directing, filming and editing. They then became the producers, directors, screenwriters and actors in their own films. The program also included lectures by local film makers and an inspirational tour of the Pinewood Studios, London. This was done in cooperation with the University of Portsmouth, Faculty of Creative and Cultural Industries, the primary supporter of the PFS’s weekly film screenings.

The course gave a dozen vulnerable locals the opportunity to tell their story and reflect on their experiences in Portsmouth. They were recommended to the course by organisations that support the work of PFS such as Portsmouth Recovery Café, Empowering2change and Portsmouth Race Equality Network Organisation.

The course and these films were made possible by grants from Awards For All and Big Lottery.

The driving force behind the project is Aysegul Epengin, a PhD student at the University of Portsmouth. She has been teaching adults and young people for the past ten years and feels this project was the next step;

“PFS is a volunteer led non-profit organisation and this project is something new for us. We reached people inside our community who have never had the opportunity to tell their own story and challenges. Due to the success of this project, we are planning three more and to set-up a local film school; we strive to be an educational bridge in our community! Our student’s films are well-shaped, and we are expecting some tears from the audience.”

The red-carpet premiere will be held at the New Theatre Royal on 30th of May. Tickets cost just £7 and are free for under 16s.

A vote will be held on the evening to decide the audience’s favourite film and a raffle will also be run, with prizes to be won. Donations will go towards PFS’s future development of the filmmaking course. The short films will also be entered into various competitions and will be screened at other local events in 2018.

To book tickets please visit The New Theatre Royal’s website at www.newtheatreroyal.com/performances/i-human-portsmouth-film-society/

To find out more about the Portsmouth Film Society, and the participant’s stories behind the films, visit their website at www.portsmouthfilmsociety.org.uk or follow them on Facebook.