Rubbish Film Festival “a resounding success”

By Dan Walsh

The first-ever Wexford Rubbish Film Festival for Transition Year Students in Secondary Schools was held on a pilot basis this year with entries from five participating schools across the county, and it has been described as “a resounding success.”

The festival, which challenged students to create a one-minute short film on an environmental theme such as, climate action, reducing waste, and sustainability, was facilitated by Createschool and supported by the Environment Section of Wexford County Council.

The festival received a great response from the schools, with students showing their creativity and innovation in producing short films that were both educational and entertaining.

Cllr Donal Kenny, Cathaoirleach Gorey Kilmuckridge Municipal District presented trophies to two of the three winning schools. Colaiste an Atha, Kilmuckridge, who won the Best Film Award for their film entitled ‘You Can’t Run and Gorey Community School won Best Poster Award for ‘Fast Fashion’.

Cllr Kenny thanked all the schools for their support and said; “The students showed great creativity and skill in their use of film to develop and express their views on a range of climate action and sustainability topics.”

Mayor of Wexford Cllr Maura Bell, representing Wexford Borough District presented the award for Best Runner Up Film to Selskar College, Wexford, for their film ‘How Would You Like It’. Mayor Bell congratulated all the students involved and stated that “it was inspiring to see students deliver their message and raise awareness of environment issues amongst their peers.”

Peter Baxter of Createschool said; “We are delighted with the success of the Rubbish Film Festival. The students have shown great creativity, and their enthusiasm for environmental issues has been inspiring. We hope that the festival will encourage more young people to take action to protect our planet. The Best Film and Best Poster will now go forward to represent Wexford at the National Awards in Co. Meath. Fifty-two schools and over seventy entries from six counties are competing for the National Awards.

Cliona Connolly, Environment Awareness Officer at Wexford County Council said; “The Rubbish Film Festival is a fantastic initiative that demonstrates the creativity and enthusiasm of young people in Wexford, and we congratulate all those involved in making it such a success.”