A Dumfries and Galloway College (DGC) student has been hailed as a rising star after winning a prestigious award at the Ayrshire Film Festival.
Sean Wells, 23, from Dumfries, took top spot in the External Award category at the event organised by Ayrshire College for his animated film Sport Nut Vs Plain Bread, an underdog story set on a baseball diamond in the style of Japanese anime.
The Visual Communication student has been with DGC since starting a Foundation in Creative Industries course, before moving on to focus on Visual Communication, completing Levels 6, 7 and 8 up to Higher National Diploma.
The Ayrshire Film Festival is an up-and-coming movie-making forum which began as a student showcase for Ayrshire College media students — and it has now expanded to include entries from students across Scotland.
Sean was certainly in esteemed company at the event at Ayr’s Gaiety Theatre, which hosted guest speakers:
- Neil Forsyth — the Scottish writer/producer who came to prominence in Scottish television with his sardonic depiction of the Dundonian burger van owner, Bob Servant (played by Brian Cox). He followed that up with the highly regarded Guilt… but his latest offering The Gold saw him go stratospheric, playing out in the highly coveted BBC 9pm Sunday evening timeslot.
- Kieran Parker — who along with his wife Arabella Page Croft, set up the multi-award-winning Black Camel Pictures in Glasgow. The company rose to prominence after the release of Outpost in 2008, a film with a storied background to production which become a word-of-mouth success. Resulting in one of Scotland’s most successful film franchises.
Vincent Mulligan, Media Lecturer at Ayshire College, said: “The Ayrshire Film Festival was a great success. There were more than 200 people viewing the student films and Sean has done exceptionally well in winning the external award.
“Voted for by our industry judging panel, he beat stiff competition — but the calibre of his animation spoke for itself and the audience on the day were very appreciative.
“I have no doubt Sean will excel in his field in the years to come.”
Joanna Campbell, Dumfries and Galloway College Principal and CEO, said: “Congratulations to Sean for winning the External Award prize at the Ayrshire Film Festival.
“His film-making skills and creativity are being recognised by more and more people and I’m sure his star will continue to rise within the industry.”
