"The Wrong Trainers" - free screening

bristol | miscellaneous | event notice Sunday June 22, 2008 17:38 by Nick Thomas - The Pierian Centre info at pieriancentre dot com The Pierian Centre, 27 Portland Square, St Pauls, Bristol BS2 8SA 0117 924 4512

Award-winning animation of Child Poverty

The Pierian Centre’s monthly Film Night offers a pioneering and imaginative look at one of today’s most important issues. The Wrong Trainers is an animated film that has won a string of awards for its treatment of child poverty. Your chance to see and discuss this beautiful, powerful work is on Sunday evening 29th June.

Danielle & the money tree (The Wrong Trainers)

The Wrong Trainers was devised and produced for the BBC by locally trained programme maker, Kez Margrie. It takes the real life stories of 6 different children, and documents their struggles with all the directness and freedom of the best animation. The resulting programme has so far won over 10 international awards, including BAFTA and Royal Television Society. Sunday evening’s free screening will be introduced by Kez’s mother, Bristol artist Janet Margrie – and will be accompanied by a short film made by her nephew, giving a very personal response to it.

Kez Margrie was shocked at the extent of the problem. “We were surprised,” she says, “that even with all the Government’s efforts we were able to find children who are growing up excluded from so much that others take for granted. Using animation has meant that we can present these issues in a way that is accessible and relevant to a younger audience.” Kez spent a lot of time with the 6 children, building trust and respect, and enabling them to talk about their lives with real honesty. She involved them in every step of the process, from checking the look of their animated characters to agreeing the final edits.

Tim Levell, editor of CBBC’s Newsround, was excited by this ground-breaking approach. “As far as we know, no one has ever attempted to tell current affairs using animation,” he says. “The standard documentary techniques of undercover filming and moody reconstructions are a turn-off for children, both visually and emotionally. So when the idea was suggested of using cartoons to tell the children's stories, everyone at Newsround instinctively knew that this could be a very exciting and powerful idea. Children we've shown it to have really liked the different animation styles, including photo-montage, comic strip and cardboard cutouts. The result is something we are hoping will have a real impact.”

Kez found that children have a very pragmatic approach to their living situations and are often more aware of their family’s poverty than their parents give them credit for. All of the children featured have views on what the government should be doing to make things better for children growing up in poverty. Keona shares a room with 6 brothers and sisters. “If I could knock on the Prime Minister’s door,” she says, “I would tell him to go and look at people living in all crushed up flats.” 10-year old Dillon lives in a small council flat with his great-aunt and uncle. “We went into the cupboards,” he says, “and there was nothing there but mouldy bread”.

As with every Pierian Film Night the discussion after the screening is a crucial part of the evening. Does animation shine a fresh light on documentary subjects? Can a children’s film present a difficult reality without simplifying it? Why is child poverty such an intractable problem? This free screening is on Sunday 29th June. The bar opens for drinks & light refreshments at 7pm and The Wrong Trainers is shown at 7.30pm. The Pierian Centre is at 27 Portland Square, St Pauls, Bristol BS2 8SA – with free parking right outside. For booking & more information contact 0117 924 4512 or info@pieriancentre.com.

Dillon sad (The Wrong Trainers)