Exclusive:The 14-year-old autistic Scottish filmmaker who started during Covid and has now scooped industry award
Edward Ryan started filmmaking during lockdown - and has gone on to win an industry honour.
A young Scottish autistic filmmaker who started filming during lockdown has scooped an industry award for work based on his experience of struggling to find his way home alone.
Edward Ryan, 14, has won the Audience Award at the annual awards ceremony organised by film education charity Into Film.
Edward, from Sanquhar in Dumfries and Galloway, won the award voted for by the public for his short film More Than One Way To Go Home.
Inspired by Edward’s own personal experiences, his film follows the story of a young autistic girl who has to find her own way home when her brother leaves her to fend for herself.
Inspired by an event where he was bullied by an adult while out filming in the community, forcing him to find a new way to get home, Edward, who wrote, directed, acted, edited and produced the film alone, wanted to highlight how the incident made him feel.
He said: “I put a lot of hard work and effort into this film, but none of it would have been possible without the help of my friends and all the support from my parents and family. Especially from my mum for entering me into this amazing competition. I would also like to thank the whole of my community in Sanquhar for their unwavering encouragement. I feel overwhelmed with joy and gratitude to have this opportunity and to receive this award.”
Edward started making stop motion animation during lockdown with Lego. He became increasingly interested in the technical side of filmmaking, learning how to use various cameras and editing software.
Edward now has a YouTube channel called Mr Porridge, which is run by his parents. He has created a variety of films including short reels, short films, reviews of equipment, and some documentary style films for local groups.
The young director has also made a short film, Forward to the Past, which premiered at a local community centre and a documentary for his local arts centre A’ the Airts when he was 12. The project led to him winning Young Community Champion at the Dumfries and Galloway Life Awards.
The Into Film Awards, sponsored by the UK film industry and supported by the BFI awarding National Lottery Good Cause funding, celebrate young people’s creativity in film. Young people from across the UK whose short films have been nominated across the 11 award categories will be recognised at a ceremony on Tuesday, hosted by actress and Strictly star Rose Ayling-Ellis at the Odeon Luxe, Leicester Square in London.
This year’s nominated films cover a wide range of subjects, including mental health, the war in Ukraine, gender identity, neurodivergence, multiculturalism and the potential harms of AI.
Fiona Evans, chief executive of Into Film, said: “The Into Film Awards wouldn’t be possible without the unwavering support of our invaluable sponsors, the UK film industry. Their commitment allows us to provide real opportunities for young people to share their stories, develop their creativity and provide them with career pathways into the industry.
“These awards are both a celebration of their talent and a clear statement of intent: that the UK film industry values, nurtures and believes in the voices of the next generation.”
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