Primary school class inspired after film award win

Primary school students who won a UK-wide award celebrating young filmmaking said they have gained renewed confidence and are inspired to make more films about the world around them.

Year 5 pupils at Caedraw Primary School in Merthyr Tydfil won Best Animation – 5-11 at the 2025 Into Film Awards in London for Cae yr Arth (Cae the Bear).

The short animated film celebrates nature and the message that "everything thrives in the right environment".

Connor, 10, said: "I learned about patience making it, and now I want to make more films."

In the uplifting film, Cae – the school's mascot – is seen growing tired of city life, before stumbling across a rare piece of nature that he hopes will grow in an urban setting.

Instead, he learns the plant flourishes in the countryside.

"The message is that you learn better if you're in the right place," said Scott Beale, 36, a teaching assistant who worked with the students on the project.

"Some people do well inside, and some do well outside. Some like noisy environments, but others like to be calm and quiet. It's about finding the right environment," he said.

The idea for the project came out of "forest school" sessions, which give the children a chance to reconnect with nature, said teacher Alex Fleet, 34.

"They absolutely thrived in the environment and loved being outside," she said.

The film has no dialogue, and the students wanted Cae's body language to be an important part of the film's storytelling.

It is set against Hoppípolla, a song by Icelandic band Sigur Rós, who granted the students permission to use the music.

All 31 pupils in the class were involved in making the film, ranging from scriptwriting, to storyboarding, acting out scenes so animators could convey Cae's emotion, as well as set design.

"There was a role for everyone, whatever they wanted to do," said Ms Fleet.

Connor said he had a lot of fun and that the art of animation taught him a lot about "patience", with the film taking four weeks to complete.

He also joked the students picked up the animation skills "much quicker" than the teachers.

Connor added he wanted to now go on and create more films, with the school having created an animation station for the students to use.

The students were also "over the moon" to win the award, which was presented to them by Welsh actor Callum Scott Howells at the Odeon in Leicester Square.

"We were so proud to go on stage and win the award," said Livvie, 10.