MORE than a hundred schoolchildren were guests of honour today for the 12th annual Bradford Council Film and Animation Competition.

The primary school pupils, from across the district, attended the black-tie event, where their films were played on the big screen in front of the audience of children and other guests.

The audience was treated to 18 films on a variety of topics, from how to stay safe online, to a remake of Ghostbusters.

The festival was organised by the Innovation Centre, Bradford Council and Bradford City of Film, with prizes donated by Disney, and took place at the Cineworld Cinema in the Leisure Exchange.

Steve Dale, one of the event organisers, praised the quality of the films shown on the day.

He said: “It was a great day, we had entries from very young children all the way up to 11-year-olds.

“It’s great seeing young people trying to make films, and we were really lucky to have the City of Film here to watch.

“We have been running the competition for 12 years now, and it is going from strength to strength, the quality of film gets better every year.”

Mr Dale picked out Spooky School, by pupils from Brackenhill Primary School’s Years 5 and 6, as one of his personal highlights.

“Brackenhill’s film was really good, they always make a film which really appeals to the audience.

“Their Ghostbusters-inspired story, featuring the ghost of Elvis Presley, was really funny, and they really know how to capture the audience’s attention; I think last year their film was about an angry kebab.”

David Wilson, director of Bradford City of Film, said he enjoyed the films, and believed that there were some future stars on show.

He said: “It would be great to see some of the children here go on to be future Bafta or Oscar winners, so it is really important they get the encouragement and training they need.

“As we are the City of Film there are more opportunities to get involved than ever before, so to get children engaged at a young age is very encouraging.

“From what I have seen, there’s no reason why any of these children cannot go on to make a career in the industry.”

Mr Wilson also praised Disney for coming on board with the competition to provide prizes, with children from the winning schools receiving kites, bags, T-shirts and hooded sweatshirts.

“It’s great motivation for the children to get involved with the competition, and to go away with a reward for all their hard work helps them to grow in confidence.”

Other winners at the competition were Aire View Infant School, St John the Evangelist School, Horton Grange Primary School, Priestthorpe Primary School, Ingrow Primary School, and Long Lee Primary School.