Hollyoaks and T4 stars call on Cumbrian young people to enter anti-tobacco short film competition

Young people from across Cumbria are being given the opportunity to enter an anti-tobacco North West film and social media competition. TV Celebrity Will Best, host of T4 launched the competition, along with Hollyoaks actress and fellow non-smoker Jessica Forrest.

The Cut Films North West 2012 competition – run by The Deborah Hutton Campaign and Smoke & Mirrors youth anti-tobacco project - asks young people in schools, colleges and youth centres across Cumbria to research tobacco marketing, make a two minute short film about it for their friends, upload to the competition website and share it on their social media.

The aim of the project is to give young adults the opportunity to give their views on the issues associated with youth smoking.

Key themes include the impact of celebrity and entertainment on young people’s smoking behaviour, as well as the current Government consultation on plain, standardised cigarette packaging and its impact on young people starting to smoke.

There will be a Cumbrian winner as voted for by the general public and an overall North West ‘Popular Choice’ and ‘Judges Choice’ winner. Prizes include shopping vouchers and iPads.

T4 presenter and public face of the campaign Will Best said: “It’s about young people doing the research and telling other young people what they have found, rather than grown ups saying to young people smoking’s bad. It encourages creativity and it’s young people doing it for themselves, which is genuinely interesting.”

Prof John Ashton, Director of Public Health for Cumbria said: “This short film competition is a great idea. We are delighted to support anything that helps help young people in Cumbria understand the dangers of tobacco marketing.

“Young people will put across their feelings on smoking in the media and glitzy tobacco packaging to their friends in an innovative, engaging way. It will hopefully stop them taking up an addiction that ultimately kills half of all long-term users.”

The competition, which is funded by Tobacco Free Futures, closes on 20 July 2012 and voting for the films closes on 27 August 2012. The North West Awards Ceremony will take place in October 2012. Visit www.cutfilms.org/smokeandmirrors to enter and for free resources.

T4 Youth Presenter Will Best describes the Short Film Competition in the ‘YouTube’ video.
http://youtu.be/SZynYPWxtV8 .  The competition can also be followed on social network sites facebook and twitter on www.facebook.com/cutfilmsproject and www.twitter.com/cutfilms  Hashtags = #cutfilms #plainpacks

For more information visit www.cutfilms.org/smokeandmirrors .