Sixth Former wins prestigious Film Awards

Congratulations to Alex (FH5) on winning the Innovation in Filmmaking Award at the prestigious Into Film Awards 2026, held at the ODEON Luxe Leicester Square in London.

Alex’s experimental short film, Give It Up!, was nominated in the Innovation in Filmmaking category earlier this year and he was invited to attend the national awards ceremony alongside some of the UK’s most talented young filmmakers. The nomination followed a highly competitive judging process, with hundreds of entries submitted from across the country.

Created as part of his EPQ, Give It Up! is an ambitious adaptation of Franz Kafka’s short story, combining live-action filmmaking, LEGO stop-motion animation and original music to create a distinctive cinematic experience. Alex directed, edited and led the development of the film, receiving support from his younger brother Arseniy, who acted as producer, alongside Sholto Kerr, who appeared in the film, and composer James Yen.

At the awards ceremony on Tuesday 16 June, Give It Up! was announced as the winner of the Innovation in Filmmaking Award, sponsored by Lucasfilm Ltd. Alex accepted the award on stage and delivered an acceptance speech before meeting industry professionals, category sponsors and fellow filmmakers. He also took part in media interviews following the ceremony.

This latest success builds on previous recognition for Give It Up!, which was shortlisted for the Cinemagic Young Filmmaker Awards, one of the largest youth film festivals in the UK and Ireland.

Reflecting on the achievement, Alex said, “I took a bold creative risk without knowing if it would connect with anyone, so having that recognised means a great deal and pushes me to keep exploring new boundaries in filmmaking.”

The celebrations continued the following morning when Alex and Arseniy were invited onto BBC Radio Surrey to discuss the film, the award, the current state of cinema and their future plans.