Film festival to shine a light on victims of crime in Hertfordshire

The film festival is being backed by Police and Crime Commissioner David Lloyd

The office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC), David Lloyd, is holding a Victims Rights Week this week.

A number of events will take place across the week to bring awareness to the impact that crime has on people affected.

Beacon Victim Care Centre and Oaklands College Media Department are hosting a film festival tomorrow (Thursday February 23) at the Weston Auditorium at the University of Hertfordshire.

The aim of the evening is to share stories and short films from around the globe to raise awareness about the issues faced by victims of crime.

A shortlist of 20 films will be screened in front of an audience and given feedback from a panel of prestigious filmmakers, lecturers and members of the Police & Crime Commissioner's Office.

The Police and Crime Commissioner, David Lloyd, said: “I applaud the work being done to put together an event as positive as a film festival to highlight the issues faced by victims of crime.

“Victims of crime are at the centre of my Community Safety and Criminal Justice Plan and any gathering that helps to create awareness and share knowledge is key to improving the services provided for victims of crime. I look forward to attending and viewing the shortlisted films."

BTEC Creative Media and Foundation Degree students from the college have been tasked with creating films for the festival as part of their course assessments.

There will also be an international category of which 450 short films have already been created and submitted from countries around the world; including Iran, India, the United States, Spain, Turkey and Italy.

Oliver Samuel, lecturer and filmmaker at Oaklands College, said: “We are delighted to be collaborating with the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner to help shine a light on the kinds of difficulties victims of crime face and raise young people’s awareness of Beacon.

“We have received an overwhelming response from filmmakers all over the globe, tackling a multitude of issues from war to the justice system. Our students are really excited to be involved with such a fantastic project and can’t wait for the event.”