At the beginning of 2024 the Cornish film and theatre makers at O-Region announced their 2024 Roughcut 60 Second Film Challenge, an international film-making event where filmmakers have to make a micro short up to 60 seconds long around this year’s theme of ‘My Place’.

I decided to ask my 7 year old if they had an idea for a story centred around that theme, and they immediately came up with the plot of our entry into the competition.

Me and my two kids filmed everything in a couple of hours whilst visiting their grandparents in Whitby on Saturday 24th February, and I edited the film the following Monday, with the competition deadline the 29th February! Music was generously provided by the band KateGoes, who I’ve been a fan of since I first saw them live back in 2008.

With 301 entries from across the globe, we were absolutely amazed to reach the shortlisted 65 films that would be screened at The Plaza cinema in Truro, Cornwall (a cinema I frequented many a time as a teenager, I even got dumped there just before a showing of Chicago back in 2003).

I took my 7 year old down to Cornwall for the screening, my 4 year old unfortunately was too young for the event (and the late bedtimes), and we had such a fun experience getting to see all the other entries.

When it came time for the annoucements of the winners I felt confident that we were going home with nothing but wonderful memories, and was absolutely knocked for six when they announced our film as the recipient of the judges’ Best Film award.

It meant so much to me to be there with my kid, to be back in a cinema in Cornwall I used to go to, for it be an O-Region event (I’m a big fan of their work over the years, going way back to Bretty Harvey‘s Josh & The Magic Hat shorts on YouTube, and his recent features Weekend Retreat, Brown Willy and Long Way Back) and for that panel of judges to select our film was incredible!

You can watch the film on the O-Region YouTube channel here: My Place On YouTube

Since then the film has played at the Wolverhampton Film Festival, and will be screened as part of the Life Screenings One Minute Film Festival in Florida.