A north-east filmmaker has been recognised for his outstanding work directing Children of Chronos – a short sci-fi film produced in Aberdeen.
Following a screening of Jamie Sundance’s Children of Chronos at the Wild Indie Sci-Fi and Fantasy Film Festival, the director was delighted to pick up a joint award for the Best First Time Film Maker.
The awards night, which celebrated independent science-fiction and fantasy productions from around the world, took place last Saturday (May 29) at London’s Greenwich Odeon.
Fantastic to see film on big screen
Director Jamie Sundance, who is also a digital media lecturer at Robert Gordon University, said: “It was great for us to head down to London and finally see our film on the big screen. Receiving this award is a testament of all the hard work the cast and crew put in.
“We’re delighted to secure this recognition from a key genre-specific festival – it’s fantastic to see how well received it has been by our target audience.”
In addition to the best filmmaker award, Children of Chronos also received an honorary mention for the production design of the film.
“This is very much thanks to the love and time our art director Andy Begg and his team put into it,” said Jamie.
Filmmaker supported by council and volunteers
The film, which won creative funding from Aberdeen City Council and was supported by a community of more than 50 volunteers, addressed the topic of immigration in a sci-fi setting.
Children of Chronos follows young woman Nikita who, after losing her family in a battle, finds an orphan girl who she takes under her wing. After arriving at the mystical city of Chronos, they discover that the great stories of the far away city aren’t quite true.
Due to a tight budget, which was spent on shooting the film in the north-east – including at Torry Battery and on Balmedie Beach in 2018 – it took Jamie years to create visual effects himself in his spare time.
Festivals and Aberdeen screening
Once the film was completed, Jamie submitted it to a range of festivals all over the world.
He said: “The film was likewise shown in Italy, France, Columbia and Iran. It notably distinguished itself earlier this year in North America, winning Best Adventure Fantasy Short at the MLC Awards in Wisconsin.”
Jamie said he is “really excited” north-east film fans will also be able to see Children of Chronos in Aberdeen when the situation allows them to safely do so.