My Street Films: The Lea Valley kids

Youngsters from London present their own vision of everyday life for a film competition

A group of kids from Hackney's Lea Valley who made this film about their lives are just a few of the many budding movie makers in the running for the My Street Films competition.

The nationwide competition has been devised in order to create an audiovisual map of the UK and to find out what people love and hate about the streets where they live.

“My Street is many things... It's where I live, it's where you live, it's an idea, it's your hood, your locale, your community, your neighbours. It could even be your corridor or your lift,” the My Street Films website explains.

The Lea Valley film was put together with the help of a Hackney Children’s Services funded production company called Mouth That Roars as part of a series of films it has been making with young people called ‘Our Everyday Lives’.

“Young people on estates are portrayed very negatively in the media what with gun crime and gangs etc,” Mouth That Roars company director Denise Rose said.

“We’re trying to redress the balance away from that negative image which is perpetrated by a minority in order to celebrate young people’s lives and the positive things that they’re doing.”

In the film youngsters talk frankly about racism, bullying and education and seem excited by developments being made in the Lea Valley area ahead of the 2012 Olympics.

Prize money of £6,000 will be awarded to the winner of the My Street Films competition at the at the inaugural Open City London documentary film festival taking place in between 16-19 June.

For more information visit www.opencitylondon.com, www.mystreetfilms.com and www.mouththatroars.com