Young filmmakers presenting messages of hope, compassion and tolerance were honoured at an Award Ceremony in London on June 22, 2011. They were there to receive awards in the Project Mosaic Young Filmmakers YouTube Competition.
First Prize went to Tariq Chowdhry, a 23-year-old from Ilford, for his film called "Inspiration Through Faith".
Runner Up prize went to Timur Ahmet, an 18-year-old from London, for his film entitled "Two White Roses".
Two films received Honourable Mention: "This is Max" by Megan Crawley, a 16-year-old from Hertfordshire: and "It Takes All Sorts" made by seven pupils from Year 11 at Burnage Media Arts College in Manchester.
Winning films can be viewed on YouTube or at www.projectmosaic.net/youtubecompetition.asp.
The competition, which was entitled "We are Britain", aimed to amplify the voice of young people. Entrants aged 16 to 25 were invited to make and post on YouTube a film lasting no more than two minutes and that treated one or more themes of Project Mosaic, a pro-tolerance charity set up in memory of Dave Fontana, a 9/11 firefighter. Possible themes included: creating understanding amongst people from different backgrounds, countering prejudice and celebrating British values such as tolerance, the rule of law, equality between men and women, freedom of speech, of assembly and of religion.
The awards event commenced with a talk on the subject of "In the Footsteps of Moses: Egypt Then and Now" by Ahmed Abd-Elghany, an Egyptian-British adviser to Project Mosaic with extensive experience in interfaith work on a grassroots level in the UK.