“When they opened the golden envelope and said my name, I couldn’t believe it.” Hannah Pusey’s last minute entry of a review of ‘Mamma Mia’ had taken her to Young Film Critic of the Year shortlist, thence to a ceremony at the BAFTA HQ and finally up onto the stage to receive her award!

Hannah, a Year 11 student, first learnt about the competition through a page in her homework planner, advertising National Schools Film Week. She promptly forgot all about it, and only entered just before midnight on the closing day.

It was over a year later that she heard that her review had made the shortlist of four out of the 9,000 entries in the 11-15-year-old category. Her lively piece begins:

“Mamma Mia! Here we go again! Yet another take on those ancient Abba hits. But My My, How can you resist it? Relax. Forget the rules about what makes a good film and enjoy it.”

“I was invited to bring my family and friends to the awards ceremony at the BAFTA Headquarters in Piccadilly, London on 15th October 2009. The awards were hosted by Blue Peter presenter, Joel Defries. My category was announced first. The names and pictures of each of us on the shortlist came up on the screen. Then they opened the envelope! I am obviously delighted to have won. After the ceremony, we talked to the presenters; there was a film crew from Blue Peter, directors such as David Puttnam, actors such as Tom Felton from Harry Potter, and members of the British Film Institute. I hope that I will lots more opportunities to write reviews, and I would definitely consider this as a career choice.”