By Jamie MacEwan

The ‘A Binge Too Far’ competition ran from December 2008 to March in the borough of Sutton and was open to all students from years 7-13. A wide variety of films have been produced, ranging from flash animations to graphic depictions of the harsh consequences of binge drinking, sometimes with gruesome images of vomit-stained corpses.

The vast numbers of entries were greatly appreciated by the speakers at the screening of the shortlisted films at the Empire theatre, Sutton, on the morning of Monday the 30th March.

We were told at the start of the programme that we would not be lectured on binge drinking and yet we were – though not by the officials present. A recurring use of ‘the hard, cold facts’, as one film put it, and statistical evidence shows how the competition provoked much research into the key facts regarding this problem. One of the most striking statistics was one which informs us that binge drinking is now the fifth biggest killer in the UK today.

Perhaps the widest variety of film offerings came from schools in the Years 7-9 category, as the years 10-11 and 12-13 categories were dominated by Sutton Grammar School for Boys and Carshalton Boys Sports College respectively. However, this is not to criticise the competition – the standard remained high throughout. The Chief Superintendant for Sutton’s area, Robert Reed, said, after viewing the students’ efforts, “Young people are not the problem; young people are the solution,” hinting that the future is safe in our hands.

At the end of each age section an ‘Oscar’ was delivered to the best entry, with the winning team having their photograph professionally taken. When all entries had been viewed, winners in general categories, such as technical achievement, best acting and outstanding school were announced. Prizes ranged from an ipod voucher, to tours of BBC studios and even a master class with top British film makers for the outstanding student of the competition. Many festive film fans were disappointed that Sutton Grammar’s entry “Beer Beer Beer” missed out on the prize for best music.

However, Sutton Grammar’s own, Ben Percival, scored a deserving Oscar after his heart-rending monologue performance. Mubarak Waseem was disappointed not to win in any category, but remained positive about the experience: “It was definitely a lot of fun. I would recommend people to enter next year, as it is a real test of abilities.” He particularly admired Adam Guy’s entry, which was artistically and professionally filmed. When asked whether young people know enough about the dangers of alcohol, he stated: “they do, but don’t act on it”, a controversial view.

Although the victors were all chosen by a panel of judges, the final vote is up to the young people of Sutton, who can go on to Sutton Council’s website and vote for their favourite film. The catch? You cannot vote for your own school. Further screenings of the shortlisted entries took place at the St. Nicolas Centre on a big screen on April the 4th.