Fourteen young people aged 10-15 will participate in a free film production workshop this weekend, and then will see their film screened at the Bermuda International Film Festival (BIFF) in March, thanks to a new programme initiated by BIFF and festival sponsors, Butterfield Bank.

The workshop, to be held all day Saturday and on Sunday afternoon at Old Colony Club on Trott Road, Hamilton, will be led by former Florida State University film professor Vicky Zabriskie, a volunteer at BIFF. Ms. Zabriskie led eight weeks of film production workshops this summer.

Four organisations ? Big Brothers/Big Sisters, The Family Centre, Sunshine League and The Centre ? were invited to nominate children for participation.

?Participants will learn the various skills that are required to make a film, and then we will shoot the film on Saturday afternoon,? Ms. Zabriskie says. ?On Sunday, we will add the sound. This is a wonderful opportunity for young people to learn the basics of film production.?

A fee of $250 per week was charged for the summer workshops, but this weekend?s workshop is free. The Old Colony Club has waived its rental fee for the weekend.

?We receive tremendous support from young people in Bermuda for our BIFF Kids Film Festival, and we wanted to give something back, ? explains festival director Aideen Ratteray Pryse. ?All of the groups that we contacted were delighted to give their young people the opportunity to participate.?

Tickets to the BIFF Kids Film Festival are available now at . The walk-up box office is open Friday October 7 and Saturday October 8 at the Logic Internet Caf?, 10-12 Burnaby Street, Hamilton from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.