Risca filmmaker Dylan Guard wins awards in New York and London

Dylan Guard from Risca has won awards in New York and London for his short film titled Are you Ready?, which was shot in grandad's back garden.

Inspired by the pressures young adults may face to take drugs, the film portrays the consequences these actions could cause.

Awards won:

• London Movie Awards - Best Student Film;
• Florence Film Awards - Gold Award: Best Student Film;
• New York Movie Awards - Silver Award: Best Student Film;
• 8 & Halfilm Awards - Best Student Film ;
• Dona Paula Awards - Critics Choice Award, Best Student Director;
• Festival De indie - Best Student Film, Best Student Director, Best Story, Best Casting Director.

Still taken from the film (Image: Dylan Guard)

Still taken from the film. Picture: Dylan Guard

Mr Guard, 22, said: “I am not the most confident person in the world and have had a lot of doubts and comments thrown my way as to whether I could ever be a filmmaker and whether I was cut out for it.

“To have this much success for a film that I made and for it to resonated for as well as it has been such a huge boost for me and my confidence.

“I have such supportive family and friends around me, it has made me want to go even higher next time with my passion of filmmaking.

Filmmaker Dylan Guard (Image: Dylan Guard)

Filmmaker Dylan Guard. Picture: Dylan Guard

"We have also been selected for 4theatre selection, Bestluv selection Vesuvius International Film Fest, Hollywood Blood and Horror Film Festival.

“From a very young age I always have had a passion for films and TV. My earliest memory I have is watching Doctor Who and Jurassic Park when I was very young and falling in love with the worlds and its stories.

“From my passion of watching films and TV came my drive of wanting to tell my own stories in this art form.

“The piece was shot in my granddad's back garden in Risca, which has the incredible stone table and seats at the end which is where the characters of the film are seated. The process of putting this film together was surprisingly easy and exciting.”

Poster for the film (Image: Dylan Guard)

Poster for the film. Picture: Dylan Guard

Taking five weeks to make the film was shot in a single day with a running time of six minutes and 29 seconds.

Jack Riley-Jones plays the main character, Taylor, whilst Kieran Green, was the cinematographer and colourist for the film.

Mr Guard said: “At first it felt like it was a daunting task to shoot as I had never done this type of film before. But once I assembled two amazingly talented people for the project and I was more than confident that I could make this film.”

“Filming itself was a great and easy experience with those two by my side. Pre-production was a fantastic experience for me too.

“I edited the film and learnt a lot from doing so. Overall Are You Ready? was hands down the best film journey I have done yet, and the only way is up now."