BUDDING Steven Spielbergs and Alfred Hitchcocks at a Burnley's Barden High School are through to the semi-final of a top film-makers' competition.

The Barden boys, aged 13 and 14, were picked from hundreds of teams for the next round of the Disney Videos Young Film-Makers' Awards.

Their film, a version of Dickens's A Christmas Carol, is in the running for a prize of some hi-tech audio-visual equipment.

Barden's head of English, Bob Clare, is helping the pupils. He told the Citizen: "We are delighted to have reached the semi-finals.

"We have found it to be a very useful project as it ties in with the national curriculum. It also provides the pupils with a real goal to work towards, which is both educationally beneficial as well as being fun."

Barden could be one of seven schools to be selected for the national awards ceremony in November. Regional winners and runners-up will receive TVs.

The competition was set up to provide a showcase for young directors and producers, and give young people experience about the practical aspects of film-making.

Actor Jeremy Irons, the award-scheme's patron, told the Citizen: "Discovering and nurturing new talent will help to ensure a successful future for the British film industry. This is why initiatives such as the Disney Young Film-Makers' Awards are so important."

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