Students rummaged through the wardrobe of Sutton’s past to give the town a youthful makeover with two short documentaries on its heritage.
Wallington High School for Girls students delved into the local studies centre’s collection of archive film shot in Sutton as part of a four-day filmmaking workshop called Our Moving Histories.
Chocolate Films community filmmaker Ana Tovey, who led the filmmaking workshops, said the girls then cut up the archive film and used it in their own documentaries.
Obsession with Fashion investigates whether fashion is still important to people on the streets of Sutton today.
Past Times and Pastimes compares the leisure activities of yesteryear – carnivals and outdoor games – with the more technologically-advanced entertainment choices favoured by young people today.
Miss Tovey said: “The archive’s rich collection of films dating from 1930 provided a much more vibrant insight into Sutton’s social history than could be found in any history book, and inspired the students on two different explorations of Sutton’s past.
“We’re really thrilled at the quality of the films that the young people have produced – they’ve uncovered some unique insights about how people feel about fashion and entertainment in the borough.”
Borough archivist and local studies manager Kath Shawcross said: “This was a really exciting project for us to be involved with, as our archive film collection has never been used in this way before.”
The Our Moving Histories: Sutton Gala free screening will be held on Wednesday June 24, at 6pm, at the Empire Cinema Sutton.
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