Welsh Refugee Council wins Grand Prix Charity Film of the Year
Melanie May | 23 March 2023 | News
This year’s Charity Film Awards saw the Grand Prix Charity Film of the Year go to the Welsh Refugee Council, and the Grand Prix People’s Choice Award won by Brooke Action for Working Horses and Donkeys.
The Welsh Refugee Council won for its film Wales is a Nation of Sanctuary, while Brooke won for Unbreakable Bonds.
A special recognition award was also presented at the Charity Film Awards to Choose Love ‘for their continual powerful and important work’. A video was played from the organisation’s recent visit to Turkey in the aftermath of the earthquake.
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Other charity winners included: Barnardo’s for The Big If; Canal & River Trust for Our Story; Prior’s Court for Autism, the performing arts & Jamie; Martletts for Marc’s Story; Charity: Water for Walk for Water; ActionAid International for Perfect Storm; and Teenage Cancer Trust for Francesca’s Story.
Nicholas Loufrani, CEO of Smiley said:
“We are honoured to have hosted such a wonderful event, and we are grateful to all our guests, sponsors, and partners for their support. The Smiley Charity Film Awards is not only an occasion to praise the incredible films created to support the charities, but also a way to shine a very bright light on the work that all the charities do, and to show how they change lives.”
This year’s Charity Film Awards were hosted by comedian Tom Allen at the Odeon Luxe in Leicester Square. Celebrity guests, including Sadie Frost, Donna Air, Jason Watkins, Arlene Philipps, AJ and Curtis Pritchard, Tala Alamuddin, Michael Parr, Charlotte Hope, Kathy Kiera Clark, Faye Winter and Joelah Noble presented the awards.
Since its creation in 2017, more than 2,500 charities have entered the Charity Film Awards. This year, 25 million people watched the shortlisted films and over 200,000 people tuned in on the night to watch via livestream. Also in attendance on the night were the heads of UK and international charities, as well as philanthropists, and senior teams of companies such as Selfridges, Fendi, Dr Martens, ASOS, ITV Studios, and McDonald’s. The evening was sponsored by the Smiley Movement, supported by TikTok and the Bicester Collection.
About Melanie May
Melanie May is a journalist and copywriter specialising in writing both for and about the charity and marketing services sectors since 2001. She can be reached via thepurplepim.com.