Penzance based awen productions has become West Cornwall’s first Community Interest Company (CIC). They have also been nominated for two awards at the Celtic Film and Television Festival.
awen – the name means ‘inspiration’ in Cornish - is one of the first organisations in the country to register as a CIC. Founded by three well-known Penwith based film and media creatives, Nick Harpley, Denzil Monk and Barbara Santi, awen is a film and media production company with a strong social agenda.
Denzil Monk explained: ‘It’s an exciting challenge for us, especially as the legislation is so new and we’re one of the first. It’s a bit like a combined springboard and safety net. There are lots of exciting creative opportunities we can now explore while protecting both our ethos and our assets at the same time.’
awen is already making a name for itself, and two of its recent productions have been nominated for awards at next week’s Celtic Film and Television Festival.
• Barbara Santi produced Two Thirds Water (a short film made by young people about surfing, the sea and spirituality), which is nominated for Best Young People’s film.
• Denzil Monk wrote, edited and co-produced Paper Mountain (directed and co-produced by John Crooks / Stanz Productions) which is nominated for Best Documentary Feature.
Future awen projects include ‘Farming Families’, a year-long digital project (in association with Newlyn Art Gallery) where Barbara Santi will work with 3 families who farm in West Cornwall. They will create a record of rural living, cultural identity and explore issues surrounding today’s farming. awen is also working on a short film to raise awareness of domestic violence.
Anyone wishing to know more about awen’s work should contact info@awen.org.uk or visit
www.awen.org.uk
Community Interest Companies are a new type of registered company created by legislation passed in July 2005. Although subject to the same regulatory scrutiny as any other company, a CIC is a social enterprise whose profits and assets must be used to benefit the community. CICs report to a national regulator and have to demonstrate that they are involving their stakeholders in their activities. Their community interest ethos is protected, even in the event of a change of ownership.
The Celtic Film & Television Festival takes place at Tremough, Falmouth 29-31 March