X-Hale Youth Film Competition

X-HALE 2013 is a short film competition for young people and youth groups around Ireland. The competition was run by the Irish Cancer Society who asked youth groups and organisations to make a short film about issues around smoking, that affect young people in their communities. They hope that these short films will help prevent young people from starting to smoke.

The competition received 38 great entries and now they need you to be part of the competition by viewing and sharing your favourite film – every view on YouTube counts as a vote! The film with the most views at the end of the competition on June 12th will win Most Popular Online Film award at the X-HALE Film Fest 2013 on July 4th. So get VOTING!

X-HALE Film Competition 2013 Entries:

• Ballybane Foroige Project, Ballybane Galway: Chain Reaction
• Cavan 365 GYDP, Cavan Town: The choices we make
• Ennis Youth Project, Ennis, Co Clare: Think before you inhale
• Fishbowl Youth Service, Tumagraney, Co Clare: Don’t be smoking, be smokin’
• Manor St John Youth Service, Lisduggan, Co Waterford:  Youths against Smoking
• Oughterard Youth Café, Oughterard, Co Galway: Jane and Anna’s Story
• Springboard, KDYS, Tralee, Co Kerry: The curious case of Benjamin Benson 
• Foroige, St Joseph’s Youth Programme, Mayfield, Cork:  Kickin It
• Youthreach Bantry, Bantry, Co Cork:  The Chain Gang 
• Stoneybatter CTC, Dublin 7: The Late Debate
• Foroige Balbriggan Youth Service, Co Dublin: Sure. why not?
• Youthreach Ballyshannon, Ballyshannon, Co Donegal: Chain Reaction
• Dunmore Youth Group, Ballinlough, Co Roscommon:  Mr X-HALE
• Foroige Way Project, Wicklow Town:  Smokers are Jokers
• Mahon Youth Project, Mahon, Cork:  Cigarettes are manky
• Youthreach Wicklow, Wicklow Town: Youths reach out to kick butts 
• Doneyloop Youth Club, Milford, Co Donegal:  A breath of fresh air
• Knocknaheeny Youth Project, Knocknaheeny, Cork:  Be smart don’t start
• Foroige Munterconnaught, Beharna, Co Cavan:  Family Influence
• Youthreach Ashbourne, Ashbourne, Co Meath:  Filterless
• Youthreach Ashbourne, Ashbourne, Co Meath: How young is too young?
• CDYS, Mallow, Co Cork: Caught in the act
• Foroige Dublin Hill/Ballyvolane, Cork: The Wheezy’s
• Kilkenny Peer Education Guerillas, Ossory Youth Service Kilkenny: KPEG News
• Moorehaven Centre, Tipperary Town: Before & After
• Kilbarrack Youth Project, Kilbarrack, Dublin 5:  No smoke without fire
• Corofin Foroige Club, Corofin, Co Galway:  Up in smoke
• The Vault, East Wicklow Youth Service, Arklow, Co Wicklow: Smoking causes death and bad breath
• Bhru Bhride Youth Service, Tuam, Co Galway: Chance
• Foroige, The Quad, Roscommon Town: Cruel Creations
• Cabra for Youth, Cabra, Dublin 7:  Beep out Smoking
• Carlow Regional Youth Service, Bagnealstown, Carlow: I’m worth more than…..
• Transforum Alley Youthreach, Tralee, Co Kerry: Rewind/The Streets
• The Loft, Donegal Youth Service, Letterkenny, Co Donegal: Following the pack
• Tipperary Regional Youth Service, 6thClass Girls Group, Tipperary Town:Choose Life not Smoking
• Finglas Youth Resource Centre, Dublin 11: Addicted Puffers
• Ballymun Women’s Resource Centre, Dublin 11: Y.O.L.O.
• Foroige Portlaoise, Co Laois: You really really need to give up smoking

The categories for the 2013 short films included:

• Marketing of cigarettes to young people by the tobacco industry
• Exploitation of children and poverty due to tobacco
• Tobacco, young people and the environment
• A future for plain packaging cigarettes in Ireland – young people’s views
• Tobacco- or smoking-related issues affecting young people in the community

The X-HALE Youth Awards are part of the Irish Cancer Society’s young people and smoking programme, which aims to empower young people to play a vital role in de-normalizing the use of tobacco in Ireland, to bring down smoking prevalence rates and to prevent young people from starting to smoke in the first place.

The Awards provide training and resources to build the capacity of young people and their youth organisations to engage with others in discussing the harmful health effects of tobacco, the role of the tobacco industry in the production and marketing of tobacco and the other social, economic and environmental issues associated with smoking.