MORE than 60 disadvantaged children realised their dream to have their stories shown on the big screen.

Raising the Bar was a project which saw dozens of young people from around the county make four films, all based around Olympic ideals.

The finished products, Respect, Courage, Inspiration and Determination, were shown to an audience of hundreds at the Ultimate Picture Palace in Oxford on Friday.

Project manager Gary Shenton, from Film Oxford, said: “This project started in March and we worked with four groups to make the films.

“All of them were inspired by the Olympics and it’s been absolutely fantastic.”

The first group was from St Ebbe’s Primary School, with the film Determination.

The second were students who did not have English as their first language from Oxford and Cherwell Valley College.

Mr Shenton said: “That was such an interesting group. We had 13 young people, speaking 13 different languages.

“But eventually as they became more involved with the films, it didn’t matter. The films became a new language that we could all speak.”

The two remaining groups from Abingdon and Witney College were made up of young people with learning difficulties.

Mr Shenton said: “They made the films Courage and Inspiration and they all responded fantastically well.

“It’s been so nice getting to know them all and seeing them work so well together.”

About 65 of the children were from “disadvantaged” backgrounds, including young refugees and unaccompanied asylum seekers.

Many students had never picked up a video camera before, but had the opportunity to work with professional filmmakers.

In a series of workshops and training, they learned all about the processes behind making a film.

The cinema was full on Friday night, as friends and family gathered to see the films.

Luke Dixon, 19, from Witney, a student at the Witney campus of Abingdon and Witney College, helped to make a film called Inspiration.

He said: “I did some filming around the town centre in Witney and I really enjoyed holding the camera and shooting some scenes.

“It was really good to work as part of a team on a project like this. It’s the first time I have worked on a film and I would like to make one again.”

Frankie Tucker, 11, from Oxford, now a pupil at Bartholomew School in Eynsham, said: “I loved using the cameras to work on the film Determination – it’s the first time I have ever done anything like this.”

The project was run by the OFVM Film Oxford charity in partnership with Oxford and Cherwell Valley College, Abingdon and Witney College and St Ebbe’s Primary School in Oxford. It was funded with a £40,000 grant from the British Film Institute.