Preston's Cardinal Newman College student wins award for "powerful film with heart" named Solace
The Preston student won the prestigious Alice Guy Blaché Award as part of this year’s Film Buddy Festival for her short film Solace - a story about time, memory, and appreciation.
A Preston student has won the prestigious Alice Guy Blaché Award as part of this year’s Film Buddy Festival.
Milly Fry from Lancashire won last Friday with her short film Solace - a story about time, memory, and appreciation.
In collaboration with Cardinal Newman College, the award invites emerging filmmakers to create original work, rooted in a simple but powerful belief that cinema can be a force for good.
Film Buddy is an innovative and award-winning company which helps bridge the gap between education and employment in the film, TV and creative media industries.
Film Buddy CEO, Ben Sweet, explained that each entry to the festival must celebrate non-violence and positive storytelling, reflecting the values Alice herself brought to her work over a century ago.
They partner with top UK universities, such as Cardinal Newman and Lancashire University and work regionally.
Their mission is to inspire the next generation, support education, and champion new talent through practical industry engagement.
In recent years, they’ve placed students on the BBC’s Riot Women, Wolf Hall, Gentleman Jack, ITV’s spy thriller Betrayal and The Bay, Channel 5's All Creatures Great and Small and The Forsytes.
Ben said: “This year, we were very proud to announce that the award went to Solace, written and directed by Milly Fry.
“This award exists to champion the next generation of voices in film. This year, we were very proud to announce that the award went to Solace, written and directed by Milly.
“It’s a deeply felt and beautifully crafted film: a remarkable achievement and a testament to the extraordinary talent emerging from Cardinal Newman College.”
He added: “Milly has produced something genuinely special: a film with heart, intention and a real cinematic voice.
“Solace is exactly the kind of film this award was created for. Milly has made something genuinely moving, and it’s a privilege to celebrate her work on a platform like this.
“Congratulations to Milly and to everyone at the college, we can’t wait to see what comes next.”
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Neil Avery from Cardinal Newman added: “Watching our Year 13 Creative Media students’ films on the big screen at the Film Buddy festival was such a special and emotional moment. Seeing their ideas, stories, and hard work come to life in front of an audience made me incredibly proud.
“Milly’s film was so powerful, honest, and heartfelt, and truly cinematic, I couldn’t be happier to see it win Best Film.”
Last month, Film Buddy took home a national award for Excellence in Careers and Employability at the Target Jobs National Emerging Talent Awards 2026.