Words by Abi Scaife
Studded with stars and incredible films, the Smiley Charity Film Awards 2023 was a night to remember.
Hosted by comedian Tom Allen, we had the likes of Arlene Phillips and Jason Watkins, as well as TV presenters AJ and Curtis Pritchard, who were ecstatic to come and celebrate these wonderful charities.
At the beginning of the night, our CEO Nicolas Loufrani addressed the audience, giving them an introduction to Smiley Movement and all the things we are doing to spotlight charities – from our Smiley News articles to our videos highlighting charity work.
And then, it was straight into the winners' ceremony. What a night it was!
There were so many truly incredible awards given out. Some of the highlights include our overall Charity Film of the Year 2023, won by the Welsh Refugee Council for their film Wales is a Nation of Sanctuary, as well as our People’s Choice Film of the Year 2023, which went to Brooke and their film Unbreakable Bonds.
It was an absolute pleasure to be able to watch all the winning films at the ODEON Luxe, Leicester Square, surrounded by charities whose hard work deserves all the celebration it can get. We know how hard these charities work every single day of the year, so each part of the evening was designed to make them feel like the stars they are.
From goody bags to photo ops, to our yellow carpet walk, there was so much going on. One thing's for sure, our minds were opened even more to the causes these charities support, and just how important each organisation is for the work they do.
To everyone who was up for an award last night, and even those who were watching along at home - thank you so much, and we hope you had a blast!
The winners of the Charity Film Awards 2023:
Charity Film of the Year 2023
Welsh Refugee Council – Wales is a Nation of Sanctuary
People's Choice Film of the Year 2023
Bicester Collection International Impact
Winner: World Connect Inc. – The women fish farmers of Ndombo Sandjiry, Senegal
Silver: L'ENVOL – 'Vanessa facing her children's illness'
Bronze: Barretstown – 'Alex's Story - Press Play with Barretstown'
Corporate Cause
Winner: Asda – The Real Self-Checkout
Silver: Industrial Metal Services – 'Giving Back'
Bronze: Samsung Global Goals – 'We Are The Future'
£100m+
Winner: Barnardo's – The Big If
Silver: Save The Children UK – 'A Celebration of Girls' Rights'
Bronze: Guide Dogs – 'One Second Every Day | Making memories with Nell, a six year old with sight loss'
People’s Choice: Canal & River Trust - ‘Our Story’
Silver: RSPCA (England & Wales) – 'The gift'
Bronze: RNLI – 'A bedtime story'
£50m-£100m
Winner: Nacro – Cell Street Repeat at Christmas
Silver: Jewish Care – 'We Are Open'
Bronze: Shelter – 'The Drive'
People's Choice: Anthony Nolan – One Little Boy's Lifesaving Legacy
Silver: Mind – 'The Fight for Mental Health'
Bronze: Nacro – 'Cell Street Repeat at Christmas'
£20m-£50m
WRAP Recycle Now – Let's Get Real About Recycling
Silver: Breast Cancer Now – 'Real Talk'
Bronze: Groundwork UK – 'Taking control of rising energy costs with Green Doctor: John's Story'
People's Choice: Prior's Court – Autism, the performing arts and Jamie
Silver: Samaritans – 'Break the silence'
Bronze: Barts Charity – 'Barts 900'
£5m-£20m
Martlets Hospice – Marc's Story
Silver: Dementia UK – 'I live with dementia'
Bronze: Children With Cancer UK – 'When I Grow Up - Eve's story'
People's Choice: The Society for the Protection of Animals Abroad (SPANA) – International Working Animal Day 2022
Silver: Havens Hospices – 'Dying Matters at Havens Hospices - 2022'
Bronze: Dementia UK – 'I live with dementia'
£2m-£5m
Charity: Water – Walk for Water
Silver: Child Bereavement UK – 'Puddle Jumping'
Bronze: Justice and Care – 'Car wash'
People's Choice: Animals Asia – No Bear Left Behind
Silver: Great Western Ambulance Charity – 'Stay with us'
Bronze: Kinship – '#ValueOurLove'
£1m-£2m
Young Westminster Foundation – The Hand That Helps
Silver: Children and Families Across Borders – 'Finding Home'
Bronze: Care4Calais – 'Care4Calais - Safe Passage'
People's Choice: UK Sepsis Trust – Raising Awareness in the Farming Community
Silver: The Listening Place – 'The Listening Place - Volunteers'
Bronze: Waverley Hoppa Community Transport – 'Waverley Hoppa Community Transport promotional video'
£350k-£1m
My Life My Choice – MLMC Travel Buddies Franchise
Silver: Solving Kids' Cancer UK – 'Luke's Legacy'
Bronze: Kidscape with Giants Live – 'What does STRONG mean to you?'
People's Choice: Action for Stammering Children – Me & My Stammer
Silver: Wheels For All – 'We Ride Together'
Bronze: Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide – 'The Ripple Effect'
£100k-£350k
Harry Kane Foundation – Harry Kane: Resilience
Silver: Carney's Community – 'Carney's Community Film'
Bronze: Mankind Initiative – 'Men, You Are Not Alone'
People's Choice: Pregnant Then Screwed – Birth during lockdown
Silver: Brighton Table Tennis Club – 'Bly's Story'
Bronze: Their Future Today – 'My Life in Foster Care - An Animated film, based on the true story of Richard Farleigh'
Under £100k
We Care Campaign – The Ones Who Care
Silver: MindFood CIO – 'BUD'
Bronze: Book Clubs in Schools – 'Books are not just about reading'
People's Choice: Friends Of Kirkby Fleetham CE Primary School - Watch Us Grow
Silver: T-21 Charity – 'Birch Tree Cafe - What we are about'
Bronze: Save A Kill Shelter Dog – 'Benjamin and Eira's Story'
Longform £20m+
Action Aid International – Perfect Storm
Silver: Alzheimer's Research UK – 'Ray & Mariel'
Bronze: Parkinson's UK – 'Parkinson's, DBS and Me - Decision Day'
People's Choice: Parkinson's – DBS and Me - Episode 8: Decision Day
Silver: Alzheimer's Research UK –'Ray & Mariel'
Bronze: Action Aid International – Perfect Storm
Longform £5m-£20m
Teenage Cancer Trust – Francesca's story - Royal Albert Hall 2022
Silver: Royal Trinity Hospice – 'Royal Trinity Hospice: Every Moment Matters'
Bronze: Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust – 'Chimney Meadows wetland restoration project'
People's Choice: Khalsa Aid International – Feeding Humanity One Meal At A Time
Silver: Cash For Kids – 'The Block'
Bronze: Mountbatten Isle of Wight – 'Anyone. Anywhere. Anytime'
Longform £350k-£5m
The Wave Project – Victory of Determination
Silver: Niemann-Pick UK (NPUK) – 'Invisible Manners'
Bronze: AfriKids – 'How to Make a Difference in Africa'
People's Choice:
Grief Encounter – Out of Darkness
Silver: YGAM – 'Do It For Her'
Bronze: Epilepsy Scotland – 'Phil's epilepsy story'
Longform Under £350k
Silver: Power for the People – 'Remba Island: Creating Transformational Change with Handshakes not Handouts'
Bronze: Big Love Charity – 'Resourcing Hope'
People's Choice: Streets2Homes – Helping Those Who Are Homeless
Silver: Phoenix Heroes CIC – 'Tackling PTSD Carp Fishing'
Bronze: Withington Walls – 'Make yourself at home'
