Cornerstone Christian College students Lucy Marden, Charlotte Blennerhasset and Grace Taylor sweep film awards

One Busselton high school has shown their crafty camera work, with three of its of students taking home top prizes at a Statewide film competition. Cornerstone Christian College had a successful evening at the 2022 Youth Choices Film Awards, returning with not only the top prize, but the coveted Student’s Choice Award as well. The annual film competition, which is run in collaboration with WA Police Force and Constable Care Foundation, is open to secondary students across Western Australia and receives hundreds of entries each year. This year the competition asked entrants to explore the safety risks and find solutions of a chosen topic through the safe environment of film. Lucy Marden, 15, walked away with the evening’s highest accolade for her independent film Reflections, which illustrated the harmful mental health impacts of social media. Miss Marden said she drew from personal experiences when making the film. “It was based on my own story and what I’ve experienced, definitely comparing myself to influencers on Instagram.,” she said. “it’s just toxic and they’re trying to sell you things and promoting unhealthy lifestyles.” Taking home both third place and the Student’s Choice Award was Cornerstone duo Grace Taylor and Charlotte Blennerhasset with their film #Perfect Life. Their work challenged the given topic, demonstrating how a healthy and balanced life can be achieved when social media is used wisely. The pair said they were “shocked but very excited” by the win. “We’d spent a fair bit of time in the whole process so it was so rewarding to have it pay off,” Miss Taylor said. “We also gained more insight into the ways that we can damage our self-image and, alternatively, ways that we can love our bodies and maintain healthy relationships and hope it gave viewers the same eye-opening effect it had on us.”