A Colne Valley couple have found themselves cast into the limelight after being nominated for a BAFTA.
There are few greater British honours to be had in the film industry that that facing Marsden-based Fettle Animation team Kath Shackleton and Zain Whittingham, who have made the shortlist for one of the glittering event’s prizes.
Chosen thanks to their striking and poignant children’s mini series on the Holocaust, they are going head to head with three veteran winners from across the country in the Academy’s children’s award event, which will take take the stage at London’s Roundhouse on November 23.
Competing in the best secondary learning category, officials were deeply stirred by their focus on the tales of victims in the atrocities which were narrated by Holocaust survivors themselves.
It has delighted the company’s producer and manager Kath, and her animator partner Zain, who turned their dream to run their own company into a reality seven years ago.
Kath said: “It’s just a great honour to receive.
“We are up against companies who have won BAFTAs before so just to have the chance to compete against them is wonderful- anything else we get out of it will just be a bonus.
“Companies go for years off the back of receiving a nomination, so it’s fantastic news for us.”
It is the latest accolade for the team, who launched their mini series on the BBC earlier this summer, which they created with the help of seven company trainees.
Kath said: “It’s been a roller coaster of a year. We’ve been working flat out, sometimes seven days a week and it’s been hard work-sometimes I think that Zain and I would see each other more if we lived in different cities than we do working opposite shifts to finish our animations.
“The BBC commission was the big game changer and allowed us to train up young people who we hope we’ll be able to turn into staff members next year, when the financial rewards come in.
“It’s been a great learning experience.
“We’re now working on an animation for CITV, which will be broadcast on the station’s Share a Story programme next week and which narrates the wonderful story written by youngster, Tyler Neil.
“We’ve also got lots of other projects in the works-watch this space!”
And Kath, 44, who moved to Marsden in 2001 with Zain, 48, believes that Kirklees has helped the pair to blossom.
She said: “It’s a very competitive industry but we’ve had fantastic support from the council, the business week and many more people, who we’re all really thankful to.”
