Our Autism Activists’ film ‘Let Me Be Me’ had a successful night at the Smiley Charity Film Awards, taking home two silver awards.

In the £15-50 Million category, the film beat entries from large national charities such as Samaritans to earn second place.

Additionally, through public votes, we also earned a silver People’s Choice award.

A huge thank you to everyone who voted, and congratulations to our Autism Activists!

The Autism Activists Group, run by the North East Autism Society (NEAS), was nominated for a Smiley Charity Film Award for an animated video they helped to make.

The group appealed for supporters to vote for the film, called Let Me Be Me, which was in the running for the Good Health and Wellbeing category.

The Autism Activists were formed in 2018 to provide a forum for children and young people to meet, learn more about themselves and each other, and get their voices heard using creative methods.

The film project was launched in October last year after NEAS chief executive, John Phillipson, challenged the group to produce a film about human rights, focusing on dignity, equality and respect as part of the charity’s Everyday Equality campaign.

Over two sessions in Stanley, County Durham, the group worked alongside professional animator, Graeme Patterson, to come up with ideas around the human rights theme.

“The film is about recognising that autistic and neurodiverse people have unique talents, so they may need to be accommodated in different ways in order to succeed.”