Hate crime film recognised with two prestigious awards

An educational video produced by the University of Leicester to expose the harms of hate crime has been awarded two prestigious awards.

The University’s Creative Services team, within the Division of External Relations, won the General In-House Award and the Special Jury Award at the British Universities Film and Video Council’s Learning on Screen Awards, which took place last week.

‘The Harms of Hate’ was produced as part of the Leicester Hate Crime Project in the Department of Criminology and showcases the stories of seven people living in Leicester who have been victimised on the basis of their identity. The participants come from a range of backgrounds and have been victimised for different reasons. Despite these differences however, they have all suffered significant emotional and physical harm as a result of their experiences.   

Hayley Evans, Director of The Harms of Hate said: “Being nominated for the General In-House award at the Learning on Screen Awards 2015 was an amazing achievement in itself, and when they announced we had not only won this category, but also the Special Jury Award, I was blown away.

“The Harms of Hate was a team effort from the video team, the academics, and the film participants, and was one of the most eye opening, and enjoyable and rewarding experiences I have ever had whilst making films.”

Dr Stevie-Jade Hardy, who was the Lead Researcher for the Leicester Hate Crime Project said: “These awards are a fitting tribute to the victims who were brave enough to share their stories of everyday hate and hostility within this film, and within the broader research.”

Professor Neil Chakraborti, Director of the Leicester Centre for Hate Studies said: “The film is being used as an educational tool within schools, prisons and a range of other environments, and as part of training packages for frontline practitioners. This will ensure that the film continues to make a real difference with respect to helping hate crime victims get the recognition and support they deserve.”

_{Image: The video production team L-R Professor Neil Chakraborti, Hannah Tucker, Hayley Evans and Dr Stevie-Jade Hardy}