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Young screenwriter celebrates her heritage in film

Lewis Adams & Akylah Rodriguez
BBC News, Essex
Owen Ward/BBC Kinara Dyer-Tuitt has black hair that is sitting on her shoulders. She is wearing a navy headband, a purple V-neck blazer, white shirt and red and blue tie. She is smiling while writing something down in a notebook, sitting on a bench outside.Owen Ward/BBC
Kinara Dyer-Tuitt was awarded by the performing arts academy she attends for her project

A 12-year-old performer hopes a short film she wrote will educate people about different cultures.

Kinara Dyer-Tuitt, from Basildon, Essex, dedicated Lady Oriole to her grandmother and the stories she shared about the Caribbean island of Montserrat.

The youngster won an award at her performing arts academy in Wickford and said the reaction since had been "amazing".

"My mum was saying she wanted it to go global, but I'm so happy it's here," she told BBC Essex.

Kinara incorporated her late grandmother's culture and heritage into the 15-minute film.

She said her mother came up with the "lovely idea" of exploring the family's heritage, with the title named after the Montserrat national bird, the oriole.

But Kinara said she also wanted her classmates to have their eyes opened to different cultures.

"I don't really like it when people in my class make silly Jamaican accents, I just don't really find it funny," she said.

PQA Kinara and Eden watch on from behind a small screen while filming. They are both watching intently.PQA
The film was directed by university student Eden Quine-Taylor

Kinara explained her heritage was "very important" to her and she enjoyed exploring it during the screenwriting process.

"I really wasn't expecting to get that call saying 'you have won it' - it was really exciting," added Kinara, who had never written a film before.

She said entering the competition, hosted by the Pauline Quirke Academy of Performing Arts, was a total "leap of faith".

"I didn't really expect anything," Kinara continued.

"When I first saw the animation in the trailer it looked really cool, it looked amazing and I was obsessed with it.

"I'm really proud because I did not think it was going to get this far."

PQA Kinara wearing a black jacket, smiling and holding a black and white clapperboard. She is standing in front of some wooden decking outdoors.PQA
Kinara's school principal said the project was "special"

It left a lasting impression on the academy's principal, Teri Levett, who instantly knew it was "special".

She said: "It was like nothing I'd ever read before.

"I love myths and legends, but I really don't know anything about Montserrat myths and legends - it was fascinating.

"I really thought it was special."

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