Smiley Charity Film Awards Finalists 2025
Foothold’s video becomes a Smiley Charity Film Awards Finalist
We are thrilled to see our long-format ADHD Awareness interview with Mikaela recognised as a great example of impactful storytelling!
Having been shortlisted for the public round, we were delighted to find out in February that we had been selected as a finalist.
The film was recognised at the Smiley Charity Film Awards in their longform category. The finals were held at a red carpet event at the Indigo at the O2 in London on 20th March 2025.
The nomination showcased Foothold’s storytelling ability alongside other fantastic charity films, and positioned our work as credible, creative, professional within the wider charity sector.
We are delighted that Mikaela’s story, which she told so openly and engagingly, was seen by more people. We want to inspire other neurodiverse people to pursue a career in engineering.
Thank you to Mikaela for sharing her story, and for the work she has done with us since in a volunteer content presenter role too! You can see Mikaela’s story here: Mikaela’s story
If you want to share your story, or volunteer with us a content presenter, you can find out more here: volunteer presenters
What are the Smiley Charity Film Awards?
In their own words, here’s what the Smiley Charity Film Awards are all about:
“Since its inception seven years ago, the Charity Film Awards (CFAs) has emerged as a cornerstone of positive change in the UK, supporting over 5,000 charities and captivating the engagement of almost 1 million individuals through voting. We proudly hold the title of the world’s largest cause- based film campaign, recognised by BFI and IMDb.”
Charities by Income Bracket
“Entries to the Charity Film Awards are categorised based on the Charity Commission’s turnover brackets for income in the last financial year. This creates a level playing field so smaller organisations are just as likely to receive an award as the larger, more established ones.”
Long-form Films
“There are additional categories for long-form films that last over eight minutes – these are divided into charities with an income of under £5 million and over £5 million.”
Foothold’s entry was in the longform, under £5m category which you can see here: longform under £5m entries
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Your stories
This money will cover all our everyday expenses until the government funding kicks in or we can start working again. I think it’s just brilliant that there is somebody giving this kind of support.Simon Gaze View story Read quote by Simon Gaze
The financial support has alleviated so many problems for us. I can’t express how much it helped - it’s enabled us to live a life.Alan Monelle View story Read quote by Alan Monelle
I feel like I have a safety net which reassures me massively. We still have stressful days, but I can manage them so much better than before.View story Read Molly’s story of getting counselling support
The way we have dealt with the last 12 months is with a positive attitude, laughter and not being afraid to ask for help.Sharon Monelle View story Read quote by Sharon Monelle