Team of creative students putting the ‘fun’ into reading with Summer Reading Challenge 2025

The countdown is on until the Summer Reading Challenge rolls-out to schools within the county, and one student production team at the University of Northampton are on a mission inspire the next generation of young people to turn to books.

In preparation for launch day, seven students from the University’s Creative Film, Television and Digital Media Production course have been commissioned by West Northamptonshire Council to deliver a film which promotes the county’s Summer Reading Challenge 2025.

The challenge, held in partnership with The Reading Agency, will be delivered in over 250 primary schools across the county and all 34 libraries in both West Northamptonshire Council and North Northamptonshire Council, and is aimed at getting children 5-11 to read up to six books over the summer.

Tasked with delivering a video inspired by ‘the great outdoors’ to promote the challenge to schoolchildren, the student production team conducted a location recce at Irchester Country Park to pinpoint the ideal locations to appear as a backdrop to the challenge’s four exciting characters.

One of the students excited to be involved in the project is Mira Nagib, who is the project’s Director. She said: “The project has been progressing really smoothly, and I already can’t wait to see the final film.

“The entire crew has been contributing fantastic ideas, and my role as Director is to listen closely to everyone’s suggestions, collaborate on what best serves the story we’ve developed, and foster a positive, creative atmosphere in every meeting.

“The location recce went really well—we’ve found the exact types of places I had been envisioning for the project. The clients were very pleased, both with the story outline we’ve created and with the locations we’ve secured. I have high hopes and a clear vision for this project and am eager to begin filming.”

Supervising the project is Deputy Head of Subject: Culture – Media, Film, Journalism and Special Effects, Dr Anthony Stepniak, who said: “This commission from West Northants Council is the latest in a long line of projects which our creative students are successfully delivering for their local communities.

“It’s an incredibly valuable opportunity to undertake collaborative commissions such as the Summer Reading Challenge 2025 – not only to add a feather in the cap for our students, but also for local councils and businesses to benefit from the creative talent available on their doorstep here at the University of Northampton.

“Following the location recce last week, the students have knuckled down to secure filming dates and create something truly inspiring for the young people across the county. Keep your eyes peeled for when the finished film drops later next month – it won’t be one to miss!”

The full student production team involved with this project are:

·       Mira Nagib – Director

·       Ethan Taylor – Chief Lighting Technician

·       Tom Knibbs – Sound Technician

·       Enoch Nkatia – Camera Operator

·       Karlis Serebrjakovs – Editor.

Find out more about studying Creative Film, Television and Digital Media Production at the University of Northampton.