The UK's First Light scheme handed out this year's awards for young film-makers.

The ceremony in Leicester Square, London yesterday awarded prizes in nine categories for short digital films made with National Lottery funding by young film-makers aged 5 to 18.

Industry attendees at the awards included Imelda Staunton, Sean Bean and Alex Zane. Daneil Craig sent a message of support via videolink from Los Angeles. Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown MP hosted a reception for the programme at 11 Downing Street on the eve of the awards.

First Light Movies was launched in May 2001 and is supported by the UK Film Council. More than 10,000 youngsters has taken part in the scheme.

The winners are:

Best Animation: Every Street Dreams (Cornerhouse, Manchester)
Best Comedy: Spying (Access Moving Image, Leeds)
Best Screenplay: 23 Pieces (PVA Media Lab, Bridport)
Best Drama: Fast Break (Fierce Productions, London)
Best Horror: The Looking Glass (Latimer Films, London)
Best Documentary: Darkness Visible (Living Archive, Milton Keynes)
Best Films by Under 12s: The Princess and the Pendant (Hartside Primary School, Crook)
Best Film by 13s and Over: Mothering Nature (Station House Media Unit, Aberdeen)
Special Projects Award: Look Don't Leap (Threshold Studios)

'Now in its fifth year, the First Light Movies Awards keep going from strength-to-strength,' First Light's chief executive Pip Eldridge said. 'The terrific atmosphere of today's ceremony alongside such wonderful support from celebrities and members of the film industry is testament to the hard work, imagination and creativity of all the young filmmakers.'