A student-produced documentary created through a partnership between the City of Lincoln Council and the University of Lincoln has been selected for screening at the eMerge Student Film Festival.
A student-produced documentary created through a partnership between the City of Lincoln Council and the University of Lincoln has been selected for screening at the eMerge Student Film Festival in Nottingham.
The film was produced by MA Film Production student Alfie Schoffield as part of a university module delivered in collaboration with the Council and Lincoln Arts Centre.
As part of the module, students were required to create documentary films highlighting community groups and organisations across Lincoln.
Alfie’s film features Lynn Ritson, a volunteer at the Dawber Gardens, and forms part of the “In Their Words: Women on Film” initiative. This series of short documentaries showcases women driving community change in the voluntary sector and is supported by Arts Council England.
The documentary also forms part of the wider ‘Our Communities – Documenting Lincoln’ repository, produced through the Creative & Civic Partnership, a collaboration between the City of Lincoln Council, University of Lincoln School of Creative Arts and Lincoln Arts Centre.
This partnership gives students the opportunity to work on live briefs, creating films that showcase the wider Lincoln community, and the impact of externally funded projects across the city.
The first ‘Our Communities – Documenting Lincoln’ screening took place at Lincoln Arts Centre in January 2025, celebrating community groups and organisations supported by the council, with funding from initiatives including the Be Lincoln Town Deal and UKSPF.
A second annual screening followed in January 2026, continuing to highlight the impact of these projects and the role of Lincoln’s voluntary sector, charities and community groups in driving positive change across the city.
The UK Shared Prosperity Fund has supported a range of initiatives in Lincoln aimed at building pride in place and improving life chances. Locally, this has included the Community Grants Scheme, launched in 2024 with support from Investors in Lincoln.
The Dawber Garden Community Trust was successful in receiving funding through the UKSPF Community Grants scheme and utilised the funding to build accessible raised beds, which were recently enjoyed by students at St Francis Special School.
Cllr Joshua Wells, Portfolio Holder for Inclusive Economic Growth at City of Lincoln Council, said:
“This partnership between the council and the University of Lincoln is a great example of how we can support young people to develop their skills while also shining a light on the incredible work happening in our communities.
“Through funding such as the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, we’re able to back projects like Dawber Gardens, and it’s brilliant to see those stories being captured so well and shared more widely.”
Dr Phillip Warnell, Associate Professor of Film & Programme Lead for MA Film Production at the University of Lincoln, said:
“The creative & civic partnership module challenges students to collaborate on projects with organisations and creative, to make distinctive moving image works that extend their repertoire beyond marketing or promotional tools. It provides a focal point for a shared goal, to ethically present the brilliant work - often unseen - being constantly and quietly undertaken in our community.”
Alfie Schoffield said:
“It was an absolute pleasure to work with Lynn and both research and learn about her work and how best to portray that on-screen, keeping the focus on her work whilst still showcasing the Dawber Gardens. I think In Their Words: Lynn Ritson is some of my best work, and I'm very glad it is being shown at EMerge, so more people can see the hard work Lynn and the other volunteers have put into the Dawber Gardens.”
The eMerge Student Film Festival is a short film and documentary festival hosted at Nottingham Trent University, showcasing a selection of student work chosen by a panel of industry judges.
Films from the 2025/26 screening will be uploaded to Our Communities: Documenting Lincoln - Lincoln Arts Centre shortly.
In the photo below, from left to right, the first four women were the subject of the 'In their words' series documenting inspirational women in the city, and the last four are the MA Film Production students.
Left to right: Lynn Ritson, Emillia Zirka, Janet Kealey, Hajra Kemari, Summer McLellan, Finlay Dodd, Alfie Scoffield, Jake Sargeant.