Trip to California for award-winning young actor from Wrexham

A Wrexham high school is celebrating the success of one of its students who will head out to a glittering awards ceremony after picking up a film festival’s best young actor award.

The headteacher at Ysgol Y Grango, Rhos, held a special assembly in honour of year 10 student, Kyle Preston, 14, who was chosen out of six hundred entries in the bi-monthly Queen Palm International Film Festival Awards in California.

As a gold winner, Kyle now has a chance of winning a prestigious Queen Palm trophy at the Annual Competition & Awards Show Event held in Palm Springs next July, where he will be up against other monthly gold winners in the best young actor category.

The short film Kyle starred in is called CFF, which is about a boy whose parents don’t really have time to spend with him and then he discovers that his one friend, ‘James’, turns out to be a cybernetic friend paid for by his parents.

It was produced by London based Tedium Entertainment by a new up and coming director, Kacper Slonina, and was filmed in Camden and Putney.

Kyle secured the role after his parents sent an audition tape of him doing a reading. The director then contacted Kyle to arrange a Skype chat to talk about the part and ideas for the character.

Mr Preston said: “We are naturally thrilled for Kyle to have won this award and so excited for him to have the opportunity of going to Palm Springs, it’s fantastic.

“The teachers at Ysgol Y Grango are incredibly supportive of Kyle. He also really enjoys the after-school drama club where he has learned so much from Laura Griffiths who teaches the group.

“As well as his passion for acting, Kyle wants to become a doctor and he understands that he must work hard in school to ensure that he is able to have time to pursue this. However, if the right role in acting came along he would love to do that!”

Kyle has been acting in large productions since he was eight and was also involved in the Urdd, reading poetry.

He topped the bill in a school production in Rhostyllen primary school, the Smallest Giant, and has starred in several pantomimes at the William Aston Hall with the Wrexham and District Pantomime Company, including: Babes in the Wood, Dick Whittington and Aladdin.

Kyle has also appeared in the Vicar of Dibley in Llangollen, and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang with Jason Manford, Michelle Collins and Phil Jupitus at both the Regent Theatre, Stoke, and at The Lowry, Manchester.

Steve Garthwaite, headteacher, called the special assembly to congratulate Kyle and present him with the certificate from the film festival. He said: “Kyle is a hugely talented young person and we are absolutely delighted to hear that he has won this award which is a wonderful achievement.

“Aside from his academic ability, Kyle is also a talented hockey player. He is a remarkable young man and a fantastic role model for other students.

“We are all very proud of him and wish him every success at the awards ceremony in California next year.