A SHORT film by two 16-year-olds has premiered at a special screening of the 22nd Kendal Mountain Film Festival.

Set in the Lake District, and dedicated to youth charity Brathay Trust’s Young Minds Matter Appeal, it was filmed and edited by Nathan Young and features Jonah Monks.

It tells the story of a mountain bike enthusiast who sets off to meet a friend saying he will go ‘The Long Way Round’ – the film’s title. Jonah is seen getting ready, setting off and taking an adrenaline-fueled ride from the top of Garburn Pass into Troutbeck, near Ambleside.

Nathan says they spent the summer scouting and started filming in September. It took two months to complete. This is Nathan’s first major film, although he has been film-making ever since being given a Panasonic camcorder and directing his sister to act.

Nathan said: “It was an absolutely fantastic experience. It taught us a lot, was fun to make and the final product is way better than we ever could have imagined. Continuity – of weather and leaves – made things difficult. We needed lots of glorious sunsets and leaves that didn’t change colour.

“The only help we got was lifts to the location, out of seven visits we were only able to film on four occasions. Fortunately the only real problem occurred on the last day of filming when Jonah’s bike frame snapped.

Nathan says the dedication comes from seeing friends go through a lot over the last few years from exam stress to family problems.

He said: “It makes me realise how important support for young people is and sometimes it can be the smallest things that create anxiety and depression. Brathay give young people a safe haven, at their residential base here in the Lake District, restoring their confidence and self-belief.

Brathay’s Head of Fundraising, Scott Umpleby said: “It’s fantastic to see two local young people combining creative film making with adventures in the outdoors.”