Glow in the Dark, a short film re-imagining the narrative around youth homelessness co-produced by Coram’s Voices in Action homelessness ambassadors, has won the prestigious Piccadilly Lights Spotlight Prize (PLSP) at the 2025 Big Syn International Film Festival Awards on Friday 7 November.
The winning film, which was screened today (14 November) in full at the iconic Piccadilly Lights-Europe’s biggest screen, is a collaboration between Coram Voices in Action and Coalesce Studios and co-produced with young ambassadors who have lived experience of homelessness. The film focuses on the remarkable ambitions of these young people—from aspiring lawyers to fashion designers—and their tenacity in working toward their dreams despite major obstacles.
Louise Mumcular, Policy and Practice Officer – Youth Homelessness at Coram, said: “We are thrilled to be awarded the Piccadilly Lights Spotlight Prize. By focusing our film on the real-life hopes and dreams of our amazing young ambassadors, we have shown that young people, no matter what their circumstances, have the potential to shine bright. With a growing number of young people experiencing homelessness – official statistics indicate over 100,000 last year – our society is missing out on an incredible resource. Youth homelessness is a system failure, and change is urgently needed. To end youth homelessness, youth-specific solutions are needed, from stronger family support services, to equality in benefit entitlement and pay, and access to affordable, safe and secure housing.”
Athian Akec, Participation Intern Voices In Action worked on the film, said: “We are really privileged to make this film which highlights the resilience, drive and inspiration of young people with experience of homelessness. We asked young people who they wanted to be and what emerged was the ambitions of future human rights lawyers, fashion designers, writers and social workers. These remarkable young people had already taken steps to achieve their dreams despite experiencing homelessness. But if we just invested in young people, we could really improve things for all these innovators, designers and thinkers who don’t have the resources and support they need.”
Watch the full film.