Celebrating "Unseen City" at the Smiley Charity Film Awards

Unseen City was a finalist in the Smiley Charity Film Awards 2025

A Night to Remember

Last night, our short film "Unseen City" was a finalist in the 8th annual Smiley Charity Film Awards at The O2 in London. This recognition is a significant achievement for us. Although we did not win in our category, the Longform Under £500,000 Award, we feel proud. Our film, "Unseen City," reached the finals and surpassed 80% of the entrants. Thank you to everyone who voted for us!

Team MYWORLD

The MYWORLD team played a crucial role in our journey. Tom Sweetland directed and produced the film. Wayne Chin shared his personal experience of homelessness in "Unseen City." Unfortunately, our editor Tom Sales, who also produced our MYLONDON promo video and YouTube shorts last year, was unable to attend.

The Smiley Awards Concept

We are inspired by the Smiley Awards concept. In their program, the organizers stated: "In a world yearning for change, Smiley News is an antidote to the negative mainstream narratives." Our MYLONDON project and photography mentoring group aim to focus on the positives. This mission drives us to create impactful content.

If you would like to see the winning films, please check out this page. You can see all of the award-winning films featured during the ceremony.

Powerful Films That Inspire Change

One of the standout films was Fair Checks. This campaign advocates for allowing past offenders to erase records of previous offenses after serving their time. Another remarkable film was Our World 2030. It imagines a world that embraces and understands individuals affected by autism.

Due to time constraints, we could only watch the films that won each category. While the winners took the stage to accept their awards, we reflected on the messages delivered in these films. They were all powerful, each one leaving us inspired. They shared stories, whether protecting hedgehogs or raising awareness about dementia or autism.

Our Story: Unseen City

While we did not win, we are thrilled with how "Unseen City" turned out. The film follows Wayne Chin as he takes photographs for the annual MYLONDON contest in the City of London. It also features other participants, such as Nisha, who became homeless due to domestic abuse, and Kevin, who shares his unique perspective. Kevin explains that he realized the beauty of his surroundings while crouched down, photographing a man’s colorful trousers on Tottenham Court Road. This view was familiar to him as a rough sleeper.

Past Success and Future Projects

At Cafe Art / MYWORLD, we have produced many short films over the past 12 years. One of our films that went viral in 2015 is particularly interesting to analyze. Though it shows 25,000 views on the Cafe Art YouTube channel, our crowdfunding Kickstarter page indicates over 250,000 views. This came after it went viral through 200 media channels worldwide in August 2015. We learned that something resonated with viewers then, even as trends evolve with platforms like TikTok becoming more popular.

Looking Forward: Creating New Content

In just a few months, as part of the MYLONDON contest, we will create a new short film! We are excited about this opportunity to bring more stories to life and inspire others.

Below: Xavier Quadeer talks about his photo, an RPS mentor explains the camera, and we showcase the cover of the 2016 MYLONDON calendar from the 2015 promotional film.