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With Oscar season on the way, young film-makers in Stratford have been putting their own thoughts and feelings about redevelopment in the area on celluloid.

Students from St Bonaventure's School and Technology College in Newham spent a term making short films about the Stratford City development, which promises to create a new commercial and residential hub next to the 2012 Olympic site.

With support from Westfield, the developers of Stratford City, the films provide a glimpse into what Stratford looks like now and how young people hope it will change.

A tale of two cities

The students’ films come under five categories: Leisure, Transport, Housing, Retail and Regeneration.

They highlighted the poverty and deprivation of Stratford, with shots of homelessness, litter, poor housing and a lack of branded shops. "I don't like the way youths hang around for no reason – they have nothing to do," said one of the people interviewed in the films.

This was contrasted with maps and artists' impressions of the plans for Stratford City, showing green spaces and a new shopping centre.

"We wanted to compare the present Stratford with the future Stratford," said student, Nick Philips. They were careful to point out that the new changes will also make the area more expensive to live in.

At the end of the film-screening, at the Knowledge Dock at the University of East London, students were presented with certificates and awards for their work. Kwasi Amoako, who directed the film about regeneration, said: "It’s not every day you come across 14-year-olds with the same directing talent as Steven Spielberg!"

Do you think Stratford City will deliver what it promises? Send your thoughts to angela.saini@bbc.co.uk

Your comments:

"I just wanted to say what brilliant movies these young people have produced - really informative and exciting to see how Stratford is being developed.
I think that Stratford City will greatly benefit the area, I have been working in Newham for the last two years and can already see the changes starting to happen, with retailers such as Starbucks being attracted to the area." - Anon