A SHORT film about three teenage boys striving to overcome the challenges of living in London by spending a week in the New Forest, Hampshire, with Manhood Academy has been nominated for a BAFTA award.

This is My Life: Boys to Men, currently available to watch on BBC iPlayer, is a contender in the teen category at the BAFTA Children’s Awards.

The one-off documentary follows the lives of three promising teens, Reuben, Leon and Micah. Each of the boys are members of Manhood Academy, a community based rites of passage programme that provides mentorship and empowers young men who lack positive male role models.

The film charts the boys’ literal and metaphorical journey as they leave London and their comfort zone with other members of the group for a stay in the New Forest.

The week-long stay means leaving behind the familiarity of life in the capital and home comforts and coming face to face with their fears and a series of transformative challenges.

The British Academy Children’s Awards recognises the very best in children’s media, from programmes and films to presenters and performers, as chosen by BAFTA.

The awards take place at The Brewery, London, on Sunday December 1.

Watch the film here.

The Manhood Academy for Boys believes the only hope for black boys is the intervention of black men in their community to help facilitate their transition from boyhood into respectable contributors to their neighbourhood.

Manhood Academy is based in Hackney, east London, and runs workshops every Wednesday evening and Saturday morning.