This month we celebrated our annual Graduate Showcase 2022, the first in-person graduate event since 2020. It was fantastic to see so many faces at the celebration, enjoy all the graduation projects and see the hard work from all our graduates. It was by no means the only event of July, as there was plenty more highlights from our talented alumni. Read more about the event here.
Right at the start of the month we were lucky enough to be joined by former LFS student, Fiona Lamptey. Fiona is now Director of UK Features at Netflix and had some insightful words of wisdom to pass on to students within the last LFS masterclass of the term. Thanks to Fiona for coming back and imparting exclusively such valuable advice to students at London Film School.
Screenwriting grad Tom Floyd was selected for the BBC Writersroom's Belfast Voices 2022.
As part of the selection, Tom participated in a range of craft workshops, expert masterclasses and panels with established writers, plus industry talks from agents, producers and key industry organisations. As one of the Voices, Tom has also been working collaboratively with the group to define and develop their original ideas with the guidance and editorial support of the BBC Writersroom team. Increasingly interested in the scope offered by TV miniseries as a broader form for storytelling, Tom is developing a four-part thriller about the mental health pressures faced by a man who works for the police in contemporary Belfast.
A big well done to grad Carl Georg Rødsten who has won the Golden Chair For Best Norwegian Short Film at the 2022 Kort Film Festival in Grimstad with Walaac, a psychological horror short which delivers as a visually monstrous spectacle, a fearful journey through a disrupted mind. Carl Georg studied at LFS in 2012 and completed his grad film Botsgang in 2013.
Filmmaking graduate, Chris Brake saw his feature, Cactus Boy open online with five start reviews from the likes of UK Film Review and Indie Shorts Mag. Cactus Boy is a feature length film based on Chris’s grad film for LFS. The feature can be watched in full online at Cactus Boy on Vimeo
Graduate Sohrab Kavir directed documentary Duchenne Boys https://www.duchenneboys.org/. The film won Best Disability Documentary at Cannes World Film Festival earlier this year in France.
Alumna Gaelle Mourre https://www.gaellemourre.com/ co-directed the second episode of the animated VR and 360 series (Hi)story of a Painting: The Light in the Shadow. The project is narrated by Cerys Matthews and celebrates the life and art of Italian painter Artemisia Gentileschi, using an approach that makes art history more accessible and interesting especially for younger generations. In March 2021 the project was presented at SXSW and won the Special Jury Recognition for Immersive Storytelling, followed by a Guardian review here: https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2022/jul/22/hypnotic-bursting-artemisia-gentileschi-vr-review . The exhibition is available until 31 August 2022.
The filmmaking giant and LFS alumnus, Michael Mann has seen a great deal of success already and it was fascinating to read the recent New York Times feature on his life and work. The feature even included an image from Michael’s time at LFS in the late 60s. Read the feature in full here. Michael Mann’s Daaged Men (theodysseynews.com)
LFS Graduate Film Highlights
Wetsuit had its premiere at wonderful festival Curtas do Vila do Conde (Portugal) on July 9. Congratulations to Writer-Dir: Joao Salgado, DoP: Pablo Garrido Carreras, Editor: Hannah Owen.
On Your Behalf screened at Festival Cine De L'Alfàs Del Pi (Spain) and at Youth Film Festival Sarajevo 2022 (Bosnia and Herzegovina) on July 19. Dir: Ana Garcia Rico, Editor: John Powell, Producer: Maya Wills.
Three grad films received wins and mentions at Prague Int Indie Film Festival (Czech Republic). On Your Behalf (Dir: Ana Garcia Rico) as awarded Best Production Design and received Honorable Mentions for Best Actress and Best Ensemble; and two more received Honorable Mentions: The Viewing Room (Dir: Love Von Hauswolff): Best Student Short and Best Cinematography and Incense and Cigarettes (Dir: Lingge Dong): Best Foreign Short and Best Student Director. Congratulations to all the people involved!
Sucking Diesel collected two Silver Screen awards in the categories: Short Film and Film School at the Cannes Lions Young Director Awards 2022 and was part of Beach Film Festival, Ohrid 2022 (Macedonia) on 20 July 2022 Huge congrats to Dir: Sam McGrath and the team!
after a room screened FEST - New Directors / New Films (Portugal) and was awarded Best Cinematography at Vers Film Awards (The Netherlands). Also will be screening at Diversions Int Short Film Festival (Croatia) and Images Festival (Canada) in early July. Writer-Editor-Dir: Naomi Pacifique; Sound Design: Pablo Garrido Carreras; Producer: Rafael Manuel. DoP: Xenia Patricia
Third Solar Term screened at 24th Fairy Tales Queer Film Festival 2022 and was awarded Best student Short Film at KASHISH Mumbai International Queer Film Festival 2022 (India). Also got the Best Student Film award at The British Independent Film Festival (UK), where the DoP Tong Liu was nominated for The Milsome Award for Cinematography and the actress Zhu Zhu was nominated for the Best Supporting Actress as well. Congratulations! Writer-Dir-Editor: Zhanfei Song, Prod: Naixin Liang, DoP: Tong Liu, Prod.Design: Aoya Su, Art Dir: Xiaojing Ma.
Photo Credits (top to bottom)
Sucking Diesel by Sam McGrath
MA Screenwriting graduates 2022 at BFI Southbank by Blerta Kambo