Once again, we are pleased to shine a spotlight on the incredible achievements of our students, grads and alumni. Continue reading to learn about their excellent success stories. If you have any exciting news you’d like to share, don’t hesitate to get in touch, we want to hear all about it! Don’t forget you can sign up to our alumni newsletter here to get the updates direct to your inbox.
Congratulations to MA International Film Business alumni, Camila Basora-Oliveira (producer) and Tim Khvan (writer/director/editor), whose grad film, Dance With The Devil, will be having its world premiere at Lisbon International Horror Film Festival, MotelX. The film will also be having its UK premiere at Dead Northern Horror Film Festival. We are equally proud of MAIFB alumnus Alexander Halpern (co-producer) and MAF alumni Gopikrishnan Hari (first assistant director) and Karifa Aaronovitch (sound recordist) who also worked on this project. Well done!
Although filmmaking is not part of the MAIFB course, the feature idea of Dance With The Devil was Tim’s dissertation, he chose to make the short as his supplemental material serving as a proof of concept for the feature film he was pitching. He and Camila breathed new life into the film during their final year and an early cut screened at the January 2023 graduate showcase alongside MA Filmmaking films.
Shot in the summer of 2022, the pair have been slowly but surely refining the short in post-production over the last two years. However, the last two years haven't just been about finalising the short. Camila and Tim have been dedicating time to shift focus towards developing the short into the feature Tim had always planned. The script is almost done, and with the initial pieces of a package put together, they have begun applying to development labs as well. Best of luck!!
"We took a lot of time in between shooting the short and finalizing it in post to shift focus towards developing the feature, and I feel confident to say that the script is almost locked, and it is very strong and painfully funny to the point where I laugh out loud reading it. Working with Tim has been such a fulfilling journey, and this project and our collaborative process are a constant reminder of why I love doing what I do, especially when you know you have something really special in your hands. We are very hopeful for what is to come next with Dance with the Devil." - Camila Basora-Oliveira
"As we continue to develop and refine this project, my hope is that Dance with the Devil will stand out as a unique addition to the horror-comedy genre. It’s a film that embraces the ridiculous and the profound, much like life itself, and I am excited to continue working on it as we develop it further." - Tim Khvan
Bravo to screenwriting alumnus, James Doherty, who recently directed an episode of Channel 4’s short film anthology, On The Edge. This award-winning series champions “new film-making talent that serves up a raw slice of real life in modern Britain”.
This year’s three dramas all explore themes of care and caring. James’ episode, The Final Countdown, is a touching story about enduring love and coming to terms with losing your partner to dementia. You can stream the show on the Channel 4 online platforms. See what Channel 4 said about James’ episode here.
We’re delighted to see more success from Noksan which recently won Best Short Film at the Sarajevo Film Festival! Congratulations Cem Demirer (writer/director) and Sebastián Lojo (cinematographer).
Further congratulations are also owed to this pair as well as Remi Itani who worked on, James, director: Andres Rodriguez, which will be having its world premiere at Venice International Film Festival. Well done, Sebastián (cinematographer), Remi (co-producer) and Cem (editor)!
We were thrilled to see that Antonio Sequiera’s Autumn made it into the “Top 10 Movies Today” list on HBO Max alongside Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, City of God, A Quiet Place andSpider-Man: No Way Home. A brilliant achievement, bravo!
It is an honour to acknowledge the remarkable accomplishments of one of the greatest artists to graduate from London Film School as he continues to leave a lasting impact on the film industry! Our esteemed alumnus and former Chairman, Mike Leigh, who also graced our students with his wisdom once he had established himself as a core figure in the world of cinema.
His 23rd film, Hard Truths, is set to have its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, the eighth time his work has screened in the prestigious event’s Official Selection. Leigh’s last film Peterloo (2018) premiered at Venice Film Festival, and Mr. Turner (2014) and Another Year (2010) both debuted in Cannes.
This year, Leigh is one of four honorary awardees and will receive the TIFF Ebert Director Award, joining the ranks of visionary filmmakers like Spike Lee, Sam Mendes, Denis Villeneuve and Chloe Zhao. Congratulations!
Photo credits (top to bottom)
Dance With The Devil still (writer, director, editor: Tim Khvan)
On the Edge still (director: James Doherty)
Noksan still (writer, director: Cem Demirer)
Archive Stills, Mike Leigh, ARCH1053-007