JANUARY | STUDENT AND ALUMNI HIGHLIGHTS

It’s safe to say we’ve had a strong start to 2024 with great achievements already made by our brilliant students, grads and alumni. Continue reading to see some brilliant highlights that have kicked off the new year! Please get in touch if you have any news you’d like to share and sign up to our alumni newsletter here to get the updates direct to your inbox.

Congratulations to Yiannis Manolopoulos (MAF174), DoP and Co-Producer, Lara Zeidan (MAF186), Production Designer and Ka Ki Wong (MAF187), Asst. Production Designer, whose film Yellow has been nominated for British Short Film at the BAFTAs and was shortlisted for Best Short Film (Live Action) at the Academy Oscars. Best of luck!

The film bravely and gracefully explores the issues surrounding women’s rights in Afghanistan today by sharing the story of an afghan woman who is buying her first chadari (full body veil).

The One Note Man, from alumnus, George Siougas (DF120), was also been shortlisted for Best Short Film (Live Action) at the Oscars and longlisted for Best British Short Film at the BAFTAs. Magnificent achievements - many congratulations to George and the rest of the team. 

Congratulations to alumnus Leticia Tonos Paniagua (DF135) and the Spiral Line team for the recent world premiere of their film AIRE, Just Breathe at the prestigious International Film Festival Rotterdam. The film was part of the official selection in the Big Screen Competition, after winning the Inaugural Fantastic Latido Award at the Cannes Film Festival 2023.

This recognition highlights the innovative and adventurous spirit of talented filmmakers from around the world, Leticia and her team are thrilled to be part of this select group.

It’s a pleasure to share the brilliant achievements of screenwriting alumnus, Samuel Jefferson (MAS9), whose latest medical TV series, Krank, is set to be a part of the Berlinale Series Market showcase, Up Next: Germany, where it will be presented within an exclusive selection of the country’s upcoming high-end series to international buyers at the EFM, European Film Market.

Samuel was inspired to write Krank by his own experiences working as an A&E doctor in the NHS. As Krank is set in Berlin, Samuel was able to draw similarities between the UK and German health services while highlighting the elements unique to a hospital in Berlin.

Many congratulations and best of luck!

We’re thrilled to see screenwriting alumnus, Eva Trobisch (MAS10), recognised as one of Variety’s 10 Directors to watch for 2024! Eva’s feature, Ivo, will also have its world premiere at Berlinale.

Many congratulations to filmmaking alumnus, Edgar Medina (MAF161), and the team at Arquipélago Filmes whose new drama series Dogpack (original title: Matilha) has been selected to be presented at the Berlinale, under the label Berlinale Series Market Selects.

“The Series Market Selects Label provides an exclusive preview of the most anticipated series from across the globe.”

Very well done and best of luck!

We’re delighted to shine the spotlight on Antonio Sequeira (MAF192), whose film A Minha Casinha (Autumn) recently won the Audience Award at the Austin Film Festival and opened in 40 cinemas across Portugal in December. Very well done! See the trailer here.

Finally, we’d like to congratulate Director, Francesco Gabriele (MAF182), Cinematographer, Giacomo La Monaca (MAF163), and Screenwriter, Dan Sproson (MAS18) whose feature film Behave premiered in October at the Dracula Film Festival in Romania and is currently on the festival circuit. Behave will have its UK Premiere at the Romford Horror Film Festival. Francesco's next horror feature, Bad Nun 3, will be released by ITN Studios next year.

Graduation Film Highlights Dec 2023- Jan 2024

We’re so excited that Saving Art screened at Slamdance Festival (USA). Remi went along and had a fantastic time mingling with emerging filmmakers. Credits: Writer-Director: Remi Moses, Prod: Victor Nauwynck, DoP: Pui Man Leung, Prod Desig: Anastasiya Mykhaylova, Art Director: Elitsa Marielle.

Talking to the River continues a great festival run and screened at Nowness Short Film Awards in Shanghai in December. Writer, Editor, Prod: Yue Pan, Sound: LuLu, Prod Design: Ziyan Gao.

On the other side of the world Lacerate received its World Premiere at prestigious  Flickerfest (Australia). Congrats to Writer-Director-Editor: James M. Rush, Producer: Patrick Verlin!

Waiting for Kalki screened at Jaipur International FF (India) and won Best Short Fiction Award!  Writer - Huge congrats to the team! Director: Nimay Goswami, DoP: Sahil Kotwani, Composer: Lucas Boetsch. It has also been accepted to Kolkata International Short Film Festival 2024 (India) and Madurai International Film Festival (India).. 

Blue Note will be screening at highly regarded and longstanding  Clermont-Ferrand International Film Festival (France) in February - in the European Audience Awards section. Enjoy your screening cast and crew!  Writer-Director-Producer: Pavel Andonov, Production Assistant: Carolina Ratcliff, Production Designer: Abigail Quinlan. 

Continuing strong festival runs two LFS grad films screened at wonderful and inspirational emerging filmmaker lab Poitier Film Festival. Congrats to the teams of Sparare Alle Angurie Writer-Dir / Editor Antonio Donato, Producer Patrick Verlin, DOP Sahil Kotwani, PD Anastasiya Mykhaylova, and Scorched Earth. Writer-Dir: Markella Kontaratou, Editor: Mengyao Zhang, Prod: Jaina Liu, DoP: Taamas A Meder.

Sparare Alle Angurie also screened at EuroShorts in Poland along with Un Dia (Writer-Dir: Nathan Legger, Prod: Nathan Legger & Spandana Patanaik, Co-Producer: Julie Magnaudet, DoP: Lucas Boetsch, Editor: Florian Kasperski) 

We were thrilled to see four graduation film screening  at 2024's British Shorts Berlin (Germany): Thread TensionLunatics (Writer-Dir: Florian Kasperski, Prod: Nathan Legger, DoP: Raphael Hernandez, Editor: Robert Harold, Sound Design: Lu Lu, Composer: Lucas Boetsch), The Gallivant (Dir: Rory Baynham, Prod: Chen-Ling Liu, DoP: Pablo Garrido Carreras, Prod.Design: Yuke Hu, Editor: Peter Hogenson), Glorious Revolution (Dir-Co-writer-Editor-Co-Producer: Masha Novikova, DoP: Pablo Garrido Carreras, Co-writer: Matthew McHaffie, Co-Producer: Paisley Valentine Walsh) and,

Additionally a popular LFS Archive film screened to packed audiences - Rave (1997 Dir: Torstein Grude) You can watch the film here for free!

Lo Sguardo streamed at Directors Notes with an interview and was accepted to Prisma Rome Independent Film Awards (Italy). Writer-Director-Producer: Edoardo Ulivelli, Associate Producers: Antonio Donato &  Patrick Verlin.

Thread Tension continues to do well and was accepted to Final Girls Berlin Film Festival (Germany) NOX FILM FEST - Salto Intl Fantasy FF 2024 (Uruguay). Writer-Dir: Ruby Mastrodimos, Producer: Oliver Staton & Harry Hayton Iles, Editor: Benjamin Sivo, Sound Designer: Ruby Mastrodimos, Costume Designer: Anastasiya Mykhaylova.

Lunatics will be part of Soho International London FF (UK). Writer-Director: Florian Kasperski, Producer: Nathan Legger, DoP: Raphael Hernandez, Editor: Robert Harold, Sound Designer: Lu Lu, Composer: Lucas Boetsch

Ariane's Baby was awarded Best Student Film at the European Cinematography Awards. Will also be part of Fright Night (USA) and Paradise Film Festival (Hungary) and is also off to Horror on Sea, Southend. Writer-Director: Mahee Merica, Prod: Mathilde Jouaud, Mahee Merica & Chen-Ling Liu, DoP: Sheherezade El Moumni Berdai.

Komşu Sesler will screen at the International Film Schoool Festival Tetouan (Morroco). Writer-Dir: Ali Kıvanç Güldürür, Prod: Joao Salgado. DoP: Aditya Sharma, Editor: Mengyao Zhang.

Last but absolutely not least, Rickshaw was part of Capri Hollywood - The International Film Festival 2024 (Italy). Writer-Director: Raphael Hernandez, Prod: Anastasia Savinova, Raphael Hernandez, Jaina Liu & Spandana Patanaik, Editor: Mengyao Zhang, DoP: Eng Teck Ng.

 

Photo Credits (top to bottom)

BTS from Yellow (writer-director: Elham Ehsas)
Still from Yellow (writer-director: Elham Ehsas)
The One Note Man (writer-director: George Siougas)
Still from AIRE, Just Breathe (writer-director: Leticia Tonos)
Still from Krank (creators: Samuel Jefferson & Viktor Jakovleski, stills photgrapher: Stephan Rabold)
Eva Trobisch (credit: Franziska Stenglin)
Still from Matilha (creator: Edgar Medina, director: João Maia)
A Minha Casinha (writer-director: Antonio Sequeira)
Still from Behave by Giacomo La Monaca
Remi R.M. Moses at Slamdance Festival
Antonio Donato at Poitiers Film Festival