Press Release 13 May 2013
London Film School in Cannes to celebrate emerging talent and launch new Film Business Degree
BENDS, the first feature from 2009 London Film School graduate Flora Lau, from Hong Kong, has been selected to play in Official Selection at Cannes 2013 (Un Certain Regard).
BENDS tells the story of Anna (Carina Lau), an affluent housewife and Fai (Chen Kun), her chauffeur, and their unexpected friendship as they each negotiate the pressure of Hong Kong life and the city's increasingly complex relationship to mainland China. Cinematographer is Christopher Doyle (IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE, RABBIT-PROOF FENCE, HERO).
LFS Director Ben Gibson said: “I’m so happy that Flora has got this great platform for her first feature --she’s an exceptionally gifted director whose films are marvels of precision and discovery. It’s especially exciting because LFS was celebrating an Un Certain Regard selection this time last year for Flora’s 2009 classmate Oliver Hermanus, from South Africa. For us the Cannes selection comes in a year of 130 festivals, 15 major prizes, a Cinefondation residence, a BAFTA best short nomination – the kind of year only a school full of talent can easily conjure up!”
LFS will host a reception in Cannes to launch its new MA Independent Film Business (www.exeter.ac.uk/filmbusiness) , a programme to be delivered in collaboration with University of Exeter from September. It’s a new kind of film business degree built to train future producers, distributors, sales agents and executives and taking in business skills, distribution practice and history, the whole value chain as well as placements and field trips. LFS and Exeter are offering three scholarships for the first year of the degree.
Angus Finney, former director of Renaissance Films, project manager of the Film London Production Finance Market and author of ‘The International Film Business: A Market Guide Beyond Hollywood’ has been appointed lead tutor on the programme alongside course co-ordinator Will Higbee of the University of Exeter.
The producer Scott Meek will chair an Advisory Panel for all Production studies at LFS, which will support teaching and mentorship on the MA Independent Film Business. Members include David Garrett, Stephen Woolley, Hilary Davis, Peter Watson, Steve Jenkins, Sue Bruce-Smith, Mike Goodridge, Terry Ilott, Keith Northr0p, Lee Magiday, and Camilla Bray
"The LFS and Exeter are offering a compelling, focussed and highly relevant course for future practitioners dedicated to a career in the independent film business," said Angus Finney. "Our ambition is to consistently populate the sector with some of the brightest and most informed players who grasp both current market demands and capture future value."
"The Masters programme aims to combine teaching expertise from world-class researchers in film and business studies at the University of Exeter, with the LFS's detailed knowledge of, and direct relationship to, the industry,” said Will Higbee “We are proud and excited to be collaborating with the LFS on such a genuinely innovative Masters programme."
Some other LFS filmmakers receiving accolades for their graduation films on the circuit in the past few months: a Student Academy Award nomination for THE LIBRARY OF BURNED BOOKS, written and directed by Alasdair Beckett-King, Muriel d’Ansembourg received a BAFTA nomination for GOOD NIGHT; Sonia Liza’s Kenterman’sNICOLETA received the Platinum Award at Worldfest Houston, Brian O’Toole’s SUNDAY MORNING won the jury prize at Une Nuit Trop Courte, Clara Kraft Isono’sACHELE competed at Clermond-Ferrand and Jamie Chambers’s WHEN THE SONG DIES played at Tribeca.
Further information: Kate Hughes '; // --> , Tel +44 (0) 7788 432 852
In Cannes
Ben Gibson 18 – 23 May
Angus Finney 17 - 23 May
Will Higbee - 20 – 22 May
Kate Hughes 19 – 23 May
Notes to editors
The London Film School, founded in 1956, is one of the world's longest established graduate schools of filmmaking. It is constituted as an international conservatoire with 70% of its MA Filmmaking students coming from outside the UK. The School produces 160 films a year including work for the five teaching exercises on the MA Filmmaking. The School also offers MA degrees in Screenwriting and Independent Film Business (in partnership with University of Exeter) and Continuous Professional Development courses as LFS Workshops. LFS graduates (Associates) are established in film and television production in more than eighty countries. Associates include world-renowned filmmakers covering all kinds of cinema - names like Mike Leigh, Michael Mann, Tak Fujimoto, Roger Pratt, Ueli Steiger, Iain Smith, Duncan Jones, Danny Huston, Franc Roddam, Ann Hui, Marius Holst, Oliver Hermanus and Bill Douglas.
LFS is one of three Creative Skillset Film Academies, postgraduate institutions approved by the UK film industry as centres of excellence.
The University of Exeter is a leading UK university and in the top one percent of institutions globally. It combines world-class research with very high levels of student satisfaction. Exeter is ranked 9th in The Sunday Times University Guide, 10th in the UK in The Times Good University Guide 2012 and 11th in the Guardian University Guide 2012. In the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) 90% of the University’s research was rated as being at internationally recognised levels and 16 of its 31 subjects are ranked in the top 10, with 27 subjects ranked in the top 20.
The University has over 17,000 students and is developing its campuses in Exeter and Cornwall with almost £350 million worth of new facilities due for completion by 2012.