The London Film School honours
Abi Morgan and Elizabeth Karlsen
at the Annual Show 2015
LFS celebrates a year of graduate achievement
The London Film School has awarded Honorary Associates to screenwriter Abi Morgan (SUFFRAGETTE, THE IRON LADY, SHAME) and producer Elizabeth Karlsen (CAROL, GREAT EXPECTATIONS, MADE IN DAGENHAM) at the school’s annual graduation ceremony at the Barbican Centre on Monday 14th December. LFS Chairman and filmmaker Mike Leigh presented the awards.
Elizabeth Karlsen commented, “I am delighted to become an Honorary Associate of The London Film School and grateful to the school for entrusting me in this role. The London Film School has an outstanding international reputation and has nurtured and developed a new generation of talented filmmakers, producers and technicians many of whom I have had the privilege of working with over the years. To have this honour bestowed by Mike Leigh, a filmmaker who has never ceased to inspire me with his singular and extraordinary work in film, television and theatre, means a great deal to me."
The school celebrated a year of graduate achievements and awarded Associateships to 97 graduating students from the MA Filmmaking and MA Screenwriting programmes, and to the first graduates from the school’s newest course, the MA in International Film Business delivered in partnership with the University of Exeter.
Mike Leigh commented, “As we approach our 60th Birthday in 2016, there is much to celebrate at LFS. I would like to welcome Abi Morgan and Elizabeth Karlsen as our new Honorary Associates and to thank our talented filmmakers and everybody who has helped them to create their impressive work”.
Jane Roscoe, LFS Director commented, “It’s been an exciting second year for me as LFS Director, getting to know the school and the students. Each term I have felt the excitement as films start to take shape, and students progress and develop their craft skills. Our graduates have gone on to make significant contributions to world cinema on a global stage and I congratulate them on their achievements”
As The London Film School approaches its 60th Anniversary in 2016, it continues to be a world leader in film education and training. The school was again selected as one of the top 15 international film schools in The Hollywood Reporter's annual review of global cinematic education.
LFS alumni have had a strong presence at film festivals worldwide in 2015. The school had around 180 festival entries, across 150 events, winning over 30 prizes, nominations or special mentions. The list spans international and UK festivals including Cannes, Berlin, Tribeca, Telluride, Beijing, Hong Kong, Locarno, Edinburgh and London.
A record number of six LFS graduation films were in official selection at the Palm Springs International ShortFest in June. One of the selected titles was LFS alumnus Simón Mesa Soto’s LEIDI which last year won the prestigious Cannes Short Film Palme d'Or. This year, LEIDI received the top prize in the Fiction Film section of the 10th CILECT (International Film Schools Association) Competition, after securing votes from film schools worldwide.
LFS graduate and director Petros Silvestros has garnered many awards for his latest short film A CONFESSION which has already been shown at more than 15 International Film Festivals. He made history at this year’s Berlinale as the first ever director in the festival’s 65 years to win the Crystal Bear for Best Short Film twice in two consecutive years. A CONFESSION recently won Best of the Fest and Best Thriller Awards at the BAFTA Qualifying Aesthetica Short Film Festival 2015.
MA Filmmaking alumnus Emre Kayiş’ LFS graduation film THE TRANSLATOR was nominated by the Sarajevo Film Festival for the European Short Film Award at this year's European Film Awards.
LFS graduates were selected for numerous new talent initiatives in 2015, including Film London’s Microwave and London Calling Schemes, BAFTA Rocliffe New Comedy Showcase, the Hubert Bals Fund (HBF), TFL AdaptLab and Busan International Film Festival’s Talent Incubator - Asia's Masters and Newcomers Project. LFS graduate and producer Ginevra Elkann was listed in Variety’s ’10 Europeans to Watch’. MA Filmmaking graduate Duccio Chiarini has been selected to participate in the prestigious Festival de Cannes Cinéfondation Residence in 2016. Carla Simón’s recent graduation film THOSE LITTLE THINGS was selected for the Beijing Film Academy’s International Student Film and Video Festival in October. She also won the Cam-a-lot & Filmmore Cinema Emerging Talent Prize for the Best Project at the Netherland Film Festival’s Holland Film Meeting for her first feature in development, SUMMER 1993.
Established LFS associates continued to garner international acclaim for their work and were involved in key roles in a wide variety of film productions in 2015. LFS graduate and patron Iain Smith was executive producer for MAD MAX: FURY ROAD, one of the year’s biggest box office hits. Surreal satire THE LOBSTER directed by Yorgos Lanthimos was edited by LFS alumnus Yorgos Mavropsaridis. LFS Chairman and 1964 graduate Mike Leigh was the recipient of this year’s BAFTA Fellowship and was honoured with the Golden Eye award at the Zurich Film Festival. Leigh also received 4 Academy Awards nominations and 4 BAFTA nominations for his most recent film MR. TURNER. Fellow Academy Awards nominee was LFS graduate Juliano Ribeiro Salgado who received a Best Documentary nomination for THE SALT OF THE EARTH, co-directed by Wim Wenders. LFS Associate Ann Hui's latest feature THE GOLDEN ERA claimed Best Film at the Hong Kong Film Awards as well as winning five additional prizes including Best Director. Oliver Hermanus' latest feature THE ENDLESS RIVER was nominated for the Venice Film Festival Golden Lion award and was the first South African film to compete for Venice's highest accolade.
The school’s long tradition of excellence in cinematography was marked by the £10,000 Panalux sponsored award. The winner of this year’s award was Joao Paulo Garcia.
The Annual Show was presented in association with Pinewood.