Thanks to Line Producer, Robyn Forsythe; Director, Mary Nighy and Producers, Elizabeth Karlsen and Stephen Woolley and Director, Charlotte Colbert for joining us this month as part of the LFS Masterclasses programme. Hearing from experts gives our students an insight into the screen and film industries and helps to prepare them for their careers ahead.
This month we saw that recent MA Filmmaking (MAF) alumnus, Prospero Pensa, is seeing success with his grad film, Macchiato, and is now taking his next short film, Torto Marcio on the festival circuit. Fellow MAF grad, Davide Valsecchi collaborated on the film with Prospero, as Production Designer. Most recently Torto Marcio won at Rome Cinefest for best short film. We’re looking forward to seeing this film continue to collect future awards.
MAF alumnus Tony Ukpo who has recently had great success with three of his projects on Apple TV has also been included as part of the National Portrait Gallery’s Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize this year. Images from his limited series “Unidentified Black Male” are exhibited at Cromwell Place in London. Get down there if you can as it is a great show and we're incredibly proud of former student Tony for being selected in the competition. Plus, you can vote for him in the Peoples Pick competition here.
Congratulations to Koby Adom who has just been signed to Range Media Partners. The British-Ghanaian writer, director, executive-producer and founder of London based DBK Studios, joins the management and representation service having directed episodes of the hit Netflix series Top Boy and both seasons of the BBC One and Peacock series Noughts + Crosses.
Former MA Screenwriting student, Kaamil Shah has been selected to join a new scheme to train and support the next wave of British showrunners. Broadchurch creator Chris Chibnall and the ITV team will lead the ‘Next Generation Showrunner Programme’ that will cover every aspect of showrunning, at each stage of production: from first idea, building a team, pre-production, shooting, post-production, through to publicity, marketing, transmission and beyond. Seven writers have been selected for the inaugural year, whittled down from around 80 applicants, with the participants attending a series of day sessions across a six-month period, with each day exploring in-depth a key component of showrunning. Kaamil has already developed comedy drama, Count Abdulla which he wrote whilst at LFS and has now been greenlit by ITV. He is also now signed to a first-look deal with Paramount.
Writer and director and former filmmaking student, Mikel Gurrea has been picked out as one of Screen International’s Spain Screen Stars of Tomorrow. It’s a huge honour to be selected as one just four filmmakers and recognised for the work he has already done to date. We couldn’t be prouder, well done Mikel!
We’re delighted at how well our recent MA International Film Business grads did in Barcelona at the Audiovisual Talent Week. Grads Camila Basora-Oliveria, Luis Kelly and Matthew Sive all brilliantly pitched their projects to industry experts and took part in the networking sessions over the course off our days. They impressed the experts and came away with connections across the industry.
November Graduate Film Highlights
Our filmmakers have had a busy November, with many screenings and awards for their LFS graduate films.
Norwich Film Festival | Short FF (UK): Bona Vacantia (Dir: Shezah Salam, Prod: Rhys Holland, DoP: Nizah Elias) and Blue Note (Writer-Dir-Prod: Pavel Andonov, Prod Design Abigail Quinlan).
Aesthetica SFF (UK) screened a fantastic five grad films this year! Glorious Revolution, Lo Sguardo (Wri-Dir-Prod: Edoardo Ulivelli), Blue Note, Bye Bye Baby (Wri-Dir-Art.Dir: Jessie Barnett, Writer Or. Story: Maria Pawlikowska, Prod.Desig: Raphael Hernandez and Wenxuan Xu) and Half Guard (Wri-Dir: Mark O'Connor, Art Dir: Abigail Quinlan).
Blue Note was also accepted at 64th Nordische Filmtage Lübeck 2022 (Germany), nominated 'Best Nordic Short', and received Special Mention at Leeds Short Film Awards 2022 (UK). Congratulations to the team! Writer-Dir-Prod: Pavel Andonov.
Glorious Revolution was awarded ‘Best UK Short’ at Raindance (UK) and also screened at prestigious Poitiers Film Festival with Masha attending the lab. Writer-Dir-Editor: Masha Novikova, DoP: Pablo Garrido Carreras.
The Sun Sets on Beirut received its world premiere at high profile Interfilm SFF Berlin (Germany). Wri-Dir: Daniela Stephan, Prod: Yuanhao Song.
Vox Populi premiered earlier in September at Golden Rose (Bulgaria). Dir: Tyanita Gancheva.
Grad film Komsu Sesler premiered at 23rd Izmir International SFF 2022 (Turkey). Writer-Dir: Ali Güldürür, Prod: Joao Salgado. DoP: Aditya Sharma.
A Circle Dir: Mariya Lukavska has really gained traction with this impressive list of screenings below. Awarded ‘Best Film’ at 21st International Student Film and Video Festival of Beijing Film Academy 2022 (China) CONGRATULATIONS! Northern Character FF Murmansk 2022 (Russia), Shanghai SFF 2022 (China), Festival Internacional de Cinema em Balneário Camboriú 2022 (Brazil), VGIK International Student FF 2022 (Russia), 22d International Student FF "Piterkit", Saint Petersburg (Russia), Northern Character FF Murmansk 2022 (Russia) and Bastau International Student and Debut Film Festival (Kazakhstan).
Quirkily original On Your Behalf is having a great run, awarded ‘Best Comedy Short’ at Hollywood Just4shorts Film and Screenplay comp 2022 (USA), ‘Best Screenplay’ and ‘Amnesty International Award’ at Festival Internacional de Cine de Almeria (Spain), ‘Best International Short Film’ and ‘Shadow Jury Award’ Certmen de Cortos de Soria (Spain) and was part of San Diego International Film Festival 2022 (USA), Montclair FF 2022 (USA), Evolution! Mallorca International FF Curtas Vila de Noia 2022 (Spain) and Oaxaca FilmFest 2022 (Mexico). Writer-Dir: Ana Garcia Rico, Editor: John Powell, Prod: Maya Wills.
The Fantastical Millepede was shown at CINEMAGIC Belfast. Wri-Dir: Daniel Christophersen, Editor: John Powell, DoP: Fyras Slaiman, Prod: Maya Wills.
We have caught up with the grad film Sucking Diesel winning seven awards on the film festival circuit this year so far, screening at Indie Cork FF (Ireland), Galician Freaky FF(Spain), Buzau IFF (Romania), Portobello Film Festival-London (UK), Corto di Sera Independent SFF (Italy), Almagro International FF (Spain), Butoni FF (Spain) and Villamayor FF (Spain). Dir-Writer: Sam McGrath.
Documentary The Red Buoy US premiered at New Orleans FF | New Orleans Film Society (USA). Wri-Dir: Hannah Owen, Prod: Spandana Patanaik & Carolina Ratcliff, Prod.Desig: Pavel Andonov, DoP: Joao Salgado.
Spooky grad film Unbidden screened at genre festivals during October: Ethereal Horror Fest 2022 (USA), Ennis International Fantastic Film Fest 2022 (Ireland) and 7th Nightmares Film Festival Nightmares Film Festival 2022 (USA). Wri-Dir: Andrés Rothschild, Prod: Spandana Patanaik, Art Dir: Hannah Owen, DoP: Aditya Sharma.
Photo Credits (top to bottom)
Still from Torto Marcio (dir: Prospero Pensa)
Tony Ukpo at Cromwell Place for the National Portrait Gallery’s Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize
Camila Basora-Oliveria and Matthew Sive interviewed by Catalan TV, Luis Kelly presenting at Audiovisual Talent Week
Still from On Your Behalf (dir: Ana Garcia Rico)
Still from The Red Buoy (dir: Hannah Owen)