We’re delighted to once again shine a spotlight on the incredible achievements of our students, graduates, and alumni. Read on to discover their inspiring success stories. As always, if you have any exciting news you’d like to share, don’t hesitate to get in touch – we’d love to hear all about it! And don’t forget, you can sign up to our alumni newsletter to get updates delivered straight to your inbox.
First up we have screenwriting alumnus Masashi Kawamata, who recently completed his debut feature film, OUT. Written and directed by Masashi, and co-written & produced by Nicholas Zabaly, OUT follows Makoto, a young non-binary hikikomori navigating trauma and isolation, who must try to save an online friend in crisis without ever leaving home. The film has already surpassed its US campaign goal by an incredible 140% and is now in an extended pledge phase. With post-production wrapping and backer rewards rolling out, including an exclusive sneak peek, there’s still time to support and be part of the journey. Stay tuned for an inspiring interview with Masashi and Nicholas coming very soon!
Congratulations Ka Ki Wong whose debut feature, I Heard That They Are Not Going To See Each Other Anymore, had its world premiere at CPH:DOX where it competed for the Next:Wave Award.
Delighted to share that screenwriting alumna Christine Park was selected to participate in the CJ & TIFF K-Story Fund. The programme empowers Korean Canadian and Korean American filmmakers in developing their first or second feature film. Congrats! Read more about it here.
I Heard That They Are Not Going To See Each Other Anymore, dir: Ka Ki Wong
Christine Park
It’s a pleasure to see alumnus Marcelo Martinessi’s film Narciso win the FIPRESCI Prize for Best Film in the Panorama section at Berlinale. Watch the trailer here!
“A film that doesn’t explain authoritarianism, but makes it audible and breathable through radio, interiors, and the nocturnal city. Its paranoid-thriller grammar turns culture—what is broadcast, what is heard—into a battleground where desire, prestige, and fear quietly reorganize public life.” – FIPRESCI
Congratulations to screenwriting alumnus Mauricio Battistuci, whose feature screenplay, The Foundation, was selected as one of five finalists in the Manchester Film Festival Screenwriting Competition. Mauricio developed The Foundation with us during the screenwriting programme and will have excerpts read by actors and discussed during the festival. Chosen from 950+ submissions, we couldn’t be prouder to see your work celebrated – well done!
“It certainly wouldn’t have been possible without all the guidance I received at LFS. All of our classes, sessions, screenings and discussions. Thank you so much!” – Mauricio
Thrilled to see more success from screenwriting alumnus Samuel Jefferson’s series Berlin ER, which recently won Prize of the Student Jury at Grimme-Preis! Samuel also wrote and co-produced an award-winning short film, The Boy in the Snow, which is live on Omeleto and has passed 200k views! Watch it here.
Narciso, wri-dir: Marcelo Martinessi
The Foundation, wri: Mauricio Battistuci
The Boy in the Snow, dir: Dieter Primig
Grad Film Highlights
This month we are really proud to announce two LFS films screening on Short of the Week and they are racking up tens of thousands of views!
Scorched Earth – World Premiere Locarno – dir: Markela Kontaratou. In between the insufferable summer heat, a thesis that won’t write itself, and her loud neighbors’ quarrels, Stela witnesses a terrible crime.
Praeis – World Premiere La Cinef Cannes 2023 – dir: Dovydas Draksas. A daughter of a cigarette smuggler reevaluates the memories of her father, questioning the childhood myth she built around him and getting to know him anew.
Do take a minute to view these outstanding films while they are online!
Also on Omeleto girlhood drama Girls Together (dir: Christine Arnold) had its online premiere too and is already at 10K views! Do take a look. A last-day-of-summer adventure in the woods reveals the fragile nature of female friendship for three childhood best friends.
Beeston Film Festival in Nottingham UK will be screening two LFS films, The Rounds (Writer-Director: Asa Gartland, DoP: Gregory Hackel-Johnson, Editor: Keira Sultan) and My Friend Song Zhi (Director: Xia Fan, Producer: Yue Shi).
Two LFS films take part in London Independent Film Festival. Pandora (Wri-Dir Isabelle Kirk, DoP: Gregory Hackel-Johnson) and Splinters (Writer-Director: Leo Finnan, Editor: Keira Sultan, DoP: Vaibhav Sanghavi, Asst Dir: Gregory Hackel-Johnson).
Also in London A Llttle Bit of Glitter continues a great festival run and screens at One Fluid Night LGBTQIA+ Film Festival (London). Wri-Dir: Siddhart Menon, Production Designer: Zhiqi Wang, Editor: Christine Arnold, DoP: Ravenna Tran.
Across the ocean, surreal crime odyssey Big Bang will screen at Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival 2026 (US). Writer-Director: Han Zhu, Han Producer: Xia Fan, Editor: Xiaoxiao Xu.
Intergenerational operatic short Melodies of Life is having its world premiere at the Beijing International Film Festival. Writer-Director: Xinyu Chen, Producer: Dhairya Zaveri, Producer: Xinyu Chen, DoP: Qi Tao.
Relationship renovation story Different Faces premieres in the UK at Wolverhampton Film Festival (writer-director: Gregory Randolph, DoP: Yuanhui Yang, Editor: Aymée Hamon).
Over in Belgium Sinophile Festival Made in China – taking place in Ghent (Belgium) will be screening a fabulous four graduation films. A Winter Mirage / Dong Shen Shi (Writer-Director-Editor: Goya Wang, Producer: Kuo Li, Production Designer: Yige Yang), Assimilation (Writer-Director: Dazhan Wang, Producer: Siyu Ma), My Friend Song Zhi (Director: Xia Fan, Producer: Yue Shi) and Memories of Zhi (Director: Mingxin Li, DOP: Yanxiang Qiu, Assistant Director: Ting Tu). Congrats to all the creative teams!
Chinese recession drama A Winter Mirage is doing particularly well this year after premiering at Premiers Plans in France – screening at Ghent International Short Film Festival (Belgium) and continuing in Europe at Riga International Short Film Festival 2ANNAS (Latvia), Sehsuchte International Student Film Festival (Germany) in April. It has also screened at GRANZLAND – Filmtage International Film Festival 2026. L’Europe autour de l’Europe – Paris European Film festival. Congrats to the team – Wri-Dir-Editor: Goya Wang, Prod: Kuo Li, Production Designer: Yige Yang.
My Friend Song Zhi continues a lovely European festival run and screens next at One Country One Film (France) – Director: Xia Fan, Producer: Yue Shi.
Bootlickers begins its run at the wonderful Women in Film and Television (UK). Wri-Dir: Tanith MacLynn-Hill, Prod: Harvey Planer, Asst Dir: Sahil Patel, Editor: Isabelle Ki.
Jaipur International Film Festival (India) screened two LFS films, Assistant (Wri-Dir-Editor: Ananyaa Gupta, Producer-Assistant Director: Amay Mehrishi, DoP: Sahil Patel) and action short Matter (Wri-Dir Pujit Kalash, Prod Artharva Puranik). Both of these films picked up Jury special Mention awards – well done to everyone!
I, Elsewhere was screened at the London Directors Talents Movie Awards gala night. Writer-Director-Producer: Cheng Jin, Editor: Lingyi Liu.
A Llttle Bit of Glitter was selected for Poppy Jasper International Film Festival (US). Writer-Director: Siddhart Menon, Production Designer: Zhiqi Wang, Editor: Christine Arnold, DoP: Ravenna Tran.
Big Bang screened at Fantasporto (Portugal). Writer-Director: Han Zhu, Producer: Xia Fan, Editor: Xiaoxiao Xu.
Splinters will be screened at the Northampton Film Festival (UK). Writer-Director: Leo Finnan, Editor: Keira Sultan, DoP: Vaibhav Sanghavi, Assistant Director: Gregory Hackel-Johnson.
Zombie? screened at Indie-Lincs (UK). Writer-Director: Gregory Hackel-Johnson, Producer: Asa Gartland, Editor: Isabell Kirk, Associate Producer: Ellinor Olinder, DoP: Maria Camila Garcia Rivera.
LFS on DVD!
Alumnus Simon Mesa Soto has his stunning Palme D’Or 2014 winner grad film Leidi included in the DVD of his latest feature, Poet. Leidi will also screen on CANAL+ France and Germany. Students and staff can view it on MAF VOD on the VLE. Extraordinary 1970s LFS Archive ‘happening’ film If I Could Turn You On (1969, Dir: Bernard Coyne) features in a new DVD release TOMORROW (1970, Dir. Val Guest) by the BFI in the UK and Deaf Crocodile in the USA!
