Staff
Sophia Wellington
Course Leader MA Screenwriting, Head of Screenwriting and Staff Governor
Sophia Wellington began her film career on the floor – literally: placing marks for Richard Gere as a camera assistant. After years in the camera department, working on a number of Anglo-American features, Sophia moved into the cutting room where she is, to her knowledge, the only (living) assistant editor to get an apology out of Harvey Weinstein.
Sophia moved into script development in 2003 when she joined World Productions to develop a feature slate for their production deal with Sony Columbia. During this time, she worked with a variety of writers and directors on films including Layer Cake and Becoming Jane.
Another move, this time to Singapore where Sophia taught screenwriting for the Graduate Film and Dramatic Writing programmes of NYU Tisch School of the Arts Asia. Returning to London in 2015, Sophia combines teaching with writing and script development whilst maintaining her links with the South East Asian film industry. She runs feature workshops for the Cinemalaya Institute in Manila and recent script consultancy credits include Remittance (2016) a low budget feature exploring the life of migrant workers in Singapore and the upcoming Polis Evo 2, (2018) a high octane, Malaysian action movie.
Steve Gray
Senior Lecturer, Cinematography
Steve Gray is a very experienced Lighting Cameraman/Camera Operator and working DOP. He studied at the National Film and Television School in Beaconsfield after doing a degree in photography at Napier University in his native Scotland. He has shot dramas/documentaries/commercials and pop videos, on all formats. He has been nominated for an Emmy twice. Steve has worked in over 120 countries, from filming documentaries in the wilds of Antarctica to being a camera operator on Kate Winslet’s latest HBO drama series, The Regime. He is a strong believer in film education, having benefited immensely from his own film education, and is keen to inspire new film makers on their filmmaking journey.
Sue Austen
MA Filmmaking Deputy Course Leader & Module 3 Leader, Term 6 Tutor
Sue has worked in independent film and television production since 1982. Her career began at the now legendary Goldcrest Films, where she worked for four years on programmes produced for the new Channel 4. After Goldcrest’s collapse Sue spent a short time as a freelance script editor, before joining Granada Films as Head of Development. Whilst there she worked on a number of feature films including David Hare’s STRAPLESS and Aisling Walsh’s first feature, JOYRIDERS. Sue left Granada to co-produce the medical thriller, PAPER MASK, co-funded by Film 4 and British Screen, released in over 70 territories and selected as the closing film in Director’s Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival in 1990.
Sue then spent 5 years working at the European Script Fund, part of the MEDIA (Creative Europe) organisation and returned to production in 1997 with her first television film, VICIOUS CIRCLE, developed and produced for BBC Films and Irish Screen. This was followed by the BAFTA nominated comedy drama DONOVAN QUICK starring Colin Firth. Over the next twelve years she produced more than 50 hours of primetime television drama for BBC1, BBC2 and ITV and received a second BAFTA nomination.
She continues to develop new productions as well as tutoring and lecturing part time at the London Film School, Goldsmiths University, Serial Eyes and Regents University.
Victoria Storey
Senior Lecturer in Editing
Victoria is an editor and filmmaker, and a member of the BFE. She has worked on a wide range of productions, from documentaries, dramas, shorts, to artist films. She started her career as a runner before joining the BBC as a postproduction trainee, eventually progressing to editor. She has taught BA and MA students at several leading Universities. Victoria studied film at Surrey Institute of Art and Design, and the Northern Film School. She was awarded a RHBNC Trust Scholarship and is a graduate of the MA Screenwriting at Royal Holloway, University of London.
Victoria Thomas
Course Leader MA International Film Business
Victoria Thomas joined London Film School as the Course Leader of the MA International Film Business Programme in 2019 after a couple of years as an independent producer, specialising in international co-productions and visiting lecturer at London Film School, National Film and Television School, Southbank University, University of Greenwich and London Film Academy.
In addition to her role at London Film School, Victoria is the founder of Scotland’s first black owned film and TV production company Republic Of Story (formerly Polkadot Factory), through which she has co-produced both shorts, and indie features, across fiction, documentary, and animation. She continues to oversee an active development slate that has received funding from the BBC, Screen Scotland and BFI Network among others, alongside freelancing as a Producer/Director/Screenwriter.
Films she has produced have screened at Oscar/BAFTA qualifying film festivals and broadcast on TV internationally, receiving awards and nominations from a variety of organisations including BAFTA Scotland. Original projects on her development slate have been selected for major curated markets including IFP Week, Cannes Producers Network, Fin (formerly Strategic) Partners, Apulia Film Forum and Film London’s Production Finance Market.
As a screenwriter, her original screenplays have been shortlisted for the Oscars Nicholls Fellowship, Sundance Screenwriters lab and in 2020, one of her screenplays won the Meryl Streep/Nicole Kidman/Oprah Winfrey backed The Writers Lab NYC. She is an alumnus of Berlinale Talents, Sheffield Doc Fest's Future Producer School, Glasgow Film Festivals Producer Accelerator Lab, Filmonomics, Edinburgh Talent Lab, Emerging Producers, EAVE and the UK’s National Film & Television School.
She serves on several film juries for a variety of awards and festivals including Sunny Side Of The Doc, Durban International Film Festival, the BIFA’s and sits on the advisory board of Film Africa. She regularly moderates panels and discussions at major international film festivals. She is a voting member of BAFTA Scotland and BAFTA UK.
Prior to embarking on a career in the film industry, she trained as a lawyer and worked as a journalist and publisher. She holds undergraduate and post-graduate degrees in International Business, Law and Film Practice.