Newsletter Final.compressed
- 1. 2014GraduationShowcaseatBAFTA
BunOven
JanJanetisninemonthspreg-
nant,andaworkaholicrecy-
clingindustryhotshot.So
whensheʼsfiredonthepre-
textthatsheʼsanalcoholic,
isthereamoresinister
reason?
Chalk
Twosisterstrytorebuild
theirlivesafteratragicinci-
denthastornthemapart,
onlytofindhistoryrepeating
itself.
Sunday,BeforeMidnight
Threesiblingsrestagethe
lastfewdaysspentwith
theirmotherinhospital.
Whilsttryingtounraveltheir
conflictingmemories,they
begintoquestiontheirlast-
ingimageofher.
June2014onceagainsawBAFilmandTelevision
Productiongraduatingstudentsholdtheirendof
yearshowcaseatBAFTA,195Piccadilly.Thestu-
dentsandtheirparentswerejoinedbyalumni,
staffandindustryguestsfortheevening.Thisyear
sawareallydiversesetofgraduationfilms:psy-
chologicaldramaʻSplittingHairsʼ;buddycomedy
ʻBunOvenʼ;perioddramaʻChalkʼ;theunconven-
tionalʻSexLineʼandachallengingstudio-shotdoc-
umentary ʻSunday,BeforeMidnightʼ.
Theeveningbeganwithadrinksreceptioninthe
DavidLeanRoom,beforeamoveupstairstothe
QueenAnneTheatreforthescreeningofthefive
graduationfilms,alongwiththesecondyear
dramaʻLilyandtheRevolutionʼ,andtwothirdyear
documentaries.ʻTheWolf,TheShipandtheLittle
GreenBagʼdirectedbyKathrynMacCagorry
GrGray,mixesdocumentaryandanimation,and
ʻBlackSheepʼ,directedbyChristianCerami,fo-
cusesonayoungmemberoftheEDLonhisfirst
demonstrationinBradford.
SteveClark-Hall,producerofGuyRichieʼsnew
film'TheManfromU.N.C.L.E.ʼ,hadoneparticular
favorite:“BunOvenwasbothtechnicallyambi-
tious,funnyandfeaturedthemostextraordinary
"pitching"sessionIhaveeverwatched!”Director
JonSanders(ʻBacktotheGardenʼ)thoughtitwas
“afabulousshow… theonethatreallygottome
wwastheBradfordducumentary,arealhonesty
aboutit,thesadnessandconfusion...brilliant.”
PeterWeitzeloftheSocietyofMotionPictureand
TelevisionEngineers,added “Itissopleasingto
seethattheindustryisgainingsuchgiftedpeople
capableofworkingacrossalldisciplines...”
ʻSexLineʼwasshotonKodak16mmfilm;ʻBun
OvenʼandʻChalkʼchosetheARRIAlexa;ʻSplitting
HairʼstheARRID21,andʻSunday,BeforeMid-
nightʼaCanonC300,kindlyloanedtothemby
CanonUK.ThefilmsweregradedatTheFarm,
GlassworksandCreativityMedia.
SplittingHairs
“1.25am:Thesubject
showslittleremorse.”
AtwisAtwistedfemmefatale
andheracolytestryto
cureFrankofhisfetishistic
urges.
SexLine
IsolaIsolatedinanewcity,a
youngwomanflirtswitha
strangeroverthephone.
Butastheconversations
becomemoreimportantto
her,jealousyandparanoia
takehold.
GraduatingstudentscelebratingatBAFTA(L-R):DonnaNguyen,NathalieAbbott,DianaTatarca,JamesHarding,Filipe
Marques,MattTume,RobBeck,ElizabethLillycropandEsmeBuxton PhotobyHasanMatar
FormerlyBAFilmandTelevisionProduction
Autumn2014BAFilmProductionNewsletter
- 2. WESTMINSTERFILMSCHOOLAUTUMN2014
Thirdyeardocumentary 'TheWolf,TheShipand
theLittleGreenBag'andfirstyearshort'Jeffand
Caroline'wereselectedfortheNahemipro-
grammeattheEncountersfestival,whichranfrom
the16th-21stofSeptemberinBristol.
'TheWolf'isapoignantevocationofmemoriesof
childhoodandadolescence,usingdocumentary
andanimationtotellthecoming-of-agestoriesof
threeremarkableoldladies,fromrecollectionsof
thesecondworldwartoalostschoolbag.'Jeff&
Caroline'isashortcomedyaboutarelationship
gonesour,directedbyPlumStupple-Harris,and
shshoton16mmfilmonaBolex.
2014Graduationfilm'SplittingHairs'hasbeense-
lectedincompetitionattheInternationalStudent
FilmandVideoFestivalofBeijingfrom19thto
25thOctober;directorNathalieAbbotthasbeen
invitedtoattend.Thefilmisasurrealdepictionof
1950sBritain,whereamangoesontherunafter
stealinghisgirlfriend'shair.Butisthereadarker
mmotive,andcanhebecuredofhisfetishism?'Split-
tingHairs'hasalsobeenselectedincompetitionat
theMunichInternationalShortFilmFestivalinNo-
vember,whichwriterandproducerDianaTatarca
hopestoattend.
2013Graduationfilms'ButcherandSons','Moon-
lighting'and'KingforaDay'haveallbeenselected
toscreenattheAestheticaShortFilmFestival,which
takesplacebetweenthe6thandthe9thofNovem-
ber,inYork.
AcommercialforCOAP(ChildrenofAddictedPar-
ents),directedbyVickyHarrisandproducedbyDon
Nguyen,hasbeenselectedasatoptenfinalistatthe
PorscheCommercialsAwardsinGermanyinNovem-
ber,andisacontenderforacashprizeof4911
Euros.
Secondyearshort'Charity'willbeshownattheNo
GlossFilmFestivalinLeeds,andhasbeennominated
forthebestwriterawardatUnderwireFilmFestival
inLondon,inNovember.
AutumnFestivals2014:Bristol,Beijingandbeyond
2
EdCooper-ClarkeandNathalieBuscombeinʻSplittingHairsʼ
PhotobyAdamCross
TheWolf,TheShipandtheLittleGreenBag
KingforaDay
Charity
Autumn2014BAFilmProductionNewsletter
- 3. 3
ThecThecrewofgraduationfilmʻBunOvenʼentereda
60-second-commercialcompetitionformobile
phonecompanyLycamobileinthehopeofraising
moneyfortheirproductionbudget.ʻIGotItʼ,writ-
tenanddirectedbyBenSullivan,wasshotinjust
fourhoursintheGreenScreenStudiooncampus.
Theteamwerethrilledtowinfirstprize,andre-
ceivedachequefor£3000towardstheirbudget!
Studentsfindcreativewaystofund
theirgraduationfilm!TheTheKodak/Nahemistudentcommercialawards
havelaunchedmanyhighprofilecareersoverthe
years.ThisyeartheywerepresentedbydirectorSir
AlanParker(ʻMidnightExpressʼ,ʻMississippiBurn-
ingʼ),inaceremonyheldatWestminsterʼshistoric
RegentStreetbuilding.Twofilmschoolsdominated,
winningsixawardseach:thepostgraduateNation-
alFilmandTelevisionSchoolandWestminsterʼsun-
dergraduateFilmstudents.
ʻDonʼtCopeAloneʼ,directedbyVickyHarrisand
producedbyDonNguyenforthecharityChildren
ofAddictedParents,was3rdinbrief;ʻTheBear
whotookaBreakʼ,producedbyGeniaKrassnig
andAlexSedgleyanddesignedbyBenSullivan
wassecondintheButlinʼsbriefandwontheTechni-
calachievementaward,andʻMorethanjusta
RRoofʼforthecharityShelterfromtheStormwas
3rdoverall,2ndinbriefandwontheawardfor
CastingandPerformance.NathalieAbbottdirected
andDianaTatarcawroteandproduced.
KodakStudentCommercialAwards
22013ʼsgraduationfilmshavebeenfindingaudi-
encestheworldover.ʻButcherandSonsʼ,adark
comedysetinYorkshireandʻMoonlightingʼ,atense
familydrama,wereselectedincompetitionatinter-
nationalfestivalsinBeijingandMoscow.ʻButcherʼ
directorSimonWadeandʻMoonlightingʼproducer
WilfSpellerbothtravelledtoMoscowasaguestsof
thefestival.
ʻMoonlightingʼwasalsoselectedforinternational
festivalsinMunichandTelAviv,andWilf,together
withdirectorJonasZimmermann,wereinvitedto
Israel,wheretheytookpartinmasterclassesbypro-
ducerSteveTisch,theDardenneBrothersandLars
VonTrierʼseditor,MollyMaleneStensgaard.They
werehostedbystudentsfromtheFilmSchoolinTel
Avivduringtheirweekʼsstay,givingthemarealin-
sightintothecityandthestudentsʼlives.
ʻMoonlightingʼwontheawardforBestUndergrad-
FestivalHighlights2013-14:ʻMoonlightingʼandʻButcher
andSonsʼproductionteamstourtheworld
EditorHannahJayawardenerecievesachequefor£3000
uateFictionattheBritishUniversitiesFilmand
VideoCouncilʼsawardsattheBFISouthBankin
April2014.Thisisthethirdconsecutiveyearthat
Westminsterʼsfilmstudentshavewontheprestig-
iousaward.ʻButcherandSonsʼwasalsonomi-
natedforthisaward.
SirAlanParkerwithsomeoftheteamfromʻTheBearWho
TookaBreakʼ:GeniaKrassnig,ChristianCerami,AlexSedgley
JonasZimmermanandWilfSpellercollecttheawardfor
ʻMoonlightingʼfromTVpresenterLucyWorsley
WESTMINSTERFILMSCHOOLAUTUMN2014
Autumn2014
