This document provides summaries of 5 graduation films shown at the BAFTA showcase in June 2014: Bun Oven, Chalk, Sunday, Before Midnight, Splitting Hairs, and Sex Line. It also discusses the reactions of industry guests to the films and technical details. Additional information is given on other films screened and the backgrounds of graduating students in attendance.

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

4. moreandgetinvolved,visit
theHeritageLotteryFund,privatedonors,andthe
Universityitself.Thecinema,aswellasbeingopen
tothepublicforfilmscreenings,masterclassesand
supported
RegentStreetCinemaRelaunch
BritishFilm:TheItalianDiaspora