Description of Company

"VERA DRAKE", the new film by Mike Leigh, our Chairman, was nominated in three categories at the Oscar Award ceremony last night. Mike was up for Best Director, Imelda Staunton up for Actress in a Leading Role and the script up for Original Screenplay.

Best Director went to Clint Eastwood for "Million Dollar Baby", Actress in a Leading Role went to Hilary Swank for "Million Dollar Baby" and Original Screenplay went to Charlie Kaufman, Michel Gondry and Pierre Bismuth for "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind".

Better luck next time Mike but WELL DONE to you and Imelda from all of us at LFS.

Nominee in Category "Short Film - Live Action"


"LITTLE TERRORIST"

Writer/Director: Ashvin Kumar


FILM SYNOPSIS
When a young Pakistani boy accidentally crosses the mine-strewn border into India in pursuit of his cricket ball, he is helped by a Hindu teacher.

ACADEMY AWARDS HISTORY
This is the first Academy Award nomination for Ashvin Kumar.

ALSO NOMINATED IN THIS CATEGORY
EVERYTHING IN THIS COUNTRY MUST
7:35 IN THE MORNING
TWO CARS, ONE NIGHT
WASP


The winner for this category was "WASP".

Well done Kumar and best wishes from all at LFS.


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Gavin Poolman is an Alumni of the LFS. He is Canadian but he is based in the UK. He was at the school in 1984-1986. Two of the films that he and his company, Apollo Films (a member of PACT) have produced received good Festival and commercial credits. The website links are listed below and also a short precise of each film:

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/festival_express/

or the New York Times review:

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F01E0D9103DF933A05754C0A9629C8B63

"THE ZOOKEEPER" (2002), a $6M drama about a party official who reluctantly takes charge of a zoo during a bombing siegein a war-torn Eastern European city. Co-produced together with Svendsen Film ApS of Denmark, written and directed by Ralph Ziman (HEARTS & MINDS), the film stars Sam Neill (JURASSIC PARK I, II, & III, THE PIANO), Gina McKee (NOTTING HILL, WONDERLAND), Ulrik Thomsen (FESTEN, THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH) and Om Puri (EAST IS EAST). Screened at the Toronto International Film Festival; winner of the Grand Prize at the Taos Film Festival (2002).

"FESTIVAL EXPRESS" (2004), a $3M documentary featuring original footage shot in 1970 by Peter Biziou (MISSISSIPPI BURNING - Academy Award, THE TRUMAN SHOW, RICHARD III) of Janis Joplin, the Grateful Dead, The Band, Buddy Guy, and others, directed by Bob Smeaton (THE BEATLES ANTHOLOGY - Grammy Award), with Eddie Kramer (Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin) producing the music; US distributor is THINKfilm and US Box Office reached $1.2M; UK Distributor is Optimum Releasing. World Sales by Hanway Films. Winner of the Best Documentary Prize 2004 at the Maui Film Festival. The 2nd best-reviewed film in the USA in 2004 with a 96% "fresh" rating.

“One of the great performance films of all time” - Hollywood Reporter

“An instant classic” - Variety

“guaranteed to thrill” - NY Times

“pure, unadulterated magic” - NY Post

“the wildest and woolliest ride in the history of music” - San Francisco Chronicle

“One of the great rock n’ roll movies” - Chicago Tribune

“a new rockumentary classic” – Globe & Mail

“Joplin displays a virtuosity and candour unmatched in rock 'n' roll” - Macleans Magazine

“An extraordinary film” – The Guardian

“one of the best rockumentaries there is” – Evening Standard

Congratulations also go to Nancy Harrison, our Honarary Student, who is a student at the London Metropole University, and who has worked on many of our student films as Producer/Production Assistant, was Production Assistant on the Bafta Award winning Short Film "The Banker" directed by Hattie Dalton.

CONGRATULATIONS to our Chairman Mike Leigh on winning another award. This time the BAFTA AWARD FOR BEST DIRECTOR for his latest film "VERA DRAKE". Congratulations also go to his leading actress Imelda Staunton on winning Best Actress in a Leading Role for the same film.

Norma Nebot has won BEST FILM DIRECTING AWARD for her film "ANNA" - Part 1 of the portmanteau film "SENSES" at the 2nd International Students Festival of Film Art, Balchik, Bulgaria, 22-26 September, organised and sponsored by the Student Film Forum Foundation - Bulgaria.

The jury's comment under the listing for the award was "for the elegant sensitivity of the tone of our time".