LFS News

LFS grads win 2 out of 3 Tiger Awards at Rotterdam Festival

2010-02-09T10:21:00.003Z

Two out of three prizes at the Rotterdam Film Festival Tiger Awards were awarded to LFS graduates - Paz Fabrega for her first feature AQUA FRIA DE MAR and Pedro González-Rubio for his second feature ALAMAR.

From the Rotterdam website...

The VPRO Tiger Awards were given to Agua fría de mar by Paz Fábrega from Costa Rica, Mundane History by Anocha Suwichakornpong from Thailand and Alamar by Mexican director Pedro González-Rubio.

Concerning Agua fría de mar, the jury said that the film 'succeeded in telling the story of a mysterious relationship between a woman and a young girl in a convincing and poetic manner. The film takes the audience on an unusual journey through a nature that interacts with people in a magical way. The superb editing ensures an organic flow of images, whilst the strong directing and disturbing atmosphere create tension.'

Alamar is a film that 'touches deeply without being too sentimental'. This film, about a father and son that go on a journey to the source of the open sea to find their old way of life, is 'true and honest to its subject and shows both the good fortune and tragedy of being a child with divorced parents', according to the jury.

Full story at http://www.filmfestivalrotterdam.com/en/iffr-2010/news-2010/vpro-tiger-award-winners-announced-/

Oliver Hermanus nominated for Ingmar Bergman International Debut Awards

2010-02-01T20:40:00.002Z

Oliver Hermanus, 2009 MA Filmmaking graduate,has been nominated for the Ingmar Bergman International Debut Awards for the feature SHIRLEY ADAMS, his LFS graduation project. The film was co-written by MA Screenwriting graduate Stavros Pamballis.

TIBIDA was arranged for the first time in 2007 when Andrea Arnold, who recently made the highly praised Fish Tank, won with her debut feature film Red Road. In 2008 Spanish Jaime Rosales' Solitary Fragments and last year Enrique Rivero's Parque Via was awarded. Rivero is also part of the jury together with Bergman associate, filmmaker and author Jörn Donner and the actress Angela Kóvacs, earlier awarded with the Ingmar Bergman award.

The nominated films are:
Lucia Puenzo, Argentina, for The Fish Child
Tom Ford, USA, for A Single Man
Shahram Alidi, Iraq, for Whisper With the Wind
Martin Zandvliet, Denmark, for Applause
Esther Rots, The Netherlands, for Can Go Through Skin
Maren Ade, Germany for Everyone Else
Lee Suk-Gyung, South Korea, for The Day After
Oliver Hermanus, South Africa, for Shirley Adams

The winner will be announced on February 6.

More info at www.ingmarbergman.se

Avantika Hari's 'LAND GOLD WOMEN' won India's National Film Award for Best Feature Film in the English language.

2010-01-28T12:30:00.006Z

LAND GOLD WOMEN, written and directed by LFS graduate Avantika Hari, won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in the English language. The National Film Awards are the most prominent film awards in India and the oldest in the country. Due to the national scale of the awards, the National Film Awards are considered the equivalent of the American Academy Awards. The Award Ceremony will be in March at the Presidential Palace (The Rashtrapati Bhavan). The Awards are conferred by the President of India. LAND GOLD WOMEN has also won the Asian First Film Festival Foreign Correspondents Association Award and the Swarovski Trophy for Best Screenplay. Five LFS graduates took key crew roles on the film.

www.aricherlens.com

Two BAFTA nominations for Duncan Jones's 'Moon'

2010-01-26T15:55:00.004Z

MOON, directed by 2001 graduate Duncan Jones, has received two BAFTA nominations, Outstanding British Film and Outstanding Debut for Duncan.

Two LFS Graduates selected for Rotterdam Film Festival's Tiger Awards Competition

2010-01-12T12:52:00.006Z

Two LFS Graduates have been selected for the Tiger Awards Competition of The International Film Festival Rotterdam (27 January - 7 February 2010). Paz Fabrega for her debut feature "Agua fría de mar" (Cold water of the Sea), which has a World premiere, and Pedro Gonzalez-Rubio for "Alamar" (To the Sea), which has a European premiere. More info at http://www.filmfestivalrotterdam.com/en/iffr-2010/news-2010/competition-lineup-announced/

Duncan Jones has 10 BAFTA longlist nominations for 'Moon'

2010-01-11T12:42:00.002Z

Duncan Jones, 2001 Associate, has received 10 long list nominations for the 2010 BAFTA Awards for his debut feature 'Moon', including Best Film and Best Director. Other nominations were for Production Design for '90s Associate Hidecki Arichi and Editing for '70s Associate Nicolas Gaster. More details at http://www.bafta.org/awards/film/film-awards-nominations,949,BA.html

RAZ DE LA TORRE WINS THIRD PRIZE WITH HIS 3RD TERM DOCUMENTARY

2009-12-15T17:04:00.004Z

Raz de la Torre, C. 166, recently had his second term film "TOUCH ME NOT"ONDON" screened at the 21st CCP Independent Film & Video Competition, CCP Tanghalang Manuel Conde (Dream Theatre), Cultural Centre of the Philippines, 8-12 December 2009.

His documentary film "THE FILIPINO STUDENT'S GUIDE ON HOW TO BE INVISIBLE IN LONDON" won Third Prize in the Short Documentary Film Category, although was not screened as one the three girls in the documentary requested that it not be screened during the festival. The Gawad CCP Independent Film and Video Competition is the longest-running film and video competition in the Philippines. It is a competition for works in 16mm, 35mm for film and DVD and Mini-DV formats for video.

DUNCAN JONES WINS 2 AWARDS AT BRITISH INDEPENDENT FILM AWARDS

2009-12-08T19:42:00.000Z

Duncan Jones first feature "MOON" was up for 5 nominations at The British Independent Film Awards created by Raindance. He won Best British Independent Film and The Douglas Hickox Award (Best Debut Director). The award ceremony was Sunday, 6th December.

AVANTIKA HARI WINS TWO PRIZES IN SINGAPORE

2009-12-07T17:19:00.003Z

Avantika Hari's first feature wins two prestigious prizes - see below

Indian film wins prestigious Purple Orchid Best Film award in Singapore
“Land Gold Women”, the world’s first English feature to explore the issue of honour killings bagged the prestigious Foreign Correspondent Association’s (FCA) Purple Orchid award for Best Film and the Best Script/Screenplay award at a glittering ceremony held at the renowned Raffles Hotel organized by the Asian Festival of First Films in Singapore.

The festival which ran for a week from the 28th of November to the 5th of December showcased films made by emerging Asian talent. A total of 700 entries were received from 28 countries. A total of 22 nominated films and documentaries vied for 11 awards.

“Land Gold Women”, written and directed by Avantika Hari and produced by Vivek Agrawal premiered in the Indian Panorama section of the International Film Festival of India this year. The film received rave reviews for it’s “engaging and compelling story line which reaches out to an international audience, strong performance by the cast and a well crafted production.”

Sonia Kolesnikov-Jessop, who headed the Foreign Correspondents Association (FCA) jury for the FCA Purple Orchid Award, commented, “I’ve been heading the FCA jury for 4 years and usually we have heated discussions about which film should win, but this year it was clear cut. The jury especially liked Land Gold Women because it dealt with a very controversial issue in a restrained and sensitive way, which made its message very powerful.” The winning film tells about the tough choice an immigrant Indian professor in Birmingham faces, between saving his family’s name or his teenage daughter when she is found to be in an illicit relationship.

The film was shot in Birmingham UK, and stars newcomers Narinder Samra, Neelam Parmar, Ali Zahoor and Renu Brindle in key roles. They are supported by Hassani Shapi (The World is Not Enough, Star Wars) and Christopher Villiers (Sliding Doors, The Scarlet Pimpernel, Bloody Sunday, Kidulthood)

Avantika HariWriter/Director/Co Producer "Land Gold Women " http://www.aricherlens.comDubai: +971 50 101 6096
Mumbai: +91 983 399 4093London: +44 755 199 6753Avantika is currently in Mumbai_
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JUAN PABLO OSMAN FLORES GRAD FILM WINS AT ENCOUNTERS

2009-11-23T10:04:00.002Z

Juan Pablo Osman Flores C.156 graduation film TWO TO SALSA has won the NAHEMI/KODAK Cinematography Award - The Silver Flame at Encounters Short Film Festival in Bristol, UK 17-22nd November 2009.

NICOLE VOLAVKA'S COMMERCIAL FOR BARNARDO'S HAS WON THE PORSCHE AWARD

2009-11-20T11:24:00.005Z

Nicole Volavka C. 159 won the special prize at the Porsche International Student Film Awards 2009 for her commercial for Barnardo's called "RUBBISH". The ceremony is held annually at the Baden-Wurttemberg Film Academy. The DOP was LFS graduate Aaron Reid.

Here's the write up: Special Prize"Rubbish", Nicole Volavka (The London Film School/England).
The clear message - children feel they are treated as rubbish - is conveyed in a straight line, thus achieving a high credibility and a direct emotional appeal without a false sense of pathos. Pictures with enormous symbolic strength elevate this spot to a form of art, not in spite of but because of their artificiality and their lack of naturalism.

Nicole is now represented in the Czech Republic and Germany by Saward Graf Kurle Management.

AVANTIKA HARI'S FIRST FEATURE "LAND GOLD WOMEN" NOW DOING WELL AT FESTIVALS

2009-11-16T15:40:00.004Z

Avantika Hari (C. 155) first feature, having had its European premiere in Birmingham earlier this year year, which is where it was shot, has finally been premiered in India.

Avantika says:
"I've got some really good news regarding the film. Land Gold Women premiered in India at the Mumbai Film Festival under the New Faces section last month. We are in the prestigious Indian Panorama section of the International Film Festival of India in Goa this November and we've just got official word that the film has been nominated in the categories of "Best Film" and "Best Producer" at the Asian Festival of First Film in Singapore!

So now hopefully, the festival ball will start rolling and we can get a distributor."

Avantika HariWriter/Director/Co Producer
"Land Gold Women" http://www.aricherlens.com/
Dubai: +971 50 101 6096 Mumbai: +91 983 399 4093 London: +44 755 199 6753
Avantika is currently in Mumbai

DUNCAN JONES NOMINATED IN FIVE CATEGORIES AT THE BRITISH INDEPENDENT FILM AWARDS

2009-10-29T17:52:00.000Z

Duncan Jones's first feature "Moon" is up for seven awards in five categories - Best British Independent Film (7 nominations), Best Director, Douglas Hickox Award (Best Debut Director), Best Screenplay - Nathan Parker,
Best Actor - Sam Rockwell, Best Technical Achievement - Original Score and Production Design at the British Independent Film Awards (BIFA's) which is sponsored by Raindance. Award night Sunday 6th December.

HENRY DARKE'S GRADUATION FILM "THE LOBSTER TRAP" WINS AT "MEDIASCHOOL" POLAND

2009-10-28T18:18:00.000Z

Henry Darke's (C. 159) graduation film "THE LOBSTER TRAP" has won 3rd Prize 3,000 PLN (before tax) at PWSFTviT "Mediaschool" Film Festival, Lodz, Poland 20-24th October 2009.

MURIEL D'ANSEMBOURG'S 4TH TERM FILM "PLAY" WON A SPECIAL MENTION FOR DIRECTING

2009-10-27T17:42:00.000Z

Muriel D'Ansembourg's "PLAY" has won a SPECIAL MENTION FOR DIRECTING at the International Student Film Festival Pisek, Czech Republic, 8-10 October 2009.

DEAN BAJRAMOVIC'S FIRST FEATURE HAS WON TWO MORE AWARDS

2009-10-26T10:30:00.002Z

Dean Bajramovic's first feature "Gangster Exchange" had a great weekend. It won Best Film at 2 more festivals - The Moving Image Festival in Toronto and the Royal Flush Film Festival in New York City. This brings the total to 5 Best Film awards so far!

Dean, Writer/Director and Ryan Andrews, Production Designer both C.149

Dean Bajramovic, Gothic Raygun Pictures
436 Wellington St. WestSuite 202Toronto, OntarioM5V 1E3Canadacell: 416-454-2468
http://www.gothicraygun.com/

"PLAY" AND "IMAGINARY FRIENDS" BOTH WIN AT NEXTFRAME FILM FESTIVAL

2009-10-19T10:19:00.001Z

Sasha Collington's 3rd term documentary "Imaginary Friends" and Muriel D'Ansembourg's 4th term film "Play" have both won awards at NextFrame UFVA's Touring Festival of International Student Film & Video.

"Imaginary Friends" - 2nd Prize in Documentary Category
"Play" - Director's Choice Award

Internationally recognized as one of the world's premiere touring festival for showcasing student work, the NextFrame Film Festival dedicates itself to connecting student filmmakers from all backgrounds, providing these makers with a chance to share their unique vision to audiences around the world. Once each year's batch of finalists are selected, the festival embarks on a year-long international tour visiting university campuses, museums, media art centers, and independent theaters throughout the US and around the globe.

The festival's comments: Congratulations to all Award Winners. These are wonderful films that deserve recognition and exposure.

Two LFS graduates have been selected for the prestigious Cannes Residence - Paz Fabrega and Oliver Hermanus

2009-10-14T12:08:00.001Z

Two LFS graduates have been selected for the 19^th session of the prestigious Cannes Residence Paz Fabrega (c 151) and Oliver Hermanus (c 161). LFS graduates have been selected every year for the past five years.

from screendaily

The Cannes Residence has announced participants for its autumn session, which runs from October 1 to February 15.

The six film-makers will go to Paris to develop their scripts and meet with industry executives and fellow film-makers for guidance. They were selected from 170 candidates by Cannes Film Festival president Gilles Jacob and his jury. The participants are: Costa Rica’s Paz Fabrega, Ioana Uricaru from Romania, Bani Khosnoudi of Iran, China’s Zhang Yue, Oliver Hermanus from South Africa and Andrew Legge of Ireland.

The Cannes Cinefondation Residence has seen 64 of the projects it has shepherded since 2000 completed and, for the most part, released theatrically. In total, 89% of the films taking part in scheme have been made including those currently in pre-production.

- Paz Fabrega (Costa Rican, 30 ) observes in Todos Nosotros (2nd feature) the behaviour of a middle class when faced with social inequality.

- Oliver Hermanus (South African, 26) looks closely in Two Lovers (2nd feature) at the current-day relationship between Amina (20), from a devout Muslim family, and Raf (41), an Afrikaner whose baby she is expecting.

More info at http://www.festival-cannes.com/en/theResidence/theResidenceNewsRead/56859.html

Moon, the feature debut of LFS graduate Duncan Jones, scoops main prizes at Sitges

2009-10-13T11:44:00.001Z

Moon sweeps up at Sitges

UK production Moon, by Duncan Jones, son of legendary singer David Bowie, was the major winner at the 42nd Sitges International Fantasy Film Festival, where it scooped all the main prizes, including Best Film, Best Actor (Sam Rockwell), Best Screenplay (Nathan Parker) and Best Production Design (Hideki Arichi - ex-student also). This decision met with unprecedented approval from the critics in attendance.

Full story at http://cineuropa.org/newsdetail.aspx?lang=en&documentID=113954

Duncan Jones, who graduated from LFS in 2001, has segued from a highly successful career in advertising to direct his debut feature MOON, which won the Michael Powell Award at Edinburgh and also played to great acclaim at Sundance, Philadelphia, Cleveland, San Francisco, Tribeca and Seattle. Starring Sam Rockwell, MOON was released theatrically in the US on 12 June and in the UK on 17 July. Other LFS associates involved with the film include editor Nicolas Gaster and art director Hideki Arichi. http://www.moonthemovie.com/

The feature film debut of LFS graduate Max Jacoby, DUST, has its world premiere at the Pusan International Film Festival

2009-10-12T11:39:00.000Z

The feature film debut of LFS graduate Max Jacoby (c.137) , DUST, has its world premiere at the Pusan International Film Festival on 13 and 14 October. The cinematographer Fredrik Bäckar is also a LFS graduate.

It will be presented in the Flash Forward section that showcases first and second films of promising new talents from outside Asia.

DUST, is an English-language production filmed with Luxembourg money and on location in Luxembourg. Its story is set in an indefinite time, when most of humanity seems to have either died or disappeared. Two siblings, played by British thespians Olly Alexander and Catherine Steadman, live a life of relative tranquility in a large house in the abandoned countryside. Their daily routine is disturbed when another human being (Andrew Hawley) suddenly shows up. The film will be released in Luxembourg in November.

Jacoby’s 2005 short film Butterflies, adapted from an Ian McEwan short story, won the UIP Venezia award at the Venice Film Festival and was nominated for a European Film Award.

Full story at http://cineuropa.org/newsdetail.aspx?lang=en&documentID=113931

Giacomo Cimini's graduation film 'La città nel cielo' was selected by the 66th Venice Film Festival

2009-10-07T11:28:00.004Z

Giacomo Cimini C.161 graduation film ‘La città nel cielo’ (City in the Sky) was selected by the 66th Venice Film Festival, 2-12th September as a special event and has been accepted to the French Sci-Fi Festival Utopiales. The LFS team are Giacomo Cimini (writer/director/producer), Kerry O’Brien (editor/producer), Gareth Munden (DoP/producer) and Rob Watkins(associate producer). More information from the festival website and also the film website.
http://www.labiennale.org/en/cinema/festival/lineup/official_selection/corto_cortissimo/citta.html
www.lacittanelcielo.com

EDUARDO HUNTER MOURA'S FIRST FEATURE DOCUMENTARY PREMIERED YESTERDAY IN RIO

2009-10-05T14:14:00.003Z

Eduardo Hunter Moura C. 161 has had his first feature documentary as a director , "B1"premiered yesterday at the Rio Film Festival, Brazil (24 Sept - 8 Oct 2009) the biggest in Latin America and his home town.

The film tells the story of Brazilian blind Judo player Antonio Tenório on his preparation for his 4th Paraolympic Gold Medal in Beijing.B1 is his category as "totally blind" amongst the Parolympic judo players, and he is the only judoca in the world to carry four consecutive gold medals.The film was very warmly received and cheered by the crowd in the cinema yesterday, and well critically acclaimed.

Below is the website of the film, unfortunately still only in Portuguese, but the teaser is international.www.b1ofilme.com.br

STEFAN ARCHETTI HAS COMPLETED HIS DEBUT FEATURE

2009-10-01T15:43:00.002Z

Stefan Archetti of C. 137 has just completed his debut feature this year entitled "IL FUNGO SIRENA" (The Mermaid Mushroom).

MURIEL D'ANSEMBOURG'S 2ND TERM FILM WINS A DIPLOMA

2009-09-30T15:19:00.003Z

Muriel D'Ansembourg's 2nd term film "JUST ANOTHER DAY" won a Diploma at the 2009 Festival of Nations in Ebensee, Austria. They also screened her 4th term film"Play" as well.

MIRI SHAPIRO'S FILM "4 KILOMETERS" WIN ANOTHER AWARD

2009-09-29T14:24:00.000Z

Miri Shapiro's graduation film "4 KILOMETERS" was screened at the V International Short & Animation Film Festival "Open Cinema" in the international competition "Laboratory of Discoveries" at St Petersberg, Russia held between 7-15th August - see what the festival says below

Dear Miri,The V International Short and Animation Film Festival OPEN CINEMA finished!The organizing committee would like to thank you once more for participation in International Competition “LABORATORY OF DISCOVERIES” and opportunity to present your film in Saint-Petersburg. We are happy to inform that “4 kilometers” received warm response both from side of Jury and wide public and received with special mention the Organizing Committee Diploma «Best Film of Special Program THE OTHER LANDS». Please receive our sincere congratulations!

mirishapiro@gmail.com Mobile: +972 52 3248420 Landline: +972 3 5460 459