London Film School, offer full-time MA Degree courses in both Film Making and Screewriting.

LFS Appeal

For almost 60 years The London Film School has been at the forefront of training the next generation of film makers for a role and life in international cinema.

One of the best film schools in the world and an internationally important institution, the LFS provides inspiration and leadership in the UK independent film sector, introducing international talent and practice to both the UK and global industry. We have a significant track record of innovation and excellence, and our training model is one of the most rigorous and disciplined found anywhere. There is no aspect of film making our graduates cannot do.

The result of this training is self evident: award-winning films made by our alumni are consistently included in all the international festivals, acknowledged through with current films in the cinema canon including MOON, ANOTHER YEAR, PUBLIC ENEMIES, ALAMAR, HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE. Significant alumni include Michael Mann, Mike Leigh, Roger Pratt, Frank Roddam, Danny Huston, Bill Douglas, Duncan Jones, Ueli Steiger, Tak Fujimoto and Arnold Wesker.

Over the past ten years the school has grown and developed exponentially: it is now a graduate-only institution recognised as a centre of excellence by the UK government authority for professional training in film, one of only three Skillset Film Academies. We have inaugurated two new MA programmes in Screenwriting and Curating, and built up a department delivering professional development workshops in all areas of film. New European and international partnerships have brought students and graduates together around specific projects and offered new services to the UK film industry. Since 2001, we've also held high level masterclasses for invited industry audiences and HOTHOUSE, a professional atelier for developing feature projects, launched in 2010.

To build on our track record of excellence and success and to retain our position at the forefront of international film training we need to build a new network of supporters. This will enable us to achieve the following:

1. Improved Accommodation

The school now urgently needs modern and purpose built accommodation for both the school's teaching and filmmaking, and to facilitate the expansion of the school's public remit and UK industry services.

Since the 1960s, LFS has operated out of the same warehouse building in Covent Garden, and in 2005, it was necessary to acquire a second building around the corner. This site is now an outdated and inappropriate home for a modern, industry leading school.

This need is given added urgency as the school's lease at our current Shelton St building runs out in 2014. We know that whatever the proposed solution, we will need to raise significant funds to support a new centre for the school.

2. Increased access to scholarships and the school's training resources

It's a fundamental part of our vision that LFS courses should be available to filmmakers from all financial backgrounds and all countries.

This aspect of our work is now more vital than ever and we aim to create ten new scholarships over the next three years. For each scholarship we want to create, we need to raise £36,000. To achieve this we need the support of generous alumni, industry supporters and those who share our vision of delivering an outstanding quality of education to the next generation of filmmakers.

The school already offers five Skillset bursaries for UK-based students and a range of LFS-sponsored scholarships dedicated to supporting students from poorer countries named for people who have made special contributions to the school's history, including Tim Horrocks, Charles Creighton, Charles Cooper and Roy Pointer. We also have sponsorship support from Magic of Persia, the Gulbenkian Foundation and ICIC Foundation.

3. New Technology & Equipment

At LFS our philosophy is to produce fully-ledged professional filmmakers, which means working with the full range of modern, relevant professional equipment. That's why we're one of the few graduate schools still training extensively in 35mm and whilst our educational philosophy and craft skills have been learned and developed over more than fifty years, we pride ourselves in being quick to respond to and adopt new developments filmmaking technology.

To help us continue to provide this unique and essential level of training we need to create a new technology fund. This will allow us to update our post-production facilities to be fully HD compatible, acquire appropriate camera equipment for digital origination and install an integrated digital file system serving all departments. With your help we can lead the world in modelling and teaching the emerging styles, work flows and distribution methods of the cinema of the future.

To make all this happen we need your help. The London Film School and its core activity is financially secure and an exemplar model of private and public partnership, and this means your gift at any level will have real impact and added value for new initiatives and support for students.

For more information on how you can support us please contact our Director of Development
Naomi Russell: n.russell@lfs.org.uk

Many thanks
Ben Gibson
Director, LFS

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