BFI Film Academy's premiere of films
The Knowledge was lucky enough to attend the premiere of the BFI Film Academy's premiere of films on Friday (12 April 2013). Among the hosts was BFI chairman Greg Dyke, who also broke the news to a packed house in NFT1 on London’s Southbank about a new £26m film education scheme.
The Academy gave the opportunity to 54 young filmmakers to collaborate and make a short film over the course of two weeks, taking roles of directors, producers and working in other technical departments. The students received guidance from top established filmmakers, such as Edgar Wright, Rebecca O’Brien and Noel Clarke.
Production started on 2 April, and the short films were made in short turnaround. The shoots lasted two days, and some of the final sound mixes were even completed the night before the screening.
The result was nothing short of impressive - and thanks to Arri’s Alexa camera - the film quality sparkled. The shorts covered subjects such as grief, in The Other Side of The Wall, and the summer riots, with Been a Riot.
Claire Burley, cinematographer on Been a Riot, and currently studying A-Level Media Studies at Thomas Adams School in Shropshire, said: “I used to live in Hong Kong, and we never had any opportunity to get into film. Coming to England, this has been a big, big thing for me.”
The BFI Film Academy is the result of a partnership with the Department of Education, which provided £3m funding for the programme over three years.
