LFS - Key Persons
Alan Yentob was the BBC's Creative Director and host of BBC1's successful and acclaimed Arts strand, Imagine. From 1973 to 1975 he was a producer/director with Omnibus, where his films famously included Cracked Actor with David Bowie. In 1978 he created the mould-breaking arts series Arena, and was Editor until 1985. In 1985 he became Head of Music and Arts and stayed in the post until 1988 when he was appointed Controller of BBC2 and introduced many innovations in programming including The Late Show, Have I Got News For You, Absolutely Fabulous and Wallace and Gromit's The Wrong Trousers. Alan was appointed Controller of BBC1 in 1993, significantly improving its content and share. He became Director of Programmes in Production in 1997, then Director of Television between 1998 and April 2000 when he became Director of Drama, Entertainment and CBBC. Alan also sits on the Boards of The South Bank and the International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, and Chairmanship of the Institute of Contemporary Art and the charity Kids Company.
Born and raised in rural NSW Australia, Alex has studied a Bachelor of Fine Art and has a Master's Degree in Teaching. Alex began his career in film in the lighting warehouse for Panavision in Sydney Australia going on to join the rigging electrics crews for major motion pictures such as Moulin Rouge and The Matrix 2 & 3. Moving from film to television in the early 2000's Alex worked as a Best Boy and Lighting Director on many drama productions such as All Saints and Home and Away as well as game shows, live television including the News and breakfast television, and live sporting events. More recently Alex has been lighting the stage for theatre and comes to LFS after 2 years at the Royal Opera House in London's Covent Garden. View more View less
Amanda works with the Head of HR, to deliver a comprehensive HR service to the School. She has substantial HR experience, gained within the private, public and not for profit sectors.
Amanda was the CEO of the British film institute from 2003-2020, the Lead body for Film and the Moving image in the UK. Responsible to government, and acting as a voice for the industry - domestic and inward bound, she was responsible for the continued development of the overall ecosystem to protect the UK's competitive position and ensure it remained the most culturally rich, creatively exciting and prosperous territory to nurture further growth, including inward investment (value £1.7bn), and export (value £1.7bn).
She now has an active non-exec career including as strategy advisor to Olsberg SPI, is a Board member of the first Saudi Film Commission, where she also chairs their Executive Committee, is on the Council of York University; and is a listed Business Mentor for Mentore.
She was received a CBE in 2015 and is an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Photographic Society; has an Honorary Doctorate of Letters from Bradford University; Honorary Degree of Doctor from the University of York and Honorary Degree from Norwich University of the Arts 2018. She received the Veuve Clicquot Social Purpose Award in 2018; The Barclays Businesswomen in Film and Television Award 2016 and the BIFA Special Jury Prize 2019. In 2020 she was made a Fellow of the BFI.
All of the above, she says, is trumped by two daughters and five grandchildren.
Job Titles:
- Film Festival Administrator
Amina is a student film curator, originally from Argentina. She produced and programmed her own independent film series for years and co-programmed short films for the Vancouver Latin American FF 2021. She has also worked in the operational areas of festivals such as: Buenos Aires IFF, DOXA Vancouver Documentary FF, Vancouver IFF and Whistler IFF.
Job Titles:
- Short Course Programme Manager
Prior to joining London Film School, Amira spent most of her career immersed in the film festival world, working mostly in administration, programming and event production. She spent 5 years as the Delegate Services Manager with Hot Docs, where she oversaw the guest relations and registration departments, and coordinated logistics for all industry delegates. She's been involved in the successful delivery of some of the biggest film festivals and events including the Toronto International Film Festival, Sheffield Doc/Fest, the World Congress of Science and Factual Producers and the Cork Film Festival.
Job Titles:
- Senior Lecturer - Editing
After graduating in Film and Video, Angelina trained as an off-line editing assistant, working on drama and documentary projects. Approached by Poppy Films she became assistant to Peter Goddard, assisting on many of director Tony Kaye's commercial work. Eventually, herself becoming an editor, Angelina gained extensive experience in commercials and post production supervision for advertising agencies such as AMV BBDO, Grey London and Leo Burnett working on high profile brands such as Coca Cola, Adidas, Orange and Ford Motors. She has also edited music videos and short films and assisted on several features, including AMERICAN HISTORY X directed by Tony Kaye and IN LOVE AND WAR, directed by Richard Attenborough.
As an editor on film, Angelina has co-edited CARIB'S LEAP/WESTERN DEEP for Steve McQueen and HAND ON THE SHOULDER, screened as part of Channel 4's censored series. She is on the board of governors for the Guild of British Film and TV Editors and contributes regularly to its First Frame magazine.
Graduated from Bilston College in the Midlands with a Diploma in Business Studies. Prior to joining the London Film School Annette was a qualified Dental Nurse.
She moved to London in March 1987 and subsequently joined The London Film School in June of the same year as Receptionist. Later this role encompassed the Finance Assistant's role. She then spent a year as acting projectionist on 16mm and 35mm to cover maternity leave in 1990.
In 2002 Annette was promoted to Admissions Manager - her current role.
Anthony Smith was President of Magdalen College, Oxford from 1988 until 2005. Between 1979 and 1988 he was Director of the British Film Institute and was involved in the conception and establishment of the Museum of the Moving Image on London's South Bank. During the 1960s he was a Producer in BBC TV Current Affairs and has been the author of a number of books dealing with the media and the information industries generally. Among his various past activities he worked for the Annan Committee on the Future of Broadcasting and became deeply involved in the national debate which led to the foundation of Channel Four of which he was for four years a Board Member (1981-5). He has served as a Member of the Arts Council of Great Britain and currently as Trustee of the Prince of Wales's School of Traditional Arts, as a Board Member of the British Institute of Florence, of the Choir of the Sixteen and the new Medical Research Foundation. He chairs the Hill Foundation and the Oxford-Russia Fund, both of which are involved in the support of higher education in the Russian Federation.
Job Titles:
- Freelance Director of Photography
- Senior Lecturer - Camera
Belinda Parsons is a freelance Director of Photography, shooting an independent feature films, cinema shorts and working with production companies for all the major broadcasters, filming social documentaries, arts programming, and three feature length dramas for S4C. She was Cinematographer on British low budget award winning feature film THIN ICE and has won the award for Cinematography on PENINSULA October 2019, Southampton Film Festival. The LWT music series LEAVING HOME was awarded a BAFTA, and the short BREATHING was awarded a Chicago Silver Hugo. Belinda was nominated for a WFTV Samuelson Award for Technical Excellence. She has also specialised in shooting films for artists for gallery installation - Mark Wallinger, Idris Khan, Dorothy Cross, Serena Korda, Jayne Parker, Sarah Baker, Richard Wentworth and others.
A graduate of the NFTS, Belinda has been a Visiting Lecturer in Cinematography at the University of Creative Arts, the London Metropolitan University, the University of Hertfordshire, the University of South Wales, the University of Bedfordshire, the University of Westminster and the National Film and Television School.
Brian graduated from the National Film and Television School with an MA in Cinematography in 2009. His graduation film BLACKWATER went on to be screen at many international festivals and picking up awards in Greece and LA, as well as being selected for Camerimage. His first feature was the BFI-funded gay coming-of-age drama DEPARTURE, shot on location in the south of France and opening at the London Film Festival. Brian also shot the Film London-funded short BALCONY which won over 25 awards including a Crystal Bear for Best Short Film at Berlinale and Best Cinematography at Sulmonacinema in Italy. More recently, Brian shot the Film London-funded short NIGHT OUT which won the London Calling 2018 showcase and Best British Short at Leeds International Film Festival. He also collaborated with Beniamino Barrese on cinematography for the documentary THE DISAPPEARANCE OF MY MOTHER which premiered in competition at Sundance in 2019 and has already picked up several awards. He has shot numerous commercials, fashion films and music promos.
My parents were artists and performers. They produced sculpture, light shows, multi-media performances, sound and light environments, books etc. I was the 'technical' member of the family and from the arrival of a Ferrograph series 4 tape recorder when I was still at junior school I enjoyed working on the sound content of our artistic activities. After a few years working as an Audio-Visual Aids Technician in a large London school I started Film work in 1979 with a Documentary production house in Central London becoming a Freelance Sound Recordist in 1985.
Over the last 30+ years I have enjoyed sound recording all over the world on Television Documentary, Theatre, Corporate, Commercials and Drama productions.
Job Titles:
- Head of Production Design
Job Titles:
- Senior Lecturer - Production Design
After graduating in Fine Art Carmel worked as a Theatre Designer in UK, Ireland and Berlin before training in Production Design at the National Film and Television School.
She has extensive experience as Production Designer working internationally on feature films shot in the UK and in Southern Africa, and a wide portfolio of productions including RTS award-winning shorts (‘Decisions' for Ch 4), TV drama, drama documentaries, commercials and BAFTA award-winning Arts films (Sir Simon Rattle's ‘Leaving Home' for Ch 4). Feature films ‘Friends' directed by Elaine Proctor and ‘Hijack Stories' directed by Oliver Schmitz gained recognition in Cannes - Special Mention Palme D'Or and Un Certain Regard respectively, both securing international releases.
Carmel has combined teaching with professional practice throughout her career, devising the MA Production Design course at Northern School of Film and Television and teaching at many institutions as a visiting tutor in between film projects, including at University of Westminster, University of the Arts London, University of the Creative Arts Farnham, Royal Holloway University and as a Professional Mentor to Film Glasgow's JumpCut Summer Production Company.
Caroline Ward heads up the HR team within London Film School. Caroline has worked in HR for over 15 years, mainly in Further and Higher Education. Her previous roles include Equalities Officer and Deputy Head of HR at the Institute of Education and Head of HR at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. She has a wealth of knowledge in a variety of HR topics including Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, Staff Development, Employee Relations and Staff Reward and Benefits.
Charlie Parsons has had a huge, positive impact on the international media sector over the last 15 years and changed the face of television with his creative hits, The Word, The Big Breakfast and the Emmy winning Survivor. His company Planet 24 (co-founded with Lord Waheed Alli and Bob Geldof) was an engine for change in British media and his television shows were a platform for many household names to make their reputations including Chris Evans, Gaby Roslin, Lisa Tarbuck, Johnny Vaughan, and Denise Van Outen. The Big Breakfast and The Word were the most influential TV programmes of the 1990s. Charlie has been dubbed the founding father of reality television for creating the Emmy winning hit Survivor in 1992. The programme which first aired in America in 2000 has been the inspiration of hundreds of similar formats. Charlie recently established Charlie Parsons Creative, a business with a mission to find and back the very best creative ideas and entrepreneurial management teams in media and entertainment by support and investment.
Job Titles:
- Multimedia Content Producer
British-born Chi Yu graduated from London Film School with an MA in Filmmaking, where he trained in Directing, Cinematography, Camera Operating, Producing and Editing as well as assisting across numerous film productions. He has worked in various fields as a freelance videographer, teaching assistant and in administration for various organisations.
Job Titles:
- Joint Managing Director of FulcrumTV
Christopher Hird was for over 20 years joint managing director of FulcrumTV and is now managing director of Dartmouth Films. Fulcrum makes a wide range of factual television and independent documentaries and films, championing new and emerging directors and devising creative ways of funding and distributing films. Among Hird's recent credits as executive producer are the feature length documentary Black Gold and the feature film Surveillance, starring Simon Callow. Hird was chair of the Sheffield International Documentary Festival from 2000-2004, is currently chair of the British Documentary Film Foundation and is a trustee of Index on Censorship and the Wincott Foundation.
Cindy is passionate about the vital role learning, skills and EdTech can play in promoting access, progression, and inclusion for all, and in driving economic growth and productivity. She has been a strong advocate for all things vocational as a route for both young people and adults to access a career-focused education, realise their aspirations and potential.
Most recently Cindy was Senior Vice President at Pearson Plc where she was responsible for the BTEC & Apprenticeships business, supporting circa one million learners a year in over 60 markets. Over the last 2 years, she oversaw the delivery of the BTEC exam series during unprecedented times, working with stakeholders and the government to ensure the fairest possible outcomes for learners. Cindy moved into the education sector in 2011 in the role of Deputy Principal at City & Islington College and in 2016, she was appointed a Deputy Further Education Commissioner by the Department for Education. Before moving into the education sector, I held several senior roles in the entertainment media sector including EMI, Warner Brothers and Virgin.
A strong advocate of DEI, Cindy has been included on the EMPower Involve list for three consecutive years. In 2020 she co-sponsored a global DEI taskforce within Pearson, has been active in sponsoring and mentoring talent across several sectors and acted as the Patron for the BAME Apprenticeship Awards. In 2018 she sponsored the work of the Commission for Sustainable Learning and in 2021 she set up the Equality's Forum to look at the impact of COVID and the widening inequalities gap.
Cindy currently sits on the Board of Speakers Trust, London Film School and Sage Housing and is an Honoree Lifetime member of The Children's Society. In November 2018 was invited to be a TEDx speaker where the title of her talk was ‘a future yet to be imagined'. In September 2019 Cindy was the recipient of a WeQual Award recognizing the achievements of women working in FTSE companies.
Job Titles:
- Chief Operating Officer
- Deputy Director
- Head of LFS OPEN
Prior to joining the London Film School as Head of LFS OPEN, Dan acted as Partnership Manager for Creative Skillset, helping talent and businesses across film, TV, animation, VFX and games to develop their skills and careers, access training and development support, and connect talent to the industry.
Previously Dan has run multimillion-pound film and TV investment funds supporting both production and development, acting as Executive Producer on a string of hit feature film and TV drama projects garnering BAFTAs, Golden Globes and many more awards including One Mile Away, Line of Duty and Dancing on the Edge.
Dan has also delivered major creative industries projects including Film Nation: Shorts, the official, UK-wide young people's filmmaking competition of the London 2012 Olympic & Paralympic Games.
Felipe coordinates aspects of student administration in relation to student records from enrolment to graduation. He previously held posts across registry, admissions and student services at BBP University, University College of Osteopathy and Christie's Education. Felipe holds an undergraduate degree in management and a master's degree in corporate governance.
Femi Kolade has been a professional film and TV Writer, Director, Producer, Script Editor/Developer, Lecturer/Tutor, Higher Education and Media Education Manager for over twenty years. He has worked as a writer/director, producer, script reader and editor for film and TV companies such as Miramax, BBC Films, Celador Films, Bendit Films, FilmFour, Spiritdance, Bard Entertainments, ITV, Channel Four and for filmmakers Stephen Frears, Gurinder Chadha, and Forest Whitaker.
As an educator, consultant, project manager, and lecturer, Femi has worked extensively managing and developing curricula in Higher Education and on various film, media education and combined arts projects for institutions and companies such as London Film School (LFS), University of West England, National Film and Television School (NFTS), Central Film School (CFSL), Southampton University, Sgrin, the UK Film Council, the British Film Institute (BFI), Film London, Arts Council, Mofilm, Arista Development, Skillset, Real World Records, and the Getty Centre for Arts and Humanities. Femi has also served as a board director for the South West Media Development Agency and the BFI's Black World. He is also the founder of Bushfire Digital Media, an independent digital media company that has just completed a three-year incubation programme as part of Ravensbourne's Digital Media Innovation Cluster (DMIC). The company focuses on leveraging digital technologies to create more targeted and effective 21st-century professional media training as well as developing intellectual property in global media content.
He holds an MA degree in Film and Television Direction from the National Film and Television School (NFTS), and a BA (Hons) in Classics from the University of Bristol.
Job Titles:
- Administrative Support Officer
Fenner, born in Greenwich, graduated in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Hertfordshire in 2018. Currently training to teach IELTS examinations.
Franc Roddam started out as an advertising copywriter. Educated at London Film School, he launched a successful career making documentaries such as The Family for the BBC and created the popular, long-running Auf Wiedersehn, Pet television series. In 1979, he made his feature-film debut with his adaptation of the rock opera Quadrophenia, described by the New Musical Express as 'the greatest British youth film ever made'. From there he went to Hollywood and made The Lords of Discipline (1993), a film based on a story by Pat Conroy looking at racism in a South Carolina military academy, as well as The Bride (1985), a reworking of The Bride of Frankenstein (1935). In addition to making feature films, Roddam continues his television work, devising Making Out and Masterchef, Canterbury Tales and directing the mini series Moby Dick and Cleopatra. Franc has his own publishing imprint, Ziji Publishing Ltd; books published include the worldwide bestseller, The Last Templar by Raymond Khoury.
Ginette heads up the Library, Film Archive and Film Festivals and Distribution Dept at London Film School. Ginette has worked in audio- visual archives and organisations for over twenty years and with Film Festivals for over six years. Previous roles include Film Librarian ETV (Soviet Film Archives), Acquisitions and COI collections Manager at Film Images, Asst. Curator Moving Image Collections, Wellcome Trust, Freelance Film Archivist, Welcome Trust, Manager Clips&Footage Ltd, Sales Manager Footage Farm and Film Archive Manager at London Film School. Ginette has a wealth of knowledge on a variety of topics including film preservation, asset management, copyright, IP, rights management, clip sales, and distribution. Archival footage use, and the international film festivals circuit. View more View less
Greg Dyke, former Director of Programmes and Chief Executive of London Weekend Television, Director General of the BBC (2000 to 2004) and Chairman of the British Film Institute (2008 to 2016), is currently one of three vice presidents of BAFTA. He was Chairman of the BFI at the time the Government closed the British Film Council and handed most of its responsibilities, including the distribution of lottery money for film, to the BFI. Dyke was also Chancellor of the University of York for 11 years, when the university doubled in size and opened its new department of Theatre, Film and Television. He was also Chairman of Britain's biggest theatre company the Ambassador Theatre Group between 2010 and 2016 and is currently Chair of the Trafalgar Entertainment Group.
Hanif Kureishi is the author of My Beautiful Laundrette, which received an Oscar nomination for best screenplay. His publications include the novels The Buddha of Suburbia (winner of the Whitbread Award for Best First Novel), The Black Album, Intimacy, and Gabriel's Gift, two collections of short stories, Love in a Blue Time and Midnight All Day, and Dreaming and Scheming, a collection of essays. A film of his most recent script, Venus, directed by Roger Michel, was released in 2007. He lives in West London.
Job Titles:
- Senior Communications Manager
Holly coordinates communications at London Film School helping to ensure the exciting work of the school is shared far and wide. With over 14 years' working in PR and communications, across a huge variety of industries and sectors including education, Holly brings with her a wealth of understanding and experience.
Iain Smith OBE is a graduate of London Film School and an established international film producer and recipient of BAFTA Scotland's 2005 Outstanding Achievement in Film and of the Lord Provost of Glasgow's award in the category of Visual Arts. Iain is Chair and Managing Director of Applecross Productions Ltd, and Chief Executive of Zaltman Films Ltd. Iain's many production credits include Chariots of Fire, Local Hero, The Killing Fields, The Mission, The Fifth Element, Entrapment and Children of Men, to name but a few. He was appointed to the board of Scottish Screen in February 2003 and is a former board member of the UK Film Council, Chair of the Skillset Film Skills Strategy Committee, Deputy Chair of the British Film Commission Advisory Group, and a Director of the Children's Film and Television Foundation.
Irene has worked and studied internationally in film. After graduating from a BA in Film Studies at the University of Bologna and taking an MA in Filmmaking in Madrid, Irene worked as an AD and Continuity Supervisor in Spain. In her time in London, she has programmed shorts for several film festivals, established the Uncanny Valentine Film Club and graduated in an MA in Film Studies Programming and Curation at the NFTS. As well as looking after the schedule at the LFS, she is a freelance film programmer and is passionate about disability inclusion within the film industry. View more View less
Jeremy Thomas is the noted independent producer who was born in London into a filmmaking family. He produced his first film Mad Dog Morgan in 1974 in Australia, then returned to England to produce Jerzy Skolimowski's The Shout, which won the Grand Prix de Jury at the Cannes Film Festival. His extensive output of over forty films includes Nicolas Roeg's Bad Timing, Eureka and Insignificance, Julien Temple's The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle, Nagisa Oshima's Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence, The Hit directed by Stephen Frears and Bernardo Bertolucci's epic, The Last Emperor, which garnered an outstanding nine Oscars including 'Best Picture'. Recent credits include Takeshi Kitano's Brother, Wim Wenders' Don't Come Knocking and Richard Linklater's Fast Food Nation. Jeremy was Chairman of the British Film Institute from 1992 -1997. He has been President of the jury at Tokyo, San Sebastian, Berlin Film Festival and Cannes (Un Certain Regard) and has also served on the main jury at Cannes. He was made a Life Fellow of the British Film Institute in 2000.
Job Titles:
- Governor
- Founding Member of the Green Economics Institute
As well as a career in Film, Television and PR spanning 35 years, Joan has also worked as a consultant in change management and in numerous ethical roles. She has extensive experience in media production, strategy, operations, facilities, finance, and people management. In addition to working at Carlton Television (ITV), Joan's roles also include running a community Film & Television studio and stint at the UN.
Throughout her career, Joan has consistently worked in tandem with National and International not-for-profit organisations, predominately with children and young people. These include Children in Need, Vinspired, Leap, Stars Foundation, Global First Aid, Abene Karantaa and Academies of Inspiration.
Joan is a founding member of the Green Economics Institute and a practising psychotherapist.
Job Titles:
- Student Recruitment Manager
Jonathan joins the London Film School with over seven years' experience in Marketing and Student Recruitment for both the Further and Higher Education sectors in Scotland. As a Graduate of Edinburgh Napier University in MSc Marketing, Jonathan recently spent six years working for his alma mater in Student Recruitment Officer roles most notably, for the EU and Home Postgraduate markets.
Job Titles:
- Sound Instructor / Equipment Manager
Before joining the London Film School Karen was a freelance Sound Editor working on feature films, TV dramas and documentaries in South Africa and the UK. Member of the Association of Motion Picture Sound AMPS.
Katrina joins the London Film School as an executive assistant. Katrina has an international background and grew up in six countries before arriving in England to study Drama and Events Management at university. In her spare time, Katrina enjoys creative writing, exploring new cities, and volunteering at a North London cemetery. A self-confessed cinephile, Katrina has collected cinema tickets since 2001, and has a penchant for the horror genre.
A deeply proud and committed LFS Alumnus, Kemal was born in London, the son of a barrister and a social and race relations worker.
Kemal earned a degree in History and French from the University of Sussex and a 2nd year degree in Cinema et les Etudes Audio Visuel from Le Sorbonne, Paris III, Kemal trained as a journalist at The Guardian and has been published by the Times, Telegraph, Time Out amongst others. He graduated with an MA Filmmaking from the London Film School in 2007. His 4th term film ZOHRA, won a many awards including a UK Film Council Race in Media Award, and competed at over 40 international festivals including Brief Encounters, Cannes, and San Francisco. The film also closed the 50th Anniversary of the London Film School celebration at the NFT. Kemal also won a Kodak Commercial Award while at school.
Kemal has completed three feature films BHOPAL: A PRAYER FOR RAIN with Martin Sheen and an international cast (as associate director and producer). He was a co-producer of documentary SHADOWS OF LIBERTY alongside LFS graduates Director Jean Philipe Tremblay and Daniel Cantagallo. The film was produced by the Bertha Foundation and Doc Factory. His newest film as director and co-producer is MANDELA'S CHILDREN, a documentary about Nelson Mandela, made in partnership with his grandson Kweku, his family and with the co-operation of the Mandela Foundation. It features Mandela's last interviews. The film is edited by the BAFTA award-winners of SENNA, Chris King and Gregers Sall.
Kemal is currently in development with a new documentary and a new narrative feature.
Job Titles:
- Academic Programme Manager
After a degree in Economics and a spell as an advertising copywriter Les Blair enrolled as a student at the London Film School. In 1969 he spent six months in Prague as an exchange student at FAMU where he made a short documentary about life under the Soviet bloc invasion which was shown by the BBC before being snatched back by the Czech authorities. On returning to London he produced and edited Mike Leigh's first film Bleak Moments before launching his own career as a director with a string of films made for television which he wrote and directed after extended improvised rehearsal with the actors. He also directed the work of other writers, most notoriously G.F.Newman's Law and Order which secured a place in television history with its portrayal of endemic corruption in the police and judicial system. His TV films News Hounds and The Accountant both won BAFTA's for Best Single Drama. He has written and directed feature films for cinema including Bad Behaviour which won the Evening Standard Peter Sellers award for comedy. His work for the theatre includes Becket's Waiting for Godot and two plays of his own.
Job Titles:
- Senior Lecturer - Documentary
Michele joins the London Film School with over 30 years of higher education registry experience leading and managing both small and large teams to achieve their potential in supporting the student journey including recruitment, enrolment, induction, programme support, student records, assessment, quality assurance and enhancement, timetabling, progression and graduation.
Michele's has had substantial experience and her previous post was at the University for the Creative Arts (UCA) as Campus Registrar based at Farnham and this included responsibility for the registry support in the School of Film and Performing Arts. Prior to joining UCA Michele also worked at Manchester Metropolitan University responsible for the professional support services in the Faculty of Science and Engineering and originally started her higher education career supporting medical and nursing students in a School of Nursing.
As well as experience in registry functions Michele has taken the lead on a number of significant University projects including implementation of assessment policies, new timetabling software and has contributed to the development of several successful collaborative University partnerships.
Michele has a Business Studies degree of which she studied part-time whilst working in Higher Education.
Job Titles:
- Art Director
- Designer
- Senior Lecturer - Production Design / Nesta
Morgan is an experienced set designer and art director who graduated in interior design, and further studied TV design at Chelsea School of Art which led to her gaining an award from BBC Visions 2000 for Commended New Production designer. Her early art department roles include that of Portrait Artist for the NFT screenplay adaptation of The Merchant of Venice, directed by Trevor Nunn at Pinewood studios, Assistant Art Director on several TV comedy productions such as The Sketch Show, directed by Richard Boden, with further art director and production designer roles on short and feature films, and music video. Nesta has developed her art works in film through storyboarding, practical paintings and painting on set, she enjoys engaging in the design development and portrayal of story through film and media production, and her sketchbooks bring added dimension to film life and real life character events.
Nesta is an experienced tutor of interior design in further and higher education and sees teaching and mentoring as an integral part of her practice.
Nesta Morgan is an experienced set designer and art director who graduated in interior design, and further studied TV design at Chelsea School of Art which led to her gaining an award from BBC Visions 2000 for Commended New Production designer.
My role as Facilities Manager commenced in June 2019. Feel free to email or call regarding Facilities matters. Previous FM roles include Age UK, Dogs Trust and Urdang Academy. My hobbies include radio & club DJ appearances - playing soul, funk, jazz, and disco.
Nick was the Finance Director of Thames TV/Pearson TV (1990 to 2000) , Manchester United including MUTV(2002 to 2007) and TopUpTV (2007 to 2010). From 2011 he worked as a Board member at the LTA, FA, ASA and British Basketball. He is currently a Trustee of the charity Richmond Theatre Trust and a director of Trafalgar Releasing Limited (the leading distributor of Live Events to cinemas in U.K.). He is a passionate theatregoer seeing over 100 regional, Fringe, Pantomimes and West End shows in each of the last two years as well as a regular visitor to the cinema.
Nicola worked at the BBC for 12 years as a Producer/Director on primetime series and programme strands in BBC Arts, Specialist Factual and Documentaries and as successful Development Producer. Her work has been nominated for a Grierson Documentary Award, a Royal Television Award and the highly acclaimed series ‘My Life As A Child', won at five International Input Documentary Festivals. Her approach in all her work comes from her belief that documentary is ‘life shared on film' and after leaving the BBC she worked in the independent sector for Ridley Scott Associates and the Garden. She then set up her own media company which made short films, radio documentaries and most recently creating animated documentaries. She is also an experienced and qualified documentary lecturer in Higher Education and a Fellow of the Higher Education Authority. She taught documentary making at City University for 7 years and has also been a Visiting Lecturer at the University of London Goldsmiths and Birkbeck. View more View less
Job Titles:
- Governor
- Producer
- Senior Executive for Film London
Named as one of Screen International's ‘Future Leaders' 2015, BAFTA-nominated producer Olivier founded the London-based independent production company Parkville Pictures in 2007.
Olivier produced Parkville's third feature SPACESHIP, which was funded via Creative England, BFI, and BBC Films' iFeatures feature production scheme. SPACESHIP was selected for it's World Premiere at the 2016 SXSW film festival, followed by its UK and US theatrical release in 2017.
Most recently Olivier Executive Produced Parkville Pictures' fourth feature, THE MISEDUCATION OF CAMERON POST, the follow up feature with Director Desiree Akhavan (APPROPRIATE BEHAVIOUR), which completed principle photography in November 2016 in New York, starring Chloe Grace Moretz (KICK-ASS and Sasha Lane
Alongside his Parkville Pictures work Olivier was appointed Senior Executive for Film London's award-winning Microwave feature production fund in January 2014. He oversaw the relaunch of the scheme in May 2014 in partnership with BFI and BBC Films, with six films to be commissioned for production and delivery by 2018.
Job Titles:
- Independent Interim Executive and Consultant in Higher Education
- Interim Director
- Interim Director and Chief Executive Officer
Peter Holliday is an independent interim executive and consultant in Higher Education with more than 20 years' experience of delivering strategic change in public and private education in the UK. He has held senior positions at London South Bank University, the University of Cumbria, the University of Salford, the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art and Regent College London. From 1980-2000, Peter was in the British Army. He specialised in field communications but occupied a wide variety of roles and for five years had the privilege of serving with Gurkhas. He is a graduate of the Joint Services Command and Staff College and MBA.
Peter Hollywood is an award-winning editor, who has been editing for over twenty years. As well as collaborating with well-known directors, such as Ridley Scott, Mike Newell and Terry Gilliam, he has been contributing to almost every genre imaginable, ranging from no-budget shorts and independent documentaries to network television and multi-million dollar features.
Job Titles:
- Module 1 Leader and Term 1 Tutor
Rafael is a London-based, award-winning writer/director, media lecturer, screenplay development and new media technology consultant. A graduate of the National Film and Television School in Beaconsfield, London Film School and the EKRAN programme at the Andrzej Wajda Master School of Film Directing in Warsaw, he has created some of the most distinctive short and feature films that have won over 25 international awards at top-tier festivals such as Cannes, Oberhausen, Austin, New Horizons and Brest. His feature debut Butterfly Kisses (BBC Films/Film London/Microwave/Blue Shadows Films) won the Crystal Bear at the 2017 Berlin International Film Festival and consequently Rafael was long-listed for the British Independent Film Award for Directing. His feature project Up on the Roof won Cannes Film Festival's prestigious Cinefondation Residence Award. His short To Bury The Horse was a finalist in the 2011 Bosch Stiftung Competition. He also worked as script supervisor on Nina Gantz's BAFTA-winning short animation Edmond (over 50 other international awards). He has most recently completed a neo-noir psychological drama titled A Woman At Night produced by Blue Shadows Films (UK) and Haven of Peace (USA) and is currently in pre-production with Budapest Diaries (Polish Film Institute/DominoFilms/Filmfabriq). He has lectured in fiction development and audio-visual storytelling at the London Film School, Central Film School, London Film Academy and The American Film Institute (AFI) in Los Angeles.
Job Titles:
- Head of Projection & Audio Visual Support
Richard is an Ex-Westend Chief Projectionist, Obsessed with film from a young age (particularly the horror genre). Richard landed his dream job as a cinema projectionist over 25 years ago and has worked for Odeon, Empire and Picturehouse Cinemas, and has worked on numerous film festivals, including LFF and Sundance. He has seen the changeover from film prints to digital media, which has made the industry a lot more inclusive although he still thinks 70mm film is the best.
Job Titles:
- Secretary to the Board of Governors
Robin joins London Film School as our Secretary. He has been a solicitor for 29 years, spending most of his time in the public sector and also with Eversheds LLP as a Senior Associate. He has held a number of senior roles in the higher education sector, including University Solicitor at Brunel University and University Secretary to both Lincoln and Cork universities. He was also the Secretary and Director at a Fire Authority. He has a background in the charity sector, where he was the Head of Legal at the Woodland Trust and then the Company Secretary at Arthritis Research UK. Robin joins the School from LAMDA, where he was the Secretary. He has also spent time as a retained firefighter and until recently served as a member of the Independent Monitoring Board at HMP Lincoln. He is also working on his first novel and spending time building his niche legal consultancy, which includes advising some up and coming bands.
Roger Graef OBE is a writer, filmmaker, broadcaster, criminologist and Chief Executive of Films of Record, now in its 29th year. His most recent work is as Executive Producer of Web Lives, a minidoc series shown daily on itv.com. In 2004 he was awarded the prestigious Fellowship to the British Academy of Film and Television for his outstanding contribution and achievements and in 2003 won another BAFTA as the Producer of the Flaherty Best Documentary Feltham Sings! Among more than a hundred films, he is best known for gaining access to hitherto closed institutions ranging from ministries and boardrooms to police, courts, prisons, probation and social work. These influential films include the BBC Police series, which helped change the way the police deal with rape victims. In Search of Law and Order took a unique look at some groundbreaking ways of changing juvenile rehabilitation. Closing Ranks, his ITV feature film on domestic violence in the police, was used in training for many years afterwards. He also produced The Secret Policeman's Ball and two other Amnesty Benefits, and the first Comic Relief with Richard Curtis, among eight films with John Cleese. As a consultant and communications expert, he has served on numerous boards and government committees. He was a founding board member of Channel Four and a governor of the British Film Institute. Roger has served on the board of the ICA where he created and chaired the ICA Architectural Forum.
Job Titles:
- Course Leader MA Screenwriting, Head of Screenwriting and Staff Governor
Sophia Wellington began her film career on the floor - literally: placing marks for Richard Gere as a camera assistant. After years in the camera department, working on a number of Anglo-American features, Sophia moved into the cutting room where she is, to her knowledge, the only (living) assistant editor to get an apology out of Harvey Weinstein.
Sophia moved into script development in 2003 when she joined World Productions to develop a feature slate for their production deal with Sony Columbia. During this time, she worked with a variety of writers and directors on films including Layer Cake and Becoming Jane.
Another move, this time to Singapore where Sophia taught screenwriting for the Graduate Film and Dramatic Writing programmes of NYU Tisch School of the Arts Asia. Returning to London in 2015, Sophia combines teaching with writing and script development whilst maintaining her links with the South East Asian film industry. She runs feature workshops for the Cinemalaya Institute in Manila and recent script consultancy credits include Remittance (2016) a low budget feature exploring the life of migrant workers in Singapore and the upcoming Polis Evo 2, (2018) a high octane, Malaysian action movie.
Sue has worked in independent film and television production since 1982. Her career began at the now legendary Goldcrest Films, where she worked for four years on programmes produced for the new Channel 4. After Goldcrest's collapse Sue spent a short time as a freelance script editor, before joining Granada Films as Head of Development. Whilst there she worked on a number of feature films including David Hare's STRAPLESS and Aisling Walsh's first feature, JOYRIDERS. Sue left Granada to co-produce the medical thriller, PAPER MASK, co-funded by Film 4 and British Screen, released in over 70 territories and selected as the closing film in Director's Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival in 1990.
Sue then spent 5 years working at the European Script Fund, part of the MEDIA (Creative Europe) organisation and returned to production in 1997 with her first television film, VICIOUS CIRCLE, developed and produced for BBC Films and Irish Screen. This was followed by the BAFTA nominated comedy drama DONOVAN QUICK starring Colin Firth. Over the next twelve years she produced more than 50 hours of primetime television drama for BBC1, BBC2 and ITV and received a second BAFTA nomination.
She continues to develop new productions as well as tutoring and lecturing part time at the London Film School, Goldsmiths University, Serial Eyes and Regents University.
Job Titles:
- Governor
- Group HR Director at Guardian News
Suzy graduated in 1998 from University College London and subsequently gained a Masters from London School of Economics in 2001. She has been involved with the LSE's Court of Governors since 2004 as a school governor and member of the remuneration committee.
Since 2014 Suzy has been the Group HR Director at Guardian News and Media with executive responsibility for the People and Culture. Before joining GMG, Suzy was the Chief People Officer at Lloyd's of London, the world's specialist insurance market, conducting business in more than 200 countries. In her early career, she held senior positions across a diverse range of businesses including ICI, Barclays, MSN UK, The Women & Equality Unit and The London Assembly.
Suzy has also previously been a board member of The Fawcett Society one of the UK's leading charities campaigning for gender equality and women's rights at work, at home and in public life.
Job Titles:
- Editing Instructor / Technician
Job Titles:
- Short Course Programme Manager
Job Titles:
- Course Leader
- Fellow of the HEA
Tiana's career in film, television and the performance industries includes producing, directing, scriptwriting and performance-coaching roles. Her career has spanned documentary, advertising and comedy and drama. She has worked across a range of projects, from production roles on feature films for Miramax, 20th Century Fox and Disney, to factual television for Channel 4 and Nickelodeon. She has also directed and produced films and promotional campaigns for the Discovery Channel, and has written, directed and performed a one-woman play.
Tiana is a Fellow of the HEA having taught/course-led in undergraduate and postgraduate filmmaking for several years at the Northern Film School, Ravensbourne University and UCA. An alumna of the Northern Film School, the MA Screenwriting at Royal Holloway and the MA Actor Training at Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, Tiana was also awarded an EMMY Citation for VFX production on the The Life and Death of Peter Sellers (HBO Films/BBC Films.)
Tilda Swinton started her acting career with Derek Jarman including The Last of England, The Garden, Wittgenstein and winning the Coppa Volpe at the Venice Film Festival for her performance in his Edward II. She came to wider international recognition with her extraordinary portrayal in Sally Potter's Orlando. Tilda's prolific and wide ranging roles have included The Deep End with David Siegel and Scott McGeehee, for which she won numerous international awards, including a Golden Globe Nomination for Best Actress, Spike Jonze's Adaptation and Jim Jarmusch's Broken Flowers. She then shot the title role of the White Witch in Disney and Walden Media's Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, currently the 21st most successful film release of all time. Tilda played the eponymous lead in Julia for maverick French director Erick Zonca and has since added to her eclectic mix in films such as I Am Love, We Need to Talk About Kevin and Moonrise Kingdom.
Timo Heinänen F.S.C., cinematographer and previously a professor at Aalto University, Finland. Heinänen's established career as a cinematographer and educator is irreprehensible; he is skilled across features, short films, documentaries, tv and commercials for over 30 years, with deep educational practice alongside serving as deputy board member of the European Federation of Cinematographers (IMAGO) educational committee, Vice President of Finnish Society of Cinematographers (F.S.C.) and speaker at the ASC International Cinematographers Summit. Heinänen is currently in pre-production on ‘Puluboin ja Ponin leffa' (2018).
Job Titles:
- Leader of the MA International Film Business Programme
- MAIFB Course Leader
Victoria Thomas joined London Film School as the Course Leader of the MA International Film Business Programme in 2019 after a couple of years as an independent producer, specialising in international co-productions and visiting lecturer at London Film School, National Film and Television School, Southbank University, University of Greenwich and London Film Academy.
In addition to her role at London Film School, Victoria is the founder of Scotland's first black owned film and TV production company Republic Of Story (formerly Polkadot Factory), through which she has co-produced both shorts, and indie features, across fiction, documentary, and animation. She continues to oversee an active development slate that has received funding from the BBC, Screen Scotland and BFI Network among others, alongside freelancing as a Producer/Director/Screenwriter.
Films she has produced have screened at Oscar/BAFTA qualifying film festivals and broadcast on TV internationally, receiving awards and nominations from a variety of organisations including BAFTA Scotland. Original projects on her development slate have been selected for major curated markets including IFP Week, Cannes Producers Network, Fin (formerly Strategic) Partners, Apulia Film Forum and Film London's Production Finance Market.
As a screenwriter, her original screenplays have been shortlisted for the Oscars Nicholls Fellowship, Sundance Screenwriters lab and in 2020, one of her screenplays won the Meryl Streep/Nicole Kidman/Oprah Winfrey backed The Writers Lab NYC. She is an alumnus of Berlinale Talents, Sheffield Doc Fest's Future Producer School, Glasgow Film Festivals Producer Accelerator Lab, Filmonomics, Edinburgh Talent Lab, Emerging Producers, EAVE and the UK's National Film & Television School.
She serves on several film juries for a variety of awards and festivals including Sunny Side Of The Doc, Durban International Film Festival, the BIFA's and sits on the advisory board of Film Africa. She regularly moderates panels and discussions at major international film festivals. She is a voting member of BAFTA Scotland and BAFTA UK.
Prior to embarking on a career in the film industry, she trained as a lawyer and worked as a journalist and publisher. She holds undergraduate and post-graduate degrees in International Business, Law and Film Practice.
Job Titles:
- Head of Marketing and Student Recruitment
Véronique heads up marcomms and student recruitment at the School. Having previously worked in the Financial sector and at UK Conservatoires. She comes with a track record of applying thoughtful curiosity and tenacity to marketing and sales. Véronique has previously transformed organisational performance and delivered brand results at small specialist institutions. At LFS, Véronique manages the brand profile with a small team, ensuring new filmmaking talent is attracted to the School's world-class programmes.
William brings a wealth of experience to London Film School following a successful executive career as CEO of a number of professional education and skills development organisations.
William was CEO of QA, the leading technology education business between 2008 and 2019 during which time the company achieved very significant growth. Prior to that he was CEO of Kaplan International, The Financial Training Company and Wolters Kluwer Professional Training. He is Chair of Learning Curve Group Limited, Chair of Hatcham College Academy and a non-executive director of Wilmington plc.
Studied Electrical Engineering, after graduating worked for a number of years as a service engineer and industrial product designer. Sound recordist on a number of factual, educational and documentary strands for BBC and Channel 4 such as Inside Tracks, On the Record, Panorama, Breaking the Fear (independent feature) and shorts You're In There Ltd. and Konfident.