London Film School

The London Film School is the oldest-established international school of film technique in the world, at 50 in 2006. Rather than try and create a national cinema, as so many government-funded schools have done, LFS from the outset fostered a broad, craft-based culture of excellence with students from more than 80 countries. Since 1956 the school has trained thousands of directors, cinematographers, editors and other film professionals now working across the globe. It is the most truly international school anywhere, with 70% of its students from outside Britain. This diversity fits very well in the melting pot of London.

During the last five years LFS has become one of the best graduate film schools in the world. In 2006, students’ films were screened at 80 film festivals and they won 12 major, international festival prizes and a BAFTA nomination while in 2007 LFS students’ films played at 100 festivals and won 15 major prizes.

Filmmaking is taught on stages, and in workshops rather than in classrooms so the building functions like a studio. On the MA Filmmaking, students work on a minimum of six films, at least two as director, with all costs included in fees. In addition, the films are mostly made on film, including two 10 minute 35mm studio/location drama exercises. With an approximate annual intake of 60 student, and just 125 full time students at any one time on the MA Filmmaking course, it generates over 170 finished films a year. It's an exceptionally busy place.

LFS is a living creative community and not a short term 'immersion experience' or a commercial training product. It's a very independent non-profit school run by passionate and experienced filmmakers with 18 full-time faculty, including Les Blair and Mark Solomon, and a varied and hugely talented group of visiting lecturers, technicians and artists. The LFS hosts a masterclass programme that reflects the school's status: Abbas Kiarostami, Hanif Kureshi, Franc Roddam, Dick Pope, Seamus McGarvey and Stephen Frears have all been recent visitors and lecturers. Such is the School’s global reputation that Al Gore chose to launch Current TV in Europe at the School recently.

2008 has been year full of innovations and success stories for LFS. 2005 graduate Carlos Armella, following a major festival career for his documentary feature Toro Negro, won the Golden Lion in Venice for his short Tierra Y Pan. LFS filmmakers achieved over 30 first prizes at international film festivals. These included a record three awards at the Exposure UK Student Festival, one of which was the Grand Jury prize for Samuele Romano's Camille E Marriuccia and five awards at the Kodak Student Commercial Awards.

MA Screenwriting students also received accolades, including an International Emmy award for 2008 graduate Felicity Carpenter and Best Comedic Short at the prestigious BlueCat Screenwriting Lab Short Screenplay Awards in Los Angeles for 2007 graduate Gabriel Valejjo.

LFS attracted a group of leading figures from the cultural world to support its vision to create a new building incorporating the LFS Centre: a two screen centre for filmmakers and public, fostering innovation, internationalism and independence in cinema with seven day screenings, presentations, workshops and colloquia. LFS patrons are Chris Auty, Tony Elliott, Roger Graef, Christopher Hird, John Hurt, Hanif Kureishi, Charlie Parsons, Franc Roddam, Anthony Smith, Iain Smith, Tilda Swinton, Jeremy Thomas and Alan Yentob.