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London Film School (LFS) is a
film school A film school is an educational institution dedicated to teaching aspects of filmmaking, including such subjects as film production, film theory, digital media production, and screenwriting. Film history courses and hands-on technical training ...
in
London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
and is situated in a converted brewery in
Covent Garden Covent Garden is a district in London, on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit-and-vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist si ...
, London, neighbouring
Soho Soho is an area of the City of Westminster, part of the West End of London. Originally a fashionable district for the aristocracy, it has been one of the main entertainment districts in the capital since the 19th century. The area was develop ...
, a hub of the UK film industry. It is the oldest film school in the UK."LFS History"
London Film School. Retrieved June 2020.
LFS was founded in 1956 by Gilmore Roberts as the London School of Film Technique (LSFT). Originally based on
Electric Avenue Electric Avenue is a street in Brixton, London. Built in the 1880s, it was the first market street to be lit by electric lights (The first street to be lit by an incandescent lightbulb was Mosley Street, in Newcastle upon Tyne). Today, Electr ...
in
Brixton Brixton is a district in south London, part of the London Borough of Lambeth, England. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. Brixton experienced a rapid rise in population during the 19th ce ...
, the school moved to its current premises on Shelton Street in 1966, after a brief parenthesis in
Charlotte Street Charlotte Street is a street in Fitzrovia, historically part of the parish and borough of St Pancras, in central London. It has been described, together with its northern and southern extensions (Fitzroy Street and Rathbone Place), as the ''s ...
, and changed its name to London Film School in 1969. From 1974 to 2000, it was known as the London International Film School (LIFS), and reverted to the name London Film School in 2001. LFS offers various degrees at
postgraduate Postgraduate or graduate education refers to academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate ( bachelor's) degree. The organization and stru ...
level: an MA in Filmmaking, an MA in Screenwriting, and, in partnership with the
University of Exeter The University of Exeter is a public university , public research university in Exeter, Devon, England, United Kingdom. Its predecessor institutions, St Luke's College, Exeter School of Science, Exeter School of Art, and the Camborne School of Min ...
, an MA in International Film Business and a PhD in Film by Practice. It also offers a range of short and part-time professional development courses under the LFS Workshops banner. LFS recruits students from all over the world and is specifically constituted as an international community; around 70% of its students are from outside the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
. LFS is one of ScreenSkills' recognised training providers. In recent years the school has been named one of the top international film schools by
Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
and
The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...
. The school's current interim director is Peter Holliday and chairman is
Greg Dyke Gregory Dyke (born 20 May 1947) is a British media executive, football administrator, journalist, and broadcaster. Since the 1960s, Dyke has had a long career in the UK in print and then broadcast journalism. He is credited with introducing ' ...
.


History

The origin of the LFS was a short film training course taught by Gilmore Roberts at the
Heatherley School of Fine Art The Heatherley School of Fine Art is an independent art school in London. The school was named after Thomas Heatherley who took over as the school's principal from James Mathews Leigh (when it was named "Leigh's"). Founded in 1845, the school ...
in
Chelsea Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to: Places Australia * Chelsea, Victoria Canada * Chelsea, Nova Scotia * Chelsea, Quebec United Kingdom * Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames ** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...
. After a dispute with the art school, Roberts decided to continue the course independently, so he set up the London School of Film Technique in October 1956. After struggling to find suitable premises, the first filmmaking course finally started in April 1957, based in rather modest locales above a grocer's shop in
Electric Avenue Electric Avenue is a street in Brixton, London. Built in the 1880s, it was the first market street to be lit by electric lights (The first street to be lit by an incandescent lightbulb was Mosley Street, in Newcastle upon Tyne). Today, Electr ...
,
Brixton Brixton is a district in south London, part of the London Borough of Lambeth, England. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. Brixton experienced a rapid rise in population during the 19th ce ...
. The school was the first of its kind in the United Kingdom. Inspired by the emergence of film schools in Eastern Europe after World War II, it was set up around the belief that the future of the British film industry required properly designed formal training, rather than the apprenticeship basis which was, at the time, the only access into the field. At first, the school offered a 6-months diploma course which students could take over the day or evening classes, with an optional 6-months extension. Under the leadership of a new principal, Robert Dunbar, the course was expanded to 33 weeks and later 2 years, forming the basic structure for a curriculum that is still largely in place today. This caused a drastic increase in the student numbers, which made the original premises unsuited. The school moved to the West End in 1963, first into a building in
Charlotte Street Charlotte Street is a street in Fitzrovia, historically part of the parish and borough of St Pancras, in central London. It has been described, together with its northern and southern extensions (Fitzroy Street and Rathbone Place), as the ''s ...
and later, in 1966, in its current premises on Shelton Street. In 1969 it changed name to London Film School, to avoid being regarded as an institution that only offered narrow technical training. Notable alumni from the 1960s include directors such as
Mike Leigh Mike Leigh (born 20 February 1943) is an English film and theatre director, screenwriter and playwright. He studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) and further at the Camberwell School of Art, the Central School of Art and Design ...
,
Michael Mann Michael Kenneth Mann (born February 5, 1943) is an American director, screenwriter, and producer of film and television who is best known for his distinctive style of crime drama. His most acclaimed works include the films ''Thief'' (1981), ' ...
,
Don Boyd Donald William Robertson Boyd (born 11 August 1948 in Nairn, Scotland) is a Scottish film director, producer, screenwriter and novelist. He was a Governor of the London Film School until 2016 and in 2017 was made an Honorary Professor in the Col ...
, and
Les Blair Leslie "Les" Blair (born 23 October 1941, Manchester, England) is a BAFTA winning television, film and theatre director. Gaining notoriety for his controversial mini-series ''Law And Order'' (shown in 1978 on BBC2), Blair has gone on to direc ...
, cinematographers such as
Tak Fujimoto Takashi "Tak" Fujimoto, ASC (born July 12, 1939) is an American cinematographer. Fujimoto was born in San Diego, California. He is of Japanese descent. During World War II, he was interned at the Poston War Relocation Center due to Executive Or ...
and Roger Pratt, as well as producers like Iain Smith. In the early 1970s, a decrease of student numbers caused by various factors, including the establishment of the
National Film School The National Film and Television School (NFTS) is a film, television and games school established in 1971 and based at Beaconsfield Studios in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, England. It is featured in the 2021 ranking by ''The Hollywood Repo ...
and the global impact of the oil crisis, brought the school into a financial crisis and eventually into liquidation. Staff and students banded together to press for continuation of the school; thanks to their efforts in raising the necessary funds, the school reopened in 1975, at the same location, under a new name: the London International Film School. The school was newly incorporated as a charity, nonprofit-making company limited by guarantee. All students automatically became members of the company upon enrolment, with the right to elect, together with the other members, a board of governors with the overall responsibility for the management of the school. Manny Wynn was appointed principal of the re-established LIFS until his sudden death six months later, when he was succeeded by John Fletcher. Notable filmmakers from all over the world studied at the LIFS in the 1970s and 1980s, including Mexican director
Luis Mandoki Luis Mandoki (born August 17, 1954) is a Mexican film director working in Mexico and Cinema of the United States, Hollywood. Luis Mandoki studied Fine Arts in Mexico and at the San Francisco Art Institute, the London College of Printing, and th ...
, Hong Kong director
Ann Hui Ann Hui On-wah, (; born 23 May 1947) is a film director, producer, screenwriter and actress from Hong Kong who is one of the most critically acclaimed filmmakers of the Hong Kong New Wave. She is known for her films about social issues in Ho ...
, Swiss cinematographer
Ueli Steiger Ulrich ”Ueli” Steiger (born 5 August 1954 in Zürich, Switzerland) is a Swiss cinematographer. He studied English and art history at the University of Zurich and entered the London Film School. After freelancing as Camera assistant and Docum ...
and Argentinian director Miguel Pereira. After John Fletcher's death, Martin Amstel was appointed principal in 1986. Ten years later, in 1996, the 40th anniversary of the school was celebrated with events and screening of graduates’ work in London, Los Angeles and Mexico City. After the appointment of Ben Gibson as principal in 2000, the school returned to be known as London Film School. Under Ben Gibson, LFS transitioned from offering a diploma course to offering
postgraduate Postgraduate or graduate education refers to academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate ( bachelor's) degree. The organization and stru ...
MA programmes, first validated by the
London Metropolitan University London Metropolitan University, commonly known as London Met, is a public university, public research university in London, England. The University of North London (formerly the Polytechnic of North London) and London Guildhall University (f ...
and later by
University of Warwick The University of Warwick ( ; abbreviated as ''Warw.'' in post-nominal letters) is a public research university on the outskirts of Coventry between the West Midlands (county), West Midlands and Warwickshire, England. The university was founded i ...
. Nevertheless, the curriculum of the filmmaking course remained very similar and maintained its focus on practical filmmaking. Adjustments where brought in place to reflect the technological developments in the film industry and the transition to digital. The school also started diversifying its courses: next to its traditional course in
filmmaking Filmmaking (film production) is the process by which a motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, starting with an initial story, idea, or commission. It then continues through screenwriting, casti ...
, it started offering an MA course in
screenwriting Screenwriting or scriptwriting is the art and craft of writing scripts for mass media such as feature films, television productions or video games. It is often a freelance profession. Screenwriters are responsible for researching the story, devel ...
in 2005 and, from 2014, an MA in International Film Business in partnership with the
University of Exeter The University of Exeter is a public university , public research university in Exeter, Devon, England, United Kingdom. Its predecessor institutions, St Luke's College, Exeter School of Science, Exeter School of Art, and the Camborne School of Min ...
. Ben Gibson was succeeded as the director of the school by Jane Roscoe, who briefly held the post from 2014 to 2017. Gísli Snær, Head of Studies at LFS since 2016 and previously head of the Puttnam School of Film at the
LASALLE College of the Arts LASALLE College of the Arts (informally LASALLE) is a publicly-funded post-secondary arts institution, planned to be a constituent college of the University of the Arts Singapore (UAS) by 2024 along with the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts in Sing ...
in
Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
, was appointed as the new director in 2018 and replaced by Interim Director Peter Holliday in June 2022. In recent years, films made at the school have regularly featured and won awards in some of the world's top film festivals, including
Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400  ...
,
Cannes Cannes ( , , ; oc, Canas) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a communes of France, commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes departments of France, department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions I ...
,
Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...
, the
BFI London Film Festival The BFI London Film Festival is an annual film festival founded in 1957 and held in the United Kingdom, running for two weeks in October with co-operation from the British Film Institute. It screens more than 300 films, documentaries and shor ...
,
Encounters Encounter or Encounters may refer to: Film *''Encounter'', a 1997 Indian film by Nimmala Shankar *Encounter (2013 film), ''Encounter'' (2013 film), a Bengali film *Encounter (2018 film), ''Encounter'' (2018 film), an American sci-fi film *Encounte ...
and Sundance. Recent alumni include
Benjamin Cleary Benjamin Cleary is an Irish writer, director and producer from Dublin. He is best known for his short-film ''Stutterer (film), Stutterer'' that earned him an Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film at the 88th Academy Awards with producers ...
,
Anu Menon Anu Menon is an Indian film director and screenwriter. She has directed movies such as ''London, Paris, New York'' (2012), ''Waiting'' (2016) and worked with non-mainstream actors like Naseeruddin Shah, Suhasini Maniratnam and Kalki Koechlin. ...
,
Carla Simón Carla Simón Pipó (born 22 December 1986) is a Spanish film director. Both her 2017 debut feature ''Summer 1993'' () and her second feature, ''Alcarràs (film), Alcarràs'' (which won the Golden Bear at the 72nd Berlin International Film Festiva ...
.


Facilities

The main London Film School building in Shelton Street was previously a brewery and a banana warehouse. Additional facilities are present in an annex building in
Long Acre Long Acre is a street in the City of Westminster in central London. It runs from St Martin's Lane, at its western end, to Drury Lane in the east. The street was completed in the early 17th century and was once known for its coach-makers, and l ...
. Facilities at LFS include two studios (Stage B and Stage D) equipped with lighting grids, as well as a rehearsal studio used also for workshops. LFS occasionally hires external studios facilities as well. The school has a fully equipped
design A design is a plan or specification for the construction of an object or system or for the implementation of an activity or process or the result of that plan or specification in the form of a prototype, product, or process. The verb ''to design'' ...
studio with drawing boards, model making facilities, visual reference library, materials library and design computer suite. It has
editing Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, photographic, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, orga ...
suites equipped with
Avid Media Composer Avid Media Composer is a film and video editing software application or non-linear editing system (NLE) developed by Avid Technology. Initially released in 1989 on Macintosh II as an offline editing system, the application has since evolved to al ...
as well as sound suites equipped with Pro Tools 24HD, a commentary and foley recording area and a sound effects library. LFS also has two cinemas (Cinema A & B), with 110 and 35 seat capacity respectively and projection facilities for both digital and
35mm 35 mm may refer to: * 135 film, a type of still photography format commonly referred to as 35 mm film * 35 mm movie film, a type of motion picture film stock * 35MM 35 mm may refer to: * 135 film, a type of still photography format ...
. London Film School is planning to relocate to new facilities in London City Island,
Canning Town Canning Town is a district in the London Borough of Newham, East London. The district is located to the north of the Royal Victoria Dock, and has been described as the "Child of the Victoria Docks" as the timing and nature of its urbanisation ...
.


Courses of studies

The London Film School is built around a conservatoire model. Filmmaking is taught on stages and in workshops rather than in classrooms, and the courses are structured around practical work. The school has a full-time faculty and a varied group of regular visiting lecturers. The MA Filmmaking programme has no pre-specialisation. Over the two-year course, all students are provided with a full education in all the craft areas of
filmmaking Filmmaking (film production) is the process by which a motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, starting with an initial story, idea, or commission. It then continues through screenwriting, casti ...
: directing, producing, editing, cinematography, sound, production design, and writing. Students work on at least one film every term, in different roles, and have the chance to crew on films made by students from other terms. Exercises include films shot in 16mm on location with no sound or only post-recorded sound and films shot on
35mm 35 mm may refer to: * 135 film, a type of still photography format commonly referred to as 35 mm film * 35 mm movie film, a type of motion picture film stock * 35MM 35 mm may refer to: * 135 film, a type of still photography format ...
or digital in studio, on purposely designed and built sets. One term is dedicated to making a documentary. For their graduation films, students do not have limitations and are allowed to shoot on any format and at any length they can budget and schedule. Often, students make their graduation film in their home country, which means that LFS films have been made all over the world. All film exercises are provided with a production allowance included in the fees. With around 200 full-time students at any one time on the programme, it generates over 180 films a year. The one-year MA Screenwriting programme is centred on the development of a full-length feature script, with individual monitoring and guidance from industry mentors. Workshops on storytelling and film language, characterisation, scene writing, and more are based around practical writing exercises. Screenwriting students have the chance to collaborate with students on the filmmaking programme and experience the production side of filmmaking first hand. The MA International Film Business programme, run in conjunction with the
University of Exeter The University of Exeter is a public university , public research university in Exeter, Devon, England, United Kingdom. Its predecessor institutions, St Luke's College, Exeter School of Science, Exeter School of Art, and the Camborne School of Min ...
, prepares students for careers in programming, exhibition and distribution. Over the one-year course, students participate in modules in international finance, world cinema and a trip to the
Berlin Film Festival The Berlin International Film Festival (german: Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), usually called the Berlinale (), is a major international film festival held annually in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festi ...
. The MA Filmmaking and MA Screenwriting programmes are validated by the
University of Warwick The University of Warwick ( ; abbreviated as ''Warw.'' in post-nominal letters) is a public research university on the outskirts of Coventry between the West Midlands (county), West Midlands and Warwickshire, England. The university was founded i ...
, while the MA International Film Business is offered jointly with the
University of Exeter The University of Exeter is a public university , public research university in Exeter, Devon, England, United Kingdom. Its predecessor institutions, St Luke's College, Exeter School of Science, Exeter School of Art, and the Camborne School of Min ...
. Next to the full-time MA courses, the London Film School offers a variety of short term workshops and professional development courses, as well as a PhD programme in Film by Practice in partnership with the
University of Exeter The University of Exeter is a public university , public research university in Exeter, Devon, England, United Kingdom. Its predecessor institutions, St Luke's College, Exeter School of Science, Exeter School of Art, and the Camborne School of Min ...
.


Governance and Staff


Interim Director

*Peter Holliday


Governing Body

*Chair:
Greg Dyke Gregory Dyke (born 20 May 1947) is a British media executive, football administrator, journalist, and broadcaster. Since the 1960s, Dyke has had a long career in the UK in print and then broadcast journalism. He is credited with introducing ' ...
*Vice-Chair:
Amanda Nevill Amanda Elizabeth Nevill, (born 21 March 1957) is the former Chief Executive of the British Film Institute. Early life and education Nevill was born on 21 March 1957. She was educated in Yorkshire and Paris. Career Her first job, in 1976, was ...
CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...
*Governors: **Kemal Akhtar **Olivier Kaempfer **Nick Humby **Cindy Rampersaud **Joan Watson **Suzy Black **William Macpherson **Sophia Wellington, LFS Staff Governor **Gregory Randolph, LFS Student Governor


Key Academic Staff

*Femi Kolade – Head of Studies *Timo Heinänen FSC – Head of Camera *Candida Moriarty – Head of Production Design *Wojciech Wrzesniewski – Head of Sound *Peter Hollywood – Head of Editing *Sophia Wellington – Head of Screenwriting and MA Screenwriting Course Leader *Victoria Thomas - MA International Film Business Course Leader *Tiana Harper – MA Filmmaking Course Leader *Rafael Kapelinski – Term 1 Tutor and Module 1 Leader *
Jonas Grimås Jonas Grimås (born 7 August 1958) is a Swedish film and television director, based in London since 1988. He was educated at the ''Dramatiska Institutet'' in Stockholm, and then the Royal College of Art in London. In 1988 he won the BAFTA Film ...
- Term 2 Tutor *Nicola Gibson – Term 3 Tutor and Module 2 Leader *Giles Borg – Term 5 Tutor *Sue Austen – Term 6 Tutor and Module 3 Leader *
Richard Kwietniowski Richard Kwietniowski (born 17 March 1957) is an English film director and screenwriter of Polish descent. During the 1980s he was a film lecturer at Bulmershe College of Higher Education (now Bulmershe Court in Reading, Berkshire. He has dir ...
– Term 6 Tutor and Module 3 Leader *
Les Blair Leslie "Les" Blair (born 23 October 1941, Manchester, England) is a BAFTA winning television, film and theatre director. Gaining notoriety for his controversial mini-series ''Law And Order'' (shown in 1978 on BBC2), Blair has gone on to direc ...
– Emeritus Professor


Notable LFS alumni

The school's alumni include: *
Gavin MacFadyen Gavin Hall MacFadyen (né Galter; January 1, 1940 – October 22, 2016) was an American investigative journalist and documentary filmmaker. He was the director of the Centre for Investigative Journalism (CIJ) at Goldsmiths, University of London; ...
*
John Irvin John Irvin (born 7 May 1940) is an English film director. Born in Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland, he began his career by directing a number of documentaries and television works, including the BBC adaptation of John le Carré's ''Tinker Tai ...
* Ian Wilson
BSC A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University ...
*
Ross Devenish Ross Devenish (born 15 November 1939) is a South African film director. His 1980 film '' Marigolds in August'' was entered into the 30th Berlin International Film Festival, where it won the Berlin Bear Anniversary Prize. His 1977 feature film ...
*
Bill Douglas William Gerald Douglas (17 April 1934 – 18 June 1991) was a Scottish film director best known for the trilogy of films about his early life. Biography Born in Newcraighall on the outskirts of Edinburgh, he was brought up initially by his m ...
*
Tak Fujimoto Takashi "Tak" Fujimoto, ASC (born July 12, 1939) is an American cinematographer. Fujimoto was born in San Diego, California. He is of Japanese descent. During World War II, he was interned at the Poston War Relocation Center due to Executive Or ...
ASC *
Boaz Davidson Boaz Davidson ( he, בועז דוידזון, ; born 8 November 1943) is an Israeli film director, film producer, producer and screenwriter. He was born in Tel Aviv, Israel and studied film in London at London Film School. Biography Davidson was ...
*
Mark Forstater Mark Irwin Forstater (born 1943) is an American film and TV producer, author, audio producer, music producer and tech entrepreneur, notable for producing the classic comedy film '' Monty Python and the Holy Grail'' and the cult science fiction c ...
*
Harley Cokeliss Harley Cokeliss (born Harley Louis Cokliss, February 11, 1945) is an American director, writer and producer of film and television. Early life Originally brought up in Chicago, he moved to Britain in 1966 to study at the London Film School ...
*
Mohamed Khan Mohamed Hamed Hassan Khan ( ar, محمد حامد حسن خان ; 26 October 1942 – 26 July 2016) was an Egyptian film director, screenwriter, and actor. He was a pivotal member of the "1980s generation" in Egyptian cinema, along with director ...
*
Mike Leigh Mike Leigh (born 20 February 1943) is an English film and theatre director, screenwriter and playwright. He studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) and further at the Camberwell School of Art, the Central School of Art and Design ...
*
Les Blair Leslie "Les" Blair (born 23 October 1941, Manchester, England) is a BAFTA winning television, film and theatre director. Gaining notoriety for his controversial mini-series ''Law And Order'' (shown in 1978 on BBC2), Blair has gone on to direc ...
*
Michael Mann Michael Kenneth Mann (born February 5, 1943) is an American director, screenwriter, and producer of film and television who is best known for his distinctive style of crime drama. His most acclaimed works include the films ''Thief'' (1981), ' ...
*
Franc Roddam Francis George "Franc" Roddam (born 29 April 1946) is an English film director, businessman, screenwriter, television producer and publisher, best known as the creator of '' Auf Wiedersehen, Pet'' and the director of ''Quadrophenia'' (1979). He i ...
*
Eduardo Guedes Eduardo Luis Santos Correia Guedes (21 April 1941 – 29 August 2000) was a Portuguese film-maker involved with the independent British film collective Cinema Action. Guedes was born in Lisbon, the son of a judge, and initially studied chemical ...
*
George P. Cosmatos George Pan Cosmatos (4 January 1941 – 19 April 2005) was a Greek-Italian film director and screenwriter. Following early success in his home country with drama films such as ''Massacre in Rome'' with Richard Burton (based on the real-life Arde ...
*
Jins Shamsuddin Mohamed Zain "Jins" Shamsudin ( Jawi: محمد زين بن شمس الدين; born 5 November 1935 – 1 March 2017) was a Malaysian film actor, director, politician, writer and producer. Early life and film career Mohamed Jin was born in Tai ...
*
Don Boyd Donald William Robertson Boyd (born 11 August 1948 in Nairn, Scotland) is a Scottish film director, producer, screenwriter and novelist. He was a Governor of the London Film School until 2016 and in 2017 was made an Honorary Professor in the Col ...
* Roger Pratt
BSC A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University ...
*
Nii Kwate Owoo Nii Kwate Owoo (born 1944) is a Ghanaian academic and filmmaker, described by ''Variety'' as "one of the first Ghanaians to lense in 35mm". His name has also appeared in film credits as Kwate Nee-Owoo. Background Owoo was educated at Mfantsipim ...
* Iain Smith *
Gale Tattersall Gale Tattersall (born 1948) is a British filmmaker, cinematographer and founder of the HDD SLR Workshops in Santa Monica, California. He was the cinematographer for such movies as '' The Commitments'' and ''Tank Girl'' and the director of photo ...
*
Iain Sinclair Iain Sinclair FRSL (born 11 June 1943) is a writer and filmmaker. Much of his work is rooted in London, recently within the influences of psychogeography. Biography Education Sinclair was born in Cardiff in 1943. From 1956 to 1961, he was educate ...
*
Horace Ove Quintus Horatius Flaccus (; 8 December 65 – 27 November 8 BC), known in the English-speaking world as Horace (), was the leading Roman lyric poet during the time of Augustus (also known as Octavian). The rhetorician Quintilian regarded his ' ...
*
Manousos Manousakis Manousos Manousakis ( el, Μανούσος ΜανουσάκηςΜανουσάκης, Albanian: Manush Manushaqja) is a well-known Greek director, producer, writer and actor. He was born in Athens, Greece on 14 January 1950. He studied at the Lon ...
*
Mark Goldblatt Mark Goldblatt is an Academy Award nominated American film editor and film director and president emeritus of the American Cinema Editors. Brooklyn born Goldblatt studied at the University of Wisconsin and London Film School, where his instru ...
*
Alessandro Di Robilant Alessandro Di Robilant (born 23 October 1953) is an Italian film director and screenwriter. He has directed eleven films since 1985. His 1994 film '' Law of Courage'' was entered into the 44th Berlin International Film Festival where it won the ...
*
Tunde Kelani Tunde Kelani (born 26 February 1948), popularly known as TK, is a Nigerian filmmaker. In a career spanning more than four decades, TK specialises in producing movies that promote Nigeria's rich cultural heritage and have a root in documentation ...
*
Luis Mandoki Luis Mandoki (born August 17, 1954) is a Mexican film director working in Mexico and Cinema of the United States, Hollywood. Luis Mandoki studied Fine Arts in Mexico and at the San Francisco Art Institute, the London College of Printing, and th ...
*
Menelik Shabazz Menelik Shabazz (30 May 1954 – 28 June 2021) was a Barbados-born British film director, producer, educator, and writer, acknowledged as a pioneer in the development of independent Black British cinema, having been at the forefront of contempor ...
* Miguel Pereira *
Dominique Othenin-Girard Dominique Othenin-Girard (born 13 February 1958) is a Swiss-French film director, producer and screenwriter. He is known for films such as '' Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers'', '' The Crusaders'' and '' After Darkness'' which was no ...
* Alessandro Jacchia *
Ueli Steiger Ulrich ”Ueli” Steiger (born 5 August 1954 in Zürich, Switzerland) is a Swiss cinematographer. He studied English and art history at the University of Zurich and entered the London Film School. After freelancing as Camera assistant and Docum ...
ASC *
Yorgos Mavropsaridis Yorgos Mavropsaridis ( el, Γιώργος Μαυροψαρίδης, Giorgos Mavropsaridis; born 21 November 1954) is a Greek film editor. He is well known for his collaborations with Yorgos Lanthimos, having edited all his films to date. He is a ...
*
Ann Hui Ann Hui On-wah, (; born 23 May 1947) is a film director, producer, screenwriter and actress from Hong Kong who is one of the most critically acclaimed filmmakers of the Hong Kong New Wave. She is known for her films about social issues in Ho ...
* Robert Leighton *
Danny Huston Daniel Sallis Huston (born May 14, 1962) is an Italian-born American actor and film director. A member of the Huston family of filmmakers, he is the son of director John Huston and the half-brother of actress Anjelica Huston. He is known for h ...
*
Shimako Sato Shimako (written: 嗣麻子, 志摩子 or 志摩子) is a feminine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: *, Japanese playwright *, Japanese writer, tarento and pornographic director *, Japanese screenwriter and film director ...
* Brad Anderson * Affonso Gonçalves *
Kamran Qureshi Kamran Qureshi (born 3 October 1975) is a filmmaker and television director/producer. He won Best Telefilm & Best Director Award for his first ever directed TV film Murad (a.k.a. Eunuch's Motherhood) with a cash prize in Indus Telefilm Festiva ...
* John Walsh *
Elliot Hegarty Elliot Hegarty is a film and television director working in Britain and the United States. His film and TV credits include Ted Lasso starring Jason Sudeikis for Apple TV which won 7 Emmys in 2021, the highly-acclaimed Cheaters for BBC1, two fil ...
*
Newton Aduaka Newton I. Aduaka (born 1966) is an England-based, Nigerian-born filmmaker, winner of Best Director at the Pan African Film Festival. Filmography Short films * ''Voices Behind the Wall'' (1990) * ''Carnival of Silence'' (1994) * ''On the Edge'' ( ...
*
Duncan Jones Duncan Zowie Haywood Jones (born 30 May 1971) is a British film director, film producer and screenwriter. He is best known for directing the films ''Moon'' (2009), ''Source Code'' (2011), ''Warcraft'' (2016), and ''Mute'' (2018). For ''Moon'', ...
*
Ishaya Bako Ishaya Bako (born 30 December 1986) is a Nigerian film director and screenwriter. Early life He was born in Kaduna, where he lived all his life and later moved to London, where he studied at the London Film School. Career After attending th ...
* Babak Jalali *
Ginevra Elkann Ginevra Elkann (born 24 September 1979) is a London-born Italian film producer and director. She is a member of the Agnelli family and granddaughter of Italian industrialist Gianni Agnelli. Early life Elkann was born in London,
*
Camilla Stroem Henriksen Camilla may refer to: People * Camilla (given name), including a list of people with the name ** Camilla, Queen Consort (born 1947), wife of King Charles III Places * Camilla, Georgia, a city in the United States * Camilla Castle, an alternativ ...
*
Anu Menon Anu Menon is an Indian film director and screenwriter. She has directed movies such as ''London, Paris, New York'' (2012), ''Waiting'' (2016) and worked with non-mainstream actors like Naseeruddin Shah, Suhasini Maniratnam and Kalki Koechlin. ...
* Anjali Menon *
Ali F. Mostafa Ali F. Mostafa (born Ali Faisal Mostafa Bin Abdullatif on 25 September 1981) is a British- Emirati filmmaker, director and producer who is credited as the director of the first Emirati feature-film '' City of Life'' (2009). He is a graduate of L ...
*
Charlotte Colbert Charlotte Colbert is a Franco-British film director and a moving image and multi-media artist. Early life Born on the 30th of May 1987, she is one of the eight children of James Goldsmith the businessman who died in 1997. Her mother is the F ...
*
Simón Mesa Soto Simón Mesa Soto, is a Colombian film director and screenwriter known for his short films '' Leidi'' and '' Madre'', and his first feature film '' Amparo'', which had its premiere at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival. Early years Simón Mesa Sot ...
*
Benjamin Cleary Benjamin Cleary is an Irish writer, director and producer from Dublin. He is best known for his short-film ''Stutterer (film), Stutterer'' that earned him an Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film at the 88th Academy Awards with producers ...
*
Carla Simón Carla Simón Pipó (born 22 December 1986) is a Spanish film director. Both her 2017 debut feature ''Summer 1993'' () and her second feature, ''Alcarràs (film), Alcarràs'' (which won the Golden Bear at the 72nd Berlin International Film Festiva ...


Honorary Associates

Every year, at London Film School's Annual Showcase, the school awards an Honorary Associateship to one or more commended filmmakers. Previous recipients of this award are: *
Gillian Anderson Gillian Leigh Anderson ( ; born August 9, 1968) is an American actress. Her credits include the roles of FBI Special Agent Dana Scully in the series ''The X-Files'', ill-fated socialite Lily Bart in Terence Davies's film ''The House of Mirth'' ...
*
Amma Asante Amma Asante (born 13 September 1969) is a British filmmaker, screenwriter, former actress, and Chancellor at Norwich University of the Arts, who was born in London to parents from Ghana. Her love for the film industry started when she received ...
*
Jim Broadbent James Broadbent (born 24 May 1949) is an English actor. He won an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award for his supporting role as John Bayley in the feature film ''Iris'' (2001), as well as winning a BAFTA TV Award and a Golden Globe for hi ...
*
Mike Figgis Michael Figgis (born 28 February 1948) is an English film director, screenwriter, and composer. He was nominated for two Academy Awards for his work in ''Leaving Las Vegas'' (1995). Figgis was the founding patron of the independent filmmakers o ...
*
Stephen Frears Stephen Arthur Frears (born 20 June 1941) is an English director and producer of film and television often depicting real life stories as well as projects that explore social class through sharply drawn characters. He's received numerous accola ...
*
Abbas Kiarostami Abbas Kiarostami ( fa, عباس کیارستمی ; 22 June 1940 – 4 July 2016) was an Iranian film director, screenwriter, poet, photographer, and film producer. An active filmmaker from 1970, Kiarostami had been involved in the production of ...
*
Ken Loach Kenneth Charles Loach (born 17 June 1936) is a British film director and screenwriter. His socially critical directing style and socialist ideals are evident in his film treatment of social issues such as poverty (''Poor Cow'', 1967), homelessne ...
*
Pawel Pawlikowski Pavel ( Bulgarian, Russian, Serbian and Macedonian: Павел, Czech, Slovene, Romanian: Pavel, Polish: Paweł, Ukrainian: Павло, Pavlo) is a male given name. It is a Slavic cognate of the name Paul (derived from the Greek Pavlos). Pavel ...
*
Lynne Ramsay Lynne Ramsay (born 5 December 1969) is a Scottish film director, writer, producer, and cinematographer best known for the feature films '' Ratcatcher'' (1999), ''Morvern Callar'' (2002), '' We Need to Talk About Kevin'' (2011), and '' You Were N ...
*
Jeremy Thomas Jeremy Jack Thomas, CBE (born 26 July 1949) is a British film producer, founder and chairman of Recorded Picture Company. He produced Bernardo Bertolucci's ''The Last Emperor'', which won the 1988 Academy Award for Best Picture. In 2006 he rece ...
*
Richard Linklater Richard Stuart Linklater (; born July 30, 1960) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. He is known for films that revolve mainly around suburban culture and the effects of the passage of time. His films include the comedies '' ...
* Philip Davis *
Ralph Fiennes Ralph Nathaniel Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes ( ; born 22 December 1962) is an English actor, film producer, and director. A Shakespeare interpreter, he excelled onstage at the Royal National Theatre before having further success at the Royal Shak ...
*
Philip French Philip Neville French Order of the British Empire, OBE (28 August 1933 – 27 October 2015) was an English film critic and radio producer. French began his career in journalism in the late 1950s, before eventually becoming a BBC Radio prod ...
*
William Friedkin William "Billy" Friedkin (born August 29, 1935)Biskind, p. 200. is an American film and television director, producer and screenwriter closely identified with the "New Hollywood" movement of the 1970s. Beginning his career in documentaries in t ...
*
Jack Gold Jacob M. "Jack" Gold (28 June 1930 – 9 August 2015) was a British film and television director. He was part of the Kitchen sink realism, British realist tradition which followed the Free Cinema movement. Career Jacob M. Gold was born in ...
*
Christine Langan Christine Langan (born January 1965) is an English film producer who was appointed Head of BBC Films in 2009. In 2016, she left the role to become CEO of comedy television production company Baby Cow Productions. After graduating from Universi ...
*
Richard Lester Richard Lester Liebman (born January 19, 1932) is an American retired film director based in the United Kingdom. He is best known for directing the Beatles' films '' A Hard Day's Night'' (1964) and ''Help!'' (1965), and the superhero films ''S ...
*
Samantha Morton Samantha Jane Morton (born 13 May 1977) is an English actress and director. Known for her work in independent cinema, she is the recipient of numerous accolades, including a BAFTA Award and a Golden Globe Award, as well as nominations for tw ...
*
Tessa Ross Tessa Sarah Ross CBE (born 1961) is an English film producer and executive. She was appointed Head of Film at Channel 4 in 2000 and ran Film4 and Film4 Productions from 2002 to 2014. Ross was appointed to the Board of the Royal National Theatre ...
*
Rita Tushingham Rita Tushingham (born 14 March 1942) is an English actress. She is known for her starring roles in films including ''A Taste of Honey'' (1961), ''The Leather Boys'' (1964), '' The Knack ...and How to Get It'' (1965), ''Doctor Zhivago'' (1965), ...
*
Walter Murch Walter Scott Murch (born July 12, 1943) is an American film editor, director, writer and sound designer. With a career stretching back to 1969, including work on ''THX 1138'', ''Apocalypse Now'', '' The Godfather I'', '' II'', and '' III'', ''Ame ...
*
Asif Kapadia Asif Kapadia (born 1972) is a British filmmaker. Academy Award, BAFTA and Grammy winning director Asif Kapadia has made his name directing visually striking films exploring ‘outsiders’, characters living in extreme circumstances, fighting ...
*
Les Blair Leslie "Les" Blair (born 23 October 1941, Manchester, England) is a BAFTA winning television, film and theatre director. Gaining notoriety for his controversial mini-series ''Law And Order'' (shown in 1978 on BBC2), Blair has gone on to direc ...
*
Gurinder Chadha Gurinder Chadha, (born 10 January 1960) is a British film director of Indian origin. Most of her films explore the lives of Indians living in England. The common theme among her work showcases the trials of Indian women living in the UK and ho ...
*
Alan Parker Sir Alan William Parker (14 February 1944 – 31 July 2020) was an English filmmaker. His early career, beginning in his late teens, was spent as a copywriter and director of television advertisements. After about ten years of filming adverts ...
*
Kasi Lemmons Kasi Lemmons (; born Karen Lemmons, February 24, 1961) is an American film director, screenwriter, and actress. She made her directorial debut with ''Eve's Bayou'' (1997), followed by '' Talk to Me'' (2007), ''Black Nativity'' (2013), '' Harriet ...
*
Marianne Jean-Baptiste Marianne Raigipcien Jean-Baptiste (born 26 April 1967) is an English actress. She is known for her role in the 1996 comedy-drama film '' Secrets & Lies'', for which she received acclaim and earned nominations for the Academy Award for Best Sup ...


References


External links


Official websiteLondon Film School 50th Anniversary Website
*Alice Jones

''The Independent'', 28 May 2006.
"More than just a way into the reel thing"
''Times Higher Education'', 23 June 2006. *Nick Roddick
"The London Film School conquers the world"
''London Evening Standard'', 24 July 2009. *Hollywood Reporter Top International Film Schools 2021

{{Coord, 51.5135, -0.1257, type:edu_region:GB-WSM, display=title Film schools in England Educational institutions established in 1956 1956 establishments in England Grade II listed buildings in the City of Westminster