London, 13th October: The National Film and Television School (NFTS) has teamed up with leading fashion retailer, Jigsaw to launch a filmmaking project as part of its ‘Bridges to Industry’ programme, which is designed to help students get ahead in the creative industries.
NFTS students and graduates were given the opportunity to create a short film that ‘celebrates, educates and elevates’ fashion brand Jigsaw’s commitment to product creation, craft and design.
The four short films premiered on Wednesday 12th October at Jigsaw’s Duke Street Emporium store at an exclusive in-store launch event and the winning film, Teach a Man to Fish, is to be shown at selected Everyman cinemas from mid-October. The films are available to view on Jigsaw’s online hub today and there will be in-store screenings over the weekend to coincide with Jigsaw’s Autumn Winter 16 collection, which is inspired by two dimensional and three dimensional views, expressed through the lens of a photographer’s camera and the hands of a sculptor.
About the films:
Teach a Man to Fish– Director, Tom Day; Producer Ian Packard; Cinematographer, Daniel Atherton
In a highly unusual scenario a fashionable greenhorn (newest crewman on the fishing boat) has found his way to a crab fishing trawler on the English coast. The boat’s crew are losing the will to continue their work in a fading fishing industry. Predictably at first, the fashionable addition to the boat doesn’t fit in, but his work ethic is strong. As the greenhorn learns from the crew, the crew’s attitude and luck starts to change too…
Ian Packard, Producer: “This was arguably one of the most ambitious projects we have ever tried to pull off. It’s a testament to the NFTS alumni who helped us with this project; everyone had a great approach to fight the elements, the waves and the lack of working space on the boat to get what we needed.”
The Fabric of our Lives - Director/Producer, Grace Harper-Brighouse; Co-director/Producers Anna Snowball and Eleanor Mortimer
Poignant short documentaries exploring the emotional connections we have with our clothes, and the memories they can evoke. Real Jigsaw customers tell personal stories of love and loss, recreating moments captured in old photographs.
Time is Forever - Co-Screenwriter/ Co-Director, Joasia Goldyn and Edurne Bargueno; Producer, Khaled Gad
Atmospheric comedy - Dr White runs a therapy session to help a group of fashionista vampires understand the value of timelessness and quality.
The One and Only - Director, Weronika Tofilska; Producer, Natalia Guarín; Cinematographer Krzysztof Trojnar
Hannah and Olivia, Lily and Alice, Sophie and Eloise are identical twins, but although on the first glance the sisters can be hard to tell from one another, in fact there is nothing identical about them. The more you get to know them, the more you realise how uniquely different they are. In the series of simple documentary portraits we hear them talking about the unique bond they share and how through years they found their individual taste and style.
Peter Ruis, CEO, Jigsaw: “We are extremely excited to work with students from a film school as prestigious as the NFTS. At Jigsaw, we fully embrace design and craftsmanship as part of our Creator’s Project and this scheme is a natural extension of that. We challenged the students to bring the truth behind Jigsaw to life through their storytelling abilities and we couldn’t be more pleased with the results.“
Says Nik Powell, NFTS director: “We are very proud of our Bridges to Industry programme, which is a key part of our focus on giving students the tools to be successful in the industry once they leave the school. Jigsaw as an iconic British brand is an excellent partner for us and the students loved working on the project. We think the films speak for themselves and really nail the brief set by Jigsaw.”
For more information and to watch the films, please visit www.jigsaw-online.com/nfts and to apply to the National Film and Television School, please visit www.nfts.co.uk
ENDS
Press contacts:
National Film and Television School: Vicky Hewlett - vhewlett:nfts.co.uk / 01494 731403
Jigsaw: Louise Worrell - louise.worrell@jigsaw-uk.co.uk / 020 7042 2777
About Jigsaw
Jigsaw is a contemporary British fashion brand founded in 1972, creating beautiful and timeless clothes and accessories for women, men and children. We believe in Style & Truth; that everyone should feel empowered to embrace their own true style.
About The National Film and Television School
The NFTS is one of the world's leading film, games and television schools. It has been cited by some media as one of the top five film schools globally and by one as the No.1 international film school. In 1967, the government recommended the creation of a national film school for the UK and in 1971 the National Film School opened its doors for the first time focussing on postgraduate education. In the 1980s, the school officially changed its name to the National Film and Television School to incorporate the demand for courses in television production and has since added games to its remit.
NFTS prides itself on producing world-class, award-winning industry leaders. It has more Student Academy Awards (Foreign Category) than any other film school. NFTS students and graduates also regularly win BAFTAs and have won the short film category for the last three years. Other prestigious accolades include the Grierson Award for Best Student Documentary, which NFTS students have won for the last three years as well as multiple Royal Television Society student awards and Annecy Animation Awards. NFTS graduates have gone on to win seven Oscars and 100 BAFTAs with alumni including cinematographer, Roger Deakins (12 times Oscar nominee); BAFTA winning director, David Yates, (best known for directing the Harry Potter films); Oscar winning animator Nick Park (creator of Wallace & Gromit) and Oscar winning composer Dario Marianelli among others. The NFTS is a registered charity (313429). For more information see www.nfts.co.uk
