An incredible three NFTS graduation films – Perched, Sweet Maddie Stone and Tête-à-Tête - have been selected from over 1500 films to reach the semi-final stage of the Student Academy Awards. The awards presentation takes place on Thursday October 12th at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.
Tête-à-Tête (animation): Directed, written and designed by Natasha Tonkin and produced by Rae Erlingsdóttir (full credits below).
Synopsis: A young woman visits her family. Over the weekend tensions flare, whilst technology provides an easy respite. As Kerri's gaze shifts from the screen, she discovers a deeper kind of connection.
Tête-à-Tête has also been selected for Annecy, Anima Mundi, International Animation Film Festival and Supertoon, and was shortlisted for the BAFTA International Student Film Awards.
The Team: Cinematographer, Donna Wade; Editor, Fiona Brands; Production Manager, Daniella Rice; Sound Designer & Re-recording Mixer, Sashko Potter Micevski; Compositor, Colourist and Online Editor, David Sheldon.
Perched (animation): Directed by Liam Harris and produced by Elina Litvinova (full credits below).
Synopsis: Hamish Fint, a crotchety old man used to a life of seclusion inside his submarine balanced precariously atop a mountain, struggles to maintain equilibrium when an unwelcome visiting seagull rocks his world.
Perched has won multiple awards including ‘Best Animation’ at London Indie Fest and the ‘GFA Jury Award’ at the US Hollywood Int’l Film Festival.
The Team: Writers, Nathaniel Price, Eoin Patrick Doran; Cinematographer, Dan Atherton; Production Designer, Jan Gronczewski; Production Manager, Paul Smith; Editor, Sian Clarke; VFX Lead Compositor, Victor Almela; VG Lead Artist, Stevie Gill; Sound Editor & Re-recording Mixer, Payam Hosseinian; Composure, Victor Hugo Fumagalli; Online Editor & Colour Grader, Carl Thompson.
Sweet Maddie Stone (Fiction): Directed and co-written by Brady Hood, produced by Jake Riley-Hunte and co-written by Jessica Jackson (full credits below):
Synopsis: 15-year-old Maddie Stone rules her school yard under the protection of her family name. But after discovering her notorious father has been arrested, she has to make his bail money or lose the yard. The more Maddie fights, the more her world spirals out of control – and the closer she gets to becoming the man she’s trying to save.
Sweet Maddie Stone has won a number of awards including ‘British/ Irish Short Film of the Year’ at the London Critics Circle Film Awards.
The Team: Cinematographer, Dan Atherton; Production Designer, Declan O’Brien; production Manager, Grace heath; Production Co-ordinator, Simone Tomasi; Production Assistant, Scott Eggleholfer; 3rd Assistant Director, Anna Bennett-Squire; Editor, Meredith Mantik; Production Sound Mixer, Richard Eastick Esq; Boom Operators, Simon Richert, Tom Osborn; Composer, Tim Morrish; Compositor, Victor Almela; Sound Editor & Re-recording Mixer, Payam Hosseinian; Online Editor & Colour Grader, Carl Thompson.
If you would like to follow in our filmmakers footsteps, applications are open for a range of MA and Diploma courses for a January 2018 start including an MA in Digital Effects, Television Entertainment and Production Technology - more information on how to apply here.
