High-flying film graduates scoop National Student Film Award
A talented team of film graduates from the University of Chichester are celebrating being first past the post in national awards for their dissertation short film, ‘Horse’. The tale of two brothers competing for success in a chess tournament picked up the top prize for Best Design in the NAHEMI Student Film Awards 2024 this week.
After many years of tension, brothers Edward and Oliver are reunited when they must compete against each other in a national tournament. But they are forced to decide, is their father’s legacy more important than their brotherly bond?
Directed and written by Oliver Woolridge and produced by Amelia Sully, ‘Horse’ is one of a number of short films production company F11 Studio Films has created since the creative team met during their time at university. The 12-minute short was also an Official Selection at the 2024 Chichester International Film Festival and is listed on IMDB and Letterboxd. The film was nominated for the NAHEMI Student Film Awards by their lecturer Darren Mapletoft, Head of Film at the University of Chichester.
Darren said: “Horse is a wonderful short film, and the tremendous effort put in by the F11 team is visible in every frame. The film has gained traction far beyond our expectations for a final major project, and Horse’s journey into the festival market is not only great exposure for our students, but helps raise the University’s profile for providing high quality film courses.”
Amelia Sully, the film’s producer added: “It feels great to win, it’s really nice to see everyone’s hard work come together. It brings us a sense of joy, especially competing against film students from universities across the country.”
Filmed on location locally in Lordington and Walberton, the film was a real team effort with support from the local community and the university, which brought some old exam tables out of storage to help create the period feel of the piece. Production designer Rachel Everitt worked hard to create the right look and feel for the film which is set in the 1980s and 90s. The production team also checked in with the Chess Association to make sure the depiction of a chess game was accurate.
The University of Chichester offers a number of exciting undergraduate degrees in film production, allowing future film-makers the chance to develop the creative and practical skills they need to succeed in digital filmmaking. For more information visit chi.ac.uk.
