Students nominated for RTS Award

Two Staffordshire University students from the BA (Hons) Media (Film) Production course have been nominated for prizes in the Royal Television Society Midlands Awards, which take place this Thursday (29th October).

Mère (above) by Richard Turner has been nominated in the Best Fiction Category. Drawn from Richard’s own experiences, the film pays homage to filmmakers such as Gabrielle Russell, Brian Percival and Gary Oldman. The film is a 'socio-realist' drama that explores the tensions involved in dealing with the burden of a dependent mother.

Richard says of the film: ‘I feel the simplicity of the film is the reason why it has been noticed by the RTS, as it's a deceptively simple narrative. It's one location, two characters, and two lines of dialogue: but it’s still a powerful little film.’ Mère has already been shown at the BFI Southbank, Birmingham Crescent Theatre, and Bristol’s Arnolfini; and is still to appear at several other festivals around the country.  

Lucy Naden’s Pests (right) has also been nominated; in the Best Factual Category. Inspired by the contradiction posed by an article on how to destroy slugs in the BBC Wildlife Magazine; it is the story of the day in the life of a slug, and its struggle for survival.

Module tutor Dan Hopkins has said of the piece: “Filmed in stunning high definition Lucy’s film is a pleasure to watch. It transports you to another world and also makes you appreciate the beauty of the slug; a much revered creature.”

Watch Pests and other films by Lucy Naden at Youtube

November is a busy season for the Media (Film) Production students, with several nominations at different film festivals and award ceremonies around the country including Exposures Film Festival, Encounters and Fresh Film Festival.