The Media School

Film Festival success for BU graduate

23 September 2011

BU graduate takes first prize at film festival judged by the UK’s top film critic.

Emma Biggins, a graduate from the Media School at Bournemouth University, has won the Best Short Film category at this year’s New Forest Film Festival, as judged by the UK’s number one film critic, Dr. Mark Kermode.

Emma, a former MA Producing Film and Television student, was awarded the prize for her film ‘Rosie’, which she made as an extra-curricular activity during her first term here at BU.

The film tells the story of the eponymous young girl whose active imagination doesn’t fit in with the “boring, grey, normal world around her” and eventually gets her into trouble. Rosie is sent to a sinister Doctor specialising in crushing the imaginations of children, and they enter “a battle of wills”.

Upon winning the award Emma said: “It was a real surprise as there were some great short listed films. In particular I was thrilled that it had been judged and selected by Dr. Mark Kermode who is the founder of the festival.”

She also cited her time at the Media School as being a key factor in enabling her to make the film, saying it was the perfect place to network with other students.

Emma was not the only BU graduate to be shortlisted for the award. Former Media School students Ollie Milburn and Paddy O’Sullivan were also nominated for their piece ‘Speechless’; a film made as part of their courses at BU.

In contrast to competing at this festival, Emma and Ollie have also collaborated on a full length feature film called ‘Harsh Light of Day’.

The film is being released in cinemas in early 2012 and has caught the imagination of Dr. Kermode, who told Emma he was already looking forward to reviewing it.