th 7th --10 7th 10th March March 2019 2019 AA weekend weekend of of talks, talks, screenings screenings and and panel panel discussions. discussions
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years years of of watersprite. watersprite
Watersprite Student Film Festival
0 1 -1 1.
12- 15.
16- 27.
5. Welcome from the Festival Director
14. NAHEMI Screening
18. Screening: Silence
15. Screening of Woman at War
19. Visual Effects
6/7. Watersprite Committee
20. ARRI Challenge
8/9. Sponsors
21. Horror
10. Festival Map
22. Screening: Political Visions
11. Festival Hub
23. Next Steps 24. Intercultural Filmmaking 25. Screening: Women of Watersprite
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Friday.
Thursday.
Events.
Intro.
26. David Yates and Evanna Lynch
2 8 -3 9.
4 0- 4 3.
44- 73.
74- 76.
30. Screening: Peculiar
42. Winners’ Screening
46/47. Awards and Prizes
74/75. 10 Years of Watersprite
48-73. Nominated Films
76. Thank you from the Festival Chairman
31. Virtual Reality
43. Sunday Keynote
32. Screening: Out of Sight 33. Filming with NGOs 34. Industry Speed Dating 35. Screening: Disconnect 36. Women in Filmmaking 37. Where are they now? 38. BAFTA Breakthrough Brits
Thank you.
Nominees.
Sunday.
Saturday.
39. Awards Ceremony
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W E LC O ME
FR O M T H E F E S T I VA L D I R ECTO R
Watersprite has grown an enormous amount since it was founded ten years ago. This year we have extended our reach to 100 countries, received 1000 films and planned our biggest festival yet. But one thing that has remained the same is the original intention underpinning the festival: to support and reward emerging filmmakers irrespective of their backgrounds, and make their films – and our events – accessible to a wider public. It is partly the festival’s continued commitment to this early goal that has enabled it to keep growing, and it is this original objective which continues to make Watersprite special. The festival owes a lot to the people who saw, and continue to see, value in Watersprite’s aims. It is particularly rewarding to see Watersprite gradually building on its own history, as we welcome back people who contributed to creating the festival and putting it on the map in its early years. David Yates, who first spoke at Watersprite in 2012, is returning this year joined in conversation with Evanna Lynch, and we are hosting the filmmakers behind Watersprite’s very first Film of the Year: Who’s Afraid of the Water Sprite?, who are back to share what they have learnt from their first decade as professionals in the industry. This year, Watersprite also coincides with International Women’s Day, which gives us a good opportunity to reflect on how the festival could better achieve its original aim. We are proud to be highlighting and supporting female filmmakers with a focused screening, event and kindly sponsored prize, by Nidhi Gupta of Busy Doctors. Watersprite’s ability to offer support and opportunities to the filmmakers of the future is only possible because of its sponsors: thank you so much for your generosity. Thank you too to the speakers who give up their time and energy to come and talk at the festival. Thank you to the festival’s Steering Committee, in particular our Festival Producer, Bernadette Schramm, and Festival Chair, Hilary Bevan Jones, who work incredibly hard, offer so much support and from whom I have learnt so much. Finally, thank you to the 40-strong Student Committee for the hundreds of hours that they have put in. It would be difficult to find a more challenging, time-consuming yet rewarding extracurricular activity, and I am in awe of what you manage to make happen. Welcome to Watersprite, I hope you enjoy the weekend as much as we have enjoyed preparing it.
Miriam Hymer. Festival Director
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S T UD E NT COMMITTEE
AWARDS TEAM
Oliver Wilson-Nunn HEAD OF AWARDS
Aaron Kilercioglu Alicia Lethbridge Cameron Brown Jessica Binks Martha Crass Sarika Datta Solomia Dzhu
EVENTS TEAM
Kendal Karaduman HEAD OF EVENTS
Carlotta Wright Cathleen Murray Emily Claytor Fola Amuludun Ieuan Walker James MacLeod Katie Guest Lea Happ Maya Yousif Uma Ramachandran
MARKETING TEAM
FILMING TEAM
HEAD OF MARKETING
HEAD OF FILMING
Paula Struthoff Jenny Coates David Vickers Willa Prest Rob Eager Isabel Brooks James Dickinson Orla Horan Catherine Tran Faye Metcalfe
Cara Tomlinson Natalia Rogowska HEAD OF FILMING
Miriam Hymer
Alannah Lewis
F E S T IVA L DIRE C TOR
SECR ETARY AND H E A D O F V O U LU N TE E RS
Gian Hayer
Liz Orrin
S E C R E TARY AN D TRE ASU RER
HEAD OF BUSINESS D E V E LO P M E N T
S TEER I NG COM M ITTEE Hilary Bevan Jones F E ST I VAL C H AI RMAN
Bernadette Schramm F E ST I VAL PRO D U C E R
Anne Morrison F E ST I VAL T RU ST E E
PARTNERSHIPS TEAM Diego Aparicio
CO-DIRECTOR OF PARTNERSHIPS
Sandra del Valle Casals CO-DIRECTOR OF PARTNERSHIPS
Elliott Wright Emily Mason Meg Freeman
Brian Woods
F E ST I VAL T RU ST E E
James Baker F E ST I VAL T RU ST E E
Helen Simmons E V E N T S C O N SU LTAN T
Marianne Styger ST RAT E G Y C O N SU LTAN T
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THA N K Y O U
T O O UR SP O N S O R S
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TH E F E S T IVAL MAP - CAM B R I DGE, UK 1.
Old Divinity School, St. John’s College, All Saints Passage, CB2 1TP
2. The Guildhall, Market Square, CB2 3QJ 3. Cambridge Arts Picturehouse, 38-39 St Andrew’s St, CB2 3AR 4. University Arms Hotel, Regent St, CB2 1AD
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T H E F E S T IVAL HUB The Watersprite Festival Hub is located in St John’s Old Divinity School, and is the heart of the festival throughout the weekend. Come to the Hub to relax between events and screenings, talk to some of our committee members (you can spot them by their Watersprite jumpers!) and learn about what is going on at Watersprite this year as well as the festival’s last ten years. This year the Hub will also feature the Wild Immersion Virtual Reality Experience! Wild Immersion, endorsed by Dame Jane Goodall, is the company behind the world’s first virtual reserves, which aim to raise awareness for the urgent need for global wildlife conservation. Try on one of their VR headsets and be plunged into a 360° experience of nature. Find yourself standing in front of a lion, underneath a giraffe and flying with flamingos! Don’t miss the opportunity to hear Wild Immersion’s Marie Polo speak about the ways in which film and technology can be used to promote environmental conservation on Saturday 9th at 11am.
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THURSDAY EVENTS We are delighted to be kicking off this year’s festival with a collaboration between Watersprite and the NAHEMI film schools, with a three-part screening of their best short films from the last year, followed by networking drinks. Then join us at 6pm in the Arts Picturehouse for our Opening Preview Screening of the environmentalist drama, Woman at War.
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Eat Our Shorts Screening. in collaboration with the NAHEMI schools
TH U R SD AY 10:3 0 - 1 6:3 0 @OLD DIVINITY SCH OOL
Eat Our Shorts is NAHEMI’s annual festival of student films, a celebration of emerging UK talent. It brings together students and staff from Higher Education courses from across the country working in the moving image, to screen their films and discuss current issues of contemporary film production and the future of the creative industries. Watersprite is delighted to be collaborating with NAHEMI to bring you the sixteenth EOS screening: an exciting and dynamic programme of work represented by twenty one NAHEMI member institutions. Join us for one or all of the different screening sessions: Screening 1: 10:30 - 12:00 Screening 2: 1:00 - 2:30 Sccreening 3: 3:00 - 4:30 Followed by a networking drinks reception for screening attendees, nominees, sponsors and friends of the festival.
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Opening Preview Screening:
Woman At War | Dir. Benedikt Erlingsson
THURSDAY 18: 00- 20: 00 @ARTS PICTUREHOUSE
We are delighted to be hosting a special preview screening of the multi award-winning environmentalist drama, Woman at War! The film centres a middle-aged environmental activist whose crusade is abruptly changed when an orphaned child unexpectedly comes into her life. Woman at War has been screened at the Cannes Film Festival where it won the SACD award and also received the European Parliament’s LUX prize for its provocation of European public debate. This advanced screening of this daring new film is the perfect way to begin what promises to be a very special edition of the Watersprite International Student Film Festival. This is a ticketed screening - tickets available on the Cambridge Arts Picturehouse website.
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FRIDAY EVENTS Watersprite 2019’s second day is a packed timetable of nominated film screenings, interactive competitions, and speaker events, all culminating with our Friday Keynote featuring David Yates and Evanna Lynch.
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Nominated Film Screening and Q+A: Silence FR I D AY 12: 00 - 1 3:3 0 @ARTS PICTUREHOUSE
Join us for the first free screening of Watersprite 2019’s nominated short films followed by a Q+A with the filmmakers. The theme of this screening is ‘Silence’: characters in these films, under the pressure of others or for their own safety, remain silent. CN: some of these films deal directly with the topics of sexual assault and abortion and contain scenes of violence. Where Dreams Rest (USA, 16’): In this poetic, impressionistic coming-of-age film, Ah Wei, a young woman from rural China, decides to cross the US-Mexico border to reunite with her husband in the United States. She soon realises that her journey is not about the crossing, but about how her expectations of her life in the USA differ from the reality once she gets there. Nominated for Cinematography (Ante Cheng). Directed by Elaine Wong. Tomorrow Island (Argentina/Estonia, 16’): At the dawn of the Cold War, a young Soviet telegraphist makes a desperate attempt to save her American lover from being stranded in the Russian side of the Bering Strait after receiving a border closure message. Nominated for: Performance (Daryna Butryk), Screenplay (Ana Falcon). Directed by Gwenn Joyaux. Limbo (Myanmar, 5’): Limbo tells the powerful story of a 19-year-old woman who is raped at home in Kayin State by her uncle. Initially pressured by her uncle to remain silent and abort the child that resulted from the attack, she is still determined to obtain justice in order to bring up her young son in an equal society. Nominated for Documentary, Impact Award. Directed by Nwaye Zar Che Soe, Saw Eh Doh Poe, Nann Win May Aye. Sirayet (Turkey, 15’): The golds of Saddam, the last booties of the Iraqi war, are smuggled into Turkey hidden in cotton. Blind workers are used to pick the gold from the cotton. The smugglers try to prevent any possible thefts by telling the workers that it is rock they are picking from the cotton. They don’t know that there’s a seeing eye among the blind workers. Nominated for Fiction and Performance (Kemal Burak Alper). Directed by Nuri Cihan Özdoğan.
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Creating the Dragons: The Visual Effects of Game of Thrones. FRIDAY 12 :00 - 13: 00 @OLD DIVINITY SCHOOL
The academy award-winning TV and Film video effects (VFX) company Pixomondo are the masters behind the magic of many enormous productions, including Star Trek Into Darkness, Hugo and the fantasy sensation that is Game of Thrones. Speaker: Sabrina Christoforidis, Pixomondo’s Executive Producer and COO has worked on the HBO series since Season 2 and will be leading this event. Join us to hear Sabrina’s insight into the various creative stages of Game of Thrones’ VFX, and how its extraordinary creatures and spectacular sets are brought from the computer to our screens.
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ARRI Filming Challenge. FR I D AY 13: 00 - 1 4:0 0 @OLD DIVINITY SCHOOL
Watersprite is partnering with ARRI to run a very special filming challenge! We invite you to come and find out about the best cameras in the industry from the ARRI experts. To participate in the challenge you need to have signed up in advance but anyone is welcome to come to the talk. Teams get the opportunity to use an ARRI Alexa Mini. The DoP of the winning team will receive a place on the ARRI Lighting Academy. This is an incredible opportunity for any aspiring filmmaker to work with the best equipment in the business, flex their creativity and be part of Watersprite’s biggest festival to date!
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The emotional power of film and television can be a forceful political tool: fear can be used for more than simply terrorising audiences, but to induce social commentary on anything from the race relations explored in 2017’s Get Out, to the sinister impact of modern technology portrayed in Black Mirror. Join us for a discussion of the horror genre in its broadest sense: the panel will explore the ways in which fear is theoretically and practically approached by filmmakers and what this says about ways we respond to and find purpose in visual culture in the modern day. Speaker: Tom de Ville, film and television writer, who created and wrote the horror anthology series Urban Gothic for Channel Five when he was just 23. He has since worked on a number of horror projects, including 2014’s The Quiet Ones, which was chosen as one of Variety’s top unproduced British scripts in 2007 and later picked up and produced by Hammer Films / Exclusive Media. His most recent work includes the short film Corvidae (2018) starring Maisie Williams from Game of Thrones, as well as heading the writers’ room for the third series of the British crime drama, Stan Lee’s Lucky Man. Speaker: Elaine Wong, Festival Programmer who has worked with Sheffield Doc/Fest and Underwire Film Festival, and was the programmer behind The Real Horrorshow at London Film Fesitval in 2018: a screening of international short horror films, which truly capture the fear factor behind the genre.
Fear and Film: The Politics of Horror. FR I D AY 14: 00 - 1 5:0 0 @OLD DIVINITY SCHOOL
Speaker: Jimmy Dean, director whose short films have won awards at multiple film festivals and have screened internationally. His second short, Offside, was awarded the XX Award for Best Female Representation by Screen International at Underwire Film Festival, and was nominated for Best Student Film at London Short Film Festival. His most recent work includes the short film V, starring Synnøve Karlsen, which had its world premiere at the BFI London Film Festival.
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Nominated Film Screening and Q+A: Political Visions. FR I D AY 14: 00 - 1 5:3 0 @ARTS PICTUREHOUSE
Join us for our second screening at the Arts Picturehouse of Watersprite’s 2019 nominated short films, followed by a Q+A with the filmmakers. The theme of this screening is ‘Political Visions’. A range of political visions from across the world are brought to life on screen through filmmakers’ careful observation of changing realities. CN: some of these films contain scenes of graphic violence. Life in Gray (Brazil, 15’): A faux documentary about the ongoing social, political and economic crisis in Brazil, where the government removes the colours from Rio de Janeiro, turning the city black and white. Nominated for Documentary. Directed by Leonardo Martinelli. The Go-Between (Myanmar, 17’): Soft-spoken but strong-
minded Daw ChinChin is a mediator between the China National Front and the Myanmar government. She travels from national conference to village hall, talking to soldiers and civilians, men and women, proving the vital role of women in the country’s fragile peace process. Nominated for The Impact Award.
Directed by La Pyae Ko.
Evan, A Survivor’s Story (UK, 19’): Evan is from Kurdistan in the Middle East. He survives attacks from ISIS and has to leave his homeland and family suddenly. Now he lives far away and all he wants is to touch and smell his children once again. Nominated for the Impact Award. Directed by Rafiqfuad Yarahmadi.
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Audience and Opportunity: Your Next Steps as a Filmmaker. thanks to Cambridge Film Unit
FRIDAY 15 :00 - 16: 00 @OLD DIVINITY SCHOOL
You’ve made it over the endless hurdles of creating a film that you can’t wait for the world to see, but where do you find your audience? Join this masterclass to gain vital advice on how to market and distribute your film and find out about new opportunities arising through new technologies. Speaker: Amos Geva, International Manager of T-Port (a distribution platform and online marketplace for student and short films, launched by Tel Aviv International Student Film Festival) , will share his top tips for leveraging online and offline promotion, helping you to maximise your film’s exposure to audiences around the world. Speaker: Ian Penman, Founding Partner at New Media Law (a firm providing legal advice within the creative industries with a niche focus on digital media), will share his expertise on new opportunities for filmmakers in virtual reality and artifical intelligence, as well as how to ensure success in an increasingly competitive market. This event will be chaired by Watersprite’s Festival Producer, Bernadette Schramm.
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Camera and Culture: Intercultural Filmmaking with Florian Gallenberger. FR I D AY 16: 00 - 1 7:0 0 @OLD DIVINITY SCHOOL
Join us to hear award-winning German director Florian Gallenberger in conversation with Dr. Geoffrey Maguire, discussing the challenges of directing films in cultural contexts and languages that are not his own, and directing with international and multilingual casts. Having won an Academy Award for his short film Quiero Ser shot in Mexico, and directed the international productions John Rabe and later Colonia starring Emma Watson, Florian is ideally placed to give an insight into directing films across international, cultural and linguistic borders.
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Nominated Film Screening and Q+A: Women of Watersprite.
The Women of Watersprite Prize is kindly sponsored by Nidhi Gupta of Busy Doctors.
FR I D AY 16: 00 - 1 7:3 0 @ARTS PICTUREHOUSE
The 8th of March 2019 is International Women’s Day and thus the perfect occasion to celebrate some of the amazing nominated female filmmakers of Watersprite 2019. Come for this screening and filmmaker Q+A, followed by the presentation of Watersprite’s inaugral Women of Watersprite Prize. JANEK/BASTARD (US, 19’): An exploration of the intricate relationship between a Christian and a Jewish boy in 1942 Poland. Nominated for Directing (Muriel Naim), Editing (Zekun Mao), Fiction, Performance (Jesse Willhite), Screenplay (Muriel Naim). Directed by Muriel Naim. RAQUEL (Paraguay, 19’): A Paraguayan filmmaker decides to approach a woman with schizophrenia who has lived in the streets of her neighborhood for more than 20 years and tries to understand her story. Nominated for Documentary. Directed by Tania Cattebeke. For You (Poland, 17’): Marta is coming back home from England, after three years of living there. She now has to face everyone she left behind to follow her dreams, including her exboyfriend. She hides behind a mask of success until she finds herself alone with her old love. Nominated for Fiction. Directed by Katarzyna Wisniowska.
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Watersprite Keynote: In Conversation with David Yates and Evanna Lynch. FR I D AY 19: 30 - 2 1:0 0 @OLD DIVINITY SCHOOL
Watersprite is thrilled to announce that David Yates and Evanna Lynch will be joining us as this year’s keynote speakers! Although best-known for their work on the Harry Potter series, as director and actress respectively, both David and Evanna have led very varied and exciting careers. Director of the last four Harry Potter films and the Fantastic Beasts franchise, David Yates represents some of the best of British filmmaking talent, having two BAFTA Awards, an Emmy nomination and a Directors Guild of Great Britain Award to his name. He started out writing and directing short films while studying, and went on to divide his efforts across television and film. He won his first BAFTA Award in 2000 for his work on BBC miniseries The Way We Live Now, and was nominated again for the 2003 drama series State of Play for which he was recognised by the DGGB. The following year, Yates directed the gritty two-part drama Sex Traffic, earning another BAFTA, a second DGGB Award nomination and receiving widespread critical acclaim. He began his work on the record-breaking Harry Potter series in 2006, and continues to work on the Fantastic Beasts films.
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Actress Evanna Lynch joined the Harry Potter franchise at the same time as David, receiving much critical acclaim for her performance as Luna Lovegood, and being nominated for the Young Artist Award and several others. Evanna’s performance captured the hearts of millions of fans, and marked the beginning of what would develop into an exciting career in acting and beyond. She has since worked across television, short and feature films, and theatre, receiving praise in particular for her performance of the title role in the 2015 film My Name is Emily. Most recently Lynch has taken on several stage roles including that of ‘Runt’ in Enda Walsh’s cult hit play Disco Pigs which was critically acclaimed in both London and New York. Expanding her work beyond stage and screen, Lynch also contributed an essay to the book, Feminists Don’t Wear Pink (and other lies), and currently produces and hosts the vegan podcast The ChickPeeps. Join us in the Main Lecture Theatre of St John’s College Old Divinity School, Cambridge, for a drinks reception followed by a conversation with David Yates and Evanna Lynch about their early careers, the different challenges of working in TV, film and theatre, their unforgettable contributions to the Harry Potter series and what it takes to ‘make it’ in the creative industries.
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SATU R DAY EVENTS Alongside screenings of our nominated short films, our final full day has a focus on careers within a changing film industry, and how films themselves can effect change. Our exclusive Awards Ceremony will be held on the Saturday evening.
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Nominated Film Screening and Q+A: The Peculiar. SATURD AY 10 :00 - 11 :30 @ARTS PICTUREHOUSE
Join us for our fourth screening at the Arts Picturehouse of Watersprite 2019’s nominated short films, followed by a Q+A with the filmmakers. The theme of this screening is ‘The Peculiar’: these five films make everyday life peculiar and draw the peculiar into everyday life. Death of a Fruit Fly (Germany, 5’): A tiny fruit fly gets swatted. Against all odds, it defies death in its very own way. Nominated for Animation. Directed by Lukas von Berg. Blue Sky, Clean Earth (Iran, 11’): Massoud is a small time thief who is being charged with terrorism. Nominated for Editing (Mahyar Mandegar). Directed by Mahyar Mandegar. Body Echo (UK, 3’): A woman discovers her own fractured self in the room next door. Body Echo expresses psychological fragility and fragmentation of identity. Nominated for Editing (Ali Aschman) and Sound Design (Kevin Langhamer). Directed by Ali Aschman. Calamity Falls (USA, 20’): After the sudden death of her parents, a young girl finds a portal to an alternate world in which they are still alive and must choose whether to live with them or stay with her brother. Nominated for Cinematography (Tehlillah J De Castro), Directing (Hadley Hillel), Original Film Music (Martín De Lima), Screenplay (Hadley Hillel). Directed by Hadley Hillel. Fuse (Germany, 7’): A mousetrap snaps shut, a marketplace awakens. A group of men heatedly discuss how to kill the animal in the little box. One after the other, they try to trump each other’s sadistic fantasies, and even a stranger’s suggestion to let the creature loose, turns out to be a sick manipulation. But as the macabre game unfolds and spirals out of control, both victim and tormentor suffer the same fate. Nominated for Animation. Directed by Shadi Adib.
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Wild Immersion Explores: Can Virtual Reality Save The Natural World? S ATURD AY 1 1:0 0 - 1 2:0 0 @OLD DIVINITY SCHOOL
Endorsed by the Jane Goodall Institute, the Wild Immersion is the world’s first Virtual Nature Reserve. Using the latest VR technology, this exciting initiative immerses viewers in a 360° wildlife experience with the aim of raising awareness about the urgent need for global wildlife conservation. Following its successful debut at the Cannes Film Festival, Wild Immersion is bringing its VR experience to Watersprite! The VR headsets will be available for you to try in the Festival Hub throughout the weekend, and at this event Wild Immersion’s Marie Polo will lead a discussion about the ways in which film and technology can, and must, be used to promote environmental conservation.
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Nominated Film Screening and Q+A: Out of Sight
SATURD AY 12 :00 - 13 :30 @ARTS PICTUREHOUSE
Join us for the fifth screening at the Arts Picturehouse of Watersprite 2019’s nominated films, followed by a Q+A with the filmmakers. The theme of this screening is ‘Out of Sight’: a collection of films that shine a light on stories that would otherwise have gone untold. CN: some of these films contain very sensitive material and graphic scenes relating to sexual assault and violence. Worth Every Penny (Israel, 14’): An animated voyage into the realm of paid sex encounters. The texts are taken from internet forums, where sex consumers compare and rate the quality of prostitutes’ performances. Nominated for The Impact Award, Directing, and Documentary. Directed by Ilona Yudlin, Paz Bernstein, Muli Asido, Erika Cumpton, Adam Magrala, Yael Solomonovich, Lara Buyom, Sarai Abergel, Guy Livnat, Noy Friman. Upside Down Revolution (France, 17’): One day, a man, condemned to crawl on the ground of a vast desert, finds himself face to face with a peculiar vertical mast planted in the dirt. He approaches it and tries to cling to it. Rising slowly, he understands that this mast is perhaps his only way to escape the overwhelming gravity of his universe, and to soar to new horizons. But such an ascent is not without danger. Nominated for Original Film Music (Nelson Santoni). Expend (USA, 4’): A stop-motion film about a man’s endless hunt for elusive energy sources in a decaying world. Nominated for Production Design. Directed by Bismark Fernandes. Herzblut (Germany, 8’): Herzblut is a film that consists of three documentary portraits. The film is a trinational project about three people with three different traditional professions. The flimmakers observe the work of the blacksmith Sepp Eybl from the Ybsstal in Austria, the fisherman Johann Rieger from the Walchensee in Bavaria and Ernst Vogel, roaming shepherd on the pasture of Andermatt in Switzerland, and seek to show the importance of these often overlooked professions. Nominated for (Franziska Krieg and Matthis Waetzel). Directed by Robin Trouillet. The Bag and the Bike (USA, 5’): The Bag and The Bike follows the journey of a poor little backpack, as it copes with the realities of being replaced. Nominated for Original Film Music (Marco Valerio Antonini). Directed by David Haye. The Warsaw Robin (USA, 7’): A young girl meets a mysterious old woman and learns about the importance of storytelling and hope. Nominated for Original Film Music (Garret Michael Reynolds). Directed by Mackenzie Bates.
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Film For Change: Filming with NGOs.
SATURDAY 12: 00 - 13: 00 @OLD DIVINITY SCHOOL
An event exploring the possibilities of creating change through film, with a focus on working with NGOs and UN initiatives. This event challenges the notion that film is simply a means for entertainment, and will address the importance of providing platforms for raising awareness about humanitarian and social issues. Speaker: Patrick Bodenham, Independent documentary filmmaker and journalist, who was commissioned by the UN Refugee Agency to make a documentary in Myanmar. He has also filmed in Gaza and Cuba, addressing the political tensions in these countries through his work, as well as focusing his films on smaller communities and their place in the wider world. He is currently working on a documentary about race relations in the Deep South. Speaker: Lizzie Lambley, freelance producer and director who has made films for BBC Television and Save the Children. Lizzy produced a series of short films that were used in a social media campaign by the UN Refugee Agency, aimed at communicating the dangers of travelling to Yemen as a refugee, and highlighting the horrendous conditions in the country. This event will be chaired by Lorenzo Biferale, the founder of Quindici19 and Duemila30 and a key member the Film for Future Network.
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Industry Speed Dating.
This event is sponsored by Great Point Media (invite only) S ATU R D AY 13:0 0 - 1 4:0 0 @OLD DIVINITY SCHOOL
An opportunity exclusively for our nominees and selected students to get top careers tips from our sponsors, speakers and friends of the festival. The students have fifteen minutes to spend with three different industry professionals, during which time they can request advice about best next career steps, and ask questions about the professionals’ own experiences of the film industry. This event is proudly sponsored by Great Point Media.
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Screening and Q+A: Disconnect. S ATURD AY 14 :00 - 15 :30 @ARTS PICTUREHOUSE
Join us for the sixth screening at the Arts Picturehouse of Watersprite 2019’s nominated shorts, followed by a Q+A with the filmmakers. The theme of this screening is ‘Disconnect’: watch five characters in starkly different worlds struggle with feelings of being disconnected and out of place. Hedgehog (UK,11’): From childhood, Gareth has struggled with his hedgehog – a looming presence that causes him to be fearful of anything new and leaves him stuck in a rut. However, maybe Gareth can finally overcome the beast which has caused so much trouble in his life and learn to be happy. Nominated for Sound Design (Nigel Woodford) and Animation. Directed by Edward Bulmer. Sluggish Life (Iran, 11’): A man lives alone in a dark house between millions of eggs; he wants to call someone but he does not succeed until the phone rings. Nominated for Production Design (Mohsen Mehri Deravi). Directed by Mohsen Mehri Deravi. Living Like Heta (Switzerland, 6’): Heta lives with her pet seal in her highly peculiar house full of curious rooms and endless corridors. Her entire life consists of carefully planned and conducted routines, but when these get thrown into disarray, Heta‘s world begins to crumble, until she feels compelled to make an irreversible decision. Nominated for Sound Design (Giulia Schlüchter), Animation, Editing, Production Design. Directed by Bianca Caderas, Isabella Luu and Kerstin Zamp. Old Goat (Russia, 10’): The tenants of an apartment block turn a blind eye to the disruptive behaviour of a grumpy old man. We learn that there is a reason why he gets off so lightly. Nominated for Performance (Konstantin Zheldin). Directed by Georgiy Boldugerov. Simon Cries (Belgium, 19’): Following heartbreak, Simon’s sadness grows so big it overflows. It overflows his whole body. An encounter will allow him to take a step back from his pain, seeing sorrow from a different perspective. Nominated for Cinematography (David García Fernández), Directing, Fiction, Screenplay, Sergio Guataquira Sarmiento. Production Design (Sophie Boury).
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Women in Filmmaking: A Female Perspective. S ATU R D AY 14:0 0 - 1 5:0 0 @OLD DIVINITY SCHOOL
A panel discussing how gender dynamics manifest themselves on-screen, and the ways in which female filmmakers and actors provide important perspectives that challenge the industry status-quo. A must-attend event for anyone interested in entering film or media industries. Speaker: Anna Hall is a filmmaker with over 20 years experience and 5 BAFTA nominations in the last four years for her documentaries such as Edge of the City (2004) and The Hunt for Britain’s Sex Gangs (2013) addressing the harrowing themes of gang grooming and sexual exploitation. The latter won her the prestigious Women in Film & TV Best Factual award and the RTS Journalism Award. She has gone on to make films about forced marriage and domestic violence, among other subjects, and her most recent film looks at the subject of domestic violence through its hidden victims: the children living in abusive households. Speaker: Polly Kemp, actress and co-founder & director of ERA 50:50 (Equal Representation for Actresses) set up in 2015, an organisation campaigning for gender equality on the British stage and screen by 2020. The ERA aims to tackle the huge underrepresentation of women in film and TV with an understanding of the importance of media in shaping people’s views. As an actress, Polly’s impressive career ranges from roles in Four Weddings and a Funeral and Les Misérables, to her hilarious performance as Robyn Murdoch in The Thick of It. This event will be chaired Festival Trustee, Anne Morrison, Chair of BAFTA’s International Committee and former Chair of BAFTA. She is Chair of Pearson College London and a Board Director of Women in Film and Television. In 2018 she was awarded an honorary doctorate by Nottingham Trent University for services to broadcasting. Until 2014 she was Director of the BBC Academy, the BBC’s centre for training, which she launched in 2009. Having been a producer/ director, she held senior positions for 20 years at the BBC, and, as Controller of Documentaries and Contemporary Factual, was responsible for many award-winning programmes.
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Where are they now? Your first decade in the film industry. S ATURDAY 1 5:0 0 - 16: 00 @OLD DIVINITY SCHOOL
We are delighted to welcome back the team behind Who’s Afraid of the Water Sprite: the winning Film of the Year at our very first festival in 2009. The panel will talk through their filmmaking careers since this win, reflect on what they have learned from their days as student filmmakers, and discuss their current professional experiences, working on feature films. This event is a real must for anyone considering a career in filmmaking - a rare opportunity to hear firsthand from people who understand and overcame the challenges of being a student filmmaker to enter the professional filmmaking world. Speaker: William McGregor, Director of BAFTA winning TV series, including Poldark and Misfits, as well commercials which won the Cannes Lions award. His debut feature film is Gwen, an adaptation of the short film Who’s Afraid of the Water Sprite?, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. Speaker: Iain Whitewright, Editor for Who’s Afraid of the Watersprite and is now an editor at Whitehouse Post following a brief stint in TV. As an Editor he has worked on commercials for numerous companies, including Land Rover, Adidas and Corona, as well as other projects such as visual poems. Speaker: Sam Heasman, a Director of Photography currently working in television and short film, was the co-writer of Who’s Afraid of the Water Sprite. He has since gone on to work as a cinematographer on a number of exciting projects, such as the music video for Wolf Alice’s Bros, as well as the 11th series of Doctor Who. Speaker: Karl Clarke, a Director of Photography who has worked for numerous high-profile companies, including Sky, Disney, BBC and ITV. His most recent work includes Gwen, on which he was the production designer. His other work includes independent films such as Just Charlie as well as numerous features, shorts, and television projects. Speaker: Manca Gale was the Producer of Who’s Afraid of the Water Sprite? and is currently a commercials producer in Slovenia. Her work includes commercials for companies such as Porsche and the short film Rest Stop, which won ‘Best Comedy’ at the Rhode Island Film Festival.
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Panel with BAFTA Breakthrough Brits.
SATURD AY 16 :00 - 17 :00 @OLD DIVINITY SCHOOL
Join us in celebrating filmmaking talent of the future as we welcome BAFTA Breakthrough Brits Ellena Wood, Daniel Lawrence Taylor, and Daniel Kokotajlo. A panel of Britain’s next big names come together to discuss their filmmaking journeys: from their first steps into the industry to their plans for the future. If you’re interested in breaking into film or simply keen to get a first look at the next stars of TV and film, come along to Watersprite for this one-off event! Speaker: Ellena Wood, a BAFTA-nominated documentary director, and one of this year’s BAFTA Breakthrough Brits. She is known for her powerful, emotionally intimate storytelling. Her credits include Talking to Anorexia with Louis Theroux, the BBC’s award-winning series, Life and Death Row, and the critically acclaimed Excluded: Kicked out of School. Speaker: Daniel Lawrence Taylor, creator and writer of ITV2’s time travelling sitcom, Timewasters. In 2018, Daniel won the RTS Breakthrough Award, was nominated for Best Scripted Comedy at the BAFTAs, was nominated for the Edinburgh TV Festival Breakthrough award, and named as a BAFTA Breakthrough Brit. His work as an actor includes ITV2’s Cockroaches, BBC’s Uncle, and SKY Atlantic’s Hunderby. He also performs as one half of the comedy double act Ginger & Black. Speaker: Daniel Kokotajlo, self-taught director and writer. His debut feature film Apostasy, which he wrote and directed, premiered at Toronto Film Festival in 2017. Inspired by his experiences of growing up as a Jehovah’s Witness, the film received acclaim from both critics and ex-Witnesses and earned him the position of one of 2018’s BAFTA Breakthrough Brits.
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Awards Ceremony. (invite only)
S ATU R D AY 1 9:3 0 - L ATE @THE GUILDHALL
This year’s Awards Ceremony will take place in the Cambridge Guildhall, and is an opportunity for everyone who has been involved with the festival to come together and celebrate its international filmmaking talent. We received more than 1000 submissions this year, which, through two intense rounds of judging, have been narrowed down to just 26 nominated films. Many of our nominees, from as far away as Myanmar and Paraguay, will be present at the ceremony where the winning films will be announced. Watersprite is thrilled that actor Conleth Hill is hosting the Awards Ceremony. Conleth has worked extensively in short and feature films and television, and has earned two Olivier Awards and two Tony nominations for his work in theatre. His film credits include Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, Whatever Works and the upcoming Official Secrets, he plays Lord Varys in Game of Thrones and is currently shooting the new BBC drama, The Dublin Murders and Endor’s upcoming drama Liebermann Papers.
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10 10 40
SUND AY EVENTS The festival weekend wraps up with a Winners’ Screening of all the films that won awards at Saturday night’s Awards Ceremony, followed by the Sunday Keynote.
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Winners’ Screening. SU N D AY 10 :3 0 - 1 2:4 5 @ARTS PICTUREHOUSE
Join us for Watersprite 2019’s final screening at the Arts Picturhouse. The winning films will be announced at the Watersprite Awards Ceremony on the evening of Saturday 9th, and screened together at this event! Your last chance to see the best of Watersprite 2019!
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Sunday Keynote. S U N DAY 13: 00 - 14 :30 @UNIVERSITY ARMS HOTEL
Join us at the University Arms Ballroom for the official Closing Sunday Keynote of the tenth edition of the Watersprite International Student Film Festival. This event wraps up the whole weekend of talks, screenings and panel discussions, and is the last chance to join us in celebrating emerging filmmaking talent. Join us at at 1pm for networking pastries and coffees: your final opportunity to speak with our nominated filmmakers, before hearing from a very special keynote speaker.
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10 10 44
NOMI NEES Our 1000 submissions have been whittled down to 26 nominated films from 15 different countries. We are delighted to be welcoming 30 nominated filmmakers to the festival this year. On the next few pages you can find out about the prizes the winning filmmakers will receive and details of all our nominated films.
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1 . I MPA C T AWARD By IEFTA, Mentorship programme at the Industry Workshops of the Marché du Film at the Cannes Film Festival 2019
2 . F IC T IO N By Great Point Media, a week shooting with an ARRI Alexa camera
3 . D OC UMENTARY By Sheffield Doc/Fest, Festival Pass for the entire duration of Sheffield Doc/Fest 2019
4 . A NIMAT ION by Toon Boom, 1-year license for Storyboard Pro and 1-year license for Harmony Advanced
5 . O R IGINA L FILM MUSIC By Manners McDade, Exclusive mentorship meeting with Manners McDade Artist Management and Music Publishing
6 . S O U ND DESIGN By VSL, Vienna Suite Pro, audio processing software, Vienna Smart Spheres, virtual instrument for sound design
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7 . P R O D U CTION DESIGN 8 . P E R F O R MANCE By United Agents, Exclusive meetings with casting directors and agents
9 . E DIT IN G By London Film Academy, Mentorship from a LFA professional on Editing
1 0 . CIN E M ATOGRAPHY By ARRI, a place on the ARRI Lighting Academy
1 1 . S C R E E NPLAY By Curtis Brown, mentoring sessions with an agent from Curtis Brown on Screenplay
1 2 . D IR E CT I NG By Casarotto Ramsay, a mentorhsip programme with an agent from Casarotto Ramsay & Associates
1 3 . A LL By MUBI, all nominees will receive a 12-month subscription for MUBI
Awards & Prizes.
By Suzie Davies, Mentorship with Academy Award winning production designer Suzie Davies (Mr Turner, Peterloo)
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B L U E S K Y, CLEAN EARTH. NOMINEE
Mahyar Mandegar - Director/Editor
NOMINEE BIO
Mahyar Mandegar was born 1996 in Tehran, Iran. He started his career by entering faculty of cinema & theater at art university of Tehran. After two years he chose editing field and participated as editor in short films such as: Staircase (2018-75th Venice-Orizzonti official selection), Barcelona (2017), Nausea (2018), Metamorphosis (2018), etc. He also directed the announce of 14th Nahal Short Film Festival. His first short film Blue sky, Clean earth (2017) won best outstanding Asian award from 17th ISFVF (Beijing Film Academy - China), best film under 15 minutes and best cinematography from Image of the Year film festival (Iran). It also won best original score from 14th Nahal Short Film Festival (Iran).
DIRECTED BY Mahyar Mandegar
CATEGORIES Editing
RUN TIME 11’00
SCREEN TIME
Saturday: 10:00 - 11:30
COUNTRY Iran
CONTACT INFO
Instagram: Man_Mahyar
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Sypnosis.
Massoud is a small time thief who is being charged with terrorism.
BO DY E CH O . NOMINEES
Ali Aschman - Director Kevin Langhamer - Sound Designer
Sypnosis.
A woman discovers her own fractured self in the room next door. Body Echo expresses psychological fragility and fragmentation of identity.
NOMINEE BIO
Ali is a visual artist and animator from South Africa and the USA, currently based in London. She makes fractured narratives and psychological self-portraits in the form of drawings, sculptures and animations. She exhibits regularly in galleries in the US and her short films have screened at film festivals around the world. She has a BA from the University of Cape Town, an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and is currently studying for an MA in Animation at the Royal College of Art. Kevin was born in Caracas, Venezuela. In 2014, he got his Brevet de Technicien Supérieur, specialising in sound. In 2015, he graduated from the University Paris I Sorbonne from where obtained his Bachelors in Practice and Aesthetics of Cinema. In 2017, he moved to the UK to undertake an MA in Sound Design for Cinema and Television at the National Film and Television School.
DIRECTED BY Ali Aschman
CATEGORIES Editing Sound Design
RUN TIME 2’58
SCREEN TIME
Saturday: 10:00-11:30
COUNTRY
United Kingdom
CONTACT INFO
Instagram: @ali_gemma Instagram: kevlanji
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C A L AM IT Y FAL LS. NOMINEES
Hadley Hillel - Director + Screenwriter Martín De Lima - Composer Tehlillah De Castro - Cinematographer
NOMINEE BIO
Hadley Hillel grew up in Seattle and made his first short film at the age of 7. Now 23 and based in LA, after completing his film studies at Dodge College of Film and Media Arts, Hadley has written and directed over 20 short films that have been shown in 55 national and international film festivals, won more than 40 jury and audience awards and most recently earned him a ‘Directing for Drama’ Student Emmy at the College Television Awards 2017. Martín was born in Cali, Colombia and raised in the Dominican Republic. He started playing music at an early age, starting with singing and playing guitar in bands and slowly moving towards composing. He has always loved movies, and they have been a huge part of his life, so composing for films is something very close to his heart. He has been writing music for films for about 3 years now.
DIRECTED BY Hadley Hillel
CATEGORIES
Cinematography Directing Original Film Music Screenplay
RUN TIME 20’00
SC REEN TIME
Saturday: 10:00-11:30
COUNTRY United States
CONTACT INFO
Instagram: Hadley - HadleyHillel Instagram: Tehilllah - tehillahdecastro Website: Martín - www.martindelima.com
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Sypnosis.
After the sudden death of her parents, a young girl finds a portal to an alternate world in which they are still alive and must choose whether to live with them or stay with her brother.
D EATH O F A FRUIT FLY. NOMINEE
Lukas von Berg - Director
Sypnosis.
A tiny fruit fly gets swatted. Against all odds, it defies death in its very own way.
NOMINEE BIO
Lukas von Berg was born in North-West Germany in 1990 and experienced his first opera ‘Der Freischütz’ at the age of five. He studied design, focusing on illustration in Muenster and worked as a freelance animation artist. Since 2015, he has studied animation at the Filmakademie Baden-Wurttemberg. His animated shorts have been screened at film festivals worldwide.
DIRECTED BY Lukas Von Berg
CATEGORIES Animation
RUN TIME 4’30
SCREEN TIME
Saturday: 10:00-11:30
COUNTRY Germany
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EVAN , A S URVIVOR’S ST ORY. NOMINEE
Rafiqfuad Yarahmadi - Director
NOMINEE BIO
Rafiqfuad is a Kurdish-British filmmaker currently living in the UK. Before becoming a filmmaker, he was working as a journalist and TV presenter in Kurdistan for nearly ten years. He also has passion for photography and had two exhibitions in Iran and Iraq. He recently graduated from the Northern Film School in Leeds with an MA in Documentary Filmmaking, where he directed and produced his own film (Evan, A Survivor’s Story). His main specialism is Directing/Producing. He is a fluent Kurdish, Persian (Farsi) and Dari speaker. Rafiqfuad recently finished directing and producing his new short documentary, ‘Evan, A Survivor’s Story’, which is a project born out of his personal experience as a refugee and working with asylum seekers as an interpreter in the UK.
DIRECTED BY Rafiqfuad Yarahmadi
CATEGORIES Impact Award
RUN TIME 18’50
SC REEN TIME Friday 14:00-15:30
COUNTRY
United Kingdom
CONTACT INFO Instagram: rafiqfuad_ yarahmadi_official
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Sypnosis.
Evan is from Kurdistan in the Middle East. He survives attack from ISIS and has to leave his homeland and family suddenly. Now he lives far away and all he wants is to touch and smell his children once again.
E X PE ND . NOMINEE
Bismark Fernandes - Director, Production Designer
NOMINEE BIO
Bismark Fernandes is a stop-motion filmmaker and designer from Goa, India. He completed his M.F.A in Animation from Savannah College of Art and Design and is currently residing in New York. Bismark has over three years of experience in designing and creating animated content for television. He is well-versed in various styles of animation with stop-motion being closest to his heart. What draws him towards this handmade art form is that it is tangible with subtle imperfections that makes it unique.
Sypnosis.
A stop-motion film about a man’s endless hunt for elusive energy sources in a decaying world.
DIRECTED BY Bismark Fernandes
CATEGORIES Production Design
RUN TIME 3’50
SCREEN TIME
Saturday: 12:00-13:30
COUNTRY United States
CONTACT INFO
www.bismarkfernandes.com
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FOR Y O U .
NOMINEE
Katarzyna Wisniowska Director
NOMINEE BIO
Born in 1990, Katarzyna is a graduate of Contemporary Film and Video course at Manchester School of Art. She decided to continue her film education after two years of gaining work experience, working on TV sets as 2nd AD and runner and being a part of a team in the development department of TVN television channel in Poland. She got accepted in the Film and Television Directing MA course at National Film School in Lodz, Poland. She has written and directed several short films, documentaries and music videos.
DIRECTED BY
Katarzyna Wisniowska
CATEGORIES Fiction
RUN TIME 17’23
SCREEN TIME
Friday: 16:00-17:30
COUNTRY Poland
CONTACT INFO Instagram: katwisx
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Sypnosis.
Marta is coming back home from England, after three years of living there. Marta needs to face everyone she left behind to follow her dreams, including her ex-boyfriend. Marta puts on the mask of the winner, though it breaks the minute she finds herself alone with her old love.
F U SE .
NOMINEE
Shadi Adib - Director, Screenwriter, Animator
NOMINEE BIO
Sypnosis. A mousetrap snaps shut, a marketplace awakens. A group of men heatedly discuss how to kill the animal in the little box. One after the other, they try to trump each other’s sadistic fantasies, and even a stranger’s suggestion to let the creature loose turns out to be a sick manipulation. But as the macabre game unfolds and spirals out of control, both victim and tormentor suffer the same fate.
Shadi Adib was born in Tehran. Her passion for drawing lead her to a B.D. as graphic designer from Tehran’s Fine Art Faculty and her M.A. as animation director. After that, she worked in Tehran as a concept designer and animator, until she moved to Germany to study at the Animationsinstitut der Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg. She completed her work on her latest short “Fuse” in 2017. The film was drawn entirely on paper and features among others Nick Cave as one of the main voice actors.
DIRECTED BY Shadi Adib
CATEGORIES Animation
RUN TIME 7’18
SCREEN TIME
Saturday: 10:00-11:30
COUNTRY Germany
CONTACT INFO www.shadi-adib.com
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H E DGE HO G.
NOMINEE
Edward Bulmer - Director Nigel Woodford - Sound Designer
NOMINEE BIO
Originally from Derby, now London based, Ed recently graduated from the Directing Animation course at the National Film and Television School. In his work, Ed likes to mix relatable characters with surreal visuals, and a touch of humour. He applies a mixed media approach, from traditional techniques and model making, to puppeteering and 2D & 3D animation, creating rich and immersive worlds in which his characters live. Ed is represented globally by Partizan. Nigel holds a Masters of Arts in Sound Design from the National Film & Television School (UK) and he is inspired by stories of the human spirit. He experiences the environment around him with an acute perception of sound, coloured by an intimate sense of the spiritual. He has an ability to listen beyond words and tune into layers of emotions because of a fascination and curious preoccupation with human behaviours, perspectives, habits and thinking. At the crux, he sees and hears further than the obvious, revealing richer stories.
CATEGORIES Animation Sound Design
RUN TIME 11’11
SC REEN TIME
Saturday: 14:00-15:30
COUNTRY
United Kingdom
CONTACT INFO
Ed Twitter: edwardbulmer Nigel Twitter: antigravitychocolatea
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Sypnosis.
From childhood, Gareth has struggled with his hedgehog – a looming presence that causes him to be fearful of anything new and leaves him stuck in a rut. However, maybe Gareth can finally overcome the beast which has caused so much trouble in his life and learn to be happy.
HE R ZBLUT.
Sypnosis. NOMINEES
Franziska Krieg - Cinematographer Matthis Waetzel - Cinematographer
DIRECTED BY Robin Trouillet
CATEGORIES
A film of three documentary portraits. The traditional craft dies yet there are still a few out there who cling on, who live and love their convictions and their passion for their profession. We accompanied the blacksmith Sepp Eybl from the Ybsstal in Austria, the fisherman Johann Rieger from the Walchensee in Bavaria and Ernst Vogel, hiking shepherd on the pasture of Andermatt in Switzerland.
Cinematography
RUN TIME 08’04
SCREEN TIME
Saturday: 12:00 -13:30
COUNTRY Germany
CONTACT INFO
Instagram: r_trouillet
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JA N E K / B A STARD. NOMINEES
Muriel Naim - Director + Screenwriter Fernando Barajas - Producer Zekun Mao - Editor Jesse Willhite - Nominated Actor
NOMINEE BIO
Muriel Naim is a director/writernof film, television and theatre, emerging from Tel Aviv’s Art scene. She currently lives and works in Los Angeles. Muriel graduated with honors from Thelma Yellin School of Arts, where she mentored under Israeli-Lithuanian theatre director Arthur Kogan. At the age of 18, her theatre production Jubilee was selected to be presented at the National Theatre. While studying in the MFA Film Directing programme at CalArts, Naim wrote, directed and shot the five-minute short ‘Javier’ which was selected to be screening at Redcat Film Festival, and has since been distributed to several international companies. She recently graduated from the Directing programme at the AFI Conservatory. She got into the prestigious BAFTA newcomers programme last year, and is a current member of BAFTA LA, AWD Directors and WIF.
DIRETED BY Muriel Naim
CATEGORIES Directing Fiction Screenplay Editing Performance
RUN TIME 19’00
SC REEN TIME Friday 16:00-17:30
COUNTRY United States
CONTACT INFO
Instagram: chez_muriel
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Sypnosis.
An exploration of the intricate relationship between a Christian and a Jewish boy in 1942 Poland.
L I F E IN GR AY.
NOMINEE
Sypnosis.
A faux documentary about the ongoing social, political and economical crisis in Brazil, where the government cuts the colours of Rio de Janeiro, turning the city black and white.
Leonardo Martinelli - Director
NOMINEE BIO
Born in Brazil, Leonardo studied screenwriting in Rio de Janeiro and has been making short films since he was a teenager. He published a book in 2016 and has had many short films exhibited in festivals across the world. His short film ‘Life in Gray’ was selected in more than eighty festivals worldwide and given awards in Brazil, Africa and Europe. His newest film Remember won Best Short Film at the Festival do Rio, one of the most important festivals in Latin America.
DIRECTED BY
Leonardo Martinelli
CATEGORIES Documentary
RUN TIME 15’00
SCREEN TIME
Friday: 14:00-15:30
COUNTRY Brazil
CONTACT INFO Twitter: @leorms9
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L I M B O. NOMINEES
Nwaye Zar Che Soe - Director Saw Eh Doh Poe - Director Nann Win May Aye - Director
NOMINEE BIO
Nwaye began studying filmmaking in 2013. She is an alumnus of Yangon Film School and also a part-time social worker for people living with disabilities. She founded Myanmar CinemAbility Network in 2016 to foster the filmmaking skills of vulnerable young people. Nwaye uses film to showcase the possibility of an inclusive society for differently abled people, and justice for women. She aims to revolutionise mainstream film, changing perceptions of diverse people from ignored to visible and empowered.
DIRECTED BY Nwaye Zar Che Soe Saw Eh Doh Poe Nann Win May Aye
CATEGORIES Documentary Impact Award
RUN TIME 5’00
SCREEN TIME Friday 12:00-13:30
COUNTRY Myanmar
CONTACT INFO
Twitter: @nwayezarchesoe
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Sypnosis.
Limbo tells the powerful story of a 19-year-old woman who is raped at home in Kayin State by her uncle. Initially pressured by her uncle to remain silent and abort the child that resulted from the attack, she is still determined to obtain justice in order to bring up her young son in an equal society.
LI V I NG LIK E HETA. NOMINEES
Bianca Caderas - Animator, Editor, Production Designer Isabella Luu - Animator, Editor, Production Designer Kerstin Zamp - Animator, Editor, Production Designer Giulia Schlüchter - Sound Designer
Sypnosis.
Heta lives with her pet seal in her highly peculiar house full of curious rooms and endless corridors. Her entire life consists of carefully planned and conducted routines, but when these get thrown into disarray, Heta‘s world begins to crumble, until she feels compelled to make an irreversible decision.
DIRECTED BY Bianca Caderas Isabella Luu Kerstin Zamp
CATEGORIES Animation Editing Production Design Sound Design
RUN TIME 2’58
SCREEN TIME
Saturday 14:00-15:30
COUNTRY Switzerland
CONTACT INFO
Instagram - Bianca: raudisandiemacht Instagram - Isabella: lubellaisa
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OL D GO AT.
NOMINEE
Konstantin Zheldin - Nominated Actor
DIRECTED BY Georgiy Boldugerov
CATEGORIES
Performance - Konstantin Zheldin
RUN TIME
10’00
SC REEN TIME
Saturday: 14:00-15:30
COUNTRY Russia
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Sypnosis.
The tenants of an apartment block turn a blind eye to the disruptive behaviour of a grumpy old man. We learn that there is a reason why he gets off so lightly.
RA QUE L. NOMINEE
Tania Cattebeke - Director
Sypnosis.
A Paraguayan filmmaker decides to approach a woman with schizophrenia who has lived in the streets of her neighbourhood for more than 20 years. The film is an attempt to understand her history.
NOMINEE BIO
Tania Cattebeke is a Paraguayan filmmaker living in Asunción, Paraguay. She has two degrees, one in Psychology and one in Fiilmmaking. She has worked as a director, producer and writer for several short films. Raquel won ‘Best Documentary Short Film’ at Dublin Independent Film Festival 2018, and was part of the Official Selection of Slemani International Film Festival
DIRECTED BY Tania Cattebeke
CATEGORIES Documentary
RUN TIME 19’19
SCREEN TIME Friday 16:00-17:30
COUNTRY Paraguay
CONTACT INFO
Twitter: @taniacattebeke
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SI M O N CRIE S. NOMINEES
Sergio Guataquira Sarmiento - Director + Screenwriter David García Fernández - Cinematography Sophie Boury - Production Design
NOMINEE BIO
Sergio was born in Bogotá in 1987. He left Colombia at 19 years old to go to Europe to study Fine Arts in France, and then Film Directing in Belgium. He spent three years studying at the School of Fine Arts in Poitiers. He later continued his education at the IAD Film School. He is currently completing his Masters Degree. His graduation film was ‘Simon Cries’.
DIRECTED BY
Sergio Guataquira Sarmiento
CATEGORIES Cinematography Directing Fiction Production Design Screenplay
RU N TIME 19’00
SCREEN TIME
Saturday 14:00-15:30
COUNTRY Belgium
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Sypnosis.
Following heartbreak, Simon’s sadness is so big it overflows. It overflows his whole body. An encounter will allow him to take a step back from his pain, seeing sorrow from a different perspective.
S I R AY E T.
NOMINEES
Nuri Cihan Özdoğan - Director Kemal Burak Alper - Nominated Actor
Sypnosis.
The golds of Saddam, the last booties of the Iraq war, are smuggled into Turkey hidden in cotton. Blind workers are used to pick the gold from the cotton. The smugglers try to prevent any possible thefts by telling the workers that they are simply picking pebbles from the cotton. But the smugglers don’t know that there’s a seeing eye among the blind workers.
NOMINEE BIO
Nuri Cihan Ozdogan is a Turkish filmmaker. He has written and directed several short films, including award winning short film Sirayet (2017). He’s doing his masters degree on Cinema at Cukurova University. He is currently developing his first feature film, Masquerade.
DIRECTED BY Nuri Cihan Özdoğan
CATEGORIES Fiction Performance
RUN TIME 15’00
SCREEN TIME Friday 12:00-13:30
COUNTRY Turkey
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SLU GGIS H LI FE.
NOMINEE
Mohsen Mehri Deravi - Director, Screenwriter, Editor Production Designer
NOMINEE BIO
Mohsen’s creative journey started through acting, with his performances earning him more than 10 prestigious awards in Iran. He continued acting in television and cinema before becoming interested in filmmaking and beginning to work as an Assistant Director.
Sypnosis. DIRECTED BY
Mohsen Mehri Deravi
CATEGORIES Production Design
RUN TIME 11’20
SC REEN TIME
Saturday 14:00-15:30
COUNTRY Iran
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A man lives alone in a dark house between millions of eggs; he wants to call someone but he does not succeed until the phone rings…
T H E WA R S AW ROBIN.
Sypnosis.
A young girl meets a mysterious old woman and learns about the importance of storytelling and hope.
NOMINEE
Garret Michael Reynolds - Composer
DIRECTED BY Mackenzie Bates
CATEGORIES
Original Film Music
RUN TIME 7’04
SCREEN TIME
Saturday: 12:00 - 13:30
COUNTRY United States
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TH E BA G A N D THE BIKE.
NOMINEE
Marco Valerio Antonini - Composer
NOMINEE BIO
Marco Valerio Antonini is a Los Angeles-based Italian composer of music for films and TV. After pursuing a career in documentaries in Italy, with his projects being invited to a number of international festivals, he decided to make the move to America in 2015. He works on independent projects across the US, Europe and the Middle East. He won the prestigious 2018 Young Talent Award (Krakow International Film Music Festival).
DIRECTED BY David Haye
CATEGORIES
Original Film Music
RUN TIME 5’05
SCREEN TIME
Saturday: 12:00 - 13:30
COUNTRY United States
CONTACT INFO
Instagram @marcovalerioantonini Twitter @MarcoVAntonini Website www.marcovalerioantonini.com
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Sypnosis.
The Bag and The Bike follows the journey of a poor little backpack, as it copes with the realities of being replaced.
T H E G O -BE T W EEN.
NOMINEE
Lapyae Ko - Director
NOMINEE BIO
Lapyae Ko is a 24 year old filmmaker who is from Myanmar. He has worked as a journalist for more than 5 years, resulting in him investigating many different stories - Lapyae aims to show these stories to the world. Lapyae Ko wants the world to find out about the real, authentic Myanmar through his films.
Sypnosis.
Soft-spoken but strong-minded Daw ChinChin is a mediator between the China National Front and the Myanmar government. She travels from national conference to village hall, talking to soldiers and civilians, men and women, proving the vital role of women in the country’s fragile peace process.
CATEGORIES Impact Award
DIRECTED BY Lapyae Ko
RUN TIME 16’48
SCREEN TIME Friday 14:00-15:30
COUNTRY Myanmar
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T OM O R R O W ISL AND. NOMINEES
Ana Falcon - Screenwriter Daryna Butryk - Nominated Actor
NOMINEE BIO
Ana Falcon is a Mexican writer with experience developing film, TV and online content. She has won the Nuevo Leon Short Film Script Contest two times, and was awarded 3rd place in Atzavares Short Story Contest. She was one of three Mexican filmmakers selected for the 2008 Fusion Arts Exchange in Screenwriting and Film Production hosted by the University of Southern California and the US State Department. In 2017, she was awarded a Young Creators grant from the Mexican Culture Ministry.
DIRECTED BY Gwenn Joyaux
CATEGORIES Screenplay Performance Sound Design
SCREEN TIME Friday 12:00-13:30
RUN TIME 16’28
COUNTRY
Estonia/Argentina
CONTACT INFO
Instagram: unlimitedana Instagram: darybutryk
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Sypnosis.
At the dawn of the Cold War, a young Soviet telegraphist makes a desperate attempt to save her American lover from being stranded in the Russian side of the Bering Strait after receiving a border closure message.
UP SI D E D O W N RE VO L UT IO N. NOMINEE
Nelson Santoni - Composer
NOMINEE BIO
Originally trained as a Trumpet player, Nelson quickly began composing music. After studying Sciences and Musicology at Paris-Sorbonne and Pierre et Marie Curie Universities, where he fell in love with the symphonic orchestra, the opera and program music, he spent three years studying sound engineering at the ENS Louis-Lumière. He discovered the narrative power of sound and started scoring short films directed by his schoolmates. Since his recent graduation, he has carried on scoring short films and documentaries while working as a composer-assistant and an orchestrator to improve his skills and be ready to score bigger projects.
Sypnosis.
One day, a man, condemned to crawl on the ground of a vast desert, finds himself face to face with a peculiar vertical mast, planted in the dirt. He approaches it and tries to cling to it. Rising slowly, he understands that this mast is perhaps his only way to escape the overwhelming gravity of his universe, and to soar to new horizons. But such an ascent is not without danger
DIRECTED BY Florent Médina
CATEGORIES
Original Film Music
RUN TIME 17’11
SCREEN TIME
Saturday: 12:00 - 13:30
COUNTRY France
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WH E RE D R E AMS REST.
NOMINEE
Ante Cheng - Cinematographer
NOMINEE BIO
Originally from Taipei, Ante Cheng is a Los Angeles based cinematographer. He earned his MFA from The University of Southern California and in 2018 a fellowship with Project Involve for Film Independent. Apart from his aforementioned work with friend and director Justin Chon, Ante was the Director of Photography for East of La Brea, directed by Sam Bailey.
DIRECTED BY Elaine Wong
CATEGORIES Cinematography
RUN TIME 15’43
SCREEN TIME
Friday: 12:00-13:30
COUNTRY United States
CONTACT INFO
Instagram: antecheng Instagram: jemapellelaine
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Sypnosis.
In this poetic, impressionistic, coming-of-age film, Ah Wei, a young woman from rural China, decides to cross the US-Mexico border through an underground tunnel to reunite with her husband in the United States. She soon realises that her journey is not about the crossing, but about coming to terms with how her prior expectations of her life in the USA differ from the reality once she gets there.
W ORT H E V E RY PENNY. NOMINEES / DIRECTORS Ilona Yudlin Paz Bernstein Muli Asido Erika Cumpton Adam Magrala Yael Solomonovich Lara Buyom Sarai Abergel Guy Livnat Noy Friman
Sypnosis.
An animated voyage into the realm of paid sex encounters. The texts are taken from internet forums, where sex consumers compare and rate the quality of prostitutes’ performances.
CATEGORIES
Documentary, Impact Award, Directing
NOMINEE BIO
Yael Solomonovich: Yael grew up in Jerusalem in a secular family, and now lives in Sderot, working in education and art as a painter, filmmaker and video art artist. Yael usually deals with issues related to the body and the feminine experience. The film Worth Every Penny was a complex and delicate creation process since the subject is very close to Yael’s heart. Muli Asido: Muli is 28 and a 4th year student of animation, currently working as a freelancer and digital painter, based in a Kibbutz in the south of Israel. Muli enjoys gardening, listening to audio-books and meditation. Muli loves art in its many shapes and forms and is curious about the ways it can benefit people, with the belief that anyone who can hold a pencil, can draw. In the past few months Muli has been thinking about writing a book that will serve as inspiration to young artists or youngsters who are thinking about choosing art as a career path. Guy Livnat: Guy spent his younger years in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA, where he attended a special art after school program that included many forms of art, from sculpting to acting. At the age of ten, he moved to Israel with his mother and two brothers. After moving house 24 times, he got married to his wife, who he met in art class at the age of 16. They now have a 5-month-old son, who is surrounded by the art of both of his parents. For the past 3 years he has attended the Sapir Collage of Visual Arts.
RUN TIME 14’00
SCREEN TIME
Saturday: 12:00 - 13:30
COUNTRY Israel
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Watersprite’s international name started to attract submissions from all over the world including the USA and Thailand. The keynote speech was offered by David Yates who will return again in 2019.
2012
201 0 Under the excellent care of Hilary Bevan Jones, the previously named “Cam’Era” began to grow and welcomed speakers such as Tom Hollander. The festival started to attract talented filmmakers to display their talent in front of industry professionals.
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2 01 1 Following the success of William McGregor’s Who’s Afraid of the Water Sprite? which won ‘Film of the Year’ the previous year, the festival was renamed ‘Watersprite’ and opened its doors to Oscar-winner Kevin Macdonald and Bill Nighy among other well-known guests.
2013 Watersprite 2013 brought Neil Gaiman, Eddie Redmayne and Olivia Colman to Cambridge along with a larger number of submissions of fantastic quality. At this point Watersprite submissions were from 40 countries and counting.
With over 325 submissions, Watersprite’s growing popularity led to a fantastic festival including events on costume design and an all-female acting panel. This year also saw the first animation to win the ‘Film of the Year award’.
2014
2015 Watersprite 2015 was full of engaging discussions about the film and media industry such as “Still male, pale, and stale? Discussion on the unequal representation of BME and women in the film and television industry”. With submissions coming from 52 countries, Watersprite’s international platform was expanding dramatically.
Last year Watersprite attracted 400 short film submissions from 95 countries and welcomed stars such as Sarah Phelps and Brian Woods to the biggest Watersprite festival yet!
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The Watersprite 2019 Nominees have been meticulously chosen by a group of industry professionals for their excellent quality and ground-breaking ventures in the film industry. This year nominees come from a vast array of countries including Paraguay, Turkey, the United States and many more. Their films highlight the talent of student filmmakers from all over the world and the importance of giving a voice to the new generation of innovators and creative visionaries.
2019
2016 With the addition of the ‘Filmmaker of the Future Award’ (now Impact Award) which was presented to the filmmaker who campaigned to make a difference in the world through the medium of film, Watersprite 2016 wanted to give a voice to the new perspectives that student filmmakers have to offer.
20 17 Nominees from Iceland and Myanmar flew to attend the Watersprite 2017 festival and we welcomed exciting guests like Jacob Anderson and Stephen Poliakoff.
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T H AN K Y O U
F ROM T HE FE S T I VA L C H A I R M AN
Art can change the world. That was a headline in today’s newspaper. I believe in this statement and I believe that, in the ten years since Watersprite was launched, we have discovered many filmmakers from all over the world who will go on to do just that. After the first year we resolved to make it become the equivalent of a Student Sundance. We are well on our way. We have welcomed to Cambridge and celebrated 288 nominees from 42 countries. We have been inspired by world renowned directors, writers and actors as well as BAFTA and Oscar winning creative leaders. Each year, in just these few days, relationships have been formed that will become the heart of our industry in the years ahead. Each year, we have a new team of Cambridge students who drive forward the Festival, always with fresh and exciting ambitions. I thank all of you from all the years and have loved following how your own careers have taken shape. An extraordinary Watersprite community has evolved and there are many people to thank; Ellie Rofe and Farhana Bhula. Marianne Styger and Helen Simmons, previous Festival Directors now Mentors. Bernadette Schramm, previous Festival Director now our one member of staff, our dynamic Festival Producer. This is due to the fantastic generosity of our sponsor Alistair Dixon from Watch that Man and AWD 1958. My sincere thanks to all our sponsors, Watersprite really wouldn’t happen without you; Red Arrow Studios, Great Point Media, Cambridge Film Unit, IEFTA, Casarotto Ramsay & Associates, United Agents, Curtis Brown, Georgina Lowe and Thin Man Films, Young Films, Soho House, The Agency, Busy Doctor, University Arms Hotel, St John’s College, NAHEMI and Film Hub South East. Thanks also to our trustees James Baker, Brian Woods and Anne Morrison, and to our Friends of the Festival Dallas Smith, Louise Robertson and BAFTA, The Farm and Endor Productions. The size of the teams behind the Festival expands until the weekend itself when 140 students are involved. My thanks to you all but particularly to this year’s Festival Committees who have spent most of the past year juggling their studies while passionately planning this year’s Watersprite: Festival Secretaries Gian Hayer and Alannah Lewis, Team Heads for Marketing Paula Struthoff, Partnerships Diego Aparicio and Sandra del Valle Casals, Business Development Liz Orrin, Filming Cara Tomlinson and Natalia Rogowska, Awards Oli Wilson-Nunn, Events Kendal Karaduman, and their tireless leader, our Watersprite Festival Director 2019, Miriam Hymer.
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Hilary Bevan Jones Festival Chairman
FO LLO W U S
@waterspritecam
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SPECIAL PREVIEW & LIVE Q&A WITH RALPH FIENNES A N D G U E S T S – T U E 12 M A R , 18 . 5 0
I N C I N E M AS M A R C H 22 BOOK TICKETS AT: TheWhiteCrowFilm.co.uk