Ellie Gocher, a writer based in Harrow, has been named a Film London Lodestar. The capital’s screen industries agency revealed the annual list honouring the bright futures of 30 innovative creators and practitioners at a celebratory event at h Club, London last week, with Ellie in attendance.
With lodestars known for their inspiration and guidance, the list celebrates those within the screen industries who shine with outstanding creativity or craftsmanship, tipped to create, inspire and guide future works.
The list has been selected from over 1,000 people spanning Film London’s varied initiatives involving filmmakers, heads of department, craftspeople, performers, programmers, exhibitors, archivists and games creators who have worked with the capital’s screen agency over the past three years.
Film London Lodestars reflects the breadth of talent across London’s screen industries, celebrating a variety of successes from international festival circuits and award wins to community and environmental impact and gallery residencies. Last year’s Lodestars have gone on to achieve great success and create considerable industry impact.
For instance, Rubika Shah won a Grierson award in 2019 for her feature,White Riot and Koby Adom directed the anticipated Noughts & Crosses before slipping into development with Film4 for a feature based on his own short, Hair Cut (2018).
With the recognition of British talent in awards season all around the world right now, Lodestars shines a spotlight on the next generation of talent coming through.
Ellie Gocher is a filmmaker. Her short drama Vreceived a BFI Future Film 2018 New Talent Award for her writing and the Underwire Film Festival 2018 award for Best Producer. She is currently in the process of researching for her first feature screenplay, as well as developing her first directorial short. Ellie was commissioned by Film London to produce V as part of their 2017 London Calling scheme:
“As well as contributing to our project budget, Film London also provided amazing support with story development, workshops, mentorship and publicity, and at the end of the process selected V to be one of the eight films programmed for the 2017 BFI London Film Festival – a huge highlight for all of our team. With their help, the film went on to have a successful festival run before launching online through Short of the Week and receiving a Vimeo Staff Pick.”
Adrian Wootton OBE, Chief Executive of Film London and the British Film Commission, said:
“I’m thrilled to congratulate Ellie on becoming a 2020 Lodestar, selected from such a high calibre of talent that reflects the diverse communities of London and our commitments to inclusion in our industry.
Film London Lodestars is proving to be a true marker of industry talent in the capital. We’ve seen our 2019 alumni achieve mainstream distribution and critical recognition for their work and I am extremely excited by the opportunities that await Ellie over the course of the year and beyond.
Thanks to the strength of British talent, the UK’s film and TV production boom shows no sign of abating and it’s vital we nurture and champion the exceptional talent across the screen industries that leads the way in shaping the future.”
The 2020 Lodestars, supported through Film London schemes including Microwave, BFI NETWORK as part of Film Hub London, Equal Access Network, London Screenings, Games London, London’s Screen Archives and Film London Artists’ Moving Image Network (FLAMIN) are:
Director
- Nosa Eke (Something in the Closet (2019), BFI NETWORK)
- Matt Houghton (Landline (2017), BFI NETWORK)
- Moin Hussain (Naptha (2018), BFI NETWORK)
Writer
- Toby Fell-Holden (Siren, in progress with Early Development Fund 2019, and Balcony (2015), BFI NETWORK)
- Iona Firouzabadi (Martha (2019), BFI NETWORK)
- Ellie Gocher (V (2017), BFI NETWORK)
- Marley Morrison (Sweetheart (2019), Microwave)
Producer
- Michelle Antoniades (Sweetheart (2019), Microwave)
- Jennifer Eriksson and Jessie Mangum(Looted (2019), Microwave)
- Savannah James-Bayly (Anemone (2018), BFI NETWORK)
- Ali Mansuri and Tom Kimberly (Balcony(2015) and Naptha (2018), BFI NETWORK)
Artist Filmmaker
- Mikhail Karikis (2019 Jarman Award shortlist)
- Roz Mortimer (2019 FLAMIN Productions)
- Marianna Simnett (2017 Jarman Award shortlist)
Head of Department
- Heather Basten (Casting Director, ZERO(2017), Microwave and Our Sister (2019) BFI NETWORK)
- Julie Buckland (Editor, Martha (2019), BFI NETWORK)
- Brian Fawcett (Cinematographer/DOP,Balcony (2015) and Night Out (2018), BFI NETWORK)
Performer
- Harry Alexander (The Gift, FLAMIN Productions)
- Nell Barlow (Sweetheart (2019), Microwave)
- Khalil Madovi (Holy Beef (2018), BFI NETWORK)
Crew / Behind the Scenes
- Om-Kalthoom Bashmailah (Runner, Equal Access Network)
- Miranda Harcourt (Acting Coach for Our Sister(2019), BFI NETWORK)
- Shehroze Khan (Director/Director’s Assistant, Equal Access Network)
Exhibitor
- Bounce Cinema
- The Rio Cinema
- We are Parable
Games
- Flavourworks (Creative Director/co-founderJack Attridge and Technical Director/co-founder Pavle Mihajlovic
- Georg Backer (Games Director/Producer, A Brave Plan)
- Tara Reddy (Co-Founder/CEO, Loveshark)
London’s Screen Archives
- Bruce Castle Museum (Beauty in the Borough)
A jury panel comprising London based industry professionals each representing distinct areas of expertise selected the final list:
- Roxana Adle (Talent Agent, Independent)
- Katherine Bidwell (Founder, State of Play Games)
- Catherine Bray (Head of Arts, Little Dot Studios)
- Noirin Carmody (founder and COO, Revolution Software)
- Ed Fletcher (Film Consultant)
- Hannah Flint (film critic and The First Film Club co-founder)
- Joy Gharoro-Akpojotor (Producer, Joi Productions)
- Ben Luxford (Head of UK Audiences, BFI)
- Li Ma (Senior Manager, Tencent Europe)
- Lila Rawlings (Executive Producer, Left Bank Pictures)
- Rubika Shah (Filmmaker, Film London Lodestar 2019)
- Jessica Simmonds (Media Partnerships, Entertainment, Facebook)
- Noémi Varga (Artist Filmmaker, Film London Lodestar 2019)
The jury’s selection is based on criteria which takes into account the success and creativity around work already completed and the forward progression of each shortlisted talent. Consideration is given to three areas: Artistic Excellence, Creative Vision and Momentum.
With support from the GLA, BFI NETWORK, The National Lottery Heritage Fund and Arts Council England, Film London supports talent across London’s screen industries, from new entrants to established creators, with content ranging from narrative shorts to artists’ moving image.
Film London Lodestars is proudly presented in partnership with the Evening Standard with thanks to Headline Partners: Performance Insurance and Compact Media.
