The scheme which matches mentors with upcoming talent in the industry, has announced the latest round of pairings with Director Andrew Haigh (45 Years), Producer Tessa Ross (Room) and Writer Moira Buffini (Jane Eyre) included in the line-up of new mentors.
The mentors bring with them a diverse range of skills and expertise to share with the ambitious group of mentees, gained through working on highly-acclaimed and BAFTA and Oscar award-winning projects that span fiction, documentary and film exhibition.
Danny Perkins, CEO UK, Studiocanal:
“We are incredibly proud to continue our partnership with the Guiding Lights programme. Identifying and nurturing upcoming talent is integral to our work in UK production and distribution and has proven to be vital in developing long-term creative relationships with filmmakers. We have enjoyed collaborating with a number of Guiding Lights alumni over the years who have benefited from the first-rate mentorship that the scheme offers and look forward to seeing how this year’s graduates help shape the future of the British film industry.”
Andrew Haigh, Mentor:
“It can be a hard and lonely battle trying to develop a film career and so being able to sit down and discuss the ups and downs of it all is vital. I hope my advice has been useful to Lindsey, because her passion for what she does has certainly been inspiring to me.”
Lindsey Dryden, Mentee:
“It’s been extraordinary for me as a director to have the chance to talk deeply about storytelling, craft and survival strategies with Andrew. I chose him as my mentor because I wanted to learn from his sophisticated emotional storytelling, and discover how he creates such delicately balanced and richly intimate films. Andrew’s films are, for me, the very best storytelling coming out of the UK. That he’s also so generous and thoughtful as a mentor has been a total privilege, and I come away from each meeting invigorated and full of new ideas. It’s been one of the very best experiences of my career.”
James Marsh, who previously mentored Eva Weber, director of multi-award-winning documentary ‘The Solitary Life of Cranes’, and Michael Pearce, who in 2016 shot his debut feature, BEAST, explains why he has returned for a third time to mentor Julia Stovell:
Micahel Pearce, Mentor:
“I find mentoring emerging filmmakers very rewarding. It makes you think about how you go about your own work. It feels like an important responsibility – to try and pass on ideas, principles and techniques to a new generation. Certainly in my case, my career was helped enormously by experienced filmmakers who generously helped and encouraged me when I started out.
Working with Julia has been a real pleasure. She has two fascinating projects on the go and they have developed nicely since we started meeting. She is a very promising filmmaker with a good sense of visual storytelling.”
After selecting the mentees in 2016, Lighthouse can now announce the pairings:
Producers
- Robert Jones (The Usual Suspects) with Jude Goldrei
- Pippa Harris (Revolutionary Road) with Lizzie Brown
- Amanda Posey (Brooklyn) with Ohna Falby
- Tessa Ross (Room) with Sarah Brocklehurst
Directors
- Clio Barnard (The Selfish Giant) with Aleem Khan
- James Marsh (The Theory of Everything) with Julia Stovell
- Andrew Haigh (45 Years) with Lindsey Dryden
- Mentor to be announced / Baff Akoto
- Mentor to be announced / Kate Dolan
Writers
- Alex Garland (Ex Machina) with Ailbhe Keogan
- Moira Buffini (Jane Eyre) with Brian Martin
- Peter Straughan (Frank) with Kara Smith
- Simon Beaufoy (Slumdog Millionaire) with Paven Virk
- Mentor to be announced / Ruth Paxton
Exhibitors
- Alice Cabanas (Director, Encounters Short Film & Animation Festival) with Becky Bruzas
- Emma Smart (Programmer, BFI Flare: London LGBT Film Festival) with Matthew Hellett
- Mentor to be announced / Sara Duffy
Learn More about Guiding Lights