Tag: BAFTA

Short film starring autistic pianist wins Scottish BAFTA

A documentary film showcasing a talented autistic pianist has won a prestigious Scottish BAFTA award.

Harmonic Spectrum, which features 25 year old Edinburgh-based Sean Logan, was awarded the distinguished honor in the Short Film & Animation category at the star-studded BAFTA Scotland Awards on Saturday.

The film focuses on Sean, a talented musician using the piano to navigate life on the Autistic Spectrum. As he is drawn into new musical collaborations, he must learn to balance his enthusiasm and compulsive energy with understanding and compromise, redefining his artistic perspective.

The documentary short was produced and directed by Austen McCowan and Will Hewitt (above), and has been shown at several film festivals throughout the UK.

Having already gained Best Short Documentary at the Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival and the Optical Sound Award at the Flatpack Film Festival, the BAFTA win is the film’s most high-profile honour to date.

The BAFTA Scotland awards honour achievement in Scotland’s film, television and video game industries.

Sean Logan, who is starring in Harmonic Spectrum, said: “I hope that the legacy of this film is focused on what art can mean for people on the spectrum. Music is a therapeutic tool for people like myself, it connects me to people, music is something that brings people together.

“What I’ve learned is that the help is out there, and it’s by using tools that are out there already in the world for autistic people like myself, that I’ve succeeded. However, we need to ensure that people have access to those tools, because loads of people are still struggling.

“We’re really coming into a great time for people on the spectrum, as autism is being understood and identified a lot more now, and by 2050, who’s to say that neurodiversity won’t be the norm?”

Rob Holland, External Affairs Manager at the National Autistic Society Scotland, said: “We’re delighted to see Harmonic Spectrum receiving a Scottish BAFTA award, as it represents an important step in raising awareness of the lives and experiences of the 56,000 autistic people in Scotland.

“The depiction of autistic people in film and TV has often been from the perspective of non-autistic people and in many cases has compounded myths and assumptions. This film flips that putting Sean’s voice as well as his music at the heart of the story.

“We hope that this achievement will inspire more stories from autistic people like Sean to be told through film.”

Edinburgh College graduates nominated for New Talent awards

new talent

Three Edinburgh College TV graduates will walk the red carpet at the BAFTA Scotland New Talent Awards later this month after receiving nominations for their film and writing work.

Michal Wdowiak, Wayne Mazadza and Scott Willis – all graduates from the HND Television course at the college – have made the list of nominees for the awards, which celebrate the best rising talent in Scottish film, TV and game production.

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Michal has been shortlisted in the Editor and Writer categories for a short drama, Yogi, which he shot in Edinburgh last summer during his time at Edinburgh College. Yogi (above) tells the story of a man who wanders the streets, breaking into flats in search of food and comfort.

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Scott is nominated in the Factual category for his personal documentary Dear Peter, (above) inspired by his journey to track down the owner of a collection of handwritten postcards. Dear Peter is also the winner of the Scottish Audience Award at this year’s Glasgow Short Film Festival.

Wayne is nominated in the Editor category for Microcosm, a documentary he made since graduating from the college. The story is told first-hand by a man called Colin, who reflects on his past life and his home in Hamilton Wynd.

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Michal and Wayne both graduated from Edinburgh College last year, and Scott completed the same course in 2010.

Michal is now employed as a cinematographer for a production company, The Gate Films, in Manchester. Wayne is in year two of his studies at Edinburgh College of Art, while Scott finished at ECA two years ago and continues to produce his own films that have been televised and screened at international film festivals.

He said: “I am incredibly pleased to be nominated for the BAFTA award for my final college drama – I definitely didn’t expect to be nominated as a writer. This was the first script I have ever written and English is not my first language. I hope it is a good sign for the future.

“I had just moved to a different city for work after college and I was busy settling in. I owe my lecturer Fergus Robb a big thank you for mentioning this opportunity to me.”

Scott said: “Dear Peter is a documentary that’s very personal to me so the nomination has encouraged me to remain honest to my vision as a filmmaker. I am grateful to have studied at Edinburgh College. Fergus was influential in developing my understanding of storytelling and gave me practical knowledge on how to communicate through moving image.”

Fergus Robb, Creative Industries lecturer at the college added: “These guys were all excellent and highly motivated students, and aware of the opportunity the course afforded them to develop their skills and explore their potential as filmmakers. I’m delighted to see them do so well.”

The BAFTA Scotland New Talent Awards 2016 take place on Thursday 14 April at Drygate Brewery in Glasgow.

Yogi, Michal Wdowiak – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MsqD7a-lDU4

Dear Peter, Scott Willis – https://smlwillis.wordpress.com/dear-peter/

Microcosm, Wayne Mazadza – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThDCuQUkn-M&feature=youtu.be&a