Lovers drama wins award

A FILM about the breakdown of love has won ‘best drama’ at the National Student Film Festival.

Sing J Lee’s beautifully-shot ‘Flux’ was made as part of his second year on the Illustration with Animation degree at Manchester Metropolitan University.

The 8-minute film charts the unfolding scenes between Edward and Lyra, an ill-matched couple who exchange a solitary cryptic line about a dead shark (a reference to a Woody Allen joke about failed relationships).

Sing Lee, from Wrexham, was nominated for a further five awards including best film for ‘Flux’ and another short ‘Order’.

Imagination

The 20-year says film-making has been his passion since his mum worked in the art department of a Hong Kong movie production company.

“This was such a big thing to me when I was younger and really grabbed my imagination.”

The National Student Film Festival held in London and featuring 115 films is Sing’s first festival, and he admits to being more than a bit excited: “These festivals are great incentives for students to submit work and get seen.

“With sites like Youtube and Vimeo it’s not really a challenge to publish your content, but it’s certainly harder to get your work seen by more people; hopefully this film festival will achieve that.”

Stunning

Judge Niger Asije, editor of student media website The New Current, said: “The competition this year was the highest the festival has ever seen yet Sing’s movie stands out tenfold from the rest, not least in its beauty but in the way the film has been constructed. It is stunning to think that this is the first short film from him.”

Vanessa Cuthbert, of the Faculty of Art and Design said: “In everything from his research to his production and post production, Sing is an exceptional student. Recognition at a UK level is particularly pleasing as this University encourages students to submit work to festivals as part of their course.”

Graduates from the Illustration with Animation course go in to publishing, design, advertising and editorial roles as well as postgraduate study at both the Royal College of Art and the National Film and TV School.

See the full film here http://vimeo.com/19363563