TVU graduate wins award at New York film festival


Fran Apprich comes back with best cinematography prize for short video

A Thames Valley University graduate has won a major award at the leading New York International Independent Film and Video Festival.

�The Cat', by Video Production graduate Ms Fran Apprich, picked up the top prize for Best Cinematography (Short) in the International section at the Festival in November.

The winning five minute film depicts an elderly couple seemingly involved in a lovable marital relationship until a cat appears and uncovers flaws in the communication (or lack of) that exists between them.

The gong is the second major international award for Fran since she graduated from TVU less than 18 months ago. Her documentary �James' shot as part of an assignment in the final year of her course previously received a finalist award at the same festival.

Whereas �James' was produced on a self-funded, shoe-string budget, �The Cat' had a budget of £10,000 as part of the Deviate 2 series of short films funded by the Northern Ireland Film and Television Commission.

Fran was one of the first students to complete the new MA Video Production and Film Theory programme run at TVU's Ealing campus. Shortly after graduating she secured a scholarship to Queens University Belfast where she is currently tutoring film theory and writing her PhD on Avant Garde Cinema and Sound.

Fran said: �I still hav e a very close relationship with TVU and I am blessed to continue to receive support from the course leader Stephen Desmond beyond my time there.�






January 12, 2006