News
'Khora'; An award-winning sci-fi short film produced by Belfast Met Students and Staff
Publsihed: Thursday 18 May 2023
We couldn't be prouder of our talented students and staff who produced the short sci-fi Film khora which is currently in the festival circuit.
Ten students from across the college were involved in producing Khora. From filming to composing music and welding to media makeup our students have now gained relevant experience and recognition through contributing towards an award-winning film. Five of our industry professional lecturers were also involved in the successful production.
The film has currently won two awards in its festival campaign so far, including Winner of Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Horror at the Alternative Film Festival based in Toronto, Canada.
Timothy McGlinchey, lecturer in Multimedia with Film & TV, explains how the project started.
"Khora began in 2021 as a passion project between myself and my fellow lecturing colleague (Brian Walsh, Khora's cinematographer) at the film school/production studio hybrid "E3 Studios" at Belfast Met. Initially, we intended to shoot Khora as a micro crew, but as Covid restrictions eased we saw more and more opportunities to involve our film students. They were eager to gain real, on-set experience and build a portfolio, and so we happily invited them to take on roles such as camera and sound assistants.
However, this mentality soon expanded to involve hair and makeup students in a neighbouring campus volunteering their expertise. Then music students composing an original score. Then fabrication and welding students constructing elaborate props. By the time production wrapped, more than ⅔ of our entire crew were students of Belfast Met. All of these students had gained valuable, relevant experience; contributed towards their assessments; made industry connections; and vastly improved the production value of Khora which had a humble crowdfunding budget of only £1,400.
This approach, which we intend to repeat in the future, can allow micro-budget films like our own to attain significantly higher production value, all while offering valuable work experience and ushering in the next generation of filmmakers. Khora is the embodiment of this new approach to filmmaking that champions creativity, fosters collaboration and is fuelled by a genuine passion for the craft."
Stewart Burns - Script Supervisor (Documentary HND at E3 Studios)
Chudoba Krzysztof - 1st AC (Film HND at E3 Studios)
Max Graham - 1st AD (Film HND at E3 Studios)
Laura Graham - Lighting Assistant (Film HND at E3 Studios)
Molly Campbell - Sound Assistant (Film HND at E3 Studios)
Morgan Geddes - Key Makeup Artist (Media Makeup HND in Millfield)
Danielle Mccafferty - Makeup Artist (Media Makeup HND in Millfield)
Amy Small - Makeup Artist (Media Makeup HND in Millfield)
James Finlay - Runner (Film HND at E3 Studios)
Holly McKay - Composer (Music HND in Millfield)
AltFF (Alternative Film Festival): Selected + Winner of Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Horror
Athens International Monthly Art Film Festival: Selected + Winner for Best Poster
Los Angeles Cinematography Awards: Selected, Finalist for Best Short Film Cinematography
Boden International Film Festival: Selected + Finalist for Best Short Film
Lift-Off Filmmaker Sessions: Selected + Finalist for Best Short Film
Symbiotic Film Festival: Selected
Bloomington Indiana Film Festival: Selected
Brno Film Festival: Selected
Iconic Images Film Festival: Selected
