Meet the Heads of Year One who will be welcoming students to Screen and Film School this September
At Screen and Film School, we believe it is important for you to be taught by working professionals who each specialise in their own craft. From directing, cinematography, editing, camera operation and screenwriting, our friendly and experienced lecturers will help you develop all the practical filmmaking skills you need to succeed in your chosen career path in the film industry.
Moreover, they will also provide you with exclusive opportunities to work on projects such as documentaries, feature films, short films and editing – most of which are paid and creates a wonderful opportunity for you to start to build your filmmaking CV.
Looking ahead to the new school year, we’d like to take this opportunity to introduce all of our incoming students to the Heads of Year who will greet them in September. As Heads of Year One, these tutors will be the first teachers that Screen and Film School Students can look to for guidance and advice once their journeys begin with us later in the year.
David Poole, Screen and Film School Birmingham, Head of Year One
David is the current Head of Year One and the Short Film 1 module leader at Screen and Film School Birmingham. He is a writer and director who specialises in short films, music videos and artist moving image. Some of his career highlights include having his work funded and broadcast by the BBC, being nominated for an RTS Midlands award and being screened at the BFI Southbank.
He has participated in talent labs with BFI NETWORK, London Screenwriters Festival and Directors UK, and has been mentored by directors such as Lewis Arnold (BAFTA winning) and Paris Zarcilla (BIFA nominee). Most recently his comedy project A Nice Walk, was shortlisted for The Pitch Film Fund 2022. As well as this, his video art installations have exhibited at institutions including Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, Grand Union and Selfridges department store.
Craig Ennis, Screen and Film School Brighton, Head of Year One
Craig’s personal specialism is editing. He did work as a camera op for a few years before admitting to himself that it wasn’t quite for him. He also much preferred the peacefulness of the edit suite compared to the set and he decided to leave the lens to the pros and buy a comfy chair.
Eventually, Craig started specialising in BTS featurettes and retrospective documentaries for collector edition Blu-rays. Alongside his filmmaking partner, he carved a niche specialising in horror and cult cinema. The most satisfying piece was an extended retrospective for the Arrow release of Jörg Buttgereit’s Nekromantic.
Craig also spent 10 fantastic summers producing a pop-up studio at FrightFest in Leicester Square. It gave him the chance to meet countless horror and genre icons. The personal highlight for Craig was getting a copy of Captain Britain signed by Alan Moore as a present for his best man.
These little pieces led Craig down a path to editing long form and his first feature length documentary premiered in 2018 at the Prince Charles Cinema before a short festival tour around Europe. Craig and his creative partner are currently in post-production on the follow up to that documentary.
Milda Baginskaitė, Screen and Film School Manchester, Head of Year One
Milda is a Lithuanian writer and director, who as well as teaching at the Film School is concentrating on making films and television in Manchester. Milda’s latest success story is co-creating a television series at Screen Yorkshire’s development programme and getting it optioned by a very reputable production company.
Most recently, Milda has completed an experimental short film, The World Is Ours for the Taking, which was funded and supported by New Creatives North, BBC Arts and Arts Council England, and is set to premiere on the BBC later this year. Her BFI-funded short True Colours is currently in the festival circuit. As well as this, she has collaborated with writer and producer Chesca Cholewa on their hybrid theatre and film production My Old Man, which has toured UK theatres in 2022.
Milda’s previous films have competed and been nominated for several awards in Osar and BAFTA-qualifying international film festivals. She tends to make films about outsiders struggling with identity and their place and purpose in the world.
In terms of filmmaking accolades, Milda has won Best Up and Coming Director Award at the Barcelona Short Film Festival in 2019, a post-production award at FEST Film Festival as well as a special mention and a prize at the Baltic Pitching Forum in 2018. She has also directed a handful of award-winning music videos and micro shorts.
At the moment, Milda is developing her first feature film and writing a drama series.
That’s the lowdown from three Screen and Film School Heads of Year One. They’re all active players in their field, as well as being experienced and talented in their own specific area of film. Students who start at the Film School in September can expect a warm welcome from all of them, before the hard work and creativity really starts in the studios and mac rooms.
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