Our Patrons

Northern Ireland-born Seamus is world-famous in our beloved film industry, having received two Academy Award nominations for his cinematography, firstly on Joe Wright’s hugely successful 2007 drama Atonement, as well as on Wright’s 2012 adaptation of Leo Tolstoy’s novel Anna Karenina.

As well as his headline-grabbing films with Joe Wright, Seamus also formed another working relationship with Sam Taylor-Johnson, assisting her on several projects from 2008 onwards, including Fifty Shades of Grey and Nowhere Boy.

Along with these two blockbusters, Seamus was also Director of Photography (DOP) on an array of other massive hits for the big screen: The Greatest Showman, Avengers Assemble, Godzilla and The Hours, to name but a few. Further credits of note for Seamus also include photographing and directing over 100 music videos, for artists as diverse as Coldplay, Paul McCartney and Dusty Springfield.

In 2015, he was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Laws from Dundee University and an Honorary Doctor of Fine Arts from the University of Ulster. As well as this, he is an Honorary Fellow of Edinburgh College of Art.

Birmingham-born Adil Ray is best known for starring in the BBC hit comedy Citizen Khan, which he created and co-wrote. Adil’s other notable roles include the hit Channel 4 drama series Ackley Bridge, Blithe Spirit with Judi Dench, and hosting Have I Got News for You. More recently, he has been a guest presenter on ITV’s Good Morning Britain.

Adil’s’s broadcasting career began as a host on a pirate radio station in Huddersfield. Then in 1997, he started presenting on Galaxy 105, a job that made him the first full-time British South Asian presenter to host a mainstream commercial radio show in the UK. This paved the way for his successful time with the BBC, which he joined in 2002 to present the late-night Adil Ray Show on the BBC Asian Network.

Adil’s radio life has seen him become a regular presenter on BBC Radio 5 Live and as a narrator for BBC Radio 4 documentaries.

As well as other BBC Radio appearances throughout the last decade, Adil’s various TV credits have included: hard-hitting documentary Exposed: Groomed For Sex, as well as a co-host on The One Show.

Most recently, in early 2021, Adil began presenting a revival of the word-based quiz show Lingo, which premiered on New Year’s Day.

A proud citizen of Birmingham, and a big football fan, Adil supports Aston Villa FC.

Fabian is one of the most gifted and celebrated cinematographers working in the industry today. The uber talented DOP is possibly best known for his work on Game of Thrones, The Crown, Sherlock and most recently Justice League, productions which have earned him two Emmy Award nominations and the prestigious BSC and ASC awards. He started his career in the north of England on shows such as Jimmy McGovern’s The Street and The Accused, as well as DCI Banks and Scott and Bailey.

Fabian began his career as a professional cinematographer in 2004, when he started shooting music videos and short films. He quickly progressed to television production and by 2008 he was working consistently on projects for the BBC and ITV. His real breakthrough in TV came with the 2008 BBC Three drama series Spooks: Code 9, for which he filmed all six episodes.

His first feature film, The Legend of Barney Thomson, under director Robert Carlyle, won the Scottish Bafta award for Best Film in 2015. His work on the Sherlock episode “A Scandal in Belgravia” and on the Game of Thrones episode “Hardhome” earned him two Emmy nominations in 2012 and 2015, respectively. His subsequent involvement in Game of Thrones culminated in cinematography duties on the much-discussed 2016 episode Battle of the Bastards. Fabian has also been nominated for both ASC and BSC awards and has become one of the youngest members of the British Society of Cinematographers.

Alex Kalymnios is an acclaimed British director, producer and screenwriter working internationally. In the US, Alex has directed episodes of Titans, The 100, Timeless and Once Upon a Time. Most recently Alex directed Three Families for the BBC in the UK. Alex has also directed Scott & Bailey, The White Princess, Waterloo Road and Becoming Human where she was nominated for a BAFTA for her work. Alex’s film credits include Love You To Death and Cleveland Abduction.

Alex’s wide range of experience in the UK film and TV industry makes her a fantastic addition to Screen and Film School Brighton’s patrons.

Graham is an experienced and prolific writer for screen, radio, stage and print, best known for sit-coms such as Ideal, Hebburn and Nebulous. Often taking inspiration from the worlds of music, horror, sci-fi and art house cinema, Graham’s scripts mix genres and cross boundaries. They also attract some of the biggest names in British comedy, including Steve Coogan, Johnny Vegas, Mark Gatiss, Julia Davis, Sean Lock and Simon Pegg.

Kit de Waal is an award-winning writer; her debut novel My Name is Leon won the 2016 Irish Novel of the Year and is being adapted for the BBC. This adaptation is currently being produced by Douglas Road Productions, which was founded by Birmingham hero, Lenny Henry. Set against the backdrop of the race riots in Birmingham in the 1980s, this tender and inspiring tale balances gritty realism with charm and gentle humour, exploring the issues of identity and belonging.

Kit’s other works include The Trick to Time (2018), Becoming Dinah (2019), and Supporting Cast (2020). She also has written for BBC, Radio 4, The Old Vic and The Abbey Theatre in Dublin and co-wrote The Third Day for SKY/HBO/Plan B.

British actor Antonio Aakeel is best known for his leading film role in the award-winning Eaten by Lions (2018). He was named a Screen International ‘Star of Tomorrow’ by global film publication Screen Daily: an international conglomerate of film journalists known for distinguishing rising talent. Previous recipients of the award have included Eddie Redmayne, John Boyega, and Dev Patel.

In 2019, Aakeel won the EE Eastern Eye ACTA Award for ‘Best Emerging Artist’ supported by Arts Council England at its annual London ceremony.