Award winning alumni inspire future filmmakers in masterclass

Alumna Linda Ludwig and alumnus James Curle returned to Oxford Brookes University to share the secrets of their professional film-making success with current students.

In a masterclass held for Film Studies students, the duo reflected on their journey from university graduates to award-winning filmmakers. 

Linda and James began collaborating during their time at Oxford Brookes. They founded Inquisitive Pictures after graduating from the Film Studies course. Since then, they have consistently garnered acclaim, with two films, ‘Man of the Hour’ and ‘Under the Blue’ standing out as milestones.

“We will be working on one specific film but once that’s finished will immediately start work on ideas and funding applications for the next,” said James. “We’ll go to the film festivals where we can meet directors, producers, actors - a whole range of people in the industry. It’s important to go out there all the time and keep connecting with people. You often meet the same people again and again when you are making films.”

Linda said: “We tend to have more ideas than we have time to write, so we're always developing screenplays. We've already written a couple of different feature films as well as a TV series that we're excited to embark on next - and we're writing another project right now."

The students were treated to a screening of ‘Under the Blue’ - a true story highlighting the pressures of working as a police officer in the UK. They were also given a sneak preview of a forthcoming film written and directed by Linda and James.

‘Under the Blue’ has gained 13 wins in British Independent Film Award qualifying festivals, winning jury prizes and audience awards alike. It followed ‘Man of the Hour’ which picked up multiple awards and nominations, including winning the Jury Prize at The American Pavilion Emerging Filmmaker Showcase during the Cannes Film Festival 2018.

After the masterclass, Dr Paolo Russo, Interim Programme Lead for Media Arts and Senior Lecturer in Film Studies at Oxford Brookes, said: “It’s inspiring for our students to hear firsthand from alumni who have achieved so much in their careers. Linda and James have real success stories to tell and are testament to the possibilities that await our graduates.”

Entry is open for applications to start the BA (Hons) Film Studies in 2025, and it is here that budding film directors, producers and screenwriters can find out more about applying.