From classroom to cinema screen: Brighton MET student wins Horsham Film Festival Award

A talented Brighton MET College film student put himself in the picture after winning Best Student Drama at the Horsham Film Festival.  

Seventeen-year-old Toby Loughlin impressed judges with his short film All Our Ghosts, seeing his work screened on the big screen at Horsham’s Everyman Cinema alongside productions from experienced filmmakers. 

The short drama film is about human memory, which focuses on two friends coming together and trying to piece together what drove them apart.  

The Horsham Film Festival is an annual independent short film event, designed to celebrate local, regional and national filmmaking talent, including four categories for both over 18s and students, including: Best Drama, Best Documentary, Best Animation and Best Comedy. 

When asked how  he found the inspiration for the film, Toby said:   "It's very much about my own experiences and moving away, because I lived in Essex for 16 years, I went to school there, I studied there for a little bit, and everything that came with that.  

"It was about accepting a lot of that change and understanding where that put me in terms of my creative expression."  

The film also showcased talent from across the Chichester College Group, with Northbrook College theatre student Otis Stobart cast in a lead role after Toby received support from his tutors during the casting process. 

He then described how he came to submit his story, explaining that it was part of his final major project for his Level 3 Diploma in Film. He then elaborated on the process of submitting, saying:  

"That's the great thing about doing the Level 3 Diploma. It means I can take my work and share it around. I have an online portfolio and Instagram, so it's very flexible.” 

He then described what it was like seeing his film live in cinema, saying:   "First of all, it was incredibly nerve-wracking because I had some very tough competition...I think that once I got there and it all hit me, it went so fast. I was completely caught up in the moment.  

"I remember going and sitting down after collecting my award with my family - it was very surreal."  

When asked for one takeaway he had from the whole experience, Toby said:   "You've got more opportunities than you realise. I was able to do this in college and take it away and do something external with it- anyone could get it done.  

"I want people to know that it is entirely possible, because everyone has a different way of seeing things- everyone brings their own perspective. So, think use that as much as you can, because that is your strength, that is what sets you apart."  

When asked how his time at Brighton MET has helped him with the award, Toby said:  "It's very much given me the platform to understand what approach I have to filmmaking, because coming in I didn't know what genre, what styles, what stories I want to be telling.  

"I think through the projects and throughout the year, I have begun to understand what interests me and what really resonates with me.  

"Especially being given the space to use the equipment and having amazing tutors and classmates and surrounded by people that are just as passionate."  

To find out more about all the creative media, film and broadcast offered at the college, please visit https://www.brightonmet.ac.uk/study-with-us/subjects/creative-media/