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September 21, 2015
The 12th annual screening of new films by members of the Abingdon Film Unit takes place in the Amey Theatre, Abingdon School at 7pm on Saturday 3rd October. This year’s screening includes half a dozen new films by current AFU members as well as recent work by AFU alumni now working in the film industry. These […] Read more.
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March 14, 2015
As we mark the second anniversary of Michael Grigsby’s passing, I uncovered this from a filmmaker who was more or less Michael’s contemporary; who, like him, was making powerful documentaries showing life with an honesty and compassion that were remarkable; who, like him, had an early encounter with the Beatles and shared a link […] Read more.
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October 22, 2014
Many congratulations to AFU members and Spirit of Grigsby Award winners John Cheung and Aim Wonghirundacha whose debut film, Blindside has been selected for screening next weekend at the Future of Cinema Film Festival in Interlochen, Michigan, USA. This is the first time an AFU film has been screened at a film festival in America. […] Read more.
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October 7, 2014
We are grateful to Michael Grigsby’s brother Chris for allowing us to reproduce the text of his remarks at the AFU’s recent screening on 27th September. “When Mike suddenly passed away in March 2013 my greatest wish was his legacy of fifty years in film making was not consigned to the archives. Fortunately I was fully […] Read more.
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September 28, 2014
An enthusiastic audience gathered in the Amey Theatre at Abingdon School last night to witness the eleventh annual screening of new films by members of the Abingdon Film Unit. The programme featured eleven new films and saw a wider range of work than ever before, with live action fiction, abstract pieces and the AFU’s first […] Read more.
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September 22, 2014
AFU alumnus Tian Macleod Ji has been awarded a prestigious BAFTA scholarship to study the MFA in Creative Media at City University of Hong Kong. The highly sought after award comprises a year’s course fees, a £10,000 bursary for expenses, and mentoring support from an industry professional in Hong Kong. After leaving Abingdon, Tian, now […] Read more.
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September 21, 2014
Eleven new films will be unveiled next Saturday, 27th September at the AFU’s eleventh annual screening. If that seems a tad too neat, fear not; the range of styles and genres is wider than ever before. Documentaries and animations are joined by live action fictions, abstract work and the AFU’s first music video. The evening […] Read more.
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March 23, 2014
It has been a busy weekend for the AFU. Friday night saw a team led by members Robert O’Kelly and Tanishq Sabharwal transforming Abingdon’s drama studio into a white box, ahead of shooting footage for the Unit’s first music video, featuring Abingdon band The Doss, during Saturday and Sunday. There to guide them throughout was […] Read more.
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September 29, 2013
2013 is the tenth anniversary of the Abingdon Film Unit, but it also marks the sixtieth anniversary of its pioneering predecessors, the Abingdon School Photographic Society, or ASPS for short. Ut Proficias, the first film made by Abingdon schoolboys, premiered in the school’s Biology Lab in July 1953. On Saturday 21 September we welcomed back […] Read more.
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June 23, 2013
Mighty congratulations to AFU members Jack Bradley and Will Mylrea-Hemmings whose 2012 film Nirvana (pictured above) won first prize last night at the Bedford Park Shorts Festival in Chiswick, London. Featuring striking images of Burma, a country that until very recently was closed to westerners, their film explores one of the key themes of Buddhist thought and belief. […] Read more.
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June 1, 2013
This week saw current and former members of the AFU gathering at BFI Southbank in London for an event hosted by the BFI’s Head of Education Mark Reid to mark the AFU’s tenth anniversary and to honour its founder and mentor, Michael Grigsby. In the presence of Mike’s brother Chris, sister-in-law Marion, and a number […] Read more.
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May 21, 2013
The tenth annual screening of new work by members of the Abingdon Film Unit took place on Saturday 18 May at Abingdon School. The occasion was both uplifting and moving as the AFU marked its tenth birthday only nine weeks after the death of its co-founder, the leading British documentarist Michael Grigsby. Seven new films […] Read more.
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May 9, 2013
Excitement is growing as the AFU approaches its tenth annual screening of new films in the Amey Theatre, Abingdon School on Saturday 18 May 2013 at 7pm. Tickets are free and can be secured in advance or on the door (see poster above for details). As usual, we extend a warm invitation to everyone, and […] Read more.
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March 26, 2013
Since the sudden death of Michael Grigsby on March 12, many tributes and appreciations of Mike’s work have appeared in print and on radio, reminding all at the AFU – if reminder were needed – of the great good fortune we have enjoyed in being able to work with Mike for ten years. Tonight, on […] Read more.
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March 22, 2013
It is with deep sadness that we report the death of Michael Grigsby. He died in London on March 12 after a short illness. Mike was not only the schoolboy who founded filmmaking at Abingdon in the 1950s as a member of ASPS (the Abingdon School Photographic Society), then returned in 2003 to help establish […] Read more.
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February 26, 2012
Congratulations to AFU members James Yan and Charly Clive, whose powerful fiction film Inside won the Best Fiction Film Award at the BFI’s Future Film Festival at the National Film Theatre in London last weekend. The film, which James wrote and directed in January 2011, explores the difficult subject of domestic violence and posed many […] Read more.
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October 2, 2011
Veteran film director Michael Grigsby has agreed to become the AFU’s Director-in-Residence and work with senior and former members of the AFU on an original film, with a view to helping those who have graduated from the AFU, or are nearing the end of their time in its ranks, to launch careers in the film […] Read more.
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November 20, 2010
Hard on the heels of its Raindance screening last month, One Foot on the Ground receives another outing at the National Film Theatre on Saturday 27 November as part of the We the Peoples Film Festival, an excellent event organized by the Westminster Branch of the United Nations Association. The film screens as part of […] Read more.
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October 2, 2010
The AFU’s latest major documentary has been selected for this year’s Raindance Festival, the UK’s largest and most prestigious independent film event. One Foot on the Ground is a new 24-minute film by Matt Copson, Tom Bateman and Will McDowell that follows a young Moldovan basketball-player, Andreii Zelenetchii, as he struggles to keep alive his […] Read more.
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February 7, 2010
Congratulations to two sets of AFU filmmakers who achieved an unprecedented double at the BFI’s Future Film Festival in association with BBC Blast at the National Film Theatre in London last week, when they scooped the awards for both “Best Documentary” and “Best Animation”. In Tian Ji’s powerful 2009 documentary A Soldier, made with Matt […] Read more.
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May 14, 2009
AFU animation member Pierre Leveque scooped the prestigious National Young Filmmakers’ Award and a first prize of £250 in the under-14 category at the Leeds Young People’s Film Festival in April. The winning film, which beat ten other finalists, was Pierre’s witty 2008 claymation, ‘Oh No My Dog’. According to its website, ‘The National Young […] Read more.
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May 10, 2009
The AFU’s sixth annual screening of new films is now only a few days away and final preparations are in full swing. There are 14 new films this year – 7 docs and 7 animations – offering an impressively wide range of subjects, styles and locations. You will see footage from Afghanistan and Hong Kong […] Read more.
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February 22, 2009
News of more festival success for AFU films emerged this week, at both local and national levels. James Yan’s award-winning 2007 film, Dance With Stacey, has been selected for the Dance On Screen programme at the Phoenix Picturehouse in Oxford on Sunday 8 March at 4pm as part of the Dancin’ Oxford 09 Festival. James […] Read more.
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February 16, 2009
In an exciting development this week, Gravel and Stones has become the first AFU film to achieve recognition on the Internet Movie Database, one of the largest collections of data about films and television programmes in the world. With an estimated 57 million users, the IMDb is certainly one of the most useful places to […] Read more.
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February 8, 2009
Congratulations to AFU member Will Abell, whose 2008 stop-motion animation The Lamp has been selected for the prestigious Future Film Festival at BFI Southbank in London. The film, which is about a romance between a pair of anglepoise lamps, seems perfect for the theme of this year’s festival – “The Darker Side of Love”. The […] Read more.
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December 18, 2008
As 2008 draws to a close, we can reflect on another tremendously exciting year for the AFU. At its annual screening in May, the Unit presented a record number of 17 new films, bringing its tally in 5 years to 60 and marking the AFU’s 5th anniversary in style. Gravel and Stones was screened at […] Read more.
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April 1, 2008
“Gravel and Stones”, AFU’s new documentary about disability in Cambodia, has been selected for the prestigious London International Documentary Festival. It was screened today at the Curzon Soho, alongside Danish film “The Italian Doctor”, which focused on the rehabilitation of landmine victims in Afghanistan. A large audience greeted both films enthusiastically. Among them was legendary […] Read more.
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January 26, 2008
The Abingdon Film Unit is creating the next generation of filmmakers. By Jeremy Taylor and Michael Grigsby. The Abingdon Film Unit (AFU) is a small organisation that enables secondary school pupils between the ages of 13 and 18 to make their own short documentary or animated films under the guidance of a team of industry […] Read more.
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December 31, 2007
we helped to establish a sister Unit at St Marylebone Girls School in London in September we screened at the Dinard Film Festival in France we won “Best Documentary” at the New Shoots Festival at Wheatley Park School we made the trip to Cambodia to make a 30 minute documentary. we were published in “Vertigo” […] Read more.
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December 21, 2007
The film has now been entered for half a dozen festivals in Paris, London, Switzerland, New York, the Netherlands and Denmark with more to come this month and next. An application has been made to the BBC for a “Lifeline Appeal” programme on behalf of LMDS and both “Gravel and Stones” and the short promo […] Read more.
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December 8, 2007
The film was screened at NFT2 in London to an audience of about 300. People from both film industry, NGOs and the education sector attended. At the reception afterwards AFU received great feedback and built vital connections for future developments and film work. Read more.
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December 7, 2007
Article written by By Edward Hofman, published in Vertigo Magazine. Read the original article at Vertigo Magazine Read more.
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July 2, 2007
The Film Unit (AFU) was invited to screen some of its new work at a special event at the newly christened BFI Southbank (formerly the National Film Theatre) on July 2nd. The British Film Institute’s Head of Education, Mark Reid, issued the invitation after seeing DVDs of the AFU’s films Read more.
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June 1, 2007
2007 was a momentous year! We produced more films spanning more genres then ever before. The Unit produced no less than 16 films, almost twice as many as in previous years. Not only did we produce five short documentaries but we also crossed the barrier into fiction drama with two scripted fiction films. We also […] Read more.
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May 16, 2007
The Film Unit’s 4th annual screening takes place on Wednesday, May 16th at 7.30pm in the Amey Theatre and promises to be a bumper affair. There is the prospect of as many as 16 new films, covering every genre from documentary to fiction, situation comedy and animation Read more.
