User:Bengibson1958/sandbox

Ben Gibson biography

BEN GIBSON 198E Hornsey Road London N77LN, UK +44207 686 0368 cell: +447771 750 350 b.gibson@lfs.org.uk/bengibson1958@gmail.com

Director, The London Film School, (from Sept 2000) Responsibilities: Management and leadership of The London Film School (international film graduate school with 130 students on two year MA degrees and 35 faculty/technical /admin staff). CEO, Managing budget, curriculum development, faculty recruitment and oversight, teaching production and markets, fundraising and partnerships. Achievements: Re-branding and re-launch; turnover up from £1.3M to £3.9M since 2001; UK ‘Film Academy’ status 2004; LFS Workshops; the “Q&A” filmmaker series, 5 EU-funded international workshop strands; Film PhD by Practice and MA International Film Business; Barbican Arts Centre capital project (moving to newly adapted space in 2016), public launch in 2013, first finance (BFI Lottery funding £2M) in 2013.

Head of Production, Artificial Eye Productions (1999-2000) LA FILLE DE SON PERE (Jaques Deschamps, 2000) with Lazennec, Paris; completion of Bela Tarr’s WERKMEISTER HARMONIAC.

MD/Head of Production, Spider Pictures (1998-1999) UK/French production house. Productions included Nicola Bruce’s “I COULD READ THE SKY”.

Head of Production, British Film Institute (1988-1997) Responsibilities: CEO/creative head of development/production/marketing unit of 12 people making 10-15 shorts and up to 4 features/year; talent scouting; supervising development, physical production, post and delivery; managing staff and reporting to non-exec Board; overseeing world sales and UK marketing; political advocacy of BFI policies. Achievements: Project packaging --gearing an annual £1M fund to £3.5m+ production spend via public funding/broadcasters/co-production/pre-sales; CONTINENTAL DRIFT-- 30-minute dramas from Europe for BBC Screen Two 1992 (won 2 BAFTAs); SCREEN ON THE TUBE -- co-development/production strand with BBC Drama 1997; BRITISH IN BERLIN -- market umbrella 1991; launched THE SCRIPT FACTORY 1997. In 1994 BFI Production won the ‘Prudential Award for the Arts’ Award for ‘Excellence, Accessibility and Innovation in Film.’

Production Executive “New Directors”, British Film Institute (1986-1988) Responsibilities: commissioning/direct production of 35mm theatrical shorts and video work by emerging directors. Achievements include: short debuts by Richard Kwietniowski (LOVE AND DEATH ON LONG ISLAND), Gurinder Chadha (BAAJI ON THE BEACH, BEND IT LIKE BECKHAM), Carine Adler (UNDER THE SKIN), Chris Newby (ANCHORESS), Patrick Keiller (LONDON), Andrew Kotting (GALLIVANT), Jamie Thraves (THE LOW DOWN),  Ngozi Onwurah, Lynne Ramsay (RATCATCHER, MORVEN CALLER), Simon Beaufoy (THE FULL MONTY), Jim Gillespie (I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER), Sandra Goldbacher (ME WITHOUT YOU), Clio Barnard (THE SELFISH GIANT).

Joint MD, The Other Cinema/Metro Pictures/The Metro Cinema (1982-1986) Joined as Press and Promotions, became joint MD with Tony Kirkhope in 1983. Responsibilities: acquisitions, fundraising, programming, press and PR. Achievements: launch of Metro Pictures in 1984; fundraising, building and opening of the Metro Cinema, Rupert Street, 1986; co-produced SOFT AND HARD, a documentary by Jean-Luc Godard for C4 (as Deptford Beach Productions).

Repertory Programmer/Manager, Paris Pullman Cinema, Contemporary Films (1980-1981) Booking and promoting 14 repertory titles a week /producing programme bulletins/managing the cinema day to day/some acquisitions work for Contemporary Films.

Co-Director, London International Festival Of Theatre (1979-1980) The planning and inception, with Rose Fenton and Lucy Neal, of what became the world’s biggest (programmed) international theatre festival. The festival daily paper, administration, scouting projects, policy, fundraising

Selected Teaching/Festivals/Events/Consultancies (1989-Present) Moderator/lecturer Berlinale Talent Campus 2003-14; Supervisor/Research Fellow University of Exeter PhD Film by Practice from 2013; MAKING WAVES graduate workshop on film distribution with Le Femis, DffB Berlin, Columbia University New York, ESCAC Barcelona 2011-2013; A FISTFUL OF EUROS workshop (2008, with La Femis, Paris/Danish National Film School/Film & Drama Academy Budapest) and EUROPEAN LOW BUDGET FORUM 2009-13; Directed SCENARIO! Screenwriting Festivals at the London French Institute, 2004/5/6; TURNAROUND workshops on film finance markets for professional producers, for New Zealand Film Commission (2002), British Council/Indonesia (2001) Beijing Film Academy (2004). Royal Holloway College Screenwriting MA ‘From Idea to Premiere’ 1999. West Surrey College ‘Development, Finance and the Markets for Filmmakers’ 1997-2000; Northern Film School, Leeds, 1990-98; short courses for National Film & TV School. HOW MUCH CAN YOU DO ABOUT NOTHING? Professional seminar (with Mike Figgis, Kenneth Branagh, Troy Kennedy Martin) ,1994 and HOW LOW CAN YOU GO? (with Roger Corman, James Schamus, Christine Vachon, Claire Denis, Charles Burnett, Chantal Akerman tutors/participants including Gurinder Chadha, Isaac Julien, Richard Kwietniowski) 1992; Chair of ‘European Television Commissioners Forum’ for Rotterdam Festival CINEMART 1996-99; Contributor/presenter Worldwide Screen Show on NOW-TV 2001-2; Study on “Proposed C4 LAB Structure” commissioned by Michael Jackson, Channel Four, 1998; consultant for Lottery Film Awards for Arts Council of England 1999, 2000. Festival Jury Service: Turin, Aix-en-Provence, Geneva, Guadalajara.

Boards and Memberships: Executive Committee EFDO, the European Film Distribution Office 1991-97; Merseyside Image Development Agency 1994-6; Editorial Boards of Dictionary of Films and Film-makers, Framework and Vertigo magazines; Chairman The Script Factory 1997-9. Member of UK-France co-production treaty Mixed Commission, 1994; Board member AVEA (African Audio-Visual Entrepreneurs Training Scheme); Member of PACT Film Policy Group 1996-2002, Executive Committees of AMPE (Association of Media Practitioners in Education) and NAHEMI (National Association for Higher Education in the Moving Image); member BAFTA, European Film Academy.

Education University of East Anglia 1982: MA Film Studies Warwick University 1979: BA English & Theatre Studies (2:1) Ashridge Business School 1990: Management Development Programme City of London School, London EC2 to1975: 3 A Levels

Feature Credits as Producer and Executive Producer include: SHIRLEY ADAMS (Oliver Hermanus 2009): Locarno/Dubai/Durban (3 prizes)/Amiens (1st Prize) BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE (Jazmin Dizdar 1998): Cannes 99 Un Certain Regard Prize/ US dist. Trimark/UK Alliance LOVE IS THE DEVIL (John Maybury 1997): Cannes 98 Un Certain Regard/ Michael Powell Award/ US dist. Strand UNDER THE SKIN (Carine Adler 1997): Edinburgh Michael Powell Award/ /Toronto Critics’ Award/US dist. Arrow SMALL TIME/WHERE’S THE MONEY, RONNIE? (completion EP, Shane Meadows 1997): C4 Director’s Award/Toronto SPEAK LIKE A CHILD (John Akomfrah 1997, Toronto/London 1998) ROBINSON IN SPACE (Patrick Keiller 1997): Rotterdam ‘Tiger’ Award STELLA DOES TRICKS (Coky Giedroyc 1996, Sundance/London 1997) GALLIVANT (Andrew Kotting 1996): Edinburgh C4 Directors Award/UK dist. Alliance Electric A BIT OF SCARLET (Andrea Weiss 1996, Berlin Panorama) MADE IN HEAVEN (various directors, Queen music film project 1996, Cannes/Venice/London) MADAGASCAR SKIN (Chris Newby 1995): Cannes Un Certain Regard/ Stockholm, Best Screenplay, Best Actor THREE STEPS TO HEAVEN (Connie Giannaris 1995): Cannes Directors’ Fortnight/US dist. Miramax LOADED (Anna Campion 1994): Sundance/US dist. Miramax LONDON (Patrick Keiller 1994): Munich First Prize/Berlin Forum Prize/UK dist. ICA Projects/US Zeitgeist WITTGENSTEIN (Derek Jarman 1993): Berlin Forum ANCHORESS (Chris Newby 1992): Cannes Un Certain Regard/Best Film, Cork THE LONG DAY CLOSES (Terence Davies 1992): Cannes Competition/US dist. Avenue Pictures YOUNG SOUL REBELS (Isaac Julien 1991): Cannes Critics’ Week Prize/US dist. Miramax SILENT SCREAM (David Hayman 1990): Berlin, Silver Bear/Edinburgh Michael Powell Award Winner

Publications ‘Seven Deadly Myths of British Film’ in New Problems of British Cinema, ed. Duncan Petrie, BFI 1996 ‘Cinema et Architecture’ in Images et Imaginaires d’Architecture, ed. Jean Dethier and Ruth Eaton, Pompidou Centre, Paris, 1990. ‘Laisser Faire Eats the Soul: British Film Policy (in Art for All?, Peer Trust London 2001) Reviews and articles published in: Framework, Vertigo, The Guardian, Monthly Film Bulletin/Sight and Sound, Freeze Frame, Journal of Popular British Cinema

Personal Born in London 3rd June 1958. Married with three sons (born 1996, 2005 & 2006). Appointed Chevalier dans l’Ordre Des Arts et des Lettres, 2010.