Ashish Ghadiali, a third year film student, talks about his quest to find financial support for his education, life as a film student, and his future plans.

1.) Tell us more about the award you received. How were you selected?

The award was the 2008 UK Film Council John Brabourne Award, a £10,000 award that I was able to put towards the cost of my first year tuition fees at Tisch Asia. I was the first recipient of this award, and it came about largely as a result of the approach I made to the UK Film Council for financial support having won my place in the inaugural class in Singapore.

Financial support is a somewhat problematic issue for UK citizens wishing to study within the US graduate education system, since we do not have the kind of foundation grant culture that our US counterparts enjoy, nor do we have a comparable student loan system. Government-funded subsidy of higher education tends to be limited to students attending UK-based institutions, and I was repeatedly told by government-funded institutions that they had no remit to support my proposed education.

I put forward my case to the UK Film Council, arguing that the opportunity Tisch Asia presented me with, was a one-off chance to engage at once with the American film tradition to which NYU Tisch has made such an immense contribution, and to the emerging markets and diverse traditions of Asian cinema. I argued that this would be a formative experience that in due course would enable me to act as a bridge between the British film industry and other parts of the world.

I had just returned to London after a couple of years living in Palestine and India – had held various lecturing positions in both countries, helped to establish a multimedia unit in Jenin Refugee Camp, and back in London had been a part of the UK TV industry for a few years before that, all of which was experience that I believe helped to demonstrate my commitment both to film and to internationalism.

I was very fortunate that my plea found sympathetic ears at the UK Film Council, where the Diversity department, headed by Marcia Williams and with the support of Meriel Watkins, worked tirelessly to identify sources through which they could help me. The UK Film Council John Brabourne award turned out to be that opportunity, and the department has continued its support by facilitating industry introductions whenever I am back in London.

2.) You've finished your second year of film school. What's the experience been like?

One of the things that it’s easy to lose sight of when you’re in the experience, is just how rare a creative opportunity this is. Being part of the formative years of Tisch Asia forces us to repeatedly take little steps into the unknown, to do things that haven’t been done before, or in a way that they haven’t been done before, and I think these are conditions that creative people might spend a lifetime searching for.

The experience is usually challenging, sometimes frustratingly so, but often rewarding, and I am constantly amazed at the level of innovation that I see in the work of my classmates. I think it’s indicative of a film school experience that nurtures filmmakers who have the confidence to tackle all kinds of practical problems.

For me personally, the last two years have been a real transition period, that have taken my passion for film from being something that I was always trying to fit in around other kinds of work, to being the thing that I’m doing from when I wake up in morning to when I go to sleep at night and beyond. It’s been a time to develop relationships with my classmates and faculty, a diverse collective of equally obsessive individuals, who will remain friends and collaborators throughout my life. It’s been a time for overcoming fears of film’s technical aspects, and making them second nature. It’s been a time for developing the habits that will ensure that the stories in my head find their way onto the page and, better still, onto the screen.

3.) What is it like to be an UK citizen studying at an American school in Asia?

Wherever you come from, the likelihood is that you will be a sole representative in your class for some aspect of your identity. My class at Tisch Asia is probably the most socially diverse group that I will ever be a part of, and for me that’s more than half the value of this experience. My perspective will be challenged again and again, and my respect for fellow-classmates teaches me to accommodate other points of view.

4.) Tell us about a few of the highlights of your time at Tisch Asia. And also let us know about a few of the challenging times.

The highlight for me has undoubtedly been my second year film production, ‘Encounter’ which I shot in Mumbai as a joint venture with a Bollywood-based film school, Whistling Woods International. It took a full year from first heading out that way to research the world of the story (the Mumbai underworld) and identify local production partners, and it carried with it some of the most stressful experiences of my life, but there was a real sense that by bringing together such an international group of filmmakers, by engaging at the same time with the conventions of Indian commercial cinema and the conventions of American independent cinema, that we were doing something new and significant.

That sense helped to generate a lot of interest in the project from the film industry, both in India and internationally, and we were able to secure sponsorship from Kodak, Arri, Bollywood Studio - Mukta Arts, and Singaporean post-production house, Infinite Frameworks. The lead actor, who has now become a great friend, is Anurag Kashyap, probably the leading independent filmmaker in India at the moment. It was really exciting to be at the helm of a project with so much momentum behind it.

Another highlight has been the intimate contact we have had with world-class filmmakers here on the Tisch Asia campus. In the final weeks of the second year, we had moments where over nearly consecutive days, we would be in a workshop with Oliver Stone, doing a skype session with David Fincher, having a Q &A with Jong Lin (Eat Drink Man Woman – DP), and into another workshop with Shekhar Kapur.

5.) You have one year left in film school. What's next?

I’m not quite sure what’s coming next… I’m about to spend the summer sharpening my underwater cameraman skills, so maybe I will try to pursue something in that direction, but the most important thing for me is to spend this final year developing feature length scripts that I can pitch to different industries. I am interested in staying in Singapore and/or Hong Kong, and exploring the opportunities out here to get independent work off the ground in East Asia, and I am also interested in doing more work in Mumbai and other parts of India. One of my ex-colleagues from Palestine is very keen for me to get back and help continue the work we started there. I also very much hope to get back to London sometime soon and start developing projects with producers at home. And there are also a whole bunch of thesis films that my classmates will be sending into production. I’ve been asked to save time in 2010 for feature shoots in Cambodia and Japan. So I guess it will be a few years of keeping my options open and seeing where the penny drops.

About the UK Film Council John Brabourne Award

This award carries a maximum value of £10,000 and is a match funded award between the UK Film Council and The John Brabourne Award, the youth talent scheme of The Cinema and Television Benevolent Fund.

The aim of this award is to support a talented individual to achieve their goal in film.  This person will be on the cusp of furthering their career and expanding their experience through a significant opportunity that is in their grasp but not yet realised.  In particular, this award aims to broaden the social, economic and cultural mix of the film industry. The award can be used for an education programme, relevant scheme or a significant opportunity for work experience or furthering professional skill base.

John Brabourne was one of Britain’s most prolific producers with an illustrious career spanning four decades and twenty seven films. John produced some of the greats of British cinema, including “A Passage to India”, “Murder on the Orient Express” and “Romeo and Juliet”. His films secured five Oscars and twenty one nominations. John was also Chairman of Thames Television and a director of Euston Films and Thorn EMI.

Throughout his career John Brabourne consistently championed the need to support young talent entering into the film and television industry, a cause he furthered in his time as a Trustee of the Cinema and Television Benevolent Fund from 1985 to1988.

The CTBF is proud to continue the charitable work of John Brabourne and build upon his reputation in helping new talent open the door to careers in film and television.