University of Salford graduate nominated for Golden Globe
Friday 8 January 2016
An original screenplay written by a University of Salford graduate has been nominated for a prestigious Golden Globe Award at this weekend’s annual event in Beverly Hills.
‘The Fencer’, which was written and developed by Anna Heinamaa, 54, whilst studying for a Master’s degree in Film Screenwriting at Salford, has been shortlisted for the Best Foreign Language Film category.
The 2015 internationally co-produced drama film, which was directed by Finland’s Klaus Haro, is based on the true story of Endel Nelis. Endel was an Estonian fencing master who fled from his home in Leningrad in the early 1950s to escape Russia’s secret police. After moving to the small Estonian town of Haapsalu, Endel founds an after-school for aspiring young swordsmen.
However, when Endel’s pupils wish to participate in a national fencing tournament in Leningrad, the fencing tutor is faced with a huge dilemma. Does Endel risk everything to take the children to Leningrad or does he put his safety first and risk disappointing his pupils?
Anna’s inspiration for the film came from when she first met Endel’s daughter Helen Nelis-Naukas, who now runs her father’s fencing school. After hearing about the ‘classic hero’ journey Endel had made, Anna drew on this story when she had to write a film script for a degree module. Since then the film, which was produced in late February 2014, has received national recognition, having been selected as the Finnish entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 88th Academy Awards and Finland’s submission for a Best Foreign Language Oscar.
Anna said: “It’s a great honour to be nominated for a Golden Globe. I’m hoping that it will make people more aware of the fact that a great screenplay – a well-written heartfelt story – is the foundation that a successful film builds on.
“The programme at Salford took my writing to a whole new level by giving me the tools to understanding what the art of storytelling is all about, so I was thrilled by that experience.”
One of Anna’s former lecturers, Colin Muir, Programme leader for MA Television and Radio Scriptwriting at the University of Salford, added: “Anna studied on the MA for two years and was an analytical, imaginative and dedicated writer.
“The Fencer is one of two film scripts she developed and wrote on the programme. There may well be further success in store for Anna in the future.”
Watch the trailer of 'The Fencer'
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Liam McCallion
0161 295 4779
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