The Director's Cut
The Director's Cut presents a series of discussions staged primarily at the University of Aberdeen's King's College campus with well-known and innovative international filmmakers and broadcasters. We also run our Director's Cut Masterclasses and community outreach events, where students and the public have an opportunity to hear first-hand about topics on the film industry from leading professionals. Created by Alan Marcus in 2007, the series is coordinated by the Events Team of the University of Aberdeen's Office of External Affairs and given technical support by the Web Team and the AV Unit, which also film or record many of the events. Some highlights from the 58 events staged in the last ten seasons include:
Sir David Attenborough in conversation with Alan Marcus, 30 June 2008
Sir David Attenborough's distinguished career in broadcasting spans more than 50 years. As the innovative former Controller of BBC2 and the BBC's Director of Programmes, he pioneered a new era of high quality broadcasting. An estimated 500 million people worldwide watched his 13-part series Life on Earth (1979). Presenter of popular series such as Life in the Freezer (1993), The Life of Birds (1998), and Life in the Undergrowth (2005), Attenborough has also written 17 books. In this Director's Cut, Sir David will be discussing key aspects of his career, including his book, Life in Cold Blood. Further Details
Gurinder Chadha in conversation with Alan Marcus, 18 March 2011
Bend It Like Beckham (2002) starring Keira Knightley and Parminder Nagra is one of the highest grossing British films in cinema history, and its director, Gurinder Chadha, is one of the country's most successful directors. Her award-winning films include Bhaji on the Beach (1993), What's Cooking? (2000), Bride and Prejudice (2004), Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging (2008) and It's a Wonderful Afterlife (2010). She was awarded an OBE in 2006. In this Director's Cut, Gurinder Chadha discusses the themes which infuse her narrative blend of comedy and drama, and the cultural territory her films traverse. Further Details
Pawel Pawlikowski in conversation with Alan Marcus, 18 November 2008
My Summer of Love (2004) and Last Resort (2000) each won awards at the Edinburgh Film Festival and BAFTAs. They were made by the internationally renowned director and future Academy Award-winner Pawel Pawlikowski. Born in Warsaw, Pawlikowski left at 14 to live in Germany and Italy, before moving to the UK. He studied literature and philosophy at London and Oxford and then embarked on a series of highly original documentaries for the BBC. His work includes From Moscow to Pietushki (1991), Dostoevsky's Travels (1992) and Tripping with Zhirinovsky (1995). Pawlikowski's hypnotic film, Serbian Epics (1992), was made at the height of the Bosnian war, and includes scenes shot of Radovan Karadzic and General Ratko Mladic, who later became sought for war crimes. Further Details