Former City College Brighton student wins funding from The Grierson Trust

Max Goldini, a former film-making student at City College Brighton and Hove, has been named as one of five recipients of The Grierson Trust’s innovative short documentary film fund and mentoring scheme aimed at young people and youth groups across the UK.

The Grierson Trust commemorates the pioneering Scottish documentary maker John Grierson (1898 – 1972), famous for Drifters and Night Mail and the man widely regarded as the father of the documentary.

The Trust has recruited new film makers to make five minute documentaries on the theme of ‘Family’. Max (21) has been provided with a budget of £3,000 plus post-production facilities and is being mentored by Brian Hill, Managing Director of Century Films, one of the UK’s most highly regarded independent production companies. Hill has made over 60 films for the BBC, Channel 4 and ITV, many of which have won awards from the British Academy of Film and Television and the Royal Television Society.

Max says: "Winning the bursary and working on this documentary with the support of Brian Hill has been an amazing experience which has brought my professionalism to a new level. My ambition is to have a long-term career producing dramas and documentaries and hopefully the film I’ve made with the help of The Grierson Trust will be a stepping stone towards that."

Of his time at City College, Max says: "City College definitely gave me the foundation of having an understanding of how the industry works and gave me a solid understanding of filming, editing, lighting and studio technology. I also learnt how to plan efficiently and I was able to build up my level of communication so I could get my projects off the ground."

Max’s mentor, Brian Hill adds: "Right from the start of this project, Max has been well organised and hard working and dedicated to making the most of the opportunity before him. He has displayed considerable flair in the making of his film and he has always been ready to discuss ideas. In short, Max has been very impressive."

The five finished films will be screened at an exclusive evening event in London later this year and commissioning editors, distributors and heads of documentary production companies will be invited. The films will also be given an online premiere at www.griersontrust.org.