Notable Alumni
‘Without studying I would never have had a chance to make movies’
An interview with Asif Kapadia
31 May 2011
Since graduating from the University of Westminster in 1994, Asif Kapadia has directed several award-winning films including The Sheep Thief (1997), winner of the 2nd Prize Cinéfondation for Short Film at the Cannes Film Festival; The Warrior (2001), which won the BAFTA for Best British Film; Far North (2007, FILM4) which premiered at the Venice Film Festival; and Senna (2010) which won the World Cinema Audience Award Documentary at the Sundance Film Festival 2011.
Asif has presented Exploding Cinema for Radio 4 and been the patron of East End Film Festival. He has also given his time to teaching film students at the University of Westminster’s School of Media, Arts and Deisgn.
In an interview to our alumni magazine, he talked to us about:
- the making of Senna
- about importance of studying filmmaking
- about his passion for Liverpool amidst a family of Arsenal fans
- about teaching filmmaking
- digital technology vs film stock
- about how important the project to revive Regent Street Cinema is
- about why his time at Westminster was really special
- and why he would find it difficult becoming a filmmaker now.
Listen now
