Calderdale film director Francis Lee shortlisted for £50,000 prize for Ammonite

A film director from West Yorkshire is in the running for a £50,000 prize for his new film Ammonite, starring Saoirse Ronan and Kate Winslet.

Francis Lee, who was born in Soyland Town, Calderdale, has been shortlisted for the IWC Schaffhausen Filmmaker Bursary Award, which is organised in association with the British Film Institute (BFI) to support up-and-coming filmmakers.

Ammonite - backed by the BFI and BBC Films, which both supported the development with See-Saw Films - was selected at Cannes, Telluride and the Toronto International film festivals is his second feature film.

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Lee’s debut, God’s Own Country, premiered at Sundance 2017, where he won the Directing Award.

Film director Francis Lee. Picture: Simon Hulme.Film director Francis Lee. Picture: Simon Hulme.
Film director Francis Lee. Picture: Simon Hulme.

The film went on to be released around the world, winning awards and nominations including Best Film British Independent Film Awards 2017, Best Film Evening Standard Film Awards, Michael Powell Award for Best British Film 2017, Breakthrough British Filmmaker of the Year London Critics Circle Film Awards 2017 and a nomination for the BAFTA for Outstanding British Film 2017.

Swiss watch manufacturer IWC Schaffhausen and the BFI revealed the three filmmakers shortlisted for the award.

The other two finalists are Cathy Brady, writer/director of her debut feature Wildfire, and Aleem Khan, writer/director of his debut feature After Love.

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The bursary is designed to give UK up-and-coming filmmakers "the gift of time – a crucial element in the creative process," say organisers.

It aims to give them financial stability, allowing them to develop their creativity and focus on future projects without the pressure of deadlines or the distraction of taking paid work.

Romantic drama Ammonite will premiere at the BFI London Film Festival on Saturday, October 17.