As part of Welcome Week, we brought together four LFA alumni to share their experiences of life after LFA and offer advice to our new starters and current students.
Their work spans major productions including Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning to Billie Eilish music videos as well as films recognised at the Cannes Film Festival and script readings at leading European film festivals.
Corey Mandelzys (MA Screenwriting Graduate), Tanguy Pichon (MA Filmmaking Graduate), Zoja Schlamberger (BA Filmmaking Graduate) and Fatima Khan (BA Filmmaking Graduate) showed just how many different paths a career in the industry can take.
There’s no single route into the industry
Zoja explained that after sending hundreds of applications and making as many industry connections as she could, she landed a role on Mission: Impossible. Since then, she has gone on to work on major productions including How to Train Your Dragon and its upcoming sequel.
Zoja also spoke about the importance of pushing yourself outside your comfort zone, particularly when it comes to meeting people and building connections.
For Fatima Khan, also a BA Filmmaking graduate, LFA helped her discover her passion for producing. Alongside her degree, she worked tirelessly to gain experience and build industry connections, exploring a different route into the industry through short-form content.
Your LFA connections matter
A common theme throughout the panel was the value of the people you meet at LFA.
For Corey Mandelzys, an MA Screenwriting graduate, and Tanguy Pichon, an MA Filmmaking graduate, building relationships and collaborating with others has continued beyond their time at LFA.
The panel encouraged students to make the most of the people around them, whether that's collaborating on a production, attending an event or simply starting a conversation.
Start making work now
The alumni also shared a simple message: don't wait until graduation to start building your career. Make films. Write scripts. Enter festivals. Share your work. Try something that might not work.
Tanguy reflected on his own journey through filmmaking:
For him, keeping that momentum going is key:
The panel also encouraged students to make use of LFA's equipment and resources, collaborate across programmes, and take advantage of opportunities while they're here.
Make the most of your time at LFA
Ultimately, the alumni panel was a reminder that there is no single blueprint for building a career in film. Success can come through a major production, a festival run, an independent project, a new connection, or simply continuing to make work.
The advice from our alumni was clear: use your time at LFA to experiment, collaborate, meet people and make films.
With careers spanning screenwriting, filmmaking, major productions, media and independent projects, Corey, Tanguy, Zoja and Fatima are just four examples of where an LFA education can lead.
Find out more about LFA degree courses here.