The award-winning short films by Falmouth’s online filmmakers

disConnect, dir. Peter Chin – winner, Cannes Film Award 

Peter is a Malaysian film director and producer, who began his career as a VFX professional before transitioning to a commercial film director in the advertising world. As a filmmaker, he is always drawn to the exploration of emotional nuances through characters. 

He told us: “The idea of disConnect comes from my advertising digital content experience where I worked with numerous influencers, and some shared with me how their personal and social media lives are intertwined with no boundaries. I took bits of these personal experiences from different influencers and pieced together a story of mental struggle, self-worth and exploitation in the social media realm.” 

He added: “disConnect was a challenge in simplifying everything from the story, camera work, audio, pace to the character. It was a work of love and passion from myself and the talented cast, crew, and everyone who believed in this vision.” 

The jury from the Cannes Film Award commented on the film’s “masterful cinematography” and “near-perfect sound design,” applauding the brisk editing that kept the narrative intense and engaging. 

Further festival achievements for disConnect include: 

• Winner for Best Cinematography at the Busan New Wave Short Film Festival 2024 
• Winner for Best Student Film at the Beyond The Curve International Film Festival 2024 
• Winner for Best Trailer/Teaser at the 4th Dimension Independent Film Festival 2024 
• Finalist for Best Actor at the Korea International Short Film Festival 2024 
• Official Selection at various international festivals including Bridges International Film Festival, Cambodia International Film Festival, and Tokyo Lift-Off Film Festival. 

Watch disConnect here.

Morecambe, dir. Seb Morgan – winner, New York Film and Cinematography Awards 2024 and Milan Independent Awards Film Festival 

Seb is a filmmaker and singer-songwriter from the Lake District. His award-winning short, Morecambe, is a scripted musical homage to the town’s past and present, created by Seb and several fellow students on the master’s. 

He told us: “[Winning these awards] was slightly unexpected! But I found this past year that I'm good at directing; I can get a group together, and I have a clear idea of what they want. And when I see someone put a camera up, I'll just say, ‘Look, that background doesn't work’ - I can see it. That has worked very well with Morecambe.” 

Watch Morecambe here.

Explore Film & Television MA (Online)