Meet the team
All staff at The Film Academy Edinburgh are PVG cleared through Disclosure Scotland, and in addition pass an annual Child Protection course.
All staff are paediatric first aid trained.
Graham Kitchener
Creative Director & Producer
Graham Kitchener is an award-winning filmmaker, with experience as a writer, director, cameraman, editor and producer. Involved in youth work for over 30 years, he began his creative career in advertising within the Saatchi & Saatchi group.Teaching film to young people across Scotland for the past 10 years, including at the Edinburgh Pauline Quirke Academy, films created by his students have been nominated and won at film festivals around the world.
He continues to write and direct films for major organisations including Apple Inc, Jack Daniels, NHS and 2020 Productions, in addition to several independent short films.
Kay McAllister
Acting Tutor & Admin/Development Officer
Kay studied acting at Edinburgh College and then the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, graduating in 2018 and awarded with the Rosalyn Lipsey Prize for ‘Best Woman in a Comedy Role’.
Throughout her training and since graduating Kay has worked across the industry, gaining experience in film, TV, theatre and radio. Her credits include television series The Loch (ITV), world premier theatre production The Panopticon (National Theatre of Scotland) and radio drama Killing Kate (BBC Radio 4).
Kay is very passionate about teaching and working with young people, encouraging them to build confidence and further their acting skills. She is thrilled to be back in Edinburgh and teaching at the Film Academy!
Sarah Fairbrother
Editor & Production Mentor
Sarah Fairbrother graduated with a distinction in Film Directing (MA) from Edinburgh College of Art, specialising in creative documentary.
She works as a freelance filmmaker and editor, creating films which have at their heart, human-centred stories. Her short films have included Wild Winter Swim (2016), Losing Ground (2017), Finding Sid (2018) and A Different Approach (2019).
She works with charities and businesses to create video content and is currently developing her first film in 360.
Neill Prentice
Screenwriter & Production Mentor
Neill graduated from Queen Margaret University in 2013 with a degree in Film and Media and later earned a master’s in Film at Screen Academy Scotland, focusing on directing. His final project ‘Stay’ went on to be screened both nationally and internationally.
Neill has worked on several TV productions, including the reboot of the CBBC’s much beloved ‘Raven’. He also directed a short comedy/drama ‘Mercury Maybe’, that premiered at the 2019 Edmonton Film Festival.
Neill has a lifelong love of all thing’s cinema and his teaching focuses on the unique storytelling tools that filmmaking provides. With several years of experience in youth work, Neill enjoys the opportunity to combine his filmmaking knowledge and youth work experience as part of the Film Academy family.
Gudni Líndal Benediktsson
Screenwriting Tutor & Production Mentor
Guðni graduated from the Icelandic Film School in 2012, and then worked on the sets of feature films like Of Horses and men (2013) and Thor 2: The Dark World (2013), along with a number of short films.
In 2016, he graduated with honors from Screen Academy Scotland with a MA degree in Screenwriting.
He has written four published Icelandic children books, one of which won The Icelandic Children Book Award 2014.
Guðni was also one of the story writers for the mobile video game Box Island (2015), a game designed to teach children the basics in programming, and is a founding member of Fenrir Films, an Icelandic production company.
When he is not thinking of new creatures to put in his next books, he spends his time writing scripts for all manner of films, comics or video games.
Rhys Anderson
Acting Tutor
Rhys is a professional actor who trained at Edinburgh College Performing Arts Studio Scotland and then on to The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in London.
He was awarded the Nellie Watson award whilst training for ‘academic achievement, engagement with the course and overall potential as an actor’.
Rhys has been working across theatre, TV, radio and film since graduating in 2018, including a successful run of ‘Dialektikon’ at the Park Theatre, London, with Ex Nihilo and ‘Romeo and Juliet’, the debut show for the new Cumbernauld Theatre.
Rhys is honoured to be an acting tutor at the Film Academy Edinburgh and loves working with everyone and anyone.
Stewart McConnell
Academy Assistant
Stewart McConnell studies HND: Television at Edinburgh College and has a keen interest in filmmaking.
He was taught filmmaking by Graham for 5 years before joining the staff and is looking to pursue a career in the industry. He was the first student to join Film Academy Edinburgh and has always had a passion for behind the scenes work in movies.
Lauren Grace
Acting Tutor
Lauren Grace graduated from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in 2017 during which she received the BAFTA scholarship for acting.In 2012 Lauren was also nominated for a Scottish BAFTA new talent award for best actress in a short film, ‘Bird’, and over the past year has been working consistently in film and television.
Recent credits include ’12 Point Kill’ for Creative Scotland, ‘209ers’ for CBBC and the lead in her first feature film ‘Zero’ with BFI, BBC and Film London.
Lauren’s passion for screen is something that she enjoys sharing with others and she is excited at the prospect of a film school for young people as she only wishes that this had been something available to her when she was starting out her career.
Elliot Campbell
Production Mentor
Elliot Campbell is an experienced film maker who has worked on award winning feature films and shorts for clients such as Edinburgh World Heritage, NHS, Woodland Trust, Cafe St Honore, Beyond Borders and many more.
Elliot has been camera operator on productions across the world including Moscow for Johnson and Johnson and across Europe for Canvas Holidays. He was part of the team filming the Dalai Lama’s visit to Scotland in 2012 and filmed the Queen on her Official visit to Scotland in 2013. Elliot is also Film Production Manager at the prestigious Beyond Borders Festival.
