ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE 

Gisli is a peer reviewer for the Film Education Journal (UCL IOE Press), and a co-supervisor of three doctoral studies with University of Exeter, London Film School’s academic partner, on Digital Disruption and the Craft of Cinematography, Female Characterisation in Contemporary Art Cinema, and Intimacy in Documentary Filmmaking.

Teaching and Supervision

  • Photography
  • Film Directing
  • Story Development
  • Production Supervision
  • Graduation Films Supervision

2017 -

Director & CEO, London Film School

2016 - 2017

Head of Studies, London Film School

2010 - 16

The Puttnam School of Film, LASALLE College of the Arts – Head of School

2014

Goldsmiths University, London

2010

TISCH Asia, Singapore

2007

Waseda University, Tokyo

2006

Sagami Women's University, Tokyo

1997

The Icelandic Film School, Reykjavik

Research Interest

  • The Transformative Process and Continuous Adaptation of the Novel to Film
  • Ambiguity and Subtext in Visual Media
  • Evolution of Story, Storymaking and Storytelling

Academic Management

The Director of London Film School is the School’s Chief Executive Officer, providing creative leadership, strategic vision and an inspirational lead to the School’s outward-facing activities, whilst also providing strong management oversight of its operations and affairs. It is a significant leadership role heading up a prestigious filmschool that is widely acknowledged as one of the best in the world.

Key responsibilities

  • Providing inspirational leadership to the School, role-modelling the values and desired leadershipbehaviours and establishing a strong collaborative culture amongst the management team, staff,students and alumni. This includes leading the management team – coaching and developing theirskills, appraising performance and giving regular feedback – and providing positive engagementthroughout the School.
  • Working closely with the Board to shape the vision and strategy for the School, to ensure itprovides first class education for aspiring filmmakers and remains one of the top film schools in theworld. This includes responsibility for delivery of the strategy, with regular reviews and reporting tothe Board on its execution. This will include identifying opportunities, potential gaps andpartnerships in the HE sector, social and technological changes and the political context.
  • Financial management and fundraising – setting the overall budget and monitoring it, and activelydevising a long-term fundraising strategy and ensuring delivery of a significant amount of publiclyand privately funded investment to enable the School to deliver its ambitions.
  • Leadership and quality oversight of all academic programmes, working closely with the Head ofStudies and Registrar, and chairing the Academic Board.

This requires:

  • a deep understanding of the demands of both Warwick/Exeter universities as validatingauthorities and the QAA
  • understanding of the demands of industry and how they might translate tocourses/teaching
  • an ability to lead development of staff as teachers
  • understanding the specifics of practice based learning
  • academic standards and benchmarking, and understanding the broader academic contexto knowledge of the field – to identify gaps and evaluate
  • leading the external relationships with Warwick and Exeter universities and managing key relationships with senior staff in those institutions
  • Leading work to develop a new framework of quality assurance that is consistent with the newregulatory regime that Office for Students will be implementing.
  • Leading the move to a new home for the LFS, vacating its Covent Garden site to move to LondonCity Island – a complex change management programme of an academic institution into a newhome with new technologies – through key stakeholder relationships and partnerships:
  • working with the Board and consultants to progress the move
  • working with Ballymore (the developers) and other LCI stakeholders
  • working with Nicholas Hare Architects
  • working with internal and external project managers to lead a successful change programme
  • Leading the public engagement of the School through LFS OPEN, industry activities, and strategicpartnerships, and developing this concept further to the creation of the LFS Academy:
  • identifying high-level opportunities and partnershipso understanding place and purpose of outreach
  • linking activities back to LFS goals
  • Leading on marketing and stakeholder management to ensure a great presence for the School andto enable strong relationships with key partners, academic institutions and regulators, industry,community and funders. Acting as the School’s representative across a range of national andinternational stakeholders. 

Education & Qualifications

1990-1994​

​Master 2: Master of Arts by Research from La Fémis: École Nationale Supérieure des Métier de L'Image et du Son, Paris. Diplôme d’école (bac + 5), under- and postgraduate degree: with specialisation in Film Directing.

1988​ 

SVT, Swedish Television Public Service: 3 month training in television production and direction. Participated as an employee of RUV, Icelandic Public Broadcasting Service. The programme is based on the BBC Training Centre in television production.

1983-1987​ 

Fjölbrautarskólinn í Breiðholti, Art & Social Studies - Studentprof (baccalauréat)

Panels, Membership & Jury

  • 2018 - Jury Member for Best IrishShort Film, Fastnet Film Festivalin Ireland. May.
  • 2017 - Jury Member at Aesthetica ShortFilm Festival, November.
  • 2017 - Member of the Royal TelevisionSociety, June.
  • 2017 - Chair of the Jury for BestInternational Short Film, FastnetFilm Festival in Ireland. May.
  • 2016 - Jury Member Autism Uncut:Awards Ceremony to celebrate the best of TV, Film, and Media that gives the publica greater picture of autism. The National Autistic Society, UK. January.
  • 2015 - HeadJury, ASEF Asia Europe Foundation photo completion On The Go, October.
  • 2015 - JuryMember at Endeavour Documentary Film Festival in Singapore, May.
  • 2015 - Memberof The European Film Academy, February.
  • 2015 - InfocommMedia Masterplan, member of Working Committee 4, January.
  • 2014 - InfocommMedia Masterplan, member of Working Committee 4, August.
  • 2014 - JuryMember at Endeavour Documentary Film Festival in Singapore, May.
  • 2012 - PanelMember, Universality of Cinema, Bengali Film Festival, Singapore, September.
  • 2011 - Jurymember of Singapore Creative Video Competition, January.
  • 2002 - JuryMember at Berlin Int. Film Festival Kinderfilmfest,Germany, February.
  • 1998 - Amember of the Directors Guild of Iceland.

Other Academic Activities

  • Panelist on Filmic possibilities: research inaesthetics and practices. Creative Practice Research in the Age ofNeo-Liberalism Hopelessness Conference. University of Bedfordshire. May, 2018.
  • Honorary Associate presented to the legendary Walter Murch at London Film School 2017 Grad Show.
  • Peer Reviewer for UCL IOE Press Film Education Journal (https://www.ucl-ioe-press.com/journals/fej/)
  • ‘Directing Fictional Narrative’ workshop for production staff of tvWAN / Digicel PNG in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. October, 2017.
  • Co-supervisor, together with Dr. Linda Williams of University of Exeter, of Lucy Kayes PhD study on Intimacy in Documentary Filmmaking. September, 2016.
  • Chair of the Development Team for the new MA Filmmaking Curriculum at London Film School. April, 2017.
  • External Reviewer of re-appointment of Assistant Professor of Digital Filmmaking, for Nanyang Technological University, The School of Arts, Design and Media, Singapore. March, 2017.
  • Launch of WritersLab in Singapore, by Minister of State for Communications and Information Chee Hong Tat. December 2016.
  • Co-supervisor, together with Dr. Helen Hanson of University of Exeter, of Aygul Bakanova’s PhD study on Female Characterisation in Contemporary Art Cinema. September, 2016.
  • Co-supervisor, together with Dr. Debra Ramsey of University of Exeter, of Alex Boutellier’s PhD study on Digital Disruption and the Craft of Cinematography. September, 2016.
  • Short Film Filmmaking curriculum development, in association with Dr Alastair Phillips, Associate Professor (Reader), Head of Department of Film and Television Studies. This is an elective film production module for students of Film Studies at University of Warwick. November, 2016.
  • 2016 Lumen Prize Nomination, International Selectors' Committee 2016: Lumen Prize Long List for the digital art work Jasmine on the Beach West Coast Park.
  • Effective Visual Storytelling: Professional Development Workshop for staff of tvWAN / Digicel PNG in Papua New Guinea, July 2016
  • Forewords in the publication of ASEF Asia Europe Foundation of On The Go photo competition winners. Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF), 31 Heng Mui Keng Terrace Singapore, 119595 ISBN: 978-981-09-7348-3, October 2015
  • Working with Actor CILECT Conference at HFF in Munich, Germany, November 2015
  • Research in Film schools CILECT / GEECT Conference at La Femis, Paris, France, April 2015
  • Panel Member, TV & Film Education in Asia, Broadcast Asia and Creative Content Production Conference, June 2013
  • MA Creative Writing, member of the Programme Development Team, LASALLE College of the Arts
  • MA Asian Film Studies Chair of the Programme Development Team, The Puttnam School of Film, LASALLE College of the Arts
  • Moderator of a CILECT Panel, Sofia Bulgaria 2012, on Admission Criteria, and Course Work Assessment for Directing, in film programs in European Film Schools
  • External Reviewer of Senior Lecturer, and Assistant Professor of Digital Filmmaking, for Nanyang Technological University, The School of Arts, Design and Media
  • Professional and Academic External Reviewer, of  a Third Year Review of Assistant Arts Professor, for NYU Tisch Shool of the Arts, Singapore
  • Lead the redevelopment of the Programme & Student Handbook for The Puttnam School of Film, LASALLE College of the Arts. The programme was successfully validated by Goldsmiths, University of London, UK
  • Chair of the Programme Development Team, for validation by Goldsmiths, University of London, of The Puttnam School of Film, LASALLE College of the Arts
  • LASALLE College of the Arts representative in a workgroup with Singapore Media Development Agency and Gothe Institute, in creating Film Campus for Singaporean and German filmmakers
  • Workgroup on IP and Copyright policy of LASALLE College of the Arts
  • CILECT membership presentation. Successfully gained a Full Membership for The Puttnam School of Film, LASALLE College of the Arts
  • Committee Member of the APL Policy of LASALLE College of the Arts
  • Rewriting the Programme & Student Handbook for The Puttnam School of Film, LASALLE College of the Arts. The programme was successfully validated by The Open University, UK
  • Chair of the Programme Development Team, for revalidation by Open University UK, of The Puttnam School of Film, LASALLE College of the Arts
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