Edmund Stenson (MA, Film Studies, 2015) has been selected as a 2017 Daiwa Scholar.
The Daiwa Scholarship is a unique 19-month programme of language study, work placement and homestay in Japan, following a month of Japanese language tuition in the UK. Daiwa Scholarships offer young and talented UK citizens with strong leadership potential, the opportunity to acquire Japanese language skills, and to access expertise and knowledge relevant to their career goals.
Stenson is currently a Toronto-based film editor and producer who focuses on social issue films. He has a long-standing interest in Japanese cinema, which began when he encountered Takashi Miike films, and which led him to explore other Japanese directors including Yasujiro Ōzu, Seijun Suzuki and Hiroshi Teshigahara. He spent a year at Tokyo University while completing his BA, studying Japanese language, history and culture. He hopes to become a director and to make films that highlight under-represented issues in the UK, Japan and elsewhere. Deepening his understanding of Japanese culture will allow him to explore aesthetic and formal cinematic innovation.
He leaves for Japan this September. Good luck, Edmund!