University of Brighton film wins London festival award

The 16-minute film, titled Designing from Home, focuses on the life and creative legacy of FHK Henrion, a post-war graphic designer known for his work on corporate identities including Tate & Lyle, the National Theatre and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines.

Co-directed by Dr Harriet Atkinson and Dr Sue Breakell of the University of Brighton, the film was produced in collaboration with Banyak Films.

It won Best Short Documentary at the London Independent Film Festival, beating dozens of international entries.

Dr Sue Breakell, director of the University of Brighton Design Archives and co-director of the film, said: "We’re thrilled to have won this award, which feels like recognition for what we wanted to do with the film: to connect with audiences through the story of this house and the people who lived and worked there, and through the archive that we look after.

"It’s been incredibly rewarding to see how this kind of research can resonate beyond academia and spark curiosity about design in everyday life."

Dr Sue Breakell, Director of the University of Brighton Design Archives, and co-director of the film and Dr Harriet Atkinson, design historian and co-director of the film. (Image: University of Brighton)

FHK Henrion, who fled Nazi Germany in 1933, settled in London in 1936 and contributed to wartime propaganda efforts for both British and American governments.

The film offers an intimate look at his Hampstead home, where he lived and worked for more than 40 years.

Through interviews with family members and a selection of rarely seen works from the Design Archives, the documentary explores how Henrion’s domestic environment influenced his creative output.

Dr Harriet Atkinson, design historian and co-director, said: "It was fun to attend the festival, to experience a red carpet, meet other filmmakers and see the diverse range of films that LIFF champions, and it was ridiculously exciting to come away with an award.

"It’s a reminder of how powerful film can be in bringing history to life and engaging people in stories they might not otherwise encounter."

The film was funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council, the University of Brighton’s School of Art and Media, School of Humanities and Social Science and the Centre for Design History.