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Award-winning alumnus Luke Taylor takes documentary 'Briefest Encounters' on national cinema tour

Tuesday, 20 October, 2026

This autumn, BSU Creative Media graduate Luke Taylor is set to take his documentary Briefest Encounters on a national tour with , created by Filmmakers Luke Taylor and Joanna Crosse from Meaningful Films.

The documentary explores the stories of Joanna's grandparents and their connection to David Lean’s Brief Encounter, which is celebrating more than 80 years since its release. The documentary was previously screened at the Little Theatre Cinema in Bath to a sold-out audience, which led to further screenings in the city, as well as in York, followed by Picturehouse Central in Piccadilly Circus, London.

Reflecting on his time at university and how it prepared him for a career in filmmaking, Luke reflected:

“We were sort of running as a production company at Paint Works. So, it properly prepared you for the real world. It wasn't sitting in lecture rooms and doing, writing notes and stuff. It was actual physical hands-on work.”

Luke’s course operated like a small production house based at Paintworks in Bristol, allowing students to work with real clients while also encouraging them to create their own content without limits. It was an environment that balanced creativity with responsibility and gave Luke an early understanding of how the industry works.

During Luke's final year, he immersed himself in filmmaking and storytelling. His short film ‘Nan’, exploring the bond between a grandmother and grandson, went on to win a Student Royal Television Award.

The success of Nan continued beyond Luke’s time at BSU, with the film still having an impact on his career 12 years after it was made.

“I had an e-mail from a guy who found Nan online, and the subject titled to the e-mail was Nan Made Me Do It. And he emailed me this incredible e-mail. He was like, I love the way you captured the real, heartfelt moments. So, it's still today, 12 years later, having an impact on my career. It's always, it's always going to be my calling card.”

After graduating, Luke went freelance and set up LT Film in 2014, building on the momentum Nan had created. Luke's filmmaking has continued to evolve and grow. And after building experience through corporate and charity work, Luke was able to have a greater focus on stories he was personally passionate about.

One such project took Luke to Culverhay School, now known as Bath Community Academy, where he returned to the school he had attended between 2004 and 2011.

“The school gave me so much. So, I was really keen to make a film about that. We did a documentary about the school before it closed and what it did for people.”

Alongside these projects, Luke maintained a long-standing friendship and professional partnership with Joanna Crosse, which continues today, more than 15 years after they first worked together, when he undertook an internship at her company, Meta Media, arranged through ºÚÁÏÕýÄÜÁ¿.

What began as an early collaboration has grown into a deeply meaningful relationship, with Joanna becoming both a mentor and a guiding influence in Luke’s life and career. Together, they have worked across media training, corporate films, charity and personal projects.

“We have such different skill sets, and that combination has been really special. We’ve learned so much from each other - it’s been an amazing 15 years.”

In 2018, Luke and Joanna founded Meaningful Films as a platform focused on storytelling in the charity and non-profit sector. This has led Luke to one of his most significant projects to date, Briefest Encounters. The film grew from Joanna’s book synopsis about her grandparents’ love affair and its connection to the film Brief Encounter.

“I had first encountered the story 15 years earlier when I met Joanna, and it stayed with me ever since. While at BSU, I made a short film inspired by it, and it was something I’d never quite been able to let go of. We made the documentary together, just the two of us, which was both challenging and deeply rewarding.”

Briefest Encounters will be screened at Picturehouse cinemas across the UK throughout September and October, with screenings and Q&As taking place at selected venues.

The tour will conclude in Bath, with the final screening on Wednesday 25 November 2026 at 19:30 at the Little Theatre. This is also the final day of the 80th Anniversary year of David Lean's Brief Encounter and a year since the documentary was launched.

More information can be found here on

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