Former Eastbourne student fund-raising to make thriller in Los Angeles

Mark Burnham – a 20-year-old film-maker from Eastbourne currently based in Los Angeles – is seeking funding to make an original murder mystery made up of creative talent from all around the world.

An Old Eastbournian who attended Eastbourne College between 2018 and 2020 for sixth form, Mark said: “It has been my dream to work in the film industry since I was 14.

"At this age, I set my heart on a university in Los Angeles – the University of Southern California's School of Cinematic Arts (USC) – a prestigious institution with a slimmer acceptance rate than Oxford and Cambridge and home to renowned film-makers such as George Lucas (Star Wars), Robert Zemeckis (Forrest Gump and Back to the Future) and Ron Howard (Apollo 13). Following four years of hard work building up a portfolio of short films, I was lucky enough to be accepted. This was, in great part, thanks to the College's support, both in the local Eastbourne actor friends that I made whose talent, patience and collaboration created my final application film as well as in the abundant support that the College provided me.