Alan McQueen
Course Director in Filmmaking
Alan McQueen has spent the last 30 years working with the most important and influential UK film companies. He started his career in the film and home entertainment industry in 1983 with MSD Holdings. He then joined Palace Pictures, headed by Nik Powell and Steve Woolley. Palace Pictures were the most inventive, influential and important independent film company in the UK. Alan worked on such titles as 'Nikita', 'The Killer', 'Jean de Florette', 'Manon des Sources', 'Cinema Paradiso', 'The Evil Dead', 'Tatie Danielle', and many others.
Biography
I am Course Director in Filmmaking. I have been at BCU for seven years and have worked as a Lecturer, Senior Lecturer and am now Course Director.
Expertise
My industry experience was what got me the job at BCU. I worked in the video industry from 1985 onwards. I worked for Braveworld, Palace Pictures, then set up Fox World Cinema, an umbrella label to sell foreign language and arthouse films on video. This was a massive success. I then set up Downtown Pictures, a theatrical and DVD company that released some great films, I did all of the acquisitions, I bought some brilliant films. I then started to produce feature films and continue to make films now even though I am employed at BCU.
Industry connections
I have a massive industry background and have many connections. I use these connections to get students from the Film Distribution and Marketing Course placements at the Cannes Film Festival. My connections in industry go back to the 1980’s and I am still in touch with many people who I knew back then. I see them in Cannes every year and use my links to them to help get students placements in Cannes at the Film festival.
Notable projects
We made a film called Fixed at a studio in The Jewellery Quarter. We had six students work as runners/focus pullers, smoke wafters, camera assistants and they loved it!