University News Last updated 24 February 2011
A former Birmingham City University student will be treading the red carpet at this Sunday’s Annual Academy Awards in Los Angeles and rubbing shoulders with a star-studded guest list thanks to her contribution to box office hit film The King’s Speech.
Warwickshire based Judy Farr graduated in Theatre Design from Birmingham Polytechnic (now Birmingham City University) in the 1980s. Her meteoric rise to fame started at the University’s Gosta Green campus (now home to Birmingham Institute of Art and Design) and has seen her career taking her to working on hit films including Stanley Kubrick’s Eyes Wide Shut, Hannibal Rising, Shine, Eastern Promises and the forthcoming remake of Conan The Barbarian with Ron Pearlman.
Judy’s role in The King’s Speech involved her spending five months working on creating the impressive sets for the film on location at football stadiums in Leeds and Bradford. Judy also received a BAFTA nomination for Production Design for the film and her Oscar nomination is for her role in Set Decoration.
Professor Roger Shannon, Film Producer and a long term associate of Birmingham City University, said: “An Oscar nomination is surely the apex of a career in film. Judy Farr's nomination for the Art Direction Oscar in THE KING'S SPEECH is a testament to both the launch pad that the degree course at BCU gave her career, and to the incredible creative progress that Judy has made in film and television work since then.
Mario Minichiello, Head of Visual Communication at Birmingham City University, added: “All of the staff and students are delighted that one of our own graduates has achieved so much in such a short time. I am proud of all of our students and happy to see so many of them doing so well after they have left us.”
Judy said she never had an inkling the King’s Speech would receive so many nominations. “I was involved with the curtains, carpets, lights, furniture and action props and Wyn Jenkins, from Birmingham, helped with some of the microphones in various props.
“I’ve never been to LA so I’m really looking forward to going there for the Oscars, even though I am supposed be on the set of Downton Abbey the next day!”
The film is up against Alice in Wonderland, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, plus Inception and True Grit for the ‘Art Direction’ category at the Awards ceremony on Sunday (27 February) in Los Angeles.