Meet the Film alumnus producing a Cornish-language short film
13 October 2026
Andrew studied BA(Hons) Film at Falmouth, which has since changed name to BA(Hons) Filmmaking.
Since graduating from his BA(Hons) Film course, Andrew Nile has gone on to study a master’s in MSc Entrepreneurship & Innovation Management, has built a career in production and is now returning to Falmouth’s creative community to produce a new Cornish-language short film, inspired by one of the county’s traditional stories.
The film, Pewas Uter (Uter’s Prize), is a project rooted in Cornish folklore, language and living traditions. Inspired by the oral folktale, ‘Uter Bosence and the Piskey’, the filmmakers have taken the centuries-old story and reimagined it as a contemporary coming-of-age drama with folk-horror undertones.
“Filming in Cornish felt as integral to the story we were trying to tell as the landscape and culture of Cornwall did,” Andrew told us. “We really wanted to take something old, something somewhat forgotten, and put it in a contemporary setting whilst also telling this strange tale. We didn’t want to make a film that is simply set in Cornwall, but for the county to be part of the story itself: in the language, the landscape, the traditions and the people.”
"Cornish stories have survived for centuries through the voices of the people who told them,” Andrew explained. “We want to explore what happens when those stories move into contemporary cinema, and what it means to tell them in the language and places they came from.”
He added: “I was drawn to piskey folklore because there’s an ambiguity surrounding it that’s fun to explore and play with: are they good, bad or simply mischievous?”
At the centre of Pewas Uter is a young man standing on the threshold of adulthood. During a Cornish hurling match, he becomes ‘piskey led’, forcing his father to confront an ancestral debt and decide what prize truly matters.
The film is a continuation of the relationship and creative community Andrew found while studying in Falmouth, with him crediting his time as a student living in the town as having been an important part of his development as a filmmaker.
“From the blend of both theory and practical study in the coursework, to the knowledgeable lecturers who had plenty of links to the wider industry, my experience was great on both courses.”
“Studying BA(Hons) Film at Falmouth gave me the basis I needed to understand the roles and responsibilities of producing film. It gave me the skillset and confidence needed to go out and work in the television industry before returning to produce my own short films. Being able to return with a project that is so deeply connected to Cornwall feels particularly meaningful.”
Pewas Uter is due to start filming in February 2027, with locations being developed across Cornwall. The team is also working with Cornish creative collaborators and is exploring opportunities for local production support. Fellow Falmouth alumnus and friend of Andrew’s, James Calderbank, has collaborated to create the initial concept art for the film.
The pair met on their first day at Falmouth, and have remained in touch ever since, with James having created art for various projects of Andrew’s whilst they were students. “This is our first time collaborating together again in ten years, and hopefully the start of more creative partnerships,” Andrew tells us. “He’s an incredible storyteller and artist.”
Produced by Ankow Pictures, the project will begin filming next year.
You might also like
Film graduate shortlisted at Young Arrows for shoestring skate campaign
Meet the Drawing graduate nominated for the New Blood Emerging Art Prize
Acting alumna on forging a creative practice that's entirely your own
