Online Film graduates see their student projects screened at Cornish cinema
17 July 2026
Three of Falmouth’s MA Film & Television (Online) graduates are preparing to see two of the films they created as students featured on the big screen, as part of the upcoming Women of the Water: A celebration of female filmmaking in Cornwall and the Celtic Nations charity screening event at The Ritz, Penzance.
The evening will showcase a collection of award-winning films crafted by women, all of which combine creative storytelling with environmental and social activism.
For Nahlia Loren Couto, Guy Potter and Tristan Meredith, the creative team behind Saltwater Breath and An Mór: Where the Tides Speak, this event will be the first time they’ll see their films screened since working on them as part of their final major project at Falmouth.
Speaking on Saltwater Breath, Nahlia shared: “It’s the second film in an anthology that began with An Mór: Where the Tides Speak. Both grew from my own relationship with the ocean as a surfer, paddleboarder, wild swimmer and environmental steward while studying at Falmouth.”
Having been introduced to Out of Sink, a local group of cold-water swimmers who also use performance to support environmental causes and charities, the filmmakers immediately felt inspired to return to their story.
“The project became a beautiful way of connecting Canada and Cornwall through our shared relationship with the sea,” Nahlia told us. “Conversations with three of the swimmers became the foundation of the script, allowing their voices and experiences to shape the film. At its heart, Saltwater Breath is about people, planet and the experiences that connect us across distance.”
Reflecting on seeing the films screened in Cornwall, Nahlia added: “I’m completely over the moon. As a filmmaker, you create work in the hope it will connect with people, so to see both films brought to the big screen in such a thoughtful collection feels incredibly special.
“Guy Potter, my co-director and director of photography, has worked tirelessly to bring the screening together, connecting with Merlin Cinemas and other like-minded filmmakers to curate this beautiful evening of films, which will be followed by a Q&A. I’m so grateful for everything he has done.”
Describing the feeling of being screened alongside the work of other women and getting to finally meet the team’s collaborators in person, Nahlia shared: “It’s one of those rare moments when everything comes together in a way you could only have hoped for.”
Over the last two years, Tristan, Guy and Nahlia created their two films together remotely from Canada, Australia and the UK. “Although studying online meant we were often working from different countries and time zones from one another, on our course we built a deeply meaningful creative and intellectual relationship.
“Our films explore the connections between place and identity, but at the heart of them is a story of care, reciprocity and what we owe the places and communities that shape us. We are incredibly grateful to everyone who has supported the films, and especially excited to finally meet the Out of Sink swimmers and our illustrator, Jasmine Hortop.
“We hope people will join us for Women of the Water and the Q&A on 23 July, which will be a collective gathering of filmmakers, collaborators and people who care deeply about their coastal communities.”
External links
You might also like
Professional Writing graduate wins tourism awards for Falmouth tours
Marine Photography alumna documents endangered devil rays for BBC Wildlife Magazine
Fine Art duo subverts the Gentlemen’s Club | Degree Show Stories
A microscopic breakthrough in Marine & Natural History Photography | Degree Show Stories
