A film created by Arts University Bournemouth (AUB) BA (Hons) Film Production students has secured its latest award.
Milk Candies, produced in 2025, was named Best Student Short at the World London Film Festival in October – the latest in a string of successes during its ongoing festival run.
The drama also received Best Student Short Film and Best Director at the London Film Club in July, while its selection at the World London Film Festival is its sixth festival in competition.
Will deBretton Gordon, a graduate of AUB’s BA (Hons) Film Production course, wrote and directed the project.
“I think when working on a film you’re so close to it, so it’s difficult to view it objectively, so I’m deeply grateful for the recognition and awards we’ve won,” he says, “it’s a good reminder to be proud of the work we did.
“The crew worked incredibly hard to make this film what it is, and so I’m so pleased that their work is being recognised.”
Will explains that, at its core, Milk Candies is a film about friendship, following Tyler as he’s forced to tell his childhood friend Theo that he’s moving away, a secret he’s been keeping for months.
Compounding his anxiety, Tyler has also been sitting on the fact that his family’s Chinese supermarket, the site of their shared childhood, is shutting down for good. When Tyler finally breaks the news, it causes a rupture in his and Theo's friendship, forcing Tyler to revisit memories of their shared childhood.
In a quiet evening in the closing shop, Tyler and Theo navigate their fears of change and try to find closure before they move into the next stage of life.
“Milk Candies is a film inspired by my own experiences and the transitions that we go through in life,” Will says. “I especially wanted to explore friendships and how they evolve with age and life changes.
“Tyler and Theo really are more like brothers, and their friendship has been an important stabilising factor for them through childhood and into adolescence, and so I was interested in exploring how a friendship like this handles the disruption that’s brought about when one of them says they’re leaving.”
Milk Candies was one of many films produced by students within AUB’s Bournemouth Film School, which encompasses courses such as BA (Hons) Film Production, BA (Hons) Acting, BA (Hons) Costume and BA (Hons) Makeup, Hair and Prosthetics.
Students across these different courses work in close collaboration on the film projects, mirroring what they can expect when they enter the creative industries.
“Working on projects at AUB taught me a great deal that I’ve carried forward into my work as a videographer,” says Will. “Beyond technical knowledge, it’s the experience I gained in collaborating with a crew and communicating ideas that has been so useful in my work.
“I work with several different companies, and so being able to easily and efficiently communicate ideas is essential; much of the pre-production work I do every week comes directly from the practices I learnt at AUB.”
Meanwhile, Will explains that his work as a videographer has allowed him to develop his skills as both a storyteller and collaborator.
“I’m confident that I’ll continue to develop, write and direct narrative shorts while working to move towards feature productions. Filmmaking is something that I love; I can’t explain why, but for as long as I can, I’ll continue to pursue it.”
Milk Candies will continue to do the rounds on the festival circuit, having been officially selected for the International Film Gala London later in November.
Alongside its screenings and award wins at the World London Film Festival and London Film Club, the film has also been screened at Stratford-upon-Avon Film Festival and Gloucester Independent Film Festival. It was nominated for Best Student Film at both festivals.
