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Matteo Casarini, BA Film Studies
Film fanatic Matteo applied to LSBU through Clearing after receiving his results in Italy, and was elated to secure his spot on a film-focused course in the city he lovesWhen it came to choosing what he wanted to study, 20-year-old Matteo Casarini had no doubt that his career must follow his love of art cinema. However, the options to study in his native Italy were limiting.
"I'm originally from Bologna in Northern Italy and after I achieved my high school diploma there I knew I wanted to study film. London is also my favourite city – so the opportunity to live here and learn is a dream come true.
"Despite Italy having such a strong artistic heritage, I don't believe there is much of a future if you want to be an artist there now, as there are not a lot of places to study the creative arts."
A love of film
"I really like the artistic side of cinema – not just as entertainment. Something that could be described as genre-less but keeps surprising you as a viewer stylistically and aesthetically. My favourite directors are (Pier Paolo) Pasolini and (Ingmar) Bergman who made such strong aesthetic choices in their films.
"I knew absolutely nothing about any university in the UK or about living in London, so I decided to base my choice purely upon the course subjects – and I was extremely impressed with LSBU's course content for the BA Film Studies.
"I had to apply through Clearing because my final exams at high school ended and I received my results in July 2014, which only gave me a narrow window of opportunity. I applied through UCAS as soon as I knew my results and then called the Clearing hotline at LSBU. It was really easy and I was offered a place the following day.
Moving abroad
Matteo's first day of studying in a new country took some adjustment. "Everyone spoke so fast – but the people on my course are all great and artistic. I have learned so much in one year, for example I had no idea that there was wonderful cinema coming out of countries like Croatia that people might not always associate with film."
I love everything about LSBU: its values regarding diversity, integration, the buildings, the location, the Students' Union - just everything
Matteo Casarini
"I have now shot my first short film, which was a fantastic experience. I love how LSBU manages to mix theory and practice, letting you know every aspect of the passion that you want to turn into your career. My teachers do not pretend life is all about university. They actively give us advice on careers and try to involve us in any kind of events or projects. They really care about students and follow us step-by-step, but give us freedom to be independent."