A 20-MINUTE drama produced by a Stanmore film graduate has been nominated for a student Oscar.
The Miserables, which is about a man who builds a time machine for his terminally ill wife, was written and produced by Alex Lipman, 21, of Drummond Drive, as part of his graduation project.
The film helped earn Mr Lipman a First in BA Film and TV Production course, based at the University of Westminster's Harrow campus, and the drama has picked up national and international film awards since its premišre at the VGIK Film Festival in Moscow, Russia, last October.
His work is competing in the Foreign Film category of the Student Academy Awards.
Its a huge honour because not only are we the single British nomination, its also the first that the University of Westminster has ever received, Mr Lipman said.
The success of the film is particularly surprising to Mr Lipman since he had substantially less resources than other films shortlisted in the category. 
He said: When I was at the Sehsuchte International Film Festival in Germany last week, one of the other nominees told me that their film received just over 50,000 Euros of financing, whereas ours probably amounted to about 4,000."
The Miserables was filmed in various locations around Harrow and Stanmore with a crew of about 30. Mr Lipman worked with best friend and fellow student Benjamin Taylor, 22, who directed the short drama.
Passionate about pursuing a career in the film industry, he started attending Harrow Youth Theatre when he was 13 years old and three years ago he wrote, directed and starred in the stage drama Naive at Harrow Arts Centre in Uxbridge Road, Hatch End.
Hoping to write in the future, for the time being Mr Lipman is currently focused on promoting The Miserables.
He said: "Its a very exciting but incredibly nervous time for us all, we find out this Friday who out of the nominees in the Foreign Film category are going to be receiving an award.