Chris Sanders Screenwriters' Lecture at BAFTA – Sunday 9th November 2024

I first became aware of Chris Sanders by owning ‘The Art of The Lion King’; that film’s stand-out sequence, Simba talking to a vision of Mufasa in the heavens, was his brain-child, and the art work depicting that sequence is the best art in the book.

Years later, I bought the art book for Lilo and Stitch, as well as the DVD, which contained a brilliant video-diary of Chris Sanders’ journey in bringing that film to the big screen (he wrote and directed it).
To say the man is talented, is an understatement.
When it was announced that Chris Sanders would be giving a lecture at BAFTA, I immediately bought a ticket, and what a great lecture it was!
Mr Sanders basically showed clips from films that inspired him and explained why those sequences worked, and how they inspired him. I’m glad to say that our tastes are the same. I was especially delighted to see sequences from The Wrath of Khan and E.T.!
Tellingly, a lot of members of the audience hadn’t seen either film!
Afterwards, he mingled with the audience at the drinks reception, but his handler ushered him away before I got a chance to say ‘hello’. Still, it was a great event; one which made me feel vindicated in my story-telling choices, and I also got to meet some cool people. So keep an eye out for events at BAFTA; they’re usually pretty good (even though they’ve refused me membership!).