Brighton graduate Juliet Klottrup wins Sony Future Filmmaker Award for powerful short film capturing Gypsy and Traveller heritage

Juliet Klottrup, a photographer and filmmaker from North Yorkshire, graduated with First Class Honours in Illustration BA(Hons) from the University of Brighton in 2016. Since graduating, Juliet has built a celebrated career as a visual storyteller, using her work to explore identity, landscape, and cultural heritage in the North of England.

Now, her latest short film, Travelling Home, was named a winner at the Sony Future Filmmaker Awards in Los Angeles last week. The international awards – sponsored by Sony – highlight emerging visionaries in short filmmaking, with this year’s winners selected from over 11,750 submissions spanning 158 countries.

Travelling Home is a five-minute documentary following Joe Cannon Snr, a retired farrier from the North West of England, on his annual journey to Appleby Horse Fair in Cumbria. The film is part of Juliet’s broader photographic and documentary series (2019 – ongoing), which seeks to preserve and honour the lives and traditions of Gypsy and Traveller communities in the North West.

The film has also been selected to screen at several BAFTA and BIFA-qualifying festivals, including the London Film Festival and the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, further establishing Juliet’s voice as a leading figure in socially engaged documentary work. 

Juliet said: "I’m deeply immersed in documenting communities that are often overlooked – especially in rural areas. This work feels both personal and local to me, capturing stories of identity and belonging against the backdrop of the region’s landscapes. Being recognised by Sony and sharing these stories on an international stage is incredibly meaningful."

Reflecting on her time at Brighton, she said: “Studying Illustration at the University of Brighton gave me a fine art practice that moves across disciplines – when one medium ends, another begins. It guided a curiosity to explore the cultural and critical context of image-making. I still use many of the same research methods in my work today.

"Brighton is also where I met some of the most important friends in my life – people who have shaped me. They are the greatest gift!”

Juliet’s practice spans both photography and filmmaking, and her work continues to reflect a thoughtful, community-driven approach to documenting everyday life in Northern England. In 2020, Juliet’s photograph of a young shepherd and his sheepdog was selected as one of 100 winning images for Portrait of Britain, the British Journal of Photography’s national competition celebrating the diversity of modern Britain.

Juliet has also remained closely connected to the University of Brighton, returning to deliver a professional practice lecture to Visual Communication students shortly before the UK’s first Covid-19 lockdown.

She also recently exhibited her project Skate Like a Lass, which shines a light on skateboarding communities for women, marginalised genders, and LGBTQIA+ people in the North West of England. As a part of the project, Juliet collaborated with Brighton Graphic Design alumna Femke Campbell – reuniting creatively after first working together on a student project in their third year.

The Illustration BA(Hons) course is part of Brighton’s respected visual communication programme, which helps students build a distinct creative voice and develop the skills needed for a professional artistic career.

Roderick Mills, Illustration course leader, said: “During her final year studying Illustration at Brighton, Juliet explored deeply personal interests – particularly adolescence and teenage life at parties – through documentary photography. She brought a sharp observational eye and a remarkable empathy that allowed her to connect with people in their own environments.

“These themes and methods are still evident in her work today, and we’re incredibly proud to see her gain international recognition for a project so deeply rooted in care, culture, and community. Watching her grow in confidence and develop her unique visual voice during the course was truly a joy.'"

A passionate advocate for rural youth and regional voices, Juliet now works as an Honorary Photography Teaching Fellow at the University of Cumbria and continues to develop new work rooted in the landscapes and communities of the North.

Her journey stands as a testament to the power of socially engaged art and the creative ambition nurtured at the University of Brighton.