A recent film screening for MBA student Penn Harrison was held at St Catharine’s College (Catz), where he is member, ahead of its consideration by international film festivals. Penn Harrison wrote, directed and shot ‘Nick of Time’ before being admitted to the College and has since edited his footage and composed the music from his room at South Green Lodge.
Although only 26 years old, Penn has already been making films for over a decade and storytelling for even longer.
He explains, “I owe my love of storytelling to my parents who started challenging me to finish my own bedtime stories at a young age. I soon started writing down my tall tales and drawing illustrations like a proto-storyboard. I made my first short film by the age of 13 but what kept me making films during my teens was watching Christopher Nolan’s ‘Interstellar’ in 2014 and then his debut film (‘Following’ from 1998) which Nolan wrote, produced, directed, photographed and edited all on a budget of £4,647 – the lowest cost film ever made at that time.”
In addition to Nolan, Penn also cites two major influences during his undergraduate years at the University of Texas at Austin (UT):
“I’m indebted to Ilaria Gambarelli for encouraging me to direct a film while I was studying in Spain during my sophomore year. It was a huge turning point for me to write, direct and star in a 22-minute short film called ‘One Night in Barcelona’. I was also lucky enough to be taught by Matthew McConaughey, a UT alumnus and professor of practice, as he was in the process of making ‘The Gentlemen’ with Guy Ritchie – he was generous in sharing insights every step of the way and conveyed the blend of planning and improvisation needed to make films successfully.”
Between his time at UT and St Catharine’s College, Cambridge, Penn spent 5 years in Los Angeles working in the film industry, including as Associate Producer of a true-crime series – all the while continuing to develop his own scripts and projects of which ‘Nick of Time’ is just one.
He recalls, “After such valuable experience of the artistic side of the film-making process, I decided to apply for an MBA at Cambridge Judge Business School because I wanted to be equally familiar with the more pragmatic and commercial sides of the industry and to be able to communicate with partners and investors on their terms. With British citizenship, I was looking forward to experiencing student life at Cambridge and also tapping into the different culture around film-making that exists in the UK and Europe more widely.
“I chose St Catharine’s for its reputation as a positive, welcoming community – and it has more than lived up to this reputation. I’m surrounded by a constellation of intellectuals but everyone has been so generous in making me feel included and sharing their expertise, whether that’s learning about Parliament from Sir John Benger (1979, English; Master 2023) or Chemistry from Professor Peter Wothers (1988, Natural Sciences; Fellow 1997). The Northern Lights making an appearance at the end of my matriculation dinner was also particularly magical!”
About ‘Nick of Time’
While Penn was delighted to be accepted to join St Catharine’s College, as an MBA student in September 2024, this news almost scuppered his plans for making a new independent film.
“I had been expecting to dedicate several months to a completely different project but suddenly time was of the essence! I realised I had to pivot and I couldn’t be prouder of ‘Nick of Time’, which I wrote, directed and shot (on my iPhone) in just 3 days with the same lead actor lined up from my original project. I was able to get everything wrapped before I left for Cambridge, and I’ve been busy editing and composing the score on a synthesiser in my bedroom at St Catharine’s South Green Lodge accommodation.”
Penn describes ‘Nick of Time’ as a contained, fast-paced psychological thriller centred around a main character who has no memory of his earlier life (played by Nic Suarez), a nurse that visits him every day (played by Afton McKeith) and a mysterious entity that his haunting his house.
“’Nick of Time’ is my commentary on the dangers of technology and how access to information is controlled in modern society – a small project by normal industry standards but with broad relevance for the world today. It also means a lot to me because I used locations with which I was familiar in Los Angeles, including areas that have since been badly affected by the January 2025 wildfires, and I’ve chosen to include real footage of these fires in the final cut.”
Penn is, of course, thrilled his hard work has paid off and ‘Nick of Time’ was finished in time to be submitted to the Big Apple Film Festival (12–15 May), the 78th annual Cannes Film Festival (13– 24 May), the 57th Cannes Directors’ Fortnight (14–22 May), Dances With Films (19–29 June), the 25th Valley Film Festival (1–8 August). He also has high hopes for the months ahead.
“A dream scenario for me would be that ‘Nick of Time’ is accepted and well-received at these festivals and a distributor decides to support the project. I have ten other scripts that I’ve written so I would love to set up my own production company to make a new film each year (which I imagine will be easier to accommodate once I’ve graduated) and also give new filmmakers opportunities to get started. So many years on from my first project, filmmaking still feels like a natural way to channel my enthusiasm, wonder for the world and thirst for discovery.”