On Thursday 66 of the country’s most promising young film makers aged 16-19 years showcased their short films at the BFI IMAX in London as they graduated from the BFI Film Academy Craft Residential programme run by the National Film and Television School (NFTS)
This is the second year that the NFTS has run a residential programme aimed at hothousing the filmmaking stars of the future. During the intensive two-week residential course, the teenagers specialise in directing, producing, production design, editing, cinematography or sound recording and form teams to make six short films from scratch using the NFTS’s film studios and world-class facilities.
Director Mike Newell (Harry Potter, Four Weddings and a Funeral), British producer Colin Vaines (Coriolanus, Gangs of New York, My Week with Marilyn), writer Tony Grisoni (Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, How I Live Now, Red Riding) production designer Paul Kirby (Captain Phillips, Batman Begins, Captain America), actor David Morrissey (Walking Dead, State of Play), VFX supervisor Tim Webber (Gravity, the Dark Knight, Avatar), composer Nathan Johnson (Brick, Looper), Pawl Fulker previs (Skyfall), editor and music video director Jake Wynne, director Destiny Ekaragha and writer Bola Agbaje (Gone Too Far) all delivered NFTS master classes during the Craft Skills Residential programme to help train this new generation of filmmakers.
Special guest Lenny Henry, CBE, actor, writer, comedian and television presenter and co-founder of charity Comic Relief, visited the NFTS to speak to the young film-makers about the need for greater diversity in the British film and television industry. Offering opportunities to young people from all backgrounds is key to all BFI Film Academy activities and this year 20% of the participants on this residential programme were from BAME groups, 52% were female and 9% of the students have disabilities.
The BFI Film Academy is the result of a unique partnership with the Department for Education in England, which has provided £3m funding for the programme over 3 years, and forms a key part of the BFI’s ambitious plans to revolutionise film education for 5-19 year olds across the UK over the next five years.
Providing opportunities for talented and committed young people to develop new skills and build a career in the film industry, no matter where they live or what their background, is a core aim of the BFI’s Film Forever five year plan to support the future success of UK film and forms the central tenet of the BFI Film Academy programme.
Alongside the NFTS, the BFI has worked with 40 regional delivery partners across England for the BFI’s Film Academy Network and with support from BAFTA, Pinewood Studios and Creative Skillset. Following the residential programme, the NFTS gives graduates support in obtaining further training, work placements or jobs in the industry.
www.nfts.co.uk
