London, 19 September: The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) has announced the global recipients of its 2019-20 scholarships and apprenticeships programme, supporting the study of film, games and television courses in the UK and US. In addition to financial aid towards their annual course fees, the BAFTA Scholars will gain free access to BAFTA events and receive one-to-one mentoring from BAFTA members, award winners and nominees.

This year’s cohort of BAFTA scholars will be studying disciplines at various institutions ranging from Acting at the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts and Screenwriting at Columbia University, to Game Design and Development at the National Film and Television School.

Tim Hunter, Director of Learning and New Talent at BAFTA, said: “The BAFTA Scholarships have been offering support to students for 17 years, with programmes now operating on a global scale. Supporting access to learning opportunities is at the core of BAFTA’s mission and the financial aid alongside mentoring provided allows scholars to be inspired about where their studies could take them. We are very proud of the success our past BAFTA scholars have achieved in film, games and television, and I look forward to seeing this cohort of scholars thrive in these industries.”

Previous UK BAFTA Scholars have gone on to work on BAFTA-nominated and -winning productions, and achieve BAFTA membership, such as animation director Daisy Jacobs (The Bigger Picture), cinematographer Craig Dean Devine (Pili, The Entertainer), visual effects artist Shivani Shah (The Lion King trailer), director Gordon Napier (1745), and VFX supervisor Eloise Tomlinson (A Love Story). From the US, past scholars have also worked on major productions, such as Sacha Gervasi (My Dinner with Herve, Hitchcock), Joby Harold (Awake, Edge of Tomorrow), and Gil Kenan (Monster House, Ghostbusters).

Of the scholars pursuing courses in the UK, three individuals will each receive one of the Prince William Scholarships in film, games and television, supported by BAFTA and Warner Bros., which includes a short paid work placement within the Warner Bros. group of companies, access to a Warner Bros. mentor, and invitations to a series of industry masterclasses.

Speaking about the Prince William Scholarships in film, games and television, supported by BAFTA and Warner Bros., Josh Berger CBE, President & Managing Director, Warner Bros. UK, Ireland & Spain, said: “At Warner Bros. we are dedicated to investing in the next generation of exceptional talent that reflects the diversity of the UK. It has been our privilege to partner with BAFTA on this important scholarship programme and nurture the careers of talented students through financial support, mentoring and the access they need to pursue their passions. Through our own award-winning programme Warner Bros. Creative Talent, which these scholarships are part of, we are proud to provide support and practical opportunities for over 300 alumni who are now part of maintaining the UK’s position as a global leader in the creative industries.”

Warner Bros. Creative Talent is a multi-award winning programme set up in 2013 to develop diverse, emerging talent from all backgrounds, identifying and incubating a pipeline for the UK and Ireland’s screen industries.

The BAFTA Tinopolis Scholarship is supporting Helen Price from South Wales, who is pursuing an MA in Television Journalism. Helen will receive additional mentoring from a range of Tinopolis executives and creatives. Three BAFTA Reuben Scholarships will also support one individual each on a film, games and television course respectively.

The UK Scholars and Apprentices met on Sunday morning for a welcome breakfast before attending BAFTA’s flagship new talent festival, Guru Live. The Prince William Scholars also attended the launch of BAFTA Piccadilly on Monday, where they met His Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge and attended the new BAFTA: Behind the Screens exhibition.

BAFTA’s US scholarships are funded by a $1 million endowment from philanthropist Mark Pigott KBE, as well as The Hunter Foundation, HBO, BBC America, DLT Entertainment, King Features Animation, and The Taffner Family Charitable Trust Scholarship In Honor of Donald Taffner Sr. & Eleanor Taffner. The BAFTA Los Angeles scholarship programme has grown from supporting one single student at UCLA, to seven students studying a range of courses across the US. The BAFTA New York scholarship programme has grown from supporting four to eight students at prestigious institutions in New York.

The scholarships are part of BAFTA’s charitable activity to support talented people at all stages of their career, regardless of their background or circumstances. Each BAFTA Scholar receives financial support towards their annual tuition fees, alongside personal mentoring from a BAFTA member and access to BAFTA events. In return, the scholarship recipients share their learning experiences on BAFTA Guru (www.bafta.org/guru), BAFTA’s online learning resource, and participate in BAFTA’s outreach to young people.

BAFTA is also supporting Apprentices who are carrying out work placements. Matthew Sherwood, from North Yorkshire, who studied Software Development went on to pursue an apprenticeship in Visual Effects. Matthew is currently employed at One of Us, a VFX Studio, where he has worked on major film projects Aladdin and Mission: Impossible. The second BAFTA Apprentice this year is Connor Tong, from Croydon. Connor is currently a Prep Artist at Union Visual Effects, a position he reached after doing a VFX Skills course at Nescot College and a Compositing Apprenticeship at DNEG.

For further information and imagery of individual scholars, please contact:

Sophie Dudhill

Press Officer at BAFTA
T: +44 (0)20 7292 5863
E: sophied@bafta.org