The National Film And Television School Launches Graduate Impact Report 2025

On the cusp of the BFI London Film Festival, where over 200 alumni will showcase their work, the UK’s world-leading National Film and Television School (NFTS) has today published its third Graduate Impact Report, produced in partnership with OC&C Strategy Consultants.

Covering 2020–2024, the report highlights the critical role NFTS alumni play in driving the UK’s world-leading film and television industries. It demonstrates how NFTS graduates quickly take centre stage in an industry vital to the UK economy, reaffirming the School’s mission to train the next generation of screen creatives.

Since 2020, NFTS alumni have contributed to productions accounting for 89% of UK high-end television spend and 75% of UK film spend. Alumni have played leading roles in major inward investment projects such as Barbie and Wicked, while also shaping acclaimed independent films including How to Have Sex, Love Lies Bleeding, Kneecap and Santosh. They have also directed and designed some of the UK’s most talked-about TV of recent years – from Baby Reindeer to Andor and Rivals.

The launch comes in a transformative year for the NFTS as it prepares to expand its Beaconsfield campus, delivering new state-of-the-art facilities, an expanded range of industry-responsive courses, and more inclusive access for all.
 

"Our graduates are not only industry-ready – they are industry-defining.”

Key Findings from the Graduate Impact Report
 

• 89% of NFTS graduates step into high-level roles within 12 months of completing training
• 33% come from diverse backgrounds – more than double the wider industry average
• Graduates involved in over 90% of spend on films by the largest US studios
• 74% of the UK’s Top 20 box office hits and 78% of the Top 20 independent films feature an NFTS graduate
• 89% of all UK high-end television production spend involves at least one NFTS graduate

NFTS Director, Jon Wardle said: “The School’s mission has always been clear: to equip talented and dedicated individuals with the creative, technical and collaborative skills required to thrive in a fast-changing industry. That mission is more vital than ever as the UK’s screen industries navigate intensifying global competition, evolving production methods, and shifting audience habits. Our graduates are not only industry-ready – they are industry-defining.”

Creative Industries Minister, Ian Murray, added: “Our world-class film and TV industries are creating fantastic new job opportunities right across the country and I want to ensure that young people from all backgrounds are equipped with the skills to take advantage of them. We remain committed to our relationship with the National Film and Television School as part of our Creative Industries Sector Plan, and it is excellent to see that our continued investment has contributed to supporting the next generation of influential directors, producers, screenwriters and more.”

Download the NFTS Graduate Impact Report 2025 here.

NFTS at the BFI London Film Festival 2025

The Graduate Impact Report launch event was introduced by Ben Roberts (CEO at the BFI), who celebrated the extraordinary contribution of NFTS graduates across this year’s programme, a powerful demonstration of the School’s reach and influence.

• Headline Galas: NFTS graduates take centre stage in Joachim Trier’s Sentimental Value and Lynne Ramsay’s Die, My Love, alongside dozens of high-profile titles including Rian Johnson’s Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery (Opening Night Gala).
• Festival-Wide Presence: NFTS alumni have contributed to films across every strand of the Festival – from headline galas and official competition to documentaries, shorts, and debut features. Notable titles include Bugonia, Jay Kelly, Frankenstein, H is for Hawk, Hamlet, Hedda, Bad Apples, My Father’s Shadow, Red Egg and Ginger, and Mad Bills to Pay.
• Breadth of Roles: NFTS alumni are not only excelling in above-the-line roles such as directors, producers, and cinematographers, but are also integral across every craft and technical department – including editing, sound, art direction, VFX, music, prosthetics, production management, casting, finance, colour grading, and more.
• Industry Leadership: Many alumni now hold senior, decision-making positions, shaping the creative direction, look, sound, and storytelling of some of the Festival’s most anticipated films.

A Landmark Year for NFTS

The publication of the Graduate Impact Report crowns a year of milestones for the School, including:

• Major success at the 2025 EE BAFTA Film Awards for NFTS graduates and alumni with student made film Rock, Paper, Scissors winning the prestigious British Short Film award, and animation Wander to Wonder, made by a team of NFTS graduates, awarded British Short Animation.
• First-year student film Ether officially selected for the 28th edition of La Cinéf at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival!
• A transformative investment as part of the UK Government’s Creative Industries Sector Plan
• Plans greenlit for the expansion of the School’s Beaconsfield campus
• Three NFTS alumni named as Screen Stars of Tomorrow for 2025 - Director Anna Snowball, writer Jess O'Kane and writer/director Matty Crawford. 

For over 50 years, the NFTS has been at the heart of the UK’s film, television and games industries, training many of the most talented behind-the-camera professionals working today. Recognised as the UK’s leading film school – and among the best in the world – the NFTS has been honoured with the BAFTA for Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema and the Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education. Now, as it looks to the next 50 years and beyond, the NFTS is uniquely positioned to meet the challenges of a rapidly evolving global screen sector – nurturing the next generation of storytellers, innovators and creative leaders who will shape the future of film, television and games worldwide.