The National Film and Television School continues its initiative with BBC Film for a tenth year of the ‘Bridge to Industry’ short film scheme.
As part of the NFTS and BBC Film’s shared commitment to developing new talent, this Bridge to Industry scheme each year provides a team of NFTS graduates the chance to make a high-profile short film together, developing their craft and Industry relationships, with ongoing support from BBC Film and the NFTS.
In its tenth iteration, submissions this year continue to reflect the diversity of the NFTS graduate body and explore a broad range of subject matter. After an intense process of applications, shortlisting and interviewing, representatives from BBC Film and the NFTS selected Jack Wants Out, a project by Directing Documentary graduate and project writer-director Jack Bradley, and project producer and Production Management graduate Diana Duah.
Since graduating, Jack has worked across productions for Channel 4, Sky Sports and BBC Arena. Diana, who was production manager on BAFTA-winning graduation film Jellyfish and Lobster, has since worked on projects such as Bugonia, My Father’s Shadow and Pillion.
Jack Wants Out follows a neurotic young man who agrees to help his girlfriend’s father steal an expensive sofa from a high-rise office, only for the pair to find themselves trapped in a broken-down lift. Taking place on the hottest day of the year, what starts as a petty heist soon spirals into a sweaty, claustrophobic exploration of existential doom.
Of their selection, Jack and Diana said, “We feel honoured to be recipients of the Bridge to Industry scheme. Having first started working together at the NFTS, it feels particularly meaningful to be given this opportunity to continue our creative partnership through a scheme that has supported so many talented filmmakers before us. We’re incredibly grateful to the NFTS and BBC Film for continuing to invest in emerging talent, and we look forward to working closely with them as we continue to develop our craft and explore who we are as filmmakers.”
As 2026 draws to a close, the team will be hard at work developing the script for Jack Wants Out, with ongoing support from script to screen from BBC Film development executives, Anu Henriques and Radha Bandhari, as well as NFTS Executive Producer, Venetia Hawkes. Financed by BBC Film, the project is scheduled to shoot in 2027, with plans for a festival run followed by a release on BBC iPlayer.
Anu Henriques and Radha Bhandari, said: “As the BBC Film/NFTS Bridge to Industry scheme celebrates its tenth year, we’re delighted to support Jack Bradley and Diana Duah, a filmmaking team whose tenacity, originality and creative ambition mark them out as exciting new voices in UK film. Their short Jack Wants Out promises a rollercoaster of surprises, finding existential dread in the seemingly simple task of two men trying to move a sofa. Jack and Diana are undoubtedly two names to watch, and we’re thrilled to be part of their journey.”
Jon Wardle, Director of the NFTS said: “As we mark ten years of our Bridge to Industry partnership with BBC Film, I’m incredibly proud of what this collaboration has achieved and excited that it will continue into 2026. It remains a standout opportunity for eligible NFTS graduates to bring a next-level short film to life, backed by the guidance of the brilliant BBC Film team. It’s a rare chance to develop your voice, sharpen your craft, and create something genuinely distinctive with meaningful support at every stage, while building lasting relationships across the industry.”
Accolades for recent Bridge to Industry films include a BAFTA nomination for the film Stomach Bug, written and directed by Directing Fiction graduate Matty Crawford and produced by Producing alumni Karima Sammout-Kanellopoulou, and an award at Toronto Film Festival for Shé (Snake), written and directed by Directing Animation graduate Renee Zhan and produced by Producing graduate Jesse Romain. The Department of They, starring Maxine Peake (I Swear) and Zawe Ashton (Fresh Meat), the 2023 Bridge to Industry film directed by Directing Animation graduate Lisa Kenney, written by Screenwriting graduate Jack Maraghy and produced by Producing Graduate Martina Buendia Silva, will be screening at Aesthetica Film Festival in November. 2024’s Bridge to Industry film Bland, written and directed by Directing Documentary graduate Hugh Clegg and produced by Producing graduates Joanna Vymeris and Paolo Maria Pedulla is currently in post-production and stars Stephen McMillan (Boiling Point, Toxic Town) in the lead role.
These graduate success stories illustrate the importance of the Bridge to Industry scheme in providing a direct route into the industry for exemplary NFTS students as they graduate and move into the industry.
Find out more about Bridge to Industry opportunities for NFTS students and graduates here: nfts.co.uk/life-nfts
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