NFTS Celebrates BAFTA 2025 Victory For Student-Made Film Rock, Paper, Scissors

The National Film and Television School (NFTS) is thrilled to announce that student made film Rock, Paper, Scissors has won the prestigious British Short Film award, while animation Wander to Wonder made by a team of NFTS graduates has been awarded British Short Animation at the the 2025 EE BAFTA Film Awards!

Hosted by multi award-winning actor David Tennant, the 78th British Academy Film Awards took place at the Royal Festival Hall in London, celebrating the year’s best films and the creative talent that bring them to life.

Rock, Paper Scissors team L-R Producer Hayder Rothschild Hoozeer, director Franz Böhm, cinematographer Hsien Yu Niu, editor Carmela Schönenberger and lead actor Oleksandr Rudynskyi.

Created by a team of passionate and talented NFTS students during their time at the School, Rock, Paper, Scissors was recognised for its outstanding storytelling and craftsmanship, with the team joined by cinematographer Hsien Yu Niu, editor Carmela Schönenberger and lead actor Oleksandr Rudynskyi. Together they thanked the inspiring Ukrainian community, the NFTS and their fellow graduates and collaborators present in the audience. This incredible BAFTA achievement highlights the School’s continued success in nurturing a new generation of world-class filmmakers.

The success didn’t stop there, NFTS graduates took home both of the animation awards with Nina Gantz’s Wander to Wonder, created almost entirely by fellow NFTS alumni, winning Best Short Animation and Nick Park awarded with two BAFTAs for Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl including Animated Film and the first ever award for Children’s and Family Film. 

Wander to Wonder and Rock, Paper, Scissors teams with their awards

This year, NFTS films made a remarkable impact, with a total of four films—Adiós, Rock, Paper, Scissors, Milk and Stomach Bug—securing 50% of the nominations across the British Short Animation and British Short Film categories respectively. 

NFTS has now secured back-to-back BAFTA wins, following an incredible double victory at the 2024 BAFTAs, where Crab Day and Jellyfish and Lobster triumphed in the British Short Animation and British Short Film categories. The School’s success at the BAFTAs also builds on its 2022 achievement, when the student-made Do Not Feed the Pigeons won the British Short Animation award. This latest win further solidifies the NFTS’s reputation as a powerhouse for emerging filmmaking talent.

Nominated NFTS filmmakers on BAFTA red carpet

Director Franz Böhm and Producer Hayder Rothschild Hoozeer of Rock, Paper, Scissors shared their excitement: "We are immensely grateful for the amazing community at NFTS and our incredible team who enabled this win. The ongoing support from the NFTS has been invaluable and encouraging. It’s incredibly humbling to have been given this opportunity.”

NFTS Director Jon Wardle celebrated the BAFTA award success, commenting: "This is a fantastic moment for the Rock, Paper, Scissors team and for the NFTS as a whole. Winning BAFTAs for student work two years in a row speaks volumes about the creativity, dedication, and innovation of our students. This success serves as powerful inspiration for aspiring filmmakers keen to enter the creative industries, highlighting that with passion and perseverance, extraordinary achievements are possible. The School continues to be a global leader in film and animation training, and we couldn’t be prouder of the team for this outstanding BAFTA win.”

NFTS alumni also made a strong impact across the BAFTA categories, contributing to multiple award-winning films, including Conclave, Kneecap and Wicked. Their work continues to shape the industry and inspire future storytellers.

Huge congratulations to the team behind Rock, Paper, Scissors for this well-deserved recognition. Their dedication and passion have earned them one of the highest honours in the industry—an achievement that will no doubt propel them into an exciting future in film.