NFTS Students Attend Special BAFTA Event with Royal African Society to Celebrate Diverse Talent and Film Africa Programme

This week, National Film and Television School (NFTS) students and alumni were among the guests at a special event held at BAFTA’s HQ in Piccadilly, London, co-hosted by BAFTA and the Royal African Society. The event, supported and attended by BAFTA President, The Prince of Wales, celebrated the next generation of diverse talent across film, games, and television.

His Royal Highness delivered a keynote speech highlighting the importance of nurturing emerging talent and the critical role of developing the next generation of creatives - a mission shared by the NFTS, BAFTA, and the Royal African Society, of which The Prince is Patron.

Prince William talking to students from the NFTS
 

He also met with NFTS students who have been collaborating with the Royal African Society on the upcoming Film Africa festival. Among those in attendance were students from the Film Studies, Programming and Curation MA, alongside a cohort from the Creative Business MA.

During his speech, The Prince of Wales noted the vital role of emerging curators in bringing diverse work to audiences, emphasising not only the importance of the creatives making the work but also those responsible for curating and showcasing it.

He also highlighted the Society’s impactful partnerships, saying: “Through its festival collaborations with organisations like the BFI and the National Film and Television School, the Royal African Society ensures that the next generation of film programmers gain a deeper appreciation and knowledge of African cinema.”

This year marks the 10th anniversary of Film Africa, Europe’s largest festival of African and diaspora filmmaking. During the event, The Prince of Wales learned about the vital role the festival plays in bringing African films to global audiences, offering a platform for aspiring filmmakers to tell stories from underrepresented groups.

Other attendees included a variety of industry figures and supporters of the programme, including Sheila Atim, nominated for the 2023 BAFTA Rising Star Award, actor Rasaq Kukoy (Star Wars: Andor), filmmaker Editi Effiong whose debut feature The Black Book last year established itself as Netflix’s most viewed English-language African film and acclaimed film director Paul Greengrass, who made the founding donation to The Prince William BAFTA Bursary Fund in 2021.

The fund provides vital grants to aspiring creatives in film, television, and games, covering essential expenses such as equipment and training. NFTS alumna Ashionye Ogene, Producing MA graduate and recipient of the BAFTA Prince William Scholarship also attended the event, whose NFTS graduation animation Bunnyhood, won the prestigious La Cinef prize at Cannes earlier this year.

The BAFTA event follows a recent collaboration between NFTS Curating students and the Film Africa festival, one of the most anticipated and celebrated showcases of African cinema in Europe, organised by the Royal African Society. Established in 2011, the festival brings diverse audiences a high-quality and wide-ranging film programme, accompanied by vibrant events such as Q&As, panel discussions, workshops, masterclasses, and live music. The NFTS Curating MA, which has been running since 2016, includes regular collaboration with Film Africa as part of its course curriculum.

NFTS Curating students with Course Leader Sandra Hebron and Coordinator Jess Darvill (bottom left)
 

Under the guidance of Film Africa’s Lead Curator Keith Shiri and NFTS Head of Screen Arts Sandra Hebron, students worked on the pre-selection of short films, viewing and evaluating submissions from African and diaspora filmmakers working across all forms, including animation, fiction and documentary. The students were supported by Sonia Foday, Fundraising and Partnerships Manager at the Royal African Society, and Jess Darvill, NFTS Curriculum Coordinator.

NFTS Head of Screen Arts Sandra Hebron said; “The NFTS is grateful to Film Africa for providing our students with this opportunity to experience first hand the process of festival selection and to apply their developing curatorial skills in a meaningful way. The students were able to increase their knowledge of contemporary African and African heritage filmmaking, and the tangible result is a strong and dynamic selection of shorts programmes in this year’s festival. Being able to discuss their work with HRH Prince William and industry colleagues at the BAFTA/RAS event was further validation of the professionalism and engagement that the students brought to the task.”

Keith Shiri, Film Africa Lead Curator added: “Film Africa would like to extend its gratitude to the NFTS students for their invaluable contributions in preselecting short films for our festival. Their dedication and creativity significantly enriched our selection process, enhancing the diversity and quality of our lineup. Their commitment to this project required considerable effort, and we appreciate their willingness to collaborate with us. We appreciate their hard work and we are excited about the films selected and believe they will resonate deeply with our audience.”

Film Africa will run from 25 October to 3 November at venues across London. Find out more and book tickets here: filmafrica.org

Learn how to build a successful career in film exhibition, programming, criticism or archival work.

Applications are open for the NFTS Film Studies, Programming and Curation MA.
Apply by 7 November to start January 2025!
Find out more and start your application today: nfts.co.uk/curating
Funding available.