Winnie Imara's Journey from Filmmaking Certificate Graduate to Starting Her Own Production Company

Recent graduate Winnie Imara began her journey at the National Film & Television School on our Filmmaking Certificate where she discovered her passion for script development and producing, which led her to further her training on our Script Development Diploma. Since graduating, Winnie has launched her own production company, MARCH 25TH, and is now in production on an exciting slate of short films.

We caught up with Winnie to learn more about her journey, how her time at the NFTS helped shape her career, and what's next as she continues her journey in the creative industries.

What made you decide to take the Filmmaking Certificate, and what were you up to before taking the course? 

Before the course, I was freelancing in production and in the early stages of my producing career. I found out about NFTS on Instagram. I didn’t know much about the school before; I was stepping into lead producing at the time, looking to produce short films, saw the filmmaking course advertised, and knew immediately it was something I wanted to do.

How did your experience on the Filmmaking Certificate shape your next steps?

I had a great time on the course and learnt a significant amount across all areas of production, especially those involving production & screenwriting, which I was interested in during the course, I got to explore my ideas with my class, which was encouraging and this gave me a clear idea of the kind of stories I want to tell specifically stories exploring intersections of language, culture and belonging.

What excites you most about script development, and how did our Script Development Diploma help you on your way to becoming a producer?

After the great experience I had on the Filmmaking course, I definitely wanted to explore further studies at NFTS; we were advised to look into the MA or postgraduate diplomas, I found out about the Scripted Development course and knew this was a course I wanted to pursue, and as a producer who had already developed projects as a freelancer, I wanted to study development in greater depth to build more advanced skills in this area. What excites me most about development is collaborating with writers and creative teams, and understanding how I can make a meaningful contribution to the development process as a producer. I believe it’s quite a significant process, and I wanted to ensure I felt more confident in that; the course has made a helpful contribution to that process and has allowed me to step up into the next stage of my career as a producer.

What has been the highlight of your year since graduating so far?

I recently got into the Momentum Programme by We Are Parable supported by Channel 4, 4 Skills and Sony Pictures. I’m currently mentored by another producer whose journey I admire, and it’s been great to be a part of it; it came at the right time, just after graduating from the NFTS.

How do you see your career developing next? 

I currently have a slate of short films on my radar that I’m producing and developing through my new production company MARCH 25TH; next steps will be to develop feature films and TV shows. I’m in discussion regarding a few, and I look forward to working on them all.

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If you want to follow in the footsteps of talented graduates like Winnie, and gain a 360 degree understanding of the filmmaking, there are places available for the October cohort of our Filmmaking Certificate.

Launch your creative career at a film school named on The Hollywood Reporter's Best International Film Schools list for 16 consecutive years.

Filmmaking Certificate
6 months | Part-time
Apply today! nfts.co.uk/filmmaking