BFI Film Academy launches Talent Campus

Billy Elliot (2000)

The BFI today announced that the new BFI Film Academy residential two-week Talent Campus will be delivered by the National Film and Television School (NFTS). The BFI Film Academy is the result of a unique partnership with the Department for Education in England, which has provided £3m funding for the programme over three years, and forms a key part of the BFI’s ambitious plans to revolutionise film education for 5-19 year olds across the UK over the next five years.

Providing opportunities for talented and committed young people to develop new skills and build a career in the film industry, no matter where they live or what their background, is a core aim of the BFI’s Film Forever five year plan to support the future success of UK film and forms the central tenet of the BFI Film Academy programme. Alongside the NFTS, the BFI is working with 24 regional delivery partners across England for the BFI’s Film Academy Network and with support from BAFTA, Pinewood Studios and Creative Skillset.

From today, the NFTS will be taking applications from 16-19 year olds all over England, to select 54 participants for this unique educational opportunity. The BFI Film Academy Talent Campus is an intensive 13-day training course which will enable the UK’s most promising young film talent to develop a range and breadth of film disciplines.

Michael Gove, Secretary of State for Education comments:

The new academy is open to young people from all backgrounds and will play its part in helping ensure the British film industry remains competitive.

Amanda Nevill, BFI CEO said:

Finding and supporting the talent of tomorrow is fundamental to the future success of the UK Film Industry. I am so thrilled that we have yet another eminent partner in the NFTS helping to bring this new strategy alive. The NFTS is ideally placed, with all its skills and dynamism to offer an extraordinary opportunity to any young person with ambitions for a career in film.

Nik Powell Director of the NFTS said:

The NFTS has a commitment to educate the best creative talent to the highest professional standards for tomorrow’s screen industries. We are very excited to be able to open our doors to younger students and offer them tuition by some of Britain’s best film experts in our world-class studio facilities.

Participants in the Talent Campus will choose a specialism, such as Directing, Producing, Editing, Cinematography or Sound Recording, and form teams that will be tutored by film industry experts to make short films using the School’s film studios and world-class teaching facilities. Tutors include Cinematographer Brian Tufano (Trainspotting, Billy Elliot), Director Brian Gilbert (Wilde, Tom & Viv) and Producer Michelle Eastwood (In Our Name). There will also be Masterclasses from some of the country’s leading film-makers, tailored industry support from BAFTA and visits to the BFI National Archives and Pinewood Studios.

The students’ films will be screened at the end of the course at a London event attended by industry professionals. Following the Talent Campus, support will be given to the participants in obtaining further training, work placements or jobs in the industry.

The residential course will be based at the NFTS and the Lane End Conference Centre, in Buckinghamshire, during the Easter holidays (April 2-12) with an introductory weekend on March 9-10th. Every 16-19 year old across England who can show talent and enthusiasm for film is eligible to apply for the Talent Campus, including the approximately 500 young people already enrolled in the BFI Film Academy Regional Network programme. The deadline for applications is Monday February 18, 2013.

The Talent Campus is free but participants need to cover the cost of travel to and from the residential locations and a £75 administration fee is payable on being awarded a place. However, Bursaries are available to cover these costs in order to make this incredible opportunity available to people from all backgrounds. For full details go to the and to the NFTS website.

The NFTS was founded 40 years ago with the help of its President Lord Attenborough and runs Post Graduate MA and diploma courses but this is the first time it has opened its doors to younger students.

The School has a reputation for producing some of the most talented filmmakers in the world. Its student films have won 5 Oscars, 8 BAFTAs and graduates include 2013 Oscar nominees Roger Deakins and Stuart Wilson (Skyfall) and Dario Marianelli (Anna Karenina) and students Timothy Eckhart and Fodhla Cronin O’Reilly whose graduation film Head Over Heels is in the short animated film section.

Download the application form here and complete it following the instructions on page one. Please note your date of birth must fall between 13th April 1993 and 18th February 1997 to be eligible to apply. Proof of age must be supplied on acceptance of a place.

The BFI’s aim is to ensure everyone, particularly young people, wherever they live, can learn about and enjoy the widest range of film. In 2013 the BFI Film Academy network is operating across every region of England giving a diverse group of young people from all backgrounds the opportunity to get involved. The BFI aims to work with partners in the nations of the UK to make the Film Academy UK-wide later in 2013.