BAFTA awards over £200,000 in scholarship and bursary funds

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) announced a new group of global recipients for its 2021/22 Scholarship Programme, which offers financial assistance to students studying film, games, and television courses in the UK and North America.

Additionally, BAFTA has also announced the recipients of a new Career Development Bursary pilot. Funding has been provided by the multi-award-winning director and filmmaker Paul Greengrass to 14 individuals with prior work experience who do not have the financial resources to further their careers.

These two schemes are part of the year-round initiatives and programmes from BAFTA – a leading independent arts charity – that support new talent and talent from underrepresented groups, such as BAFTA Breakthrough, BAFTA Crew, GSA BAFTA Student Awards, and Young Game Designers. BAFTA plans to dramatically increase this support from 2022, made possible by the redevelopment of BAFTA’s headquarters at 195 Piccadilly.

Paul Greengrass said: “We are at an important crossroads. It is vital that we deliver a dramatic step change towards diversity in our industry. BAFTA – our flagship organisation – is developing new initiatives to drive these changes. As part of this wide-ranging work they have identified an important area where financial support is needed to assist young people at the beginning of their careers.  This unique scheme – the BAFTA Career Development Bursary – will give individuals who are unable to access higher/college education the opportunity of funding and support to help them access the film, games and television industries.”

Amanda Berry OBE, chief executive at BAFTA, said: “I am absolutely delighted that we are to launch the BAFTA Career Development Bursary pilot, offering invaluable funding to 14 individuals wishing to forge a career in the film, games and television industries, and am hugely grateful to Paul Greengrass for making the scheme possible through his very generous donation.  I am also thrilled that our Scholarships programme this year provides 27 talented scholars, both in the UK and US, with financial support, mentoring, and access to resources and BAFTA events – a crucial combination as they lay the foundations for a career in film, games and television.”

About the Scholarships

This year, BAFTA has awarded 27 scholarships in total, 12 in the UK and an additional 15 in North America. Scholars are from a wide variety of institutions, including The Royal College of Art, The American Film Institute, The National Film and Television School (NFTS), Stanford University, The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA), The Royal Conservatoire Scotland and The School of Visual Arts in New York.

As well as receiving financial aid worth over £200,000 towards their annual course fees, the BAFTA Scholars will also have access to BAFTA online resources and events, as well as private mentoring from former award winners, nominees and members. A number of former scholars have worked on award-winning projects, including producer Rienkje Attoh (Noughts and Crosses), writer Matilda Ibini, Senior Account Manager, GTPR at PlayStation Liz Mercuri, writer/director Aneil Karia (Top Boy, Surge) and actor Jurrell Carter (Emmerdale).

Every year, BAFTA Scholarships are made possible by the generous support of many individuals, foundations, and partnerships. In the UK, for the ninth year, four students will receive the Prince William Scholarships in film, games and television, supported by BAFTA and WarnerMedia, which are awarded in the name of HRH The Duke of Cambridge in his role as President of BAFTA. WarnerMedia also generously supports the redevelopment of BAFTA 195 Piccadilly.

The Reuben Foundation is continuing its support of BAFTA by funding three BAFTA Reuben Scholars for a fourth consecutive year. This is in addition to the Reuben Foundation’s support of the redevelopment of BAFTA Headquarters at 195 Piccadilly. Tinopolis, owners of production companies including Sunset and Vine, Firecracker and Mentorn, is supporting a Welsh BAFTA Tinopolis Scholar for a third year.

The BAFTA Scholarship Program in the US is made possible by the generous support of a number of individuals, foundations and partnerships. In the US, partners include philanthropist Mark Pigott KBE, as well as The Jeff Hunter Charitable Trust, BBC America, DLT Entertainment, King Features Animation, The Taffner Family Charitable Trust and Caroline Grist and Charles Tremayne.

BAFTA has again partnered with the Fulbright Commission to offer a Fulbright-BAFTA Scholarship, which offers a UK student $60,000 to pursue a master’s degree in filmmaking, or a related field, at any accredited US university.

This year’s 15 US-based BAFTA Scholars will be studying disciplines at various institutions ranging from The City College of New York, New York University, the American Film Institute, San Francisco Conservatory of Music, University of Southern California, Northwestern University, School of Visual Arts, Stanford University, College of Makeup and Design (Toronto), and University of Texas-Austin. Six of the scholarships are for British students studying in the US, while the other nine are targeted towards US and international students from underrepresented groups and underserved communities.