BAFTA Announces Shortlist for Student Film Awards

Buzz, Film, Reviews, TV

60 films selected out of over 460 submissions from 35 countries following international expansion of the Awards

Gala ceremony to take place Friday, June 29 at the Theatre at Ace Hotel in Los Angeles

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts has today announced the shortlist for the 2018 BAFTA Student Film Awards. Following the international expansion of the Awards in 2017, this year’s shortlisted 60 films have been selected from the 469 submissions by students at film schools in 35 countries across the world, including Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Canada, China, Egypt, Germany, India, Israel, Kenya, Lebanon, Russia, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.

This expansion has generated a major increase in the volume of applications received.  This year, 111 schools submitted films with 43 first time submissions. In 2017, BAFTA received submissions from 15 countries, while this year, the reach has expanded to 35 countries.

Film schools worldwide were invited to submit up to nine films for consideration for four top prizes – the BAFTA Student Film Award for Animation, the BAFTA Student Film Award for Documentary, the BAFTA Student Film Award for Live Action Film, and the Special Jury Prize, selected by the event’s panel members.

BAFTA’s Student Film Awards competition was expanded as part of BAFTA’s growing international footprint, which seeks to foster strong talent connections across the U.K., U.S. and Asia. The expansion also furthers BAFTA Los Angeles’ work within its Access for All campaign, a commitment to ensuring that talented individuals are offered a clear pathway to careers in the entertainment industry, uninhibited by background, demographics or personal circumstance. The campaign will drive funds towards BAFTA Los Angeles’ acclaimed scholarship, education and community initiatives, allowing the organization to discover, support and nurture talented professionals.

ANIMATION

A PRIORI – Maïté Schmitt / Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg / Germany

AUGENBLICKE –  Kiana Naghshineh / Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg / Germany

CHICKEN STRIPS – Chloe Bestward / Columbia College Chicago, USA

FIFTY-TWO – Brodie Stephenson / Griffith University / Australia

HIM AND HER – Nathalie Lamb / Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg / Germany

I THINK I LOVE YOU – Xiya Lan / California Institute of the Arts / USA

IN A HEARTBEAT – Beth David, Esteban Bravo / Ringling College of Art and Design / USA

INANIMATE – Lucia Bulgheroni / National Film and Television School / U.K.

MASCARPONE – Jonas Riemer / Film University Babelsberg Konrad Wolf / Germany

MONSTERS DON’T EXIST – Ilaria Angelini, Luca Barberis Organista, Nicola Bernardi / Civica Scuola di Cinema Luchino Visconti / Italy

NEW NEIGHBOURS – Andrea Mannino, Sara Burgio, Giacomo Rinaldi / Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia Piemonte, Dip.to Animazione / Italy

POLICE – Ed Smith/ National Film and Television School / U.K.

READY FOR A BABY – Anastasia Dyakova / The University of Melbourne / Australia

SISTER – Siqi Song / California Institute of the Arts / USA

SUPERNOVA – Gavin Lankford, Alexsandre C. Kosinski / University of North Carolina School of the Arts School of Filmmaking / USA

THE FRUITS OF THE CLOUDS – Kateřina Karhanková / FAMU – Film and TV School of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague / Czech Republic

THE OTHER (INNY) – Marta Magnuska / The Polish National Film, Television and Theatre School / Poland

THE SECRET LIFE OF ART – Catherine Mosier-Mills / The Claremont Colleges / USA

THIN DUST – Alessandra Boatto, Gloria Cianci, Sofia Zanonato / Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia Piemonte, Dip.to Animazione / Italy

VERGE – Ching Tien Chu / School of Visual Arts / USA

DOCUMENTARY

BLOOD ISLAND – Lindsey Parietti / University of the West of England / U.K.

CIRCLE – Jayisha Patel / National Film and Television School / U.K.

FAITHFUL – Dane Christensen / Stanford University / USA

FINDING HOME: ELAHEH – Abraham Troen / University of Southern California / USA

HALE – Brad Bailey / UC Berkeley / USA

HAMAMA & CALUNA – Andreas Muggli / Lucerne School of Art and Design / Switzerland

HEROIN HEARSE – Ryan Buckley / Columbia College Chicago / USA

IN THIS FAMILY – Drama Del Rosario / New York Film Academy / USA

KATONG GABII (THAT NIGHT) – Jeremy Luke Bolatag/ UP Film Institute / Philippines

LOVE IN 35MM – Federica Gargarella / Goldsmiths / U.K.

NESTING WITH THE DEVIL – Stephen Matter / University of the West of England / U.K.

PALENQUE – Sebastian Pinzon / Northwestern University / USA

PEACEKEEPER – Tyler Knutt, Nicholas Markart / Florida State University College of Motion Picture Arts / USA

RUDEL – Simon Ostermann / Film University Babelsberg Konrad Wolf / Germany

TAKING SOMEONE TO SOMEONE – Shing Hei Ho / The University of Melbourne / Australia

THE FIREFOX GUARDIAN – Gunjan Menon / University of the West of England / U.K.

THE SHIFT – Paloma Martinez, Elivia Shaw / Stanford University / USA

THE WHALE BOWL (LOLITA’S STORY) – Emily George / University of Greenwich / U.K.

THIS LITTLE PIGGY WENT TO MARKET – Jeanine Fiser / Loyola Marymount University / USA

WE ARE DATA – Moritz Müller-Preisser, Franziska Brozio / University of Television and Film Munich / Germany

LIVE ACTION

BIRTHRIGHT – Mauritz Brekke Solberg, Daniel Fure Schwarz / Kristiania University College / Norway

BLOOD AND WATER – Brian Blum / New York University / USA

FIFO – Sacha Ferbus / Institut des Arts de Diffusion / Belgium

HURRIA – Travis Rush / University of Southern California / USA

JUNE – Huay-Bing Law / The University of Texas at Austin / USA

MY NEPHEW EMMETT – Kevin Wilson / New York University / USA

NADA – Adel Ahmed Yehia / The High Institute of Cinema / Egypt

NUNDALSDRAPET – Ola Moen / Kristiania University College / Norway

ONE SMALL STEP – Aqsa Altaf / University of Southern California / USA

SKIN – Nancy Camaldo / University of Television and Film Munich / Germany

SO YOU LIKE THE NEIGHBOURHOOD – Jean Pesce / New York University / USA

SOL DE AGOSTO – Franco Volpi / London Film School / U.K.

THE LAST ROMANTIC – Natalia Agraz / Centro de Capacitación Cinematográfica / Mexico

THE MOON AND THE NIGHT – Erin Lau / Chapman University / USA

THE PRESIDENT’S VISIT – Cyril Aris / Columbia University / USA

TRISTAN – Sonam Larcin / Institut des Arts de Diffusion / Belgium

WHAT REMAINS – Areej Mahmoud / Columbia College Chicago / USA

WHAT WE LOSE – Jakob Mørk / European Film College / Denmark

WORDS AND LIGHTS  – Karel Malkoun / Notre Dame University – Louaize / Lebanon

WYRM – Christopher Winterbauer / University of Southern California / USA

The gala ceremony will take place on Friday, June 29, 2018 at The Theatre at Ace Hotel in Downtown Los Angeles. Finalists and Special Jury members will be announced in the coming weeks.  Tickets for the event are now available here.

Leading up to the 2018 Student Film Awards, BAFTA will host a series of programs and events in Los Angeles, New York and London from May 14 – 17.