National Film and Television School

"NFTS" redirects here. For similar terms, see NFT (disambiguation) and NFS (disambiguation).

National Film and Television School
NFTS in 2011
MottoOur Credits Tell The Story
TypeEducational Charity
Established1971; 53 years ago (1971)
Academic affiliation
CILECT
PresidentThe Lord Puttnam
DirectorJon Wardle
Postgraduates500
Other students
100
Location
Beaconsfield
,
Buckinghamshire
,
England

51°36′19″N 0°38′15″W / 51.6054°N 0.6374°W / 51.6054; -0.6374
CampusBeaconsfield Film Studios
Websitenfts.co.uk Edit this at Wikidata

The National Film and Television School (NFTS) is a film, television and games school established in 1971 and based at Beaconsfield Studios in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, England. It is featured in the 2021 ranking by The Hollywood Reporter of the top 15 international film schools.[1]

Its community of students makes around a hundred and fifty films a year on courses that are over 90% practical and unlike courses offered at other UK film schools. As of 2021 it had over 500 students and about a fifteen hundred a year on its short courses delivered in Beaconsfield and at its hubs in Glasgow, Leeds and Cardiff. Beaconsfield Studios consists of film and television stages; animation and production design studios; edit suites; sound post-production facilities; a music recording studio and four dubbing theatres. The school completed an expansion and modernisation programme in early 2017 with new teaching facilities, a third cinema and a new 4K Television Studio.

The BBC stated that the NFTS was the "leading centre of excellence for education in film and television programme making", and noted that it was "relevant to the industry's present and future needs."[2] British Film Magazine once described the NFTS as being one of the few schools to come "very, very close" to guaranteeing a job in the film industry, and named its leader (Powell) a "maverick";[3] Filmmaking.net named it one of two films schools outside the US which had such a high international reputation.[4]

NFTS student films have been nominated for an Oscar three times in the last six years. Additionally, in 2017 NFTS graduation film, A Love Story, directed and co-written by Anushka Naanayakkara, won the British Short Animation BAFTA at the EE British Academy Film Awards, making it the fourth year in a row that NFTS students have picked up this accolade.[5] This is the second consecutive year that two of NFTS students' graduation films competed for the same prize, with A Love Story up against The Alan Dimension directed and co-written by Jac Clinch.[6] NFTS student films are regularly selected for the top film festivals around the world. In 2016–17 highlights included selections at Cannes and Annecy Animation Festival and top prizes in nearly all the Royal Television Society categories for which they are eligible.[7]

In 2018, the school was the recipient of the BAFTA Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema Award at the 71st British Academy Film Awards.[8][9]

  1. ^ "The Top 15 International Film Schools". The Hollywood Reporter. 16 August 2018. Retrieved 20 January 2019.
  2. ^ "BBC - Press Office - BBC and NFTS work together to put new documentary talent on TV". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 21 January 2019.
  3. ^ "RING NIK POWELL AT NFTS". britishfilmmagazine.com. Archived from the original on 14 February 2008.
  4. ^ "What are the best film schools?". filmmaking.net. 9 December 2008. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
  5. ^ "NFTS Students Win Animation BAFTA 4th Year in a Row!". NFTS. 2017.
  6. ^ Henderson, Steve (12 February 2017). "BAFTA Wins for Kubo and the Two Strings, A Love Story and The Jungle Book". Skwigly.
  7. ^ "NFTS Report & Financial Statements 1 August 2016 – 31 July 2017" (PDF). National Film and Television School. p. 3.
  8. ^ "NFTS - Special Award 2018". www.bafta.org. 15 February 2018. Retrieved 20 January 2019.
  9. ^ "Bafta Film Awards 2018: All the winners". 18 February 2018. Retrieved 20 January 2019.