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National Film and Television School

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(Redirected from NFTS)

National Film and Television School
NFTS in 2011
MottoOur Credits Tell The Story
TypeEducational Charity
Established1971; 55 years ago (1971)
Academic affiliations
CILECT
PresidentLord 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
Campus
Websitenfts.co.uk Edit this at Wikidata
Map

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 also operates centres in Leeds, Glasgow and Cardiff. The school was included in The Hollywood Reporter's 2024 list of 15 international film schools[1] and received the BAFTA Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema award in 2018 at the 71st British Academy Film Awards.[2][3]

History

[edit]
One of the new NFTS buildings to be opened in 2017 (artist's impression).

The National Film School opened in 1971, following several years of planning. In 1965, the government established a committee chaired by Lord Lloyd of Hampstead to consider the need for a national film school; its report was published in 1967[4]. Colin Young CBE was appointed to the school's founding director in 1970, and the first students entered in 1971. Young remained director until 1992. In 1982, the school changed its name to the National Film and Television School, reflecting the increasing number of graduates working in television.[5]

In 2016, the NFTS received £1.5 million in funding from Buckinghamshire Thames Valley Local Enterprise Partnership to develop a 4K Digital Content Production Training Studio at its Beaconsfield site.[6] The studio formed part of a wider expansion of the school's facilities. In 2017, Nik Powell stepped down as director of the school and was succeeded by Jon Wardle.[7][8]

The NFTS holds an annual Graduate Showcase featuring graduating students' work in film, television and games. Attendance is restricted to invited industry guests and professionals. The showcase has been held at venues including Picturehouse Central[9] and BFI Southbank; the 2026 event took place at BFI Southbank in London.[10]

Awards and nominations

[edit]
Photograph
Alumnus Nick Park has gone on to win four Oscars.

NFTS student films The Confession (2011),[11] Head Over Heels (2013)[12] and The Bigger Picture (2015)[13] were nominated for Academy Awards. In 2017, the NFTS graduation film A Love Story, directed and co-written by Anushka Naanayakkara, won the BAFTA for Best Short Animation, marking the fourth consecutive year that an NFTS animation had won the category.[14][15]

In 2013, the NFTS graduation film Miss Todd, directed by Kristina Yee, won the Gold Medal in the Foreign Film category at the Student Academy Awards.[16] In 2016, NFTS films received prizes in all three categories of the CILECT Prize: The Archipelago won the Documentary category, Edmond won the Animation category, and Patriot placed second in Fiction.[17]

NFTS student films have also been selected for international film festivals. In 2016, Jac Clinch's The Alan Dimension was selected for the Cinéfondation programme at the Cannes Film Festival. NFTS students also received seven awards at the Royal Television Society Student Awards in 2017.[18]

Campus and facilities

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A TV show being rehearsed in the TV Studio

The school's Beaconsfield campus was expanded with a new building designed by Glenn Howells Architects, providing teaching and public spaces, a library, café and cinema.[19] The building received a RIBA Regional Award in 2008[20] and was later named the Oswald Morris Building in honour of veteran cinematographer Ossie Morris.[21]

In 2017, the NFTS opened new and refurbished facilities at its Beaconsfield campus, including a 4K Digital Content Production Training Studio created within the school's original 1960s television studio.[22] The facility was named Sky Studios at the NFTS, while its production gallery was named The Sony Gallery.[23] The studio was equipped for 4K and HDR television production and is used for television-production training.[23]

The Channel 4 Rose Building, also opened in 2017, contains teaching facilities for games and digital effects, as well as a cinema, café and incubation space for graduate businesses.[24][25]

A teaching block on the northern part of the Beaconsfield site contains a studio, edit suites, specialist sound facilities and multi-purpose teaching spaces. The campus also includes four dedicated production stages, alongside specialist facilities for animation and music recording.[24]

Funding

[edit]

Until the mid-1980s, the NFTS was partly funded through the Eady Levy, a levy on cinema admissions that supported the British film industry.[26] Following the levy’s abolition, government funding continued. The school currently receives support from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, alongside funding from industry partners and other public bodies.[26][27]

Academic Programmes

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The NFTS offers postgraduate and professional training across film, television and games, including master's degrees, diplomas, certificates, workshops and short courses.[28] Its programmes cover areas including directing, cinematography, producing, screenwriting, editing, sound, animation, games, television production and production management. The Royal College of Art began validating NFTS postgraduate courses in 2000.[29]

Governance and staff

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Teaching is provided by full-time tutorial staff, supplemented by industry visiting tutors.[30][31] The school is overseen by a Board of Governors, chaired by Sophie Turner Laing.[32] Jon Wardle serves as director and is responsible for the executive management of the school,[33] while David Puttnam serves as president.[34]

Honorary Fellows

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The National Film and Television School awards Honorary Fellowships to individuals recognised for an outstanding contribution to the film and television industry.[35] The fellowships are selected annually by the NFTS Board of Governors and are presented at the school's graduation ceremony.[36]

Recent recipients include Louis Theroux in 2025[37] and casting directors Jina Jay and Shaheen Baig in 2026.[38]

Notable alumni

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Notable alumni of the National Film and Television School include directors Bill Forsyth,[39] Terence Davies, Lynne Ramsay, David Yates and Beeban Kidron;[40] cinematographer Roger Deakins, animator Nick Park,[41] documentary filmmaker Nick Broomfield, screenwriter Laurie Nunn, and producer Andrew Macdonald.[42][43]

See also

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References

[edit]
  1. ↑ "The Top 15 International Film Schools". The Hollywood Reporter. 16 August 2018. Retrieved 20 January 2019.
  2. ↑ "NFTS - Special Award 2018". www.bafta.org. 15 February 2018. Retrieved 20 January 2019.
  3. ↑ "Bafta Film Awards 2018: All the winners". 18 February 2018. Retrieved 20 January 2019.
  4. ↑ "National Film and Television School - In the Beginning". Google Arts & Culture. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
  5. ↑ "History". NFTS. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
  6. ↑ Bevir, George; Broadcast. "NFTS secures £1.5m funding for 4K studio". Screen. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
  7. ↑ Wiseman, Andreas. "NFTS director Nik Powell to step down". Screen. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
  8. ↑ Wiseman, Andreas. "NFTS appoints school director". Screen. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
  9. ↑ "NFTS 2018 Graduating Students Awarded Industry Prizes". NFTS. 1 March 2018. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
  10. ↑ "Graduate Showcase 2026". NFTS. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
  11. ↑ "The 83rd Academy Awards | 2011". www.oscars.org. 7 October 2014. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
  12. ↑ "The 85th Academy Awards | 2013". www.oscars.org. 7 October 2014. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
  13. ↑ "2015 Academy Awards | Oscars.org | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences". www.oscars.org. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
  14. ↑ "film/british-short-animation".
  15. ↑ "schools/nfts-takes-bafta-prize-announces-new-diploma/".
  16. ↑ "The 40th Student Academy Awards | 2013". www.oscars.org. 7 October 2014. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
  17. ↑ "/legacy.cilect.org-price-12".
  18. ↑ "Ed Vaizey unveils two new facilities at the National Film and Television School | Royal Television Society". rts.org.uk. 7 July 2017. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
  19. ↑ "National Film and Television School, Beaconsfield". Howells. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
  20. ↑ "National Film and Television School, Beaconsfield". Howells. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
  21. ↑ "History". NFTS. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
  22. ↑ Grater, Tom. "NFTS launches £20m facilities". Screen. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
  23. 1 2 "national-film-and-television-school-opens-ground-breaking-4k-digital-content-training-studio-and-hub".
  24. 1 2 "nfts-launches-20m-facilities/5119708.article".
  25. ↑ "Production Facilities". NFTS. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
  26. 1 2 Mariette-JB. "2024 Yearbook". Film Distributors’ Association. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
  27. ↑ "Graduate Impact Report". NFTS. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
  28. ↑ "Courses". NFTS. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
  29. ↑ "History". NFTS. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
  30. ↑ "Value For Money". NFTS. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
  31. ↑ "Our Tutors". NFTS. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
  32. ↑ "The Board". NFTS. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
  33. ↑ "Governance". NFTS. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
  34. ↑ "National Film And Television School Celebrates Class Of 2026 And Awards Outstanding Contribution Fellowships To Casting Directors Jina Jay & Shaheen Baig". NFTS. 6 March 2026. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
  35. ↑ "Honorary Fellows". NFTS. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
  36. ↑ "Casting Directors Jina Jay And Shaheen Baig Celebrated With Prestigious Honorary Fellowships For Outstanding Contribution To The Industry". NFTS. 9 February 2026. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
  37. ↑ "Honorary Fellows". NFTS. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
  38. ↑ "National Film And Television School Celebrates Class Of 2026 And Awards Outstanding Contribution Fellowships To Casting Directors Jina Jay & Shaheen Baig". NFTS. 6 March 2026. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
  39. ↑ "History". NFTS. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
  40. ↑ "Honorary Fellows". NFTS. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
  41. ↑ "Nick Park Returns to NFTS to Celebrate Wallace & Gromit's 30th Anniversary". NFTS. 16 May 2019. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
  42. ↑ "NFTS_Corporate_Plan" (PDF). NFTS_Corporate_Plan.
  43. ↑ "Grad_Impact_Report_2020" (PDF). Grad_Impact_Report_2020.
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