The Royal Television Society (RTS) has announced the winners of the national RTS Student Television Awards 2021, sponsored by Kinetic Content. The winners were crowned during a virtual ceremony on the RTS website, which was hosted by broadcast presenter and award-winning radio host, Vick Hope.
For 2021, the National Film and Television School received the highest number of wins across the 17 UK institutions nominated, taking home seven awards, followed by the University of Salford with three. The inaugural Young Filmmaker Award was presented to Max Tobin, Ed Whyte, Joe Luk, Oli Thomas and Almir Datoo for their film I Will Despise You. The jury described the film as impressively made and ambitious, with the script being a triumph.
The awards celebrate the best audiovisual work created by students across the UK at both undergraduate and postgraduate level. This year students submitted an original film of their creation of up to 30 minutes in duration, for categories including Animation, Scripted, Non-Scripted for undergraduate entries, and Animation, Scripted, Non-Scripted, News, Entertainment and Natural History for postgraduates. Awards were also presented for craft skills for both the undergraduate and postgraduate entries, including Camerawork, Editing, Production Design, Sound and Writing.
RTS Student Television Awards, 110 per cent content and chair & managing director Siobhan Greene, said, “This year the juries had difficult decisions to make, narrowing down an extensive line-up of entries from all over the UK; even more impressive as many were produced under restricted conditions due to Covid. It’s with a real sense of pride we recognise and celebrate the talent coming into the industry this afternoon. Our heartfelt congratulations to all the winners.”
Please see below the full list of nominations:
Undergraduate Animation
WINNER – My Favourite Hill – Chris Childs (UWE Bristol)
This film was a comedic hit with everyone on the jury. The dialogue was hilariously delivered and crafted by Chris, creating lots of laughs. Overall, an interesting and enjoyable commentary on working life, as well as a lovely tribute.
Nominees:
- Husky – Darragh Scott (The National Film School, IADT)
- Last Week – Jamie Walsh (University of Central Lancashire)
- Spellbound – Amelia Parker, Beth Ryan and and Team (Arts University Bournemouth)
Undergraduate Non-Scripted
WINNER – Man, Beast and the Heart to Win – Hal Bartlett, Will Eastwick-Field, Dave Jones, Ross Charette, Jamie Doughty and Peter Dixon (Falmouth University)
A beautifully shot documentary imbued with an authentic sense of personality and compelling storytelling that gives a great sense of the racing life.
Nominees:
- Canada’s Keepers – Mia Frank, Monica Athnasious, Seila Lalou, Minori Iwahashi and Karyan Au-Yeung (University of Leeds)
- Staying Sane (During a Global Pandemic) – Dorothea Scarleta Sterian (University of Salford)
Undergraduate Scripted
WINNER – Paper Round Boy – George Stickley, Anastasija Pcelinceva, Ted Box, Millie Bennett, George Stickley, Richard Skull and Brandon Thompson (University Of Gloucestershire)
A sweet, big-hearted film, with a witty and original script. Beautifully shot and designed with a wonderfully nostalgic, almost retro tone. Fantastic characterisation and endearing performances from the central duo made this a real standout for the panel.
Nominees:
- Cease – Aisling O’Regan Sargent, Philip Emo, Dylan Keenan, Cormac Campbell and Keen Murphy (The National Film School, IADT)
- Future For Our Children – Cameron Jones, Iulia Nistor, Christos Panagiotou, Harry Tye, Amer Hasan, Aislin Plaistow and Jessica Mistry (Sheffield Hallam University)
- Yard Kings – Billy King and Vasco Sancho (Middlesex University)
Undergraduate Camerawork
WINNER – Paper Round Boy – Ted Box (University Of Gloucestershire)
Nice lighting and framing really helped to bring this story to life. Very well shot. The jury were very impressed by the talent of the cinematographer.
Nominees:
- Man, Beast and the Heart to Win – Dave Jones (Falmouth University)
- Yard Kings – Jakub Rogala (Middlesex University)
Undergraduate Editing
WINNER – Staying Sane (During a Global Pandemic) – Dorothea Scarleta Sterian (University of Salford)
It felt that there wasn’t a wasted shot. The editing within this film was incredibly tight and very accomplished.
Nominees:
- Spellbound – Olesia Sizikova (Arts University Bournemouth)
- Yard Kings – Aiden Tobin (Middlesex University)
Undergraduate Production Design
WINNER – Paper Round Boy – George Stickley and Richard Skull (University Of Gloucestershire)
The jury loved the design and look of this short film, great costumes helped to combine with the art department on a very impressive looking film.
Nominees:
- Spellbound – Amelia Parker and Beth Ryan (Arts University Bournemouth)
- Yard Kings – Miriam Abdulameer (Middlesex University)
Undergraduate Sound
WINNER – Yard Kings – Zazanna Pencak (Middlesex University)
This on location sound recording was very impressive. A compliment to the skill of the designer.
Nominees:
- Husky – Darragh Scott, Geoffrey Perrin and Rhyss Davies (The National Film School, IADT)
- Staying Sane (During a Global Pandemic) – Dorothea Scarleta Sterian (University of Salford)
Undergraduate Writing
WINNER – Staying Sane (During a Global Pandemic) – Dorothea Scarleta Sterian (University of Salford)
A very impressive bit of screenwriting behind a very challenging and intriguing film.
Nominees:
- Canada’s Keepers – Mia Frank (University of Leeds)
- Paper Round Boy – George Stickley (University Of Gloucestershire)
Postgraduate Animation
WINNER – The Song of a Lost Boy – Daniel Quirke, Jamie MacDonald, Brid Arnstein, Emma Langguth and Team (National Film and Television School)
The jury really enjoyed this film with its unique style and message of acceptance told in such an interesting and original way. It was evident that a lot of deep thought had gone into the design and materials chosen, with excellent choices made from start to finish.
Nominees:
- Between Us – Niancao Yang, Lite Zhu, Tim Steemson and Yali Shen (LCC (University of the Arts London)
- Something Borrowed – Micky Wozny, Nathan Hardisty, Andrew St Maur, Twan Peeters and Gabe Robertson (National Film and Television School)
- The Fire Next Time – Renaldho Pelle, Kerry Jade Kolbe, Yangling Wang, Fabio Mota, Robin Whalley and Team (National Film and Television School)
Postgraduate Entertainment
WINNER – Other Nature – Alex Cartlidge, Olympia Christofinis and Team (National Film and Television School)
The jury was unanimous in its choice of this entry as the winner. A rounded story – that had us hooked from the start. It was well cast, well-acted, very well done.
Nominees:
- What’s In A Name – Nathalie Maher, Harriet Erskine Still and Leni Jaeger (Goldsmiths, University of London)
- Who Murdered The Maid? – Wendy Yee Man Wong, George Burns, Alix Li, Wilson Foo Yong Sheng, Benjamyn Bird and Guy Dowsett (Arts University Bournemouth)
- Wild Cooks – Rohit Karan Baidya, Sebastien Duchateau and Team (National Film and Television School)
Postgraduate Natural History
WINNER – Secrets of the Salamanders – Madelaine Westwood, Nathan Small, Waltteri Vanhanen and Constance Brannick and Team (National Film and Television School)
The jury were impressed by the story, the strong visuals, a great use of archive footage with a great voice and tone. A strong opening captured your attention and the great photography throughout kept it.
Nominees:
- Life on the Rocks – George Pretty, Oli Bauer, Will Turner, Andrea Lo Priore, Breen Turner and Team (National Film and Television School)
- Red or Dead – Archie Wilson (University of the West of England)
- Wild Therapy – Bobby Hardy (University of the West of England)
Postgraduate News
WINNER – The Reproduction Revolution – Freya Chappell (University of Salford)
An excellent entry of a reporter-led portfolio of films on the subject of reproduction. The films showed great technical flair and Freya chose to take a broad look at the subject without shying away from contentious areas of surrogacy, gender and technology. Excellent range of voices presented in a balanced and informed way.
Nominees:
- Rugby Union: The Invisible Injury – Matthew Leon (Cardiff Metropolitan University)
- The Currency of Culture – Nabil Mehdinejad (City, University of London)
- When Sex Games Go Wrong – Caitlin Kelly, Katie Dennison and Victoria Hudson-Grant (City, University of London)
Postgraduate Non-Scripted
WINNER – Zágon – Mateo Villanueva Brandt, Luke Kulukundis, Vincent Zagon, Zack Bottoni, Amy Douglas-Morris, Gabriel Ware and Martyn Ware (LCC (University of the Arts London))
Brilliant, beautiful, clever, incredibly positive. Very unusual yet very successful way of telling this story. The way the art forms intertwined was captivating.
Nominees:
- Bringing Home the Blubber – Molly Adams, Ujuunnguaq Heinrich, Maalat Heinrich, Aili H. Platou and Joel Jørgensen (LCC (University of the Arts London))
- Inside a Marriage – Ben Cheetham, Margred Pryce, Ed Rousseau, Adam Speck and Team (National Film and Television School)
- Short-Term Sister – Philipp Lippert, Maximilian Schürmann, Alina Kay Kolosova and Zak Allum (Goldsmiths University of London)
Postgraduate Scripted
WINNER – Who Goes There? – Astrid Thorvaldsen, Leah Bethany Jones, William Gillies, Graham Boonzaaier, Armiliah Aripin and Team (National Film and Television School)
Who Goes There? felt big and cinematic, and was unanimously praised by the jury for being genuinely scary! We loved the inventiveness of combining a domestic horror story with a staple of American cinema to create a Western Horror hybrid, and subvert the American Dream. Everything from costume to production design was impressive, and it felt like an extract of a bigger film that we would love to see.
Nominees:
- City of Lost Children – Misha Vertkin, Jesse Romain, Brid Arnstein, Pep Bosch and Team (National Film and Television School)
- One For The Road – Eileen Tracey, Milena Bolouri and Julia Sander (Goldsmiths, University of London)
- Stratum Deep – Lian Meng Rose, James Bowsher, Nathan Hardisty, Nathalie Pitters, Andrew Merrison and Team (National Film and Television School)
Postgraduate Camerawork
WINNER – Life on the Rocks – George Pretty (National Film and Television School)
The Jury loved the style of camerawork which significantly contributed to the success of the film. The filming on the boats, the sense of loneliness (which the operator also felt themselves in the situation) and the bleak environment were captured wonderfully and contrasted superbly with the interviews. A triumph.
Nominees:
- City of Lost Children – Pep Bosch i Calvo (National Film and Television School)
- Who Goes There? – Graham Boonzaaier (National Film and Television School)
Postgraduate Editing
WINNER – Short-Term Sister – Philipp Lippert (Goldsmiths, University of London)
The excellent standard of the editing massively contributed, and indeed embellished, the production of a very sensitive subject. The lingering shots, allowing for moments of silence which spoke volumes, and the overall contribution to the final production was highly commended.
Nominees:
- City of Lost Children – Edward Coltman (National Film and Television School)
- Who Goes There? – Armiliah Aripin (National Film and Television School)
Postgraduate Production Design
WINNER – The Song of a Lost Boy – Steven X Haber (National Film and Television School)
The jury loved the design, the juxtaposition of the troll-like characters in a choirboy setting at the beginning, the sense of fun really came through the production design and provided a visceral visual experience.
Nominees:
- City of Lost Children – Anna Woloszczuk (National Film and Television School)
- Who Goes There? – Peter Coulthard (National Film and Television School)
Postgraduate Sound
WINNER – Life on the Rocks – Breen Turner (National Film and Television School)
The jury felt that the sounds of the environment were captured brilliantly, the birds, the boats, and the clever use of natural sound in general. The film used the sound design to breathe which really contributed to the success of the piece.
Nominees:
- The Fire Next Time – Jose Pablo Ramirez Leiva (National Film and Television School)
- Who Murdered The Maid? – Guy Dowsett (Arts University Bournemouth)
Postgraduate Writing
WINNER – Short-Term Sister – Philipp Lippert (Goldsmiths, University of London)
The jury commended the skillful use of language to move between the interviewees, the judicious use of words to narrate the story and the delivery in English, not the narrator’s mother tongue. Guiding the viewer through a story so close to the narrator’s heart cannot have been easy yet the execution of the writing allowed the viewer to be taken on a real journey from start to finish. Brilliant.
Nominees:
- One For The Road – Liam Lemkin Anderson, Imogen Radwan and Eileen Tracey (Goldsmiths, University of London)
- Something Borrowed – Nathan Hardisty (National Film and Television School)
Young Filmmaker Award
WINNER – I Will Despise You – Max Tobin, Ed Whyte, Joe Luk, Oli Thomas and Almir Datoo
The jury felt this was an impressively made and ambitious short drama. The script was a triumph and the comedic elements worked well. They really believed the chemistry between the actors was down to skilful casting and confident directing. The film showed great planning and vision in terms of creating the look and feel, using multiple locations and filming under extremely challenging conditions.
Nominees:
- Badgirl$ – “Next Up 2” – Krishan Sharda, Nathaniel Turner Caralho, Courtney Bennett, Sam Holding and Music by Badgirl$
- Three Hikers – Cian Desmond and Jack Desmond
The RTS Student Television Awards are meant to encourage, nurture, support and reward talent, potential and enthusiasm of students in colleges and universities for the creation of film and video content.