Success for Doncaster film and TV student

New College student Mary Manyika will be part of a residential programme with the BFI Film Academy in London.

Mary will be one of forty pupils from across the UK to take part in the programme during February half-term. They will work together to produce a documentary to be screened at a London cinema.

Mary thanked the staff and her fellow students for helping her take the opportunity.

She said: “It’s an amazing opportunity for me to be able to work alongside the BFI. The residential will give me the chance to meet BAFTA winning producers and directors to help me further develop my passion of film and TV, in particular documentary film-making.

“This is something that I never thought I’d be able to do, so thanks to New College Doncaster for giving me the opportunity to apply and also to my peers encouraging me to go for it - I’m so glad I did.”

Mary will be given masterclasses from five-time BAFTA winning producer Adam Tyler and director Tom Costello, as well as BAFTA nominees Marta Shaw and Andrew Hulme and producer Clare Johns.

Lee Trueman, Head of Visual Arts, Film and Media at New College Doncaster, said he was pleased to be able to invite Mary on to the programme.

He said: “It’s a really great opportunity for one of our Film and TV Production students to be invited onto the BFI’s residential programme.

“We’re establishing links to the industry all the time at New College Doncaster, and this just shows how much external organisations value the quality of our students.”

The BFI Film Academy provides opportunities for talented and committed young people between the ages of 16 and 19 to develop new skills and build a career in the film industry, no matter where they live or what their background.

An intensive programme of practical workshops in documentary filmmaking as well as trips, masterclasses and Q&As are provided. The BFI is the UK’s leadorganisation for film, television and the moving image, and is the distributor of National Lottery funds for film.

Visit ncdoncaster.ac.uk for more information about the college.