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2015 BAFTA US Student Film Awards to be held June 25 at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts

29 April 2015

Los Angeles, April 28, 2015:  The British Academy of Film and Television Arts Los Angeles (BAFTA Los Angeles) has announced today that this year’s BAFTA US Student Film Awards will be held on June 25, 2015 at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills.

Now in its 12th year, the event has been expanded into a national competition, showcasing the very best films from top international film students studying in US graduate film programs. Originally founded as a Los Angeles-area initiative, this will be the first year that BAFTA has accepted entries from across the entire US, in partnership with BAFTA New York.

The BAFTA US Student Film Awards identifies and celebrates the best creative works produced by international students studying in the US. The event is presented as part of BAFTA’s ongoing commitment to supporting and developing emerging talents, with the finalists also invited to attend BAFTA’s year-round educational events in the US. The BAFTA US Student Film Awards also serves to connect rising US and international student filmmakers with experts from the UK entertainment industry, with the aim of continuing the strong legacy of successful collaboration between the US and UK filmmaking communities.

“BAFTA’s commitment to nurturing the next generation of our industry has never been stronger,” says BAFTA Los Angeles Chairman, Kieran Breen. “US Film Schools attract the very best of filmmaking students from around the globe, so with BAFTA’s expansion of the Student Film Awards into a national event we are connecting BAFTA and the British industry with an immense talent pool that’s arguably unmatched in the world.”

89 film schools have been invited to select their three best films for consideration. From the submissions, BAFTA members based in the US will select a two-hour program of short films to be screened on the 25th. BAFTA Members in the audience will then vote on the 2015 BAFTA US Student Film Award winner, while a jury of special guests will award one of the filmmakers the Special Jury Prize presented by AKA Hotels. AKA Hotels will also host a special reception in New York to celebrate the Students and Faculty of participating East Coast schools.

For more information about the 2015 BAFTA US Student Film Awards and the British Academy of Film and Television Arts Los Angeles, visit www.baftala.org.

About BAFTA

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts is an independent charity that supports, develops and promotes the art forms of the moving image by identifying and rewarding excellence, inspiring practitioners and benefiting the public. In addition to its Awards ceremonies, BAFTA has a year-round programme of learning events and initiatives – featuring workshops, masterclasses, scholarships, lectures and mentoring schemes – in the UK, USA and Asia; it offers unique access to the world’s most inspiring talent and connects with a global audience of all ages and backgrounds. BAFTA relies on income from membership subscriptions, individual donations, trusts, foundations and corporate partnerships to support its ongoing outreach work. To access the best creative minds in film, television and games production, visit www.bafta.org/guru. For more, visit www.bafta.org.

Founded in 1987, BAFTA Los Angeles serves as a bridge between the Hollywood and British production and entertainment business communities. Its commitment to professional and community education is at the heart of all activity, including an award-winning community outreach programme, screenings, seminars, Behind Closed Doors series, Q&As, scholarships for British students studying in the US, a Newcomers Program for emerging British talents working in the US, and a Heritage Archive project that preserves in-depth interviews with the industry's leading talents for future generations. BAFTA Los Angeles celebrates and promotes excellence through its annual Britannia Awards, Awards Season Film and Television Tea Parties and the Student Film Awards. www.bafta.org/losangeles    

BAFTA Los Angeles is a 501(c)3 Non-Profit Corporation and relies on income from membership subscriptions, individual donations, trusts, foundations and corporate partnerships to support its ongoing work.

BAFTA New York carries the Academy’s mission forward on the Atlantic Coast through its commitment to the film, television and documentary communities. Its activities include screenings, In Conversation series, masterclasses, Q&As and panels focusing on industry trends in film, television and multimedia. BAFTA New York's educational outreach is aimed at underserved youth in New York City and includes the BAFTA New York Media Studies Scholarship Program, which was established to support students pursuing media studies at undergraduate and graduate level institutions within the New York City area. www.bafta.org/new-york