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BAFTA To Offer Scholarships To Chinese And British Overseas Students

2 March 2015
The Arqiva British Academy TV Awards in 2013

Support to study film, television or games, in the UK and China respectively, revealed at the GREAT Festival of Creativity in Shanghai.

Shanghai and London, 2 March 2015: The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) has today announced that, from 2016, it will offer scholarships to enable talented Chinese and British nationals in financial need to study film, television, or games as an international student in the UK or China respectively. The new scholarships aim to encourage creative collaboration and cultural exchange between British and Asian practitioners in the film, television and games industries.

The announcement comes as BAFTA makes its first ever visit to mainland China, as part of a delegation of British organisations attending the GREAT Festival of Creativity in Shanghai. HRH The Duke of Cambridge opened the festival on behalf of the UK Government. The Duke, who is President of BAFTA, said: “The film, television and games industries in the United Kingdom and China have much to learn from one another, and there is no-one better placed to help facilitate that than BAFTA.”

In addition to financial support for course fees and overseas living expenses, the BAFTA Scholarship recipients will receive mentoring from industry professionals and access to BAFTA events. Potential applicants can register on the BAFTA website to be informed when applications open in 2016.

The BAFTA Scholarship Programme in China is the latest expansion of BAFTA’s global scholarship activity, which in 2014 saw the first BAFTA Scholarship Programme in Hong Kong, supported by the Yip Foundation. British student Tian Macleod Ji was awarded a scholarship to study a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Creative Media at City University of Hong Kong, and Hong Kong resident Wan Pin Chu received a scholarship towards the Master of Composition (MComp) in Composition for Screen at the Royal College of Music in London. The two scholarship recipients have recently worked together on a documentary project.

Tian Macleod Ji, who was raised in the UK by his British mother and Chinese father, is attending the GREAT Festival in Shanghai. He will join BAFTA representatives at the Chinese premiere of the BAFTA-nominated film Paddington at the Shanghai Film Museum on Tuesday 3 March, attended by HRH The Duke of Cambridge.

Amanda Berry OBE, Chief Executive of BAFTA, said: “BAFTA aims to support talented people at all stages of their career in film, television or games. Following the success of our scholarships in the UK, US and most recently Hong Kong, we are delighted to extend this opportunity to exceptional individuals across China at the start of their careers. The BAFTA Scholarship Programme in China will enable emerging Chinese and British practitioners to collaborate and learn from each other, for the benefit of the film, television and games industries in both countries.” 

The BAFTA Scholarship Programme in the UK is now in its fourth year. In February, BAFTA Scholar Daisy Jacobs, who studied at the UK’s National Film and Television School, won a BAFTA and gained an Oscar nomination for her short animation The Bigger Picture.

BAFTA Los Angeles has an active Scholarship Program that includes the new Pigott/BAFTA Scholarship, offering financial support and mentorship to British graduate students studying in the US. Previous recipients include Sacha Gervasi (Hitchcock, The Terminal), Gil Kenan (Monster House) and Oscar Sharp, who was nominated for a BAFTA this year with his short film The Kármán Line.

The BAFTA New York Media Studies Scholarship Program supports students pursuing media studies at undergraduate and graduate level institutions within the New York City area.

For full details of BAFTA‘s activity in Asia, visit http://bit.ly/BAFTAinAsia.

For the latest updates, follow /BAFTA on Facebook, and join the conversation using #BAFTA and #GREATFestivals.


Further Information

For further information about BAFTA’s activities in Shanghai, please contact:

Vivian Jin (FleishmanHillard) | [email protected]
Tel: +86 64070066-803
Mobile: +86.13816633516

Lydia Hu (FleishmanHillard) | [email protected]
Tel: +86 64070066-893
Mobile: +86.13916188505

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, international programme of learning events and initiatives that offers unique access to some of the world’s most inspiring talent through workshops, masterclasses, scholarships, lectures and mentoring schemes, connecting with audiences of all ages and backgrounds across the UK, Los Angeles and New York. 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.