Elle Osili Wood to Host; Joel Kim Booster, Heather Callow, Laura Karpman, Smriti Mundhra and Nico Santos to Serve on Special Jury
Today BAFTA announced the 15 finalists for the 2026 BAFTA Student Awards with e.l.f. Cosmetics, a brand from e.l.f. Beauty (NYSE:ELF). This year’s awards received submissions from more than 600 universities worldwide across the film, games, and immersive categories, with the 15 finalist projects selected by BAFTA members from around the globe.
An integral part of BAFTA North America’s year-round Learning, Inclusion, and Talent programs, the Student Awards are an international celebration of the next generation of creative talent in film, games, and immersive storytelling, inspiring the future of cinema, television, and interactive media. This year’s selection spans seven countries, features first-time representation from four schools—the University of Edinburgh, Beijing Film Academy, Escola Superior de Cinema i Audiovisuals de Catalunya, and Institut National Supérieur des Arts du Spectacle et des Techniques de Diffusion—and is predominantly female, with women accounting for 21 of the 31 listed students.
Ahead of the Student Awards, BAFTA will fly the finalists to Los Angeles and curate Experience Week from Monday, July 13 through Thursday, July 16. Leading up to the awards ceremony, the weeklong program will bring the student finalists to film and game studios, workshops with industry professionals, and networking events. The week will also feature the BAFTA Games Summit held at e.l.f.’s Los Angeles office on Wednesday, July 15, and livestreamed on the elfyou Twitch channel at 3 p.m. PT. This inaugural BAFTA Games Summit will allow the student finalists and elfyou viewers at home the chance to learn about career pathways into games and gain advice from emerging developers. Attendees will hear from industry experts across two panels focused on careers in games, storytelling, community building, and audience engagement featuring panelists including Mayanna Berrin, Anjali Bhimani, Crystal Mora, Erika Ewing, Jay-Ann Lopez, Kathryn Yu and moderator Elle Osili Wood. The event will be followed by a Showcase and Mixer offering attendees the opportunity to play and experience the nominated games and immersive projects.
This partnership will also live on the elfyou Twitch channel, a platform where e.l.f. already engages with its community. This new initiative is designed to spotlight emerging developers, amplify their voices, and create opportunities to showcase their talent, innovation, and contributions to the gaming industry. e.l.f.’s presence in gaming is rooted in a deeper purpose: to show up for women and non-binary individuals in spaces where they have historically been underrepresented and underserved. e.l.f. believes that changing who gets to build the industry changes the games themselves, and ultimately, the culture. This programming will culminate in the first-ever livestream of the awards ceremony on Friday, July 17 on the elfyou Twitch channel, granting the winners a wider audience to broadcast their work.
Additionally, e.l.f. will provide a $15,000 grant to support an emerging female or non-binary developer in pursuing their ambitions, helping to expand access and opportunity in the gaming industry. By investing in women and non-binary individuals in developer roles, e.l.f. aims to foster richer, more inclusive gaming experiences for everyone. The brand is committed to supporting underrepresented talent in traditionally male-dominated fields and addressing the persistent lack of visibility and resources they often face. Alumni of BAFTA programs, BAFTA members, and peer organizations will be invited to apply, presenting their project for consideration. Further details, including application timing, to be announced.
Courtney LaBarge Bell, executive director of BAFTA North America, said: “The BAFTA Student Awards are a launchpad for the next generation of creative talent, bringing students from around the world to Los Angeles for unparalleled access to industry leaders, peers, and career-building opportunities. We’re delighted that, as headline partner, e.l.f. is both supporting female and non-binary game developers through a dedicated grant and helping expand Experience Week with the inaugural BAFTA Games Summit.”
Patrick O’Keefe, Chief Integrated Marketing Officer, e.l.f. Brands said: “At e.l.f., we believe talent is everywhere, but opportunity isn’t. That’s why we’re partnering with BAFTA to honor and celebrate the future of film, games and immersive storytelling. What will start as a celebration, will evolve into building a pathway through accessibility, connectivity and exposure. When we invest in the next generation, especially women in film and gaming who have been historically underrepresented, we make the entire industry better. That’s the work, and we’re all in.”
Winners will be announced on Friday, July 17, 2026, at the 2026 BAFTA Student Awards held at the Meryl Streep Center for Performing Artists at SAG-AFTRA Foundation. Event sponsors include headline partner e.l.f. Cosmetics and Delta Air Lines, Virgin Atlantic, The Dana and Albert R. Broccoli Charitable Foundation and Crunchyroll. The evening will be hosted by award-winning television host and entertainer Elle Osili Wood, BAFTA Breakthrough and respected broadcaster whose work with BBC, ITV, and BAFTA explores the dynamic intersection of culture, the arts, and interactive entertainment.
The Special Jury for this year’s competition features an influential group of artists and innovators who will select the recipient of “The Albert R. ‘Cubby’ Broccoli Special Jury Prize at the BAFTA Student Awards.” The jurors are actor and writer Joel Kim Booster, Creative Director of EON Productions Heather Callow, composer Laura Karpman, documentary filmmaker Smriti Mundhra, and actor and comedian Nico Santos.
The finalist projects are (listed alphabetically in each category by film title with director names and school):
Animation presented by Crunchyroll
Gauze
Noran Fikri Alezabi, Nicholas Arujah, Xinyue Ma, Yulin Yue, Xiaonan Zhou
Gobelins, France
Susurros
Marie Lombard, Lisa Francillon, Alice Parmentier, Alexandra Pewinski, Emma Pluchard, Florian Reignier
Supinfocom Rubika, France
The day I licked a pebble
Goli Atefi, Chloé Bernuchon, Flavie Eliézer, Nathan Jauze, Maud Kolasa, Marie Pijollet
École MoPA, France
Documentary
66 Days
Joude Bazzoun
University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom
Strangers on Our Land
Zane Karram, Kelsey Oliver
University of California, Berkeley, United States
Talk Straight, Duda
Eduardo Maia
University of Southern California, United States
Live Action
Children of yesterday
Clara Diet Cordy
Institut National Supérieur des Arts du Spectacle et des Techniques de Diffusion, Belgium
Rage
Fran Moreno Blanco, Santi Pujol Amat
Escola Superior de Cinema i Audiovisuals de Catalunya, Spain
Whispers of the Waves
Patricia Xu
Beijing Film Academy, China
Games
Candellum
Eva Martinello, Mattéo Gomez
Isart Digital, France
Kiloton
Jack Morehart
New York University, United States
The Wind and the Wisp
Sammy Chuang
University of Southern California, United States
Immersive
Lichtung
Aria Wolf
Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg, Germany
Room
Leyi Zhou
University of the Arts London, United Kingdom
Sonderambla
Tomis Fras
University of the Arts London, United Kingdom
About BAFTA
BAFTA’s mission as a charity is to champion the creative and cultural importance of the screen arts across film, games and television. Through its Awards ceremonies and year-round programme of talent initiatives and learning events that include masterclasses, lectures, scholarships, bursaries and mentoring schemes in the UK and North America, BAFTA identifies and celebrates excellence, discovers, inspires and nurtures new screen talent, and enables learning and creative collaboration. For more, visit www.bafta.org. BAFTA North America is a registered charity (EIN 95-4130773).
About e.l.f. Cosmetics
e.l.f. Beauty (NYSE: ELF) is fueled by a belief that anything is e.l.f.ing possible. We are a different kind of company that disrupts norms, shapes culture and connects communities through positivity, inclusivity and accessibility. e.l.f. Cosmetics, our global flagship brand, makes the best of beauty accessible to every eye, lip and face by bringing together the best of beauty, culture and entertainment. Our superpower is delivering universally appealing, premium quality products at accessible prices that are e.l.f. clean and vegan, all double-certified by Leaping Bunny and PETA as cruelty free. We are proud to have products made in Fair Trade Certified facilities. Learn more at www.elfcosmetics.com.
