The Pigott / BAFTA Scholarship is the centerpiece of BAFTA's US Scholarship Program, supporting British university graduate students studying in the United States. We are delighted to share details and news of our current and former Pigott / BAFTA Scholars.
The Pigott/BAFTA Scholarships are for British graduate students studying full-time for Masters degrees in disciplines leading to production roles in filmmaking. This could include directing, writing, producing, cinematography, production design, editing, costume design, composing, visual effects and animation. Students of acting are not eligible for this scholarship.
Requirements
- Applicants must be working towards a postgraduate degree. We do not offer scholarships to diploma courses or undergraduate degrees.
- Applicants can be currently enrolled, recently accepted, or awaiting word of acceptance.
- If you are awaiting word of acceptance for your course at the time of applying, we will require proof of acceptance before you can be awarded a scholarship.
- Previous recipients of the Pigott/BAFTA Scholarship are ineligible to receive it for a second time.
If you are unsure whether you qualify based on the above or have any difficulty filling out the application, please contact: [email protected]
The scholarships were established by industrialist and philanthropist Mr. Mark Pigott KBE. Established in 2015, we have awarded scholarships to individuals who additionally receive additional support from BAFTA throughout the year in the form of professional development programming and access to our events.
The scholarships are funded by the endowment in perpetuity, ensuring many talented students benefit from earning their graduate degrees from outstanding American Universities. Learn more about our past scholars below.
Sean Dunn | Pigott/BAFTA Scholar 2015
Sean Dunn was the very first Pigott/BAFTA Scholar. He is a writer, director and producer, whose films have screened at Film Festival such as Venice, Locarno, BFI London, Sundance, Zagreb and Chicago International Film Festivals. He is a recipient of the Milos Foreman Award for Directing. He graduated from Columbia University with an MFA in Film Directing, where his thesis project won. He was invited to participate in the BBC/BFI/Creative England backed IFeatures program, which is aimed at developing the feature scripts of British first-time feature filmmakers.
"Being awarded the Pigott / BAFTA Scholarship by BAFTA Los Angeles was a huge support to me at a time when I needed it the most. American film schools are extremely expensive, so obviously the finacial help was very welcome, but aside from that, the access to BAFTA events and mixers were equally significant in networking with fellow British filmmakers based in the US. BAFTA Los Angeles has become very important in helping to foster collaborations between director, writers and producers that continue long after graduation."
