The Graddies
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Bath Spa alumni seize second place at annual graduate film festival
Tuesday, 14 November, 2023A team of Bath Spa University Film, Television and Digital Production students have secured second place at The Graddies - an annual graduate film festival searching for the sharpest young talent in the industry - with their debut short film, ‘Inside My Tux Shop’.
Presenting an opportunity to showcase their work to industry professionals, The Graddies empowers graduating students to find employment in the film industry post-university. Third year students from across the entire country were encouraged to submit their short film to the competition and, on 20 October, ten lucky finalists were invited to an award ceremony in London where the top three films were announced and shown in their entirety.
Attendees celebrated the hard work, perseverance and passion of all the competitors. Seizing the opportunity to network with key industry contacts and students from competing universities, the crew spent the evening celebrating their achievements with likeminded film fanatics.
Coming together after successfully producing another short film, entitled ‘Urn’, the crew found their passion and commitment well matched and decided to embark on another project - little did they know the decision would take them all the way to The Graddies.
Originally an audio play, the adaptation of ‘Inside My Tux Shop’ began as a pipe dream. On a mission to bring his vision to life, Writer Director Iwan Prince contacted the original writers, hoping they would allow the reworking of their audio play into a short film. Successful in their efforts, and, with the writer’s blessing, the crew set to work.
Observing their creative spark, BAFTA award winning drama producer and Senior Lecturer in Film and Media, Sophie Francis, saw potential in the crew’s enthusiasm and flair. Believing that their adaptation could carry them through to the finals, Sophie entered ‘Inside My Tux Shop’ to The Graddies. Sophie said:
“This talented team worked extremely hard throughout their final year in the Film and TV Collaborative Project modules, and I'm so pleased their efforts have been recognised by The Graddies. ‘Inside my Tux Shop’ is a lovely film and their success is very much deserved.”
With a history of excelling graduate film makers into careers in the industry, The Graddies have boosted nominees into eminent production companies such as the BBC, Netflix and Channel 4. They hope to continue bridging the gap between higher education and gainful employment in the film industry with this year’s finalists.
Rowan Hales, Film, Television and Digital Production graduate and the film’s Art Director and Production Designer recalled his experience on set:
“Everyone in our team was great at their respective roles. It helps that we’re all good friends - working together is a pleasure and there’s always a relaxed, fun atmosphere on set. We work well, and while we’re still finding our feet in some areas, the main driving force is that we love what we do. We love making films and we all want our final product to be the best it can be.”
The crew members have credited their former lecturers for nurturing their talent and ambition during university. Jamie Salter is a Film, Television and Digital Production graduate and the film’s Producer. Expressing his appreciation, he said:
“My lecturers taught me to be bold in my work, to stand out and be proud and confident in my intentions. Bath Spa taught me that I’m happiest when I’m creating films with people I love working with. I’m very grateful to the University and to the fantastic Film and TV course.”
Rowan added:
“Thank you to my lecturers, Ann-Marie McCormack and Sophie Francis who made the Short Film module such a pleasure. Their support has been truly amazing.”