The awards were presented this afternoon at a prestigious ceremony at the London College of Communication, UAL, hosted by radio and TV presenter Yinka Bokinni.

Across the 22 competitive categories, the National Film and Television School led the way with seven postgraduate wins, with Night of the Living Dread taking home awards for both the Animation and Production Design categories.The University of the West of England followed closely with six wins, including both the undergraduate and postgraduate inaugural Sustainability categories with Fight of the Puffin and The State of Earth. 

The Craft Skills categories were also presented during the ceremony, awarded at the discretion of the judges across Camerawork, Editing, Production Design, Sound and Writing. These categories saw the National Film School/IADT awarded two wins for Undergraduate Sound and Undergraduate Writing. 

Sinéad Rocks, Managing Director, Nations and Regions at Channel 4 and Chair of the RTS Student Television Awards, said: “The standard this year has been outstanding and the future of the television industry will be in great hands with such talented and passionate individuals keen to make a difference coming into it. It was amazing to be able to celebrate the achievements of all the nominees at a live awards ceremony at last.”

The RTS Student Television awards are designed to highlight the talent, potential and enthusiasm of students across the UK, celebrating the exemplary audiovisual work they create. The awards also provide a unique opportunity for students to get their work seen by leading figures within the television industry. 

For more information on the RTS Student Television Awards please visit: https://rts.org.uk/award/rts-student-television-awards-2022

See the full list of winners and nominees here.

Please see below the full list of winners and nominees as well as citations from the juries:  

Postgraduate Animation

WINNER - Night of the Living Dread – Ida Melum, Danielle Goff, Hannah Kelso & Laura Jayne Tunbridge(National Film and Television School)

A highly sophisticated piece with a great script. The film held the jury’s attention throughout with engaging characters, a highly relatable narrative, and a stunning visual aesthetic. A film a seasoned professional would be proud of. 

Nominees:

• A Film About A Pudding – Roel Van Beek, Jack Pollington, Julie Nørgaard Bonde Jensen, Sonja Huttunen & Team (National Film and Television School)
• Do Not Feed The Pigeons – Antonin Niclass, Jordi Morera & Vladimir Krasilnikov (National Film and Television School)

 

Undergraduate Animation

WINNER - In Harmony – Markus Øvre (UCA Farnham)

A brilliant musical animation with unique and engaging characters. The use of music to drive the narrative was well executed and the jury paid praise to the underlying message of acceptance.

Nominees:

• Allotment – Karla Engström & Samuel Carson (Manchester Metropolitan University)
• Fall of the Ibis King – Mikai Geronimo, Josh O’Caoimh, Giorgia McKenna, Charles Henri-Sanson, Niall Delahan, Stephen Hennessy, Cathal Hughes, Samantha Sack & Alex Voytenko (National Film School / IADT)

 

Postgraduate Comedy and Entertainment

WINNER - Ashes 2 Ashes – Louise Stewart (National Film and Television School)

Laugh out loud funny writing, with excellent new on-screen talent performances and a memorable and beautifully simple story that was brilliantly executed by all.

Nominees:

• Flavours Without Borders – Desi Traichevska, Dominika Lapinska, Arushi Chugh & Oliver Wegmüller (National Film and Television School)
• Britain's Lost Walks – Melissa Aston-Munslow, Samson Ibitoye, Holly Androlia & Niamh Broderick (National Film and Television School)

 

Undergraduate Comedy and Entertainment

WINNER - Heart Failure – Will Wightman, Cleo Yeomans & Will Marchant (Falmouth University)

Brilliantly uplifting and funny from start to finish - terrific new cast performances and refreshing to cross a rom-com story and characters with dance music. Super-slick new writing, dynamic directing, ace music production and top-notch editing.

Nominees:

• Finsta – Lucia Debernardini, Anne Sophie Trompert, Felicia Holst & Luis Garcia (Regent's University London)
• Flash_Thunder93 – Reuben Harvey, Matthew Howe, Finnoughla Madden & Robert Montgomery (National Film School / IADT)

 

Postgraduate Drama

WINNER - Requiem – Emma J. Gilbertson, Michelle Brøndum, Laura Jayne Tunbridge, Joseph Guy & Production Team (National Film and Television School)

A wonderfully evocative film which rendered its period setting with astonishing skill, especially given the constraints of both covid and budget, this was outstandingly acted and directed. While the concept was perhaps a touch familiar, the film brought Miller’s The Crucible to mind in its emotional power and immersive quality. To feel as though you’ve watched a full length feature after only twenty four minutes is extraordinary, and each aspect of the filmmaking contributed. 

Nominees:

• Caterpillar – Marcus Anthony Thomas, Johannes Schubert, Sonja Huttunen, Paulina Camacho, Lesley Posso & Team (National Film and Television School)
• Triangle – Peter Engelmann (Arts University Bournemouth)

 

Undergraduate Drama

WINNER - Sizzle – May-Ann Blanch, Luke Keogh, Anna Burns & Rachael Light (Royal Conservatoire of Scotland)

A wonderfully bold and imaginative film, telling a quietly courageous story with humour and pathos. The emotionally truthful central performance, unusual visuals and vivid production design made this a real stand out for the panel.  

Nominees:

• Dilemma – Dora Martynyuk (Regent's University London)
• My House of Things – Ingo Lyle-Goodwin, Nikki Merrett, Ben Collins, Kinga Kovacs, Dylan Saville & Felix Bromage (Leeds Beckett University, Northern Film School)

 

Postgraduate Factual

WINNER – More Than Just Memories – Megan Brown, Osian Pearson, Miles Sullivan & Fabio Amurri (National Film and Television School)

This film was beautifully shot, with a high standard in post-production, it was a really emotional story that tugged at all the judges’ heart strings, whilst being sensitive and not indulgent. The film managed to educate without jarring between facts and figures and the lovely story that was so gently told.

Nominees:

• All Is Now – Anna Nørager, Basia Miszczyk, Raluca Petre, Zoltán Kadnár, Madison Willing, Francis Qureshi, Ewelina Dziedzic & Emma Beinish (National Film and Television School)
• Last Orders – Hannah Skolnick, Waltteri Vanhanen, Joseph Stevenson & Joe De-Vine (National Film and Television School)

 

Undergraduate Factual

WINNER - EDEN - Charlie Bush, Patrick Whinder-Montague, Barney Janes, Sam Schoettner, Maryam Bahaari, Guy Newland & Ethan Harper (University of the West of England, Bristol)

The jury said this film was beautifully shot, stunning and poetic. It revealed a hidden story that was ‘of the moment’ and would inspire other trans women to come forward for help and support.

Nominees:

• No Comprendo - Claudia Botton & Bukola Bakinson (University of Greenwich)
• On Board DH23 - Cameron Tait, Kiran Wallace, Teddy Howes & Belinda Villa Rodriguez (Solent University)

 

Postgraduate News and Sport

WINNER - Struggle and Hope - Aisling Taylor, Sarah Harrison & Alex Prior-Wandesforde (City, University of London)

Struggle and Hope took on a complex subject and delivered a detailed, and at times very emotional documentary. Well-researched and technically strong. The calibre of the interviewees, and the sensitivity in which they were dealt with, was particularly impressive.  

Nominees:

• The Diagnosed: Living with Borderline Personality Disorder - Cara Mooney, Isabel Suckling & Charlotte Newell(City, University of London)
• The Fight to be Seen - Nichole Tan (Goldsmiths, University of London)

 

Undergraduate News and Sport

WINNER - The Third Man - Curtis Pyke, Georgia Savoie, Ian Bedwell, Jenna Wallace & Edward Lawton(University of the West of England, Bristol)

We were blown away by the imagination, style and power of this film, centred around a truly original idea. The fantastic animation was of a professional standard. The stand-out entry.

Nominees:

• The Impact of COVID-19 - Isabel Blakemore (The University of Salford)
• The Reality of Eating Disorders - Daisy Herman (The University of Salford)

 

Postgraduate Sustainability

WINNER - Flight of the Puffin - Rakel Dawn Hanson (University of the West of England, Bristol)

A joyous, surprising, and sensitively handled film. This is deft observational filmmaking that confronts the juxtaposition of hunting and conservation with both empathy and documentary rigour. Accomplished. 

Nominees:

• Cuttle Shore - Rosie Ashley-East, Jack Mortimer, Jessie Knierim, Ella Van Cleave and Joe Shelly (University of the West of England, Bristol)
• Ghost Ponds - Amanda Sosnowski (University of the West of England, Bristol)

 

Undergraduate Sustainability

WINNER - The State of Earth - Innes Letch, Frankie Gray, Drew Graves, Megan Harrison & Eve-Marie Johnson(University of the West of England, Bristol)

This is an accomplished and informative film. Good use of archive combined with well edited new material delivers an impressively sophisticated narrative journey. 

Nominees:

• The Future of Fashion - Lauren Allaway (Bournemouth University)
• The Rubbish Countryside - Rose Thompson (University of Plymouth)
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CRAFT CATEGORIES

 

Postgraduate Craft Skills – Camerawork 

WINNER – Ghost Ponds - Amanda Sosnowski (University of the West of England, Bristol)

This is cinematography at its finest, in particular how the Norfolk landscape was captured in all its wonder. The film displayed “stunning photography, with creative movements which perfectly complements the story and message,” said one judge. Ghost Ponds showed great scale and ambition in making a remarkable film that gave an insight into the lost world of British pond life but the quality of the filming and storytelling matches up to any broadcast factual programme.

 

Undergraduate Craft Skills – Camerawork 

WINNER – EDEN ­- Barney Janes (University of the West of England, Bristol)

The camera work was outstanding – we felt it was movie standard and overall the piece flowed with a lyrical and poetic quality. It captured the breath-taking scenery perfectly and put you right in the cold water alongside the subject.

 

Postgraduate Craft Skills – Editing 

WINNER – Caterpillar - Lesley Posso (National Film and Television School)

Apart from a compelling narrative, the cutting of dialogue and punctuation between scenes helped set the tone and is part of the reason of why this was a clear favourite. The seamless editing from start to finish meant the cuts were not abrasive, and the story was able to breathe and flow when needed. In particular, how the dialogue was cut helped the audience even further, immersing them into the underground world of producing cannabis through the eyes of this vulnerable young boy.

 

Undergraduate Craft Skills – Editing 

WINNER - Heart Failure - Will Wightman (Falmouth University)

It was impossible not to be impressed by the technical excellence of this edited piece. It was a brilliantly paced and dynamic film with the accompanying track giving so much energy to the piece. The great shot choices made it flow so that nothing jarred. It was epic!

 

Postgraduate Craft Skills – Production Design 

WINNER – Night of the Living Dread –  Milly White (National Film and Television School)

The level of detail in all scenes captured the mood and tone of this individual’s traumatic life of not being able to sleep. When you breakdown each scene, the level of detail in each of those environments the character was in, the realistic materiality of the objects being represented, to the range of moods in the different settings, really immersed you into each scene.

 

Undergraduate Craft Skills – Production Design 

WINNER - In Harmony - Markus Øvre (UCA Farnham)

It is very hard to come up with something non-derivative, but this piece managed it. The film was beautifully crafted, with an amazing character design set in a vividly realised and perfectly created world. The jury felt that it was incredible for an undergraduate to execute this to the accomplished standard that Markus has.

 

Postgraduate Craft Skills – Sound 

WINNER – Do Not Feed The Pigeons – Joe De-Vine (National Film and Television School)

This film was highly commended in some of the other categories of the craft nominations, but it was the judges’ ears that were particularly taken aback by such a simple and funny animation. This was sound design at its best. Each scene was clearly broken down and no sound effect was left unturned – even down to the middle-aged man trying to drown out of the sound of the child crying as he read his newspaper! The levels were on point for each sound effect or the actions of the characters depicted made you feel every bit of being part of that cold coach station.

 

Undergraduate Craft Skills – Sound 

WINNER - Fall of the Ibis King - Niall Delahan, Stephen Hennessy & Cathal Hughes (National Film School / IADT)

A perfectly realised total soundscape drew the viewer right into the centre of this theatrical world and suspended any disbelief. The technical accomplishment of harvesting sounds from different areas - from SFX to vocals to music - was simply brilliant and the sound mix was stunningly professional. A feature film experience.

 

Postgraduate Craft Skills – Writing

WINNER – Triangle - Peter Engelmann (Arts University Bournemouth)

What felt like a simple story of truth or dare lead to unsurprising plot-twist which none of the judges were expecting. The casting along with believable characters made for compelling viewing of what the final outcome would be. The light touches of humour and narrative that built up to the rollercoaster ride of emotions for all the characters in one setting, made this film stand out in this category.

 

Undergraduate Craft Skills – Writing

WINNER - Flash_Thunder93 - Reuben Harvey & Matthew Howe (National Film School / IADT)

This quirky piece, featuring such idiosyncratic characters with a bizarre, shared obsession joined together made the jury genuinely chuckle out loud. It was an excellent script: intelligent, original and witty. One of the hardest things in film-making is to make people laugh and this delivered.