Details Announced For First Digital 2020 GSA BAFTA Student Film Awards

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) will host a digital ceremony to unveil the winners of the 2020 GSA BAFTA Student Film Awards. Hosted by actor Elliot Knight, the ceremony will be streamed on Friday, August 7, 2020 at 10.00am PT / 1.00pm ET on BAFTA's YouTube Channel.

The GSA BAFTA Student Film Awards celebrates and rewards the next generation of talented and innovative filmmakers from around the globe. With past winners and nominees including Ryan Coogler ("Black Panther," "Creed"), Sharat Raju ("Scandal," "Fear the Walking Dead"), Clara Roquet, Annie Silverstein and Kevin Wilson Jr., the awards have created a legacy for rewarding the next big filmmakers in the industry

As one of BAFTA's most global initiatives, this year's nine finalists have been selected from almost 700 submissions by students from film schools in 35 countries across Europe, North America, South America, Africa, Asia and Australia. This year's finalist films, which are set in the U.S., Ghana, Uganda, Cambodia, Ukraine, Bosnia, Herzegovina and various other countries in Europe, tell stories that are at once personal and universal and tackle issues as diverse as ecosystem collapse, racial and economic justice, land mine detection, the plight of refugees, and the Holocaust. Further details on all finalists and their films are available HERE.

This year, the digital ceremony will be held in line with COVID-19 restrictions. The ceremony will be hosted by actor Elliot Knight for the first time.

Student finalists will accept their awards virtually from their home countries, having taken part in a series of online events held by BAFTA.

The nine talented finalists will compete for four top prizes - the BAFTA Student Film Award for Animation, the BAFTA Student Film Award for Documentary, the BAFTA Student Film Award for Live Action Film, and the Special Jury Prize. The Special Jury includes journalist and filmmaker Waad Al-Kateab, director Isabel Coixet, director Reinaldo Marcus Green, actress Gugu Mbatha-Raw and actor Clarke Peters.

As part of the Student Film Award program, BAFTA and Global Student Accommodation (GSA) are offering its second BAFTA-GSA Short Film Commissioning Grant to a film or films on the topic of wellbeing. Shortlisted filmmakers and participants of some other BAFTA New Talent programs were given the opportunity to apply for the grant. The BAFTA-GSA Grant Jury will include director Andrew Ahn, CEO of The UK Asian Film Festival Dr. Pushpinder Chowdhry MBE, actress Lily Collins, director Claire Fleming, Global Head of Student Wellbeing and External Relations at GSA Bobbi Hartshorne, actress Tracy Ifeachor and producer Lucy Mukerjee.

The Student Film Awards is an important component of BAFTA Los Angeles' Access for All initiative, a year-round program created to ensure that talented individuals are offered a clear pathway to careers in the entertainment industry, uninhibited by background, demographics or personal circumstance. Activities include acclaimed scholarship, mentorship, education and community initiatives.

The GSA BAFTA Student Film Awards will be streamed on Friday, August 7 at 10.00am PT / 1.00pm ET on BAFTA's YouTube Channel.

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