Young filmmakers take centre stage

Aspiring young filmmakers have had their work showcased at a special screening held at QUAD.

Students from the BFI Film Academy Showcase 2022-23 recently presented a premiere screening of their films at the Market Place venue.

The invite-only premiere screening event included three short films produced by this year’s cohort from Derby’s BFI Film Academy.

The films were: The Monster Downstairs, Run Away and Mould, as well as film directed by QUAD Young Advocates Behind the Scenes of BFI Film Academy.

The films were: The Monster Downstairs, Run Away and Mould, as well as film directed by QUAD Young Advocates Behind the Scenes of BFI Film Academy.

More than 100 people attended the premiere event, including the 15 successful 2022-23 film academy students, their family and friends, as well as QUAD staff and industry professionals, including from Nottingham’s Film & Television Workshop.

The awards were presented by QUAD trustees, Mark Gregory, who is QUAD’s chairman, and education representative Ashok Venkatesh.

Funded by the British Film Institute, this is the third year QUAD has delivered the BFI Film Academy course.

Designed to nurture, train and inspire the next generation of UK filmmakers, the academy supports young people aged 16 to 19 from the Midlands region to develop the commercial and cultural knowledge and skills needed to help forge a career in film.

Over the four-month course, the young filmmakers develop their own stories and scripts, adapting a selection of these into short films which are then produced by the group.

Chris Bevan, BFI Film Academy course leader at Derby, said: “The BFI Film Academy is an incredible opportunity for anyone aged 16 to 19 years who are enthusiastic about filmmaking to get practical, hands-on experience, while meeting industry professionals and being introduced to new skills to give them a great launchpad into a career in the film industry.”