Screen Cornwall partnership with the School of Film & TV at Falmouth University
2021 marks our third year partnering with the School of Film & TV at Falmouth University on their graduate shorts scheme, with this year’s open call having just closed and guest judges busily reviewing applications. So why is this partnership so important to the screen economy in Cornwall? Simply put, it’s about retaining exceptional talent with a strong connection to the region through their work and contributing to their progression.
Through the support offered to recent graduates from the TV, Film, Animation & VFX and Masters courses, we fund 4 projects that will be their team’s first foray into short filmmaking beyond their degree and many go on to attract wider funding from organisations like BFI Network or from crowdfunding support. Matilda Butler, one of the successful applicants in 2020 with her project VOYAGER, worked with producer Georgina Colman who said: “Having the support of the Graduate Short Fund was great as it meant that we could sit comfortably in the knowledge that we had a guaranteed amount to work with, and gave us the leverage as well as the confidence to raise more. This was fantastic as it enabled us to make the film as close to Matilda's vision as we were able. The extra funds allowed us to honour our covid safety and sustainability commitments, whilst allowing us to allocate money to the more creative elements too.”
This aligns perfectly with the university’s DOING IT FOR REAL ethos and is channelled through the department’s Sound/Image Cinema Lab research project. Associate Professor Neil Fox explains: “Working with Screen Cornwall on the graduate shorts programme allows us to run a transparent process that enables a wealth of diversity to come through in the applications. It really embeds our connections with the local industry and complements our collaborations with Cornish talent through low-budget features such as LONG WAY BACK and ENYS MEN.”
As well as a focused offer for graduates and alumni, the Screen Cornwall / SOFT partnership enables a wide range of emerging and established talent to connect with the university, whether that be through crew opportunities on local or incoming productions or in-kind support for schemes such as FylmK.
Screen Cornwall Chair Phillippa Giles said: “Talent drives the screen economy and Cornwall is lucky to have a huge asset in Falmouth University. We’re delighted that our initial memorandum of understanding has led to such a fruitful working relationship and we look forward to working together further to realise our shared screen sector vision for Cornwall.”
