First Fulbright-BAFTA Scholar, Financial Aid Recipients Announced
British Academy of Film and Television Arts announced this year’s recipients of financial aid to support studies in film, television and games.
The 26 awardees include the first-ever recipient of the Fulbright-BAFTA scholarship, Lily Freeston, who will pursue an MFA in documentary filmmaking at Northwestern University.
In addition to financial support, the scholars will have free access to BAFTA’s online events and resources.
“The astonishing expense of postgraduate education remains a major obstacle to equality in talent development, so we are delighted to remove financial barriers through these scholarships,” said Kathryn Busby, chair of BAFTA LA. “We are also proud to partner with the Fulbright Commission to offer the full cost of annual tuition to a single student and join forces with an organization dedicated to improving worldwide access to top quality education and to the reciprocal benefits of international study.”
The 16 U.S.-based BAFTA scholars will study at institutions including the City College of New York, Brooklyn College, NYU Tisch School of the Arts, the American Film Institute, Columbia University, USC, Northwestern University and Berklee College of Music. The remaining 10 recipients are international students from underrepresented communities who will pursue their studies in the U.K.
“This year’s U.S. scholars represent a broad spectrum of nationalities, ethnicities, genders and backgrounds,” said Maria Ishak, chair of BAFTA New York. “We are proud to invest in the future of this diverse and talented group of individuals and we can’t wait to see the impact they have on our industry years from now.”
The BAFTA Scholarship Program is funded by philanthropist Mark Pigott KBE, The Hunter Foundation, HBO, BBC America, DLT Entertainment, King Features Animation and The Taffner Family Charitable Trust.
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